Stuck In My Skull 563 -- "Adagio for Strings"
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Monday, November 17, 2014 | 11/17/2014 06:01:00 AM
Stuck In My Skull 533 -- "Buzz"
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Friday, August 1, 2014 | 8/01/2014 09:59:00 AM
Stuck In My Skull 522 -- "IPOS" [Free Music Week!]
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Monday, June 23, 2014 | 6/23/2014 08:04:00 AM
Comments: Good morning, everyone! You probably noticed an unexplained lack of posts last week. I apologize for that -- the entry that I had written to explain I'd be missing in action for a week didn't post, and so my little vacation went unexplained. To make up for it, I'm kicking off Stuck In My Skull's first ever Free Music Week! That's right, this week is going to be chock-full of amazing music that you don't have to pay for.
Once I realized that my last entry didn't post and decided to do Free Music Week, I headed to Soundcloud and started searching. For those of you who don't know, Soundcloud is an excellent place to find new music of any genre, from both famous and up-and-coming artists. For example, I clicked on Explore, selected 'Dance' as the genre I wanted to explore, and had my pick of nearly-infinite tracks. As of this morning, there's everything from an hour long set by R3HAB (a free download), an hour of Tiesto's Club Life podcast (also a free download), a stack of remixes by various artists, and eventually this gem. One of the things I've really come to appreciate about the Internet is how easy it is for new artists to spread their music, and this is no exception. Prior to writing this entry, I had never heard of Inpetto. According to their website, however, artists like Sander van Doorn, David Guetta, and Axwell have, and are fans. After hearing this song, I can see why.
I have no idea if "IPOS" is supposed to stand for anything, but it does make me stand up and applaud. This track is amazing. Soundcloud shows this as being labelled progressive house, but I am loving the very chill instrumentation and trance influences all over this track. Perhaps chill house would be a better label? Naming conventions aside, the instrumentation is masterful. This track is seven and a half minutes of awesome. The best part is, you can download this song for free by liking the artist on Facebook. Check this song out, and keep an eye on this blog all week for more free music!
Stuck In My Skull 445 -- "Feel the Beat"
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 | 8/06/2013 06:36:00 AM
Stuck In My Skull 401: Songs Revisited, Part 2 -- " Motorcycle - As the Rush Comes (Tiesto Remix)"
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Monday, April 15, 2013 | 4/15/2013 05:00:00 AM
While the nomenclature might be confusing, there's nothing confusing about this track. It's the calmest, most relaxing trace track I know -- vintage Tiesto at his finest. Jes Brieden's vocals are beautifully layered over a classic kickdrum beat in the 130-140 BPM neighborhood, with some of the most relaxing synths I've ever heard. This song is seriously like warm cuddles to my ears, with a familiarity and warmth that flirts with the border of sensuality. There is precisely nothing wrong with this track. I love it. It does, in fact, 'embrace me' and 'surround me as the rush comes.' Check it out!
[Secret Sounds] Hollidayrain - Tainted Memories feat. Brenton Mattheus and Laura Brehm
Written By Relinquish on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 | 2/20/2013 09:03:00 PM
Artist: Hollidayrain
Download: FREE (soundcloud)
Today's song features a loaded trifecta. Hollidayrain is a young producer from Colorado who has been making music since a young age; he works with many EDM genres and does all of them quite well. Brenton Mattheus is a UK vocalist who has been collaborating with many EDM artists and hopes to expand his career even more. Laura Brehm is a vocalist and producer, also from Colorado, who is currently running the "Give a Voice" music fundraiser to support a surgery for a friend with dysprosody.
This track, Tainted Memories, is actually a mashup of two of Hollidayrain's songs, To The Start featuring Mattheus and Tainted Memories featuring Brehm. What really shines on this track is the everflowing melody as it glides over the trance loops. The juxtaposition of the two vocal lines--two solos made into a duet--makes the lyrics even more poignant and relatable. The motion of these keeps consistent without ever getting boring, moving in small steps but loaded with emotion.
[Secret Sounds] ~ Mr FijiWiji - Farewell
Written By Relinquish on Monday, February 4, 2013 | 2/04/2013 08:16:00 PM
Artist: Mr FijiWiji
Download: iTunes Mr FijiWiji, called "The Fij" by his adoring fans, is another young artist on the Monstercat label. Not only is he an accomplished producer at such a young age, but he also volunteers and raises money for charity. He is known for making emotional music that is all his own style, without bending to what is popular. He also loves to title songs after his friends (see Gina and Jason the Breadman's Quest for Redemption) and to give away free music.
His first independent release, Farewell, is no exception. This piece has a beautifully executed ABA form. The first part begins with a great kick that gives way to a plaintive melody, which later stacks on top of a syncopated countermelody. When this fades, a solo piano part rises up from the silence. The Fij's gentle but compelling vocals enter, and though the lyrics may be simple, they capture the perfect sentiment for a departure. The reverb on the vocals (and throughout the piece) adds charge to the emotion. The countermelody from the first section returns, and later the melody comes back after the vocals fade. The two intertwine in a beautiful dance until the return of only the original kick. The outstanding composition of this piece and its emotionally resonant sounds make it a great first independent release for The Fij.
Stuck In My Skull 356: 90s Week, Part 2 — “Little Fluffy Clouds”
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 | 1/01/2013 12:00:00 AM
[youtube http://youtu.be/FHixChYgGRI]
Comments: For those of you who are in timezones where it is 2013, Happy New Years! Thank you to Amanda, who gave me this lovely little song. I keep running into The Orb, and this just cements in my mind that I really need to look more of their stuff up. Also, I had no idea that The Orb was this old! Cool! I love groups with staying power. Enjoy, and happy new year!
Entry 280-- "Resurrection"
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Friday, August 31, 2012 | 8/31/2012 05:00:00 AM
Comments: Happy Friday! I'll skip right to the meat of this entry. When I was first getting into techno, Pandora showed me this song, and I fell in love with it. I've never seen another song by this group, but I have seen a slew of remixes, which is unusual in the techno world-- one-hit wonders aren't that common... Oh well. If any of you happen to see another song by this group in your travels, let me know! Enjoy!
Entry 249-- "Under Your Spell"
Written By Anonymous on Thursday, July 19, 2012 | 7/19/2012 05:00:00 AM
Artist: Cosmic Gate Ft. Aruna
Comments: Hey it's Miriah again. I'm bringing some Cosmic Gate to Thursday. I have heard of this band previously, but I haven't listened to a lot of their music. I did catch this song recently, and it certainly is 'trance'. I've only heard it a few times and it's already stuck in my head and I have a feeling that it won't be leaving any time soon. Aruna doesn't have quite the power behind her voice than some others I have been listening to recently, but I love the tone in her voice. There was another song that I really wanted to share that had a much higher tempo, and an equally good song, but I'll save the surprise for next week. :) Enjoy!
Entry 227: Heart Week 2, Part 2-- "You Are My Diamond"
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 | 6/19/2012 05:00:00 AM
Song: "You Are My Diamond"
Artist: Tiesto feat Kianna
Comments: When I decided I was going to do Heart Week 2, I went looking for songs I didn't already know to describe my feelings. I don't know why I ended up digging around in a pile of old Tiesto, but I'm glad I did. With the exceptions of a few pronouns that are reversed, this song says everything I want to say. "All my life I've been looking for love / I never thought I'd find it / All my life I've been looking for you / I just didn't know it." Among all the rocks and fake people, you are my shining diamond.
Entry 215-- Tour Of Techno Week, Part 5: "No Memory From Yesterday" and Update!
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Friday, June 1, 2012 | 6/01/2012 05:00:00 AM
Update: The update is two-fold. First, I finally caught the fact that only registered users of blogger could comment on this blog. That has now been rectified-- anyone with internet can leave a comment. Secondly, the song featured in Entry 184 ("Burn it Down" by Linkin Park) has gotten an official music video released, seen here: http://youtu.be/dxytyRy-O1k
Entry 200-- "Elements of Life"
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Friday, May 11, 2012 | 5/11/2012 06:56:00 AM
Artist: Tiesto
Comments: Sorry for the lack of posts recently, folks-- life has been kind of crazy. The update schedule might be a bit off for awhile-- I'm now in a different time zone, and once I get over the jetlag, the regular content will be at a slightly different time of day. Anyway, the song. This song has precisely nothing to do with Hydrogen and Oxygen and Carbon and such, and everything to do with an awesome piece of music. It's been a favourite of mine for a long time, and it sounded like a good idea to celebrate Entry 200. Enjoy!
Entry 5-- "Lethal Industry"
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Monday, July 18, 2011 | 7/18/2011 07:03:00 PM
Artist: Tiesto
http://youtu.be/pYU0TVe4LWY (album)
http://youtu.be/_Nnh0LuhLag (Live, starting about 4:00)
Comments: I love this song. If you get bored on YouTube, you can track down a version featuring a guitarist playing live in mid-set, which is just as epic. The two versions here are both worth a listen, and carry themselves well on their own merits. The first one is significantly shorter, being the album version, but is guaranteed to have you dancing. Or at least, it's guaranteed to have me dancing. The second version is from a concert Tiesto gave for Queensday in his native country, to the thrill of all, I am sure. "Lethal Industry" starts about four minutes in, after the tail end of "Moonlight Party," if I am hearing it correctly.
Unrelated Comment: I've tentatively settled on a twice-daily pattern of updates. At some point, I'll slow down, either when I get bored or the blog picks up a stable following. (Yes, I am that vain.) Vanity aside, having a greater base of content means the blog is more robust and more likely to be noticed.
Entry 5-- "Lethal Industry"
Artist: Tiesto
http://youtu.be/pYU0TVe4LWY (album)
http://youtu.be/_Nnh0LuhLag (Live, starting about 4:00)
Comments: I love this song. If you get bored on YouTube, you can track down a version featuring a guitarist playing live in mid-set, which is just as epic. The two versions here are both worth a listen, and carry themselves well on their own merits. The first one is significantly shorter, being the album version, but is guaranteed to have you dancing. Or at least, it's guaranteed to have me dancing. The second version is from a concert Tiesto gave for Queensday in his native country, to the thrill of all, I am sure. "Lethal Industry" starts about four minutes in, after the tail end of "Moonlight Party," if I am hearing it correctly.
Unrelated Comment: I've tentatively settled on a twice-daily pattern of updates. At some point, I'll slow down, either when I get bored or the blog picks up a stable following. (Yes, I am that vain.) Vanity aside, having a greater base of content means the blog is more robust and more likely to be noticed.
Entry 1-- Motorcylce- As the Rush Comes (Tiesto Remix)
Written By Christopher Audiophile on Saturday, July 16, 2011 | 7/16/2011 10:36:00 PM
Song: "Motorcylce- As the Rush Comes" (Tiesto Remix)
Artist: Tiesto
http://youtu.be/rv3EY4k3yrY
Comments: A longtime favourite of mine. There are tons of mixes, but I prefer the Tiesto version, which is the most trance-like of the bunch. The original is very good, as is the Gabriel & Dresden mix.
Entry 1-- Motorcylce- As the Rush Comes (Tiesto Remix)
Song: "Motorcylce- As the Rush Comes" (Tiesto Remix)
Artist: Tiesto
http://youtu.be/rv3EY4k3yrY
Comments: A longtime favourite of mine. There are tons of mixes, but I prefer the Tiesto version, which is the most trance-like of the bunch. The original is very good, as is the Gabriel & Dresden mix.