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'Passionate' is the latest offering on Bonzai's Green Martian sublabel, and includes a Fire & Ice remix on the flip. While earlier releases on the label were more proggy, we now get treated by a full on uplifting trancer...
The producer behind this track is Leon Bolier, a name which might sound familiar to a few of you. He is (together with his brother Bart) also responsible for the Subsphere guise, with which he has released remixes on the Armada and Bonzai labels, and a tune called 'Infinite' on the same label as the tune that's being reviewed here, Green Martian.
The Mindsensation moniker is also being run by Leon and his brother, and has had a release on the Altitude Yellow label called 'Violet / Daydreamer'.
Let's see what he has created this time...
A: Original Mix
Atmospheric and dark are two words to describe the intro part of this track. Alternating high and more bassy oriented synths are the main ingredients, playing some very calm melodies to warm us up for the main build-up. A very crunchy sounding repeating synthline kicks us right into a nice kickdrum, accompanied by varying percussion and an ongoing bassline behind the main elements. Some swift synths are being brought to the foreground, playing various repeating chords, one sounding just a bit creepy in some kind of way, and the other one adding just that extra bit of drive during the build. At all of a sudden, the ambient melody from the intro returns, playing its calm tones once again. This is where the mega-fun starts: a soft synth starts to build up, but you can immediately hear that it's full of rightful emotion by listening to the magnificent chord changes. Unleashing it's full force bit by bit, the synth suddenly becomes a superbly uplifting RIFF! when the kickdrum and bassline join it. The basis of this track is not too sophisticated, but that's exactly what makes it work so well: the main melody adds a true hands-in-the-air feeling to the climax, being amplified even more by a few nice added synthlines to complete the package. A fantastic track!
B1: Fire & Ice Remix
We all know Fire & Ice, the duo that consists of L-Vee (Airwave) and DJ Fire. Their latest released production is called Para Siempre, which was recently re-released on Made In England with a bunch of new remixes.
Build-wise, this remix takes a completely different approach than the original. The main percussion starts emerging right at the beginning of the track, building itself up step by step. A tiny, repeating synth sample throws us into the phenomenon that is called bassline, working out very nicely together with the agile and driving percussion. Small pieces of melody are surfacing, playing the first few notes of the original melody we heard in the A-side mix. The other ongoing background melodies are creating a nice effect, and will eventually take us into the breakdown. No string-parts here either, just the main melody building itself up in a way reminiscent to the other mix. It sounds nice and all, but I don't think this remix adds that much to the immense original. It's just a somewhat faster version of it, which might appeal to the people who like their tracks just a little quicker.
B2: Subsphere Remix
If you've heard other Subsphere productions, you know what to expect here. This version of the track is a lot less fast than the other versions, but still knows how to grasp your attention by using a very cool bassline. Hits, hats and all the other stuff we're used to are being delivered at your doorstep throughout the build, and some rusty strings are playing a portion of a melody from the original. Numerous chords are starting to overtake the sound spectrum, eventually leading us to a part where most of the elements fade out, and only a muted kick and bass remain. A string which reminded me of the original keeps on going, now making friends with a beepy synth which is flowing on throughout most of the rest of the track. No big climaxes in this remix: this one would suit a start of a nice prog/trance set perfectly with it's interesting bassline and cool use of the melodies from the original.
Conclusion:
Allright, the original is just plain awesome. The intro section is very cool, and the main melody is to die for. As I have said, the Fire & Ice remix doesn't differ that much from the original, but is nice for the people who want a somewhat faster version of the original. The Subsphere mix is cool: the bubbly bassline just works, and the other elements succeed in creating a nice and relaxed vibe. All in all a quality release, I'm definitely looking forward to Leon's future productions!
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