Search results: BKS

Review: Armin Van Buuren has been a trance titan and scene overlord since day one. The Dutchman has never turned this back on the genre, either, like some of his peers - instead keeping focussed on evolving and innovating within his own specific sonic sphere. His now legendary State of Trance mixes are always a great overview of what he has been about during the last year and 2023's edition is no different. It arrives on double CD and is jam packed with uplifting delights that mix up some old school sounds with plenty of new and forward thinking ideas.

Review: When it comes to guitar, indeed, Calvin Keys has the keys to the car, and to our hearts. Of course, the strings of a guitar are a kind of key; like the piano, the guitar belongs to the chordophone family. With 'Blue Keys' made in the style of cool jazz, blues-jazz greats, this new LP charts the talents of one particularly wistful guitarist in collaboration with a deservedly hefty backing band. Largely centring on guitar and horns, the solos on Calvin's 'Blue Keys' are far from noodly, instead offering the right amount of lonesomeness and vitality to unlock just a slice of happiness in an otherwise grim day.

Review: Legendary US hip hop outfit De La Soul will always be most well known for their Three Feet High and Rising album but they penned plenty of others that are just as good. De La Soul Is Dead was the follow-up LP to that one and it saw them again work with Prince Paul on production duties. The daisy age themes of their debut remain but with more skilled rhyming flows. The record has plenty of standouts such as 'A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturday Night', 'Keepin the Faith' and 'Ring Ring Ring' which set a new standard for the next generation.

Review: Dutchman Armin van Buuren has been a trance overlord for 20-odd years. While many of his peers have veered away from the genre as it dipped in popularity, he has remained ever true to the genre that first made him a global star. His A State of Trance radio shows have helped him take his sound worldwide and now sit at well over 1000 episodes, while the compilation series of the same name remains just as influential. This 2023 edition looks back on the trance season out in Ibiza with three CDs chocked full of contemporary gems from all the biggest names in the scene.