heavenly-hymns.de - finest electronic dance music

december 2005

[heavenly girls] 12|25|05 - merry x-mas, party people!!
heavenly hymns headquarters wishes delightful x-mas celebrations and a happy new year 2006!
We are happy to announce that further updates on the alias list are to be implemented within the next days.
Moreover, we are working on a detailed presentation of the many styles electronic (dance) music has to offer by giving brief descriptions of typical elements and specifying musical representatives. Questions of style will no longer be of speculative nature but instead be object to some kind of raw pattern helping to distinguish between the musical facettes through means of sharp characterization and comparison as well as stating supporting examples.
Last but not least, please rest assured that a quite big pool of all-new tunes has already been selected as possible newentries for the alpha list. We are currently checking them again and again so that you may count on a whole bunch of fabulous tracks with the beginning of the new year. There are so many great releases these days that we can ascertain that the wave of quality hh has talked about several times is becoming brighter and stronger. More and more new artists are flooding the scene with their partially highly amazing works. This development is making us more than hopeful regarding 2006 and the times beyond... Enjoy tunes that have the power to sustainably influencing your mind and mood in a positive and enrichening way!

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november 2005

11|27|05 - German smart trancers Callisto presenting new website
The guys behind the Munich quality trance projekt are Mad-C and Roland de Covado, who came together in 2003 in order to extend and exchange the experience and knowledge each of them had obtained during the past years - with success...
Both share a passion for a kind of trance music that is extraordinary in quality. Moreover, they have put together their studio equipment and recently started up with a common website.
Regarding their combined work they are persuing the same target: making emotional, wicked and inspiring music standing out against the german uniformity in the last months within the upper class. Their main project is called Callisto which is the name of one of Jupiter’s moons. According to Mad-C and Roland, it stands for quality and energy combined with complex and demanding melodies just like Ways, their first release under the Skywarp label. The second project, Cressida, is influenced by a more progressive style and signed to the famous label Somatic Sense.
You can look forward to two extraordinary progressive and talented trancers! For past and future works please visit their well-made website at www.2callisto.com.

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11|21|05 - trance goes wikipedia
On October 6th, Trance.nu initiated a wiki for our favourite music style. The very ambitious project is based on the well-known wikipedia system and intends to build up the worlds largest online trance encyclopedia step-by-step. Currently, the supporters are working on 95 articles and their number is raising. Since trance wiki is meant as an interactive online lexicon that is open for all, the growth speed directly depends on the popularity and the engagement users show in contributing information and extending the database. Please take a trip to Trance.nu / Trance Wiki and be part of a new community to gather and maintain trance related information!

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august 2005

08|24|05 - our vision of global melting
We are proud to announce that another section has been opened up and filled with content. Although it is still not finished yet and much is planned an extensive introducing text has already been uploaded giving an idea of what we have in mind when we speak of global melting.
Read about the power of trance and electronic music in general and why you, the maybe unexperienced visitor and maybe trance newbie, should give this mighty and intelligent music a chance. Please do not misunderstand: we tolerate other musical styles and we do not intend to assert our claims to absoluteness regarding our favourite styles. But we want to open up your eyes for "our music" and give you inspiration and a precious key to more creativity and tranquility.
We want to sensitise you for the vision that is connecting the scene: the idea of unity and peace around the globe led by music as the general language. This is not fiction! This idea is reality to some extent and it can even gain greater importance in the future. You can help reviving this heritage from the good old days of the raving society!
This section will be frequently updated in the near future. For now enjoy browsing through or new section! (-; Click here to gain more info.

08|20|05 [b] - new stuff for your mind
You want to aquire knowledge about what’s going side by side with our love for electronic dance music? you like to gain insight what ideas gave and gives impulses to this project, which vision is guiding us and maybe the whole scene? You want to read and experience something more about what people are constantly talking about but what is still not satisfactory realized and applied in the most modern societies of the world (besides the unsurprising fact that it is often not implemented at all in poor and developping countries)?

Then visit our brand-new section dealing with maybe one of the deepest and widely spread social problems in mankind’history and future: racism and intolerance.
read everything about our anti-racism attitude and our support for programs and initiatives fighting prejudices, stereotypes, intolerance, racism and violence.

You can help in changing the world today by changing your attitude, your behaviour, your virtues. This is no illusion!! everybody can contribute in making it a better place to live in. Click here to gain more info.

08|20|05 [a] - new stuff for your senses
Fresh releases are bringing the summer back: Kenneth Thomas & Mike Skye - Varekai (Alt F4 Remix), Dino Sofos - Breath Sunshine (Paul van Dyk & G-Spott Mixes), Torley Wong - Xristophan, Atmosphere - Storm (Alphazone Mix), Pig & Dan - Love Myself / What Comes Around and last but not least Coldplay - Talk (Max Graham Remix) which is a truly wonderful rework - to name only a few.
So please folks, get together and celebrate! Revive the summer!

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08|18|05 - let’s go v3!
a big shouted welcome to our new web base! It was almost 23:30 CET this monday eve as heavenly hymns version 3 went online. quite late but sticking to the promise made was as a matter of course. two weeks offline period and more than one and a half months absence from alpha list update work have been a case of precedence in the five year history of the project. Sometimes the way gets blurred and you get lost in disturbances of every day life.
But you carry your idea with you, subtle, deep inside you, every hour, every minute. You have a plan in your mind, a mission to fulfill, a challenge to master.

Absence of something you love, you feel with, is mostly hard to endure, but when it’s finally back again, it’s as if you dwelled in a mood of pure joy, especially when it is a thing of deeper and wider importance. We were very happy and excited as we uploaded the new content and design. It is a leap towards new places and we are very curious and tense about what trance and progressive is developping to and where it will take us all and take this project to.
As pleasantly foreshadowed by the staggering tunes already released in the course of this year we can only fasten our seat belts in the dim light of what is even to come in this always again amazing world of trancy music.

With v3 you can become a witnesser of these days’s developments and the flow of creativity and the constant process of stylistic (re)definition. By means of a collectively backed advanced observation, communication and recipitation and evaluation heavenly hymns provides you with a selection of the finest pieces within the styles covered - with endurance, reliability and affection. Further on, we try to keep ears and eyes open to all directions for talented newcomers while preserving a healthy and reasonable respectfulness also towards elder, more or less unknown tunes. This is what conserves and indemnifies the project’s consistence, credibility and openmindedness and, furthermore, ensures the success and the value of our unsalaried work.

Why do so many nice words, regards reach us? Because heavenly hymns is acting "from the scene for the scene". We do not actually boast around, we do not feel special, although our service, our intention could be well characterized like that. It is that one spirit that drives us onward, that connects us all, the whole scene. V3 is only one little part of the great puzzle, a vision of unity. It shall serve as a contribution to ideologically merge and forge people together. Celebration generation! Let us make this dream become reality, with the incredible power of the music we are living for!

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february 2005

02|26|05 - Second Sun debut album coming out soon
Antoine & Adam from the quality trance project Second Sun have completed their first album! The LP called "Inside Out" is considered to be released on April 19th in North America first. The international release dates ought to be published soon. According to Second Sun’s official website there will also be a vinyl package with unmixed songs.

Second Sun, founded in 2000 in Montreal, Canada, is composed of two members: Antoine & Adam. They now both live in Los Angeles, California.
Antoine from Second Sun studied guitar from when he was only seven years young. Later but still early, Antoine decided to use his experience for the development of electronic dance music. He is quoted as follows: "At a certain point I felt limited by playing in bands with only guitars, a bass and drums. I felt that in electronica there were unlimited sound possibilities, which is much more appealing to me as an artist."
Adam, on the other side, had his own small studio with samplers, synthesizers, and drum machines at only ten years. "I’ve always been fascinated by the ways you can use technology to create music. From growing up in the 80’s listening to Depeche Mode and Duran Duran to when Antoine first introduced me to electronica, I’ve had an undying passion for expanding my knowledge for electronic music and the equipment used to create it".
Antoine and Adam stormed into the electronic dance music scene with the release of their first single "Empire". The masterpiece (also in our heavenly-hymns alpha list since the time of its release) was handed to the globally renounded german DJ and producer Paul van Dykat one of his marathon sets at the legendary club Twilo in New York City. Afterwards a record deal has been made with nothing less than Paul van Dyk’s Vandit Records. The single was absolutely correctly described by critics as "mindblowing" and "ten minutes of total pleasure".

"Empire" was then remixed by the international DJ and can be found on his first compilation "The Politics of Dancing" which has been in one of the usually monthly shown heavenly-hymns cd-tips at that time (2001). Moreover, it has been discussed in a small article here on heavenly-hymns: see here.
But Second Sun’s "Empire" can also be enjoyed on other compilations such as the first "Vandit Sessions" compilation CD and Cream’s "Future Trance Ibiza".

Back to the future: you can already now check the track-listing of their upcoming debut album "Inside Out" and even pre-order the CD via the webbase of the two canadian sound forgers. To do so and to gain further information about these highly talented guys, just follow the links beneath.

> www.secondsun.info
> discography of Second Sun

* all photos in this article taken from secondsun.info without permission, but for non-commercial, journalistic purposes only (no payments / proposals made). special thx go out to Second Sun. the pledge for tolerance and journalistic freedom goes out to every person questioning the protection of copy rights and considering jural steps which would be a pity in this harmless case

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02|20|05 - A State Of Trance reloaded!
Most of you trance and progressive addicts will already know it. So this news goes out to the trance newbies among you or just to all those who were a bit irritated during the last weeks: ASOT, dutch trance grandmaster Armin van Buuren’s renounded and globally celebrated streamed web radio dj mix show continues to spread the sound the sound of the future!! During the last weeks many trance and progressive enthusiasts were slightly irritated upon the sudden break in the traditional thursday evening transmission via ID & T Radio. For five years now Armin and his fellows and guest dj’s have pleased us almost weekly with their gripping energetic quality collections of present floorfillers, secret pearls and future favourites in cutting edge electronic dance music... Now history goes on. The legendary online platform and globally appreciated mirror of the trance progressive culture returns.

On February 9th the trance producer Evangelist has confirmed with Armin "that for the time being A State Of Trance will be an online show and ETN (hh: online radio www.etn.fm) is going to be part of it!" Furthermore, the show will also be carried on some other online radio stations. According to him, ETN would be the highest quality free station delivering the captivating sets every week. Heavenly hymns has listed the main facts and figures of the show in the future, quoting Evangelist and ETN:

- the show will be set back to it's original time of 20:00 (8pm) CET (GMT+1) and 14:00 (2pm) US Eastern (GMT-5)

- the format of the show will stay the same with first hour being "Newest Tunes Selected" and the second hour being "Non-Stop In the Mix"

- the lucky difference: no commercials any more!

- ASOT will presumingly not be live anymore, instead it is considered to be prerecorded due to the fact that it is going to be broadcasted through multiple (web) radio stations

- the Thursday schedule is about to be rearranged in the way that ASOT will be sent at its former timeto try to get things back to normal, keep watching the schedule for updates!

- ETN is providing 192, 128 and 32 kbps streams and downloads of the show for free!!

heavenly-hymns.de eagerly awaits new brilliant sessions and is inofficially supporting Armin and ETN: so make sure to tune in!! A State Of Trance is being on its way to build a solid base for the deliverance of high-potential hh-alpha-list newentries. In other words: ASOT sessions are assumed to decisively contribute masterpieces to the heavenly hymns lists. ASOT will continue to be a source for the hh project, but besides the quality of the show and by all respect and acknowledgement towards it, heavenly hymns’ honourable task and effort will consist in filtering out "only" the very best of ASOT.
The cream of the cream, and nothing less. - never before has this aim experienced greater weight and significance for our project and our mission. Prepare for a golden future of trancey minters =)

> For more information on ASOT, broadcast schedule updates and free, legal bit-torrent downloads of the ASOT sessions... see www.etn.fm, www.di.fm, www.theradiodepartment.com and www.arminvanbuuren.com.

* the photos in this article are taken from arminvanbuuren.com without permission, but for non-commercial, journalistic purposes only (no payments / proposals made). special thx go out to Armin van Buuren, record labels and publishers. the pledge for tolerance and journalistic freedom goes out to every person questioning the protection of copy rights and considering jural steps which would be a pity in this harmless case

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02|03|05 - a festival of trance - euphonic rave outside berlin
What a fulminant beginning of the year! Beyond bad news, scandals and troubles here and there life is enlightened by a marvelous development in the history of electronic dance music. After 1999/2000 (and partly 2001), the trance and progressive scene experiences another revolution in sound. This new era comes packed with impressively deep and intense killerloop spheres, seemingly endlessly drifting twisters, crystal clear showers of effects and warm, familiar sounds full of brilliance. No doubt: the global dance scene did a vast leap forward and is convincing and overwhelming more and more young (and also elder) people. Far beyond ridiculous and hopelessly stupid commerce trance productions of each and every "variety" and after months and years of covering and stealing and numerous unprofessional, dishonest pseudo-style productions, an initially relatively small and exclusive circle emerged to polarize and gather long experienced, but also young and very promising progressive trance enthusiasts. Some of these producers are postulating a generational change and are granting a new wave of sound and an intense both chilling and euphorizing music experience. The most positive aspect about this development aside the ever-onward stupid ravers of the first and second days maybe turns out to be the fact, that those mighty magicians and sound forgers perform a decisive step towards a generalized or standardized definition of emotional music for everyone to enjoy, to dream and dwell in...
Illustre and smart producers such as Gabriel & Dresden, Leama & Moor, Benz & MD, Probspot, Markus Schulz, Madoka, Sasha & John Digweed / Bedrock, Chris Micali, Nicola Gala, Perry O’Neil, Luke Chable, Alucard, Noel Sanger, Peter Martin and others can credit themselves with succeeding in establishing someting you could refer to as a universal style being able to please an astonishing vast number of musical tastes, even non or not primarily electronically or "excessively" technology-rich arted or determined...
This process and the "opening" of the hh-project to Armin van Buuren’s reference webradio dj show (mirroring today’s non-plus-ultra progressive trance scene and representing something like a reference) have lead to many newentries during the last year. This gives reason to contemplate about entry rules, the hh-alpha quality evaluation, shortly: about possibilities to design the list more clearly by redefining the admission standards. But this is going to be another chapter you can be sure we are keeping you informed about.
Back to state of the art electronic dance music of these days: fans and freaks - and hopefully also strangers and newbies - will have a unique opportunity to become part of a surely unforgettable event in fine modern progressive trance music - in only a few days from now! The young but already famous german high-definition trance label Euphonic is inviting to a dance festival called Euphonic Night Hannover on February 18th (start: 23.00 h) in the club Men’s Factory, Engelbosteler Damm 7, Hannover, Germany. Smarties, label friends and advanced progressive trancers know about the significance of this event and just can’t await the moment when Kyau vs. Albert, Ronski Speed, Sonorous and maybe Mirco de Govia himself (cooperational project with Ronski Speed called Marksun & Brian, see also hh-alpha newentries 02/2005) are rocking the stage with their unbelievable melodies, atmospheric spheres and driving beats...
One of the main arguments to visit this delicious festival of senses is that it takes place outside Berlin, the hitherto headquarter of Euphonic party action, and additionally at a very central locality being attractive not only for whole northrhine-westfalia but also for trance freaks from the netherlands for example. So make sure you don’t miss this eve!! Heavenly hymns will report back in a hh-special afterwards, of course... =) see you in hannover!! - Olli

> For more and detailed information see www.mensfactory.de and www.euphonic.de.

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