Sirens Of The Sea.
By:
Oceanlab
Label:
Anjunabeats
Written by:
jbnumerouno
Rating:
8/10
Oceanlab is the subtle and more tasteful Above and Beyond alias that, from the early days of trance, has enabled Above and Beyond to express the more chilled side of trance. Sirens of the Sea….hmmm; a name that puts images of mystic, ritualistic islands and oceans in your head. Who knows where that came from?!
The A&B club mix delivers what you’d expect from the class of who have become a near institution – all the usual stuff; big but not too big a kick, a smooth and atmospheric bassline, subtle but strong synths and strings, and vocals that drift in and out of your mind creating a rush of emotion – all adding to the effect. It’s expected, it’s obvious. And it’s quality.
The Cosmic Gate Vocal Mix thumps out of your speakers effortlessly and the vocal is stronger featuring more as a groove with the monotonous bassline and crisp percussion. There’s an overriding fizz of electro that would allow this track to be played at any time during the night. Strings swarm as if from nowhere - perfectly during the breakdown - keeping the melodic class of the club mix and despite what are predictable key changes, the harmonies make this mix surprisingly interesting - although the drop does let it down.
With a hint of Madagascar about it and a swagger of minimal, the slower Sonorous Remix fills funk into this track. Cheeky gates on the vocal and extremely well produced percussion make this mix stand out for me. This, and the short, sharp breakdown focuses this mix around the groove more than the vocal and it’s definitely the head bopper out of all five mixes.
With additional remixes by Kyau & Albert and a dub version from Cosmic Gate, this track is definitely one for the majority. The only thing that lets it down is a seemingly naff name, but like I said, who knows where that came from? And if anyone can get away with naming a track after mermaids, Above and Beyond can!