Markus Schulz talks about 10 tracks from ‘Las Vegas 10′
Thursday, February 18, 2010
In an exemplary effort to not just compile and feature the best of the best tunes, Markus Schulz hand-picked some of his personal favourites and wrote down his notions for these beauties. What you’re about to read ahead, is purely, truly coming from the man himself.
1. Mike Foyle pres. Statica – Deadly Nightshade (Phynn Remix) [Coldharbour Recordings]
Phynn’s work really caught my attention during last summer with his production "Spacewalk". When I played at the St. Petersburg edition of Global Gathering in August, I got a little carried away with the fist pumping and smashed my headphones into the table! I invited him to work his magic on "Deadly Nightshade", and his remix has completely blown up at the gigs and the radio show. The original melody is so dark and moody, but he really turned up the voltage with his remix.
2. Rex Mundi – Opera of Northern Ocean (Original Mix) [Coldharbour Recordings]
Rex was undoubtedly the Coldharbour hero of 2009, primarily for "Nothing At All", but also because of the great job he did remixing my Dakota track "Sin City". I admire him because of his versatility in productions, and this is best demonstrated with "Opera Of Northern Ocean". When he sent me the track back in October, it was in full repeat mode on my iPod for days on end. The melody is simply beautiful, and it makes me look forward to the summer and the Ibiza season every day.
3. Robert Burian feat. Zdenka Predna – You (Club Mix) [Forza Music]
If you are a regular listener to Global DJ Broadcast, you will know that this has been a huge anthem on the show for the past 6 months. The vocals really stand out to me – they are moody and confrontational, and I guess it is a great example of describing the tension in my live-sets. I just had to include it on this compilation, because I’ll look back on it in a few years and remember how huge the track was back then.
4. Max Graham feat. Neev Kennedy – Sun In The Winter (Original Mix) [Coldharbour Recordings]
Like Rex Mundi, Max is one of the most versatile producers out there, and no matter what style he dips into, the results are always outstanding. The fans have really taken to this track very quickly. It’s one of those feel-good records that makes us reflect on the dark and cold nights of the winter, and the changing of the seasons to spring. The piano in the break in particular is amazing.
5. Trilucid – Departures (Yuri Kane Remix) [Infrasonic Progressive]
This track has all of those quintessential qualities of a typical Coldharbour track – moody bass line and that wonderful dreamy melody on top. Listening to this always puts a smile on my face, and I’m looking forward to seeing how Yuri Kane develops, because he looks like a hot talent for the future.
6. Arnej – They Need Us [Coldharbour Recordings]
Toronto’s Arnej continues his great production work with "They Need Us". The bass line had me hooked in immediately on first listen, and it has done great business in the clubs, most notably when I opened with it during the World Tour broadcast from Godskitchen’s birthday in Birmingham. I played with Arnej at the massive Godskitchen Urban Wave event at Centennial Hall in Wroclaw, and it is venues like that where this track would really go off.
7. Skytech – Comet (Original Mix) [Coldharbour Recordings]
Poland has been able to boast a hotbed of upcoming producers over the past couple of years, and I’m proud to work with some of the very best in Skytech. "Comet" has stayed in my live-sets for the best part of 7 months now. The riff in it is massive, and when the break kicks in, it just sends any crowd wild. I get lots of emails asking when the track is coming out, and I can reveal that you will see this out on Coldharbour in March.
8. ElSandro – Style Fusion (Jessus Progressivo Mix) [Pilot6]
This one is completely driven by a big, dirty bass line. It’s one of those tracks that you can place at any point of your set and you know that it will set off the dance floor. Jessus is a new talent from Colombia, which has been one of my favorite countries to play in the past year because of how passionate the fans are there.
9. Beat Service meets Tucandeo feat. Manon Polare – Waiting For The Sun (Original Mix) [Coldharbour Recordings]
I have had this one for a little while but deliberately held it back for the compilation. Estonia’s Beat Service has hugely impressed me over the past year with his productions. His melodies are always interesting and he intertwines them with big techy bass lines. The vocal from Manon Polare is incredible. Keep an eye out for this one, because it’s going to be big.
10. Re-Ward vs. Dr Willis – Maaybe (tyDi’s Stadium Mix) [Reset Records]
I first discovered Australia’s tyDi when working on my ‘Amsterdam 08‘ compilation. Since then his star has continued to rise, notably for the throbbing "Russia" that came out on Coldharbour Red a while back. It’s a track and remix built for the big room, and I can see myself playing it in my live-sets a lot over the next while.
