December 2, 2011
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10 Best Vocal Trance Songs of All Time
My weekly trance podcast with brand new tracks every single week is available at http://www.climbtoclouds.com
My top 10 favorite vocal tracks of all time:
These tracks all speak for themselves. I listen to all of these songs on a daily/weekly basis. If you’re new to trance or looking for new tracks to check out, these are golden timeless classics. In my opinion, among the best music compositions ever made. There’s probably 50 tracks I originally considered, and narrowed down the list to include mostly different artists.
10 – Ferry Corsten – Beautiful (Original Mix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdGwqUtJ03oWhat is there not to like about this song? Everything is beautiful. Even the lyrics tell you that. Dutch ace Ferry Corsten has a ton of excellent mixes, and this production is his best in my opinion. It’s a great mood setting song and I listen to it on a weekly basis.
9 – Dash Berlin ft Emma Hewitt – Waiting (Original Mix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Se1i6gx0acI’ve been in love with this song for years now. It was the first Dash Berlin song I heard, and the first song to really explode the system in my car. Between Emma’s voice and Dash’s signature high energy synths, the blood will surely be coarsing through your veins when you listen to this one. This is one of those songs that makes you fist pump even if you don’t have a fake tan or entire bottle of gel in your hair. Its a classic for the ages.
8 – Fragma – Toca’s Miracle (Inpetto 2008 Remix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko-V7FCHJvAWho doesn’t like this song? It’s been around for over a decade. Very few remixes can make an original song better, but Inpetto totally knocks it out of the park with this production. The melody in this song is so great that they play it in huge sports stadiums, it’s one of the most recognized trance melodies in the world. I play this song almost every gig, because it’s just that good.
7 – Armin Van Buuren – Burned With Desire (Rising Star Remix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt7Mk2tnmbcI love Armin, he could occupy like 5 spots in this list but we narrowed it down to my absolute favorite. Seeing Nadia Ali, Calvin Harris and Ana Criado sing this live for Mirage last year blew me away. The lyrics are just impeccable, as is the production by Rising Star. I love where he drops the beat right before “but you left me in the rain”. Great song, if you’ve never heard it you really have to check it out.
6 – Tiesto ft JES – Everything (Cosmic Gate Remix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv11RlN0aokThe original version of this song is great, but I think Cosmic Gate outdid the original when they slowed it down a few BPM. Jes Brieden is one of the queens of trance, I don’t think there’s a song she sang that I don’t like. Her first big hit with Motorcycle cemented her career into trance music. When I took an in-depth look at my music library this week, I was amazed at how many great production she’s made and kept thinking to myself “damn, she sang THAT TOO?”. This was arguably one of the last good productions from legendary dutch trance DJ Tiesto. He’s all into electro house now, and sounds just like every DJ. I had the opportunity of seeing this live during his Kaleidoscope 2010 tour where he played half trance and half house music. Now I think he just plays house. He left the Allure project, meaning he probably doesn’t have any intentions of even doing trance in a side project. It’s sad, but I still love him for creating some of the best musical compilations of all time on his first three CDS. If you buy ‘In My Memory’, ‘Just Be’, and ‘Elements of Life’ you won’t be disappointed. You’re better off just pirating them though, because Tiesto has stated many times that he doesn’t care if people steal his music. He actually encourages it. He’s one of the most well-known DJs for a reason, and his first three albums are fucking awesome.
5 – BT ft Kirsty Hawkshaw – Dreaming (Original Mix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIHe1_Cl8fEI first heard the Tiesto remix of this song when I had just graduated high school. I always wanted to check out the original and when I finally did I was like “wow that’s the shit right there!”. This is a trance staple and is probably one of the best examples of the genre. It promotes a really chill environment and peace on Earth. You just need to listen to it, the different samples BT uses are so perfect for the song, and he breaks away from the traditional method of a solid kick drum throughout the song. Great produciton, great vocalist, great addition to my countdown.
4 – ATB – Ecstasy (A&T Remix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_NAz16R6ZAOh man, I could probably make an entire list of the top 10 Andre Tanneberger songs because he’s just that damn good. His tracks have been club staples even up until the present day. This song almost relates to the use of mind-altering substances in the nightlife environment, but I don’t really see it that way because I don’t do drugs(never have never will). The A&T mix is better than the original because it has that crucial breakdown at 3:40 that totally makes the entire song. Lyrics are great, ATB’s signature bassline is great, remix is great.
3 – Tiesto ft Kirsty Hawkshaw – Walking on Clouds (Original Mix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PZUaH23dCkThis really is my favorite vocal trance song of all time. I put it at number three only because there’s two tracks that touch me slightly more. This is the best example of Tiesto’s pre-house days when he used to produce good music. I just love everything about this song, it’s one of the best examples of how vocal trance should sound. Pure soothing love for your ears. Kirsty Hawkshaw hits this song right on the nose. Her airy voice along with her background harmonies with the main melody are just amazing. This is a good example of a Jeckyll and Hyde melody where it changes at the end to something new and equally great as the main melody. I just can’t ever get enough of this song.
2 - Gianluca ft Molly – Not Alone (deadmau5 Remix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olXq4hh4Ez8Some say it’s house, I think it belongs on this list. There isn’t one person I’ve showed this to that didn’t like it. The original is okay, but deadmau5 really makes the track with his signature beats and unique sound. When he surfaced with songs like this one, ‘Faxing Berlin’, and ‘Not Exactly’ he was really met with praise for his unique approach to the electronic scene. This song is as trancey as he can get, even though it’s set with a 4/4 signature and slow 127bpm. There have been so many nights where this song came on in the car and it made the ride that much more enjoyable. It’s hands-down one of the best vocal trance tracks ever made. It belongs on every list, I wish he played more of this shit live.
1 – Duncan Sheik – On A High (Gabriel and Dresden Remix)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN3HPlfDrFAOkay, some of you are wondering what the hell this song is and why it’s at #1. It’s not even available anywhere that I know of. You can only get a vinyl rip on YouTube or buy the poorly mixed version on the UT2.1 CD. This is THE song that got me into the trance genre. When I first heard it on the Ultra Trance 2 CD I immediately loved it. This is when I knew almost nothing about trance or house or electronic music in general. I only had this one trance cd up until probably 2009 and love every song on it. This song really sums up what trance means to me, I always put it on every mix cd I make for a friend. I still absolutely love this song, and have spent many nights in the car singing it at the top of my lungs. Simply excellent remix compared to the original pop song. It’s an ode to my most recent ex girlfriend as well, but that’s not why it’s #1. I place it first because it’s my list and this is the song that changed my life and ultimately led me on the career choice that I am forever happy for. I will release a remix of this song someday, and it’ll be better than this one.
