Five instrumental singles, all arranged by your favourite Trance trio, and all out now.
Happy release day everyone! Happy release Above & Beyond, too. At last, their highly anticipated Tranquility Base Vol. 1 EP has seen the light of day, which means we get to enjoy their five new tracks, in full, and on all platforms. No more ABGT500 ID ripping, yo.
The first product of their extra time in the studio, Tranquility Base Vol. 1 comes as a collection of heavy-hitting club records, all calling back to their instrumental roots. These tracks have been played around the world ever since their Los Angeles Group Therapy milestone show, and, until yesterday, two singles had seen the light of day: ‘Angry JP8‘, and ‘500‘. The other three have just seen their official release today.
Tranquility Base Vol. 1
The name of the EP series references A&B’s beloved Tranquility Base alias, a staple of the noughties Trance sound, with tracks like ‘Oceanic‘, ‘Razorfish‘, and more. The collection released today features an entire range of techniques and feelings portrayed, from absolutely moving melodies, to uplifting progressions, to dark Techno vibes.
Above & Beyond – Tranquility Base Vol. 1 Tracklist
- Angry JP8
- Wasp
- 500
- VLEKNO
- Spin Off
Angry JP8
A very interesting track, ‘Angry JP8’ sends you on a journey towards darkness, to ultimately find Above & Beyond’s unmistakeable recent sound with tons of fast saws signaling dynamism on the drops, and the same saws being used differently to add a whole mysterious atmosphere during the break. Part of the singles lifted earlily from the EP, you can read our article about this track right here.
Wasp
A warm aura of piano, historic Trance pads, and even a little reference to the 90s House scene in the form of a square pluck arpeggio, all of this will surround you and slowly ascend you towards the drop, a very melodic one for sure. The drop, by the way, features the same arpeggio from the break, but much more open. ‘Wasp’ truly is a vibe.
500
Also released ahead of time, this track was named after the trio’s milestone ABGT500 show. A piano line once again drives you from the crowded drop to the calmer break, just before an arpeggio decides to move the whole song forward — and your arms to the sky. Don’t believe me? Give it a listen. Oh, and do read our article on the track, by clicking here.
VLEKNO
Arguably the darkest of the bunch — and labeled as ‘Techno‘ by Beatport —, ‘VLEKNO’ distances itself from the others straight away with its playful kick-bass combo. It certainly nods to Trance, though, as you’ll hear an appearance of the era-defining voice pluck made famous by Binary Finary in ‘1998‘. Like his brother coming first on this EP, the break is very mystery-inducing, but you can’t really worry too much about it, since the drop makes you forget it all and dance your analysis away.
Spin Off
Closing Above & Beyond’s Tranquility Base Vol. 1 EP, this track seems much happier and jumpier than others present in the collection. Fake trumpet leads will welcome you to quite the Trancy break, I’d say the most intense one of the bunch in terms of how deep it goes into the roots of the genre. Then, the drop is, as A&B know, a blend of melody, arpeggios, a driving bassline in the background, and a Progressive Trance percussion selection.
Enough said, probably! I can’t describe these tracks more than you can feel and hear if you give the EP a listen. Click below to stream Above & Beyond’s Tranquility Base Vol. 1 EP on Spotify, or rather, click here to be redirected to the Continuous Mix over at YouTube. Lastly, click here to support the EP in any way you like.