[i:Vibes] Matt Hardwick Vs. Smith & Pledger

» Tune of the week: Gary Maguire - Are You Real
» Classic of the week: Blank & Jones - Beyond Time
» Album of the month: Solarstone - Innermost

ç¥´ personal
Username:	Password:	Autologin
Not a registered user? Click >here< to register now. It's free, you get access to all features and can win great prizes!

Search:

Main Menu

Interactive

Info

Essential audio

The official i:Vibes Spotify Trance playlist

Matt Hardwick Vs. Smith & Pledger - Day One [Anjunabeats]

10:58 - December 15, 2003

by Watts

Matt Hardwick, Oliver Smith and Mark Pledger team up to produce the latest offering of trance, titled 'Day One', on the Anjunabeats label.

You know you're in for a truly trancey treat when Gatecrasher's resident Matt Hardwick gets together with Smith & Pledger - who themselves have been working together for nearly 3 years now. The result is 'Day One', a dreamy and melodic piece of trance which every trance addict should known very well by now.

:: Matt Hardwick Vs. Smith & Pledger
:: Anjunabeats
:: ANJ019

A: Original Mix
'Day One' starts off with a standard beat, bassline and simple percussive backing. Added soon after is a nice mellow synth riff with shades of chilled Chicane style trance. This early stage of the track acts as one big crescendo, with extra layers appearing periodically, adding to the backing riff and overall body of the track. The main melody is introduced during the initial breakdown, which is very calm and soothing. The melody itself is very nice indeed and is one of those that just flows oh-so nicely. There are many little elements to this track which all combine so wonderfully together. The most noticeable of which is an addition to the main section where you think the tune is at its peak, but a very high pitch synth begins to subtly complement the melody and creates a truly dreamy sound. The rest of the track consists of a rather cut back 'resting' section which leads to a short break and then a final build up of the main melody, which plays out and brings n the end of the track.

B: Above & Beyond's Big Room Mix

The remix by Above & Beyond on the flip of this record is a slightly tougher sounding version. However they have worked very well so as to keep the calm trancey feel of the original. It begins with a more hefty beat, more prominent percussion and a much grittier bassline, complemented by frequent stabs of sfx. A synth with a more cutting sound than the soft ones used in the original begins to play an introduction to the main melody. An extended breakdown is used to fully develop the melody from soft synth back into cutting synth and the track plays out one of its main sections. There are numerous little breaks in this remix. Each one serves to bring a slight change in the sound of the track, be it playing down for a rest or building up to a high point. An interesting combination of tougher trance with the dreamy trance element of the original.

Conclusion:
'Day One' is a wonderful piece of trance which will be kept fresh in peoples minds by many plays by all the big trance names. The Original Mix particularly is a pleasure to listen to, so I hope we will be seeing more of Matt Hardwick and Smith & Pledger on Anjunabeats in the future!