Orkidea – 20

Friday, November 11, 2011 Pin It

You don’t have to be from Finland to have heard of this man. Tapio Hakanen aka Orkidea has been undoubtedly one of the biggest names in the trance scene. Once played at small raves in the early 90s is now a source of inspiration for many veterans of this genre such as Above & Beyond’s Paavo Siljamäki. Orkidea’s fourth album in line, ‘20‘, celebrates two decades of his presence in trance industry. ‘20‘ features new tracks from himself as well as collaborations with other artists namely Solarstone, JS16 and Lowland.

The album starts off with a reworked version of what is without a doubt the most popular track from the man himself, "Beautiful". The Original remix was released back in 2005. Even though the track is more than 5 years old now, Orkidea has made it sound fresh. Orkidea’s Whiteout Remix, as it’s called, is a much dancier version than the Original Mix – doesn’t beat the original one though. I might be a bit biased here but the original has a special place in my heart as I’ve been hearing it since my early days of listening to trance.

Second track in line is collaboration with JS16 of Dallas Superstars fame called "Halle Bopp" and is my personal favourite from the album. Before you start to wonder what the funny sounding name means, it’s named after the most widely observed comet of the 20th century. The track has a really groovy bass line and has a very catchy rising up and going down riff. This track would definitely rip dance floors apart.

Orkidea has collaborated with Solarstone again this time to produce "Slowmotion II". This track has a very emotional and dark feel to it as if you’re progressing through space and time – just close your eyes and listen, it will take you to space flying over unexplored landscapes and alien planets. "Slowmotion II" is aptly titled as it captures the essence of the original "Slowmotion" with the same vibe and feel to it. Top notch production from the duo.

"Sun Down" is a new solo track in this album by the man himself. The track doesn’t sound very spectacular at start but it grows onto you. It captures Orkidea’s signature style and the lead melody is pretty decent.

Follows in is "Pacifique", a very summery track which I personally love. The vocal chops, the bass line, the kicks all add up to create a very nice warm feeling overall. The break down features a mesmerising and dreamy vocal sample and the lead synth melody which kicks in after is absolutely fantastic. You could close your eyes and completely get lost in this track. The only problem I had with this one is that it’s too short!

Next comes in Orkidea’s recently released remix of Art Of Trance’s "Chung Kwo". You can guess by the name that the track has an oriental vibe to it. Mixed up with Orkidea’s signature style, this one has fresh new sounds to it and a very happy sounding lead melody. Love it or hate it, great remix by Orkidea.

Orkidea has collaborated with Lowland for this next single titled "Blackbird". Very groovy and fresh sounding track with a futuristic robotic vocal sample. Great sounding track nevertheless.

"Tw3nty" is the title track of this album. Very dancy track which would sound amazing in a club. I like to imagine this track to reflect Orkidea’s 20 years of making trance, because of its title. Sounds a lot more emotional that way. :)

Orkidea has done several remixes for Way Out West’s "Killa" and this one sounds the best! The vocal samples and bass line are revamped and the break down sounds emotional as ever. Absolutely fantastic work by the legend.

"Hot Trigger" is a fast paced banging tune, a bit different from his usual style. The track didn’t appeal to me much but it has a very catchy main melody which is definitely going to get stuck in your head. ;)

Orkidea ends his album the track that was a stepping stone in his career, "Unity". The Original Mix was supported by Sasha and Oakenfold. Orkidea’s own club is named after this track. This retouched version captures the essence of the classic and is equally as good if not any better.

Verdict

Orkidea is certainly one of those few artists in the trance industry who has maintained consistency and has not changed his style to fit in with the new ‘evolved’ trance music. His music still has the same flavour to it like it did 20 years ago. Not many DJs maintain this consistency for 20 years in their career.

10/10

For more info related to Orkidea check out the following links:
www.djorkidea.com
www.twitter.com/DJOrkidea
www.facebook.com/orkideadj

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