From the coveted halls of Enhanced Progressive comes a brand new talent that is storming onto the Trance scene with a fresh, new perspective on the timeless genre that is Progressive Trance. Throughout the last two years, I have noticed that Trance was starting to shift away from Prog Trance and move into a full embrace of the supposed ‘Trance 2.0’ that had taken a hold of the scene back in 2011. With recent events including Above & Beyond moving away from their Trance roots and countless Prog Trance artists that switched their sound to accommodate their own tastes and desires, (including Juventa, Estiva, Tritonal and Norin & Rad), the scene is quickly receding into the underground with new artists becoming sparser and sparser as time goes on. However, the mighty force of Alae Khaldi has brought about a much needed resurgence into the faded genre and his illustrious sound seeks to bring it back towards the forefront of innovation and international acclaim. He first jumped onto the scene in mid 2013 with his first single of Perception on Unearthed Records and was supported by Alex M.O.R.P.H., Manuel Le Saux and Sean Tyas and has since been quietly perfecting his craft towards the pinnacle of visionary perfection. Right now is the time where this young lad is starting to shine the brightest as his recent collaboration with Sergei Kanev on Lifeforce is simply one of the most gorgeous Prog pieces that we have heard this year, which is becoming rare to find nowadays. Now, Alae marks his debut on Enhanced Progressive with a new single entitled Innuendo, and his lustful chord changes and elegant sound designs will have you falling in love with this piece over and over again.
The breakdown begins with a spellbinding chord progression that is supplemented by a fantastic array of piano accompaniments and vocal hues that add shape and definition towards the phrase. Rather than switch over to a new melodic idea upon arrival, thunderous drums begin the process anew of building back up the main melody from scratch, almost like the ebb and flow of the ocean waves crashing down upon a powdery shore. Slowly but surely, the main hook grows into a beautiful melodic line that glows with an aura of radiance and pride, and the incoming instruments that assist the shaping of the main release interweave throughout the soundscape like graceful sea breezes upon pale sea grass. Finally, it smoothly transitions into a wondrous celebration of nature as the repeating progression contains a certain charm that is both catchy, yet heartwarming at the same time. It is not too powerful, yet not too weak either; as its perfectly balanced EQ’s and instrumentation hit exactly all the right levels to attain a certain spark of beauty that awashes over the entire piece. However, the most miraculous aspect of Innuendo is the decadent level of mastery that Alae possesses with layering, as he manages to develop the repeating melody even further with the usage of pianos, pads and supplementing rhythmic ostinatos, and by the end of the entire piece, it has journeyed from near nothingness into a gorgeous interpretation of true Progressive Trance which rightly represents the genre in its truest glory with its head held up high and its heart full of wonder and discovery.
Alae Khaldi‘s newest single, Innuendo, is out now on Enhanced Progressive via Beatport, so make sure you purchase a copy and support real talent!
Keep the music alive. -Q
Beatport: http://www.beatport.com/track/innuendo-original-mix/5780970
