While we actively engage many of our Trance artists overseas for our reviews, we cannot forget that we have talent in the USA as well, and these budding artists are slowly sowing the seeds needed to create a lasting and prosperous Trance scene like our friends over in Europe. It’s true that the majority of Trance artists are either situated in Europe and Asia, but that does not mean that other artists from different continents can be successful as well. In New York City, we have the powerful talents of Monoverse, Eco and Thomas Datt in tow, and over on the West Coast, we enjoy a healthy Progressive scene filled with eager artists willing to showcase their expressive pieces. However, there is one particular Trance artist that currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, that I have been keeping a close eye on, as his earlier works suggest that there is much potential to be tapped into. I first discovered our budding artist, Mike Squillo, when he crafted a joint remix with Mir Omar, (another local favorite), on Monoverse‘s Khiera, and our resulting review was very well received by many of the locals in NYC. I actually had the pleasure of meeting him personally at a show one time and he is very humble about his work and how he treats people. However, when he is in the studio, he is completely focused on the task at hand, and Squillo is now taking the chance to make some critical moves on his evolving career. After his euphoric remix to Iversoon & Alex Daf‘s Aqua, he waited 4 months before releasing a terrifying new single underneath his Psyrax guise entitled Psymulacra, which is radically darker and angrier than his previously happier melodies. It might seem as though his sound is heading towards a blacker corner, as his newest release of Thanos proves to be a behemoth of a track that taps within the deep reserves of Hard Trance.
In case some of you do not know what Hard Trance actually is, it was a heavier style of Trance that focused on huge basskicks and high octane synths within a 140-180BPM range. It was invented in Western Europe during the early years of the 90’s and didn’t hit its peak until the later part of the same decade. Older artists such as Derb, Scot Project, Organ Donors and Russenmafia all supplied a heavy amount of Hard Trance during their hey day and their impact would later culminate in the creation of Jumpstyle and help influence the growing genre of Hardstyle as well. While Hard Trance had moved into the underground during the mid 00’s due to commercial fallout, a clever Tech Trance artist by the name of Indecent Noise brought back the sound last year with stomping singles such as Cerberus, Hydra, and his remixes to John Askew‘s The Witch, Arctic Moon‘s Revolution and Matt Bowdidge‘s Sinister. Squillo definitely grabbed influence from Noise‘s recent infatuation with Hard Trance, and has actually pulled it off quite well with his single of Thanos. This artist is still within the early stages of his career in terms of establishing himself amongst the international community, but tracks such as this will quickly get him noticed on the map with the quality caliber that he has put forth. The kick alone is filled with a gritty aftertaste that slams hard with the combination of the bomber basskicks and the sweeping, sinister acid lines that he’s put forth. And when you finally listen to the resulting drop, you better grip your seat tight, because that release will flatten you with its pressurized power and strength. While musical history is repeating itself once again, many artists are taking the chance to discover new genres in order to not only further their own evolution in sound, but also in revitalizing a forgotten, golden era of music that’s seeped in pages of history and culture.
Mike Squillo‘s single of Thanos is out now on Discover Dark via Beatport, so make sure you purchase a copy and support real talent! Make sure to also check out a hot remix by Tech master, Casey Rasch!
Keep the music alive. -Q
Beatport: https://pro.beatport.com/release/thanos/1486828#
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