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Thursday 31st, August 2006
Emjay - Real High
Updated: Tuesday 24th, July 2007

Emjay is one of the hottest properties in the harder edged trance scene right now and this is one of the biggest dance floor records of the summer. Initially only given out to Paul Van Dyk and Paul Oakenfold they have hammered it ever since and now everyone from Jules to Armin, Fergie to Van Doorn are caning it. Growing up in Amsterdam’s Red Light alongside the rise of underground electronic music movements and fired up by a passion for nightlife in a surreal surrounding of 24/7 sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, Emjay became nocturnal by nature and he developed a style as dirty and rocking as the District itself. By 1999 he had started up the pioneering super-club Kremlin, showcasing his dark underground sound, playing alongside some of his childhood heroes and in 2002 they won the award for best club night in Holland. This brought him to the attention of the mighty Paul Oakenfold who took him under his wing, inviting him to play all over the world and signing several of his tracks to his Perfecto label. His talents as a producer have grown steadily since then, with his track Make Some Noise being made the official anthem of Global Gathering 2005 and his pop-dance project with the Atari Babies Stimulate being turned into a devastating dance floor anthem (and one of my records of the year) by Dogzilla. Which brings us up to the present day and Real High, released on High Contrast.

AK 47 Mix

A thumping kick is soon joined by an electrifying bass line and a short ‘wub’ noise – when you hear that noise you instinctively know what track it is. A second bass line raises the energy several notches creating an immense drive. Short synth stabs give hints at the main melody, building pace up to a break before a snare roll gives way to the lead melody building gradually. The stabby melody then bursts out of the speakers in all its glory, before being joined by an additional melody, then dropping back down with short stabs before a short silence and the pounding kick comes back in, then the bass line, then a short snare roll before all the percussive elements and that ‘wub’ kick back in. The track then reaches another break and the lead synths are played at a higher pitch, making them sound more euphoric. There is then a stuttering build up - making the AK 47 title sound apt - before it all kicks back in. The track then takes an unexpected dreamy trip with some spacey pads. This doesn’t last long though and the track ends in a pretty standard way.


Nat Monday Mix

Monday’s take on the track has a softer kick and a delightfully spaced out intro before a gently uplifting bass line comes in. The small rises in the bass give the track great atmosphere. A small break gives us the stabbed synths from the original before the bass line comes back in, a bit fuller and meatier than before. These are played along spacey melodies, creating a hypnotic track. The main break has a short vocal saying the track title; curiously this is the only time this appears in any of the mixes. The break resembles the break in the original, but with a less harsh sound. Although it has some of the rawness of the original, the overall feel of the mix is very atmospheric, concentrating on taking the listener on a tranced-out journey.

Original Mix

What can I say about this mix other than it is pretty much the same as the AK 47 mix, except not quite as good. It contains pretty much all the same elements, except arranged in a slightly different order and doesn’t include the second break. Stick to the AK 47 mix!

Conclusion

If there was a record that sums up the sound that rocks dance floors in 2006 then it is this one. Every time I have heard a DJ drop this it never fails to devastate the dance floor. As soon as the crowd hears that ‘wub’ they go mental and it’s small touches like that which make this such a great record. This is pure pumping tech trance at its best. The Nat Monday mix is a pleasingly different take on the track and would be a good record to drop into a trance or progressive set to give it a bit more bite. For me though nothing beats the AK 47 mix, it’s so powerful, dirty and raw. True, this sound has its limitations and pretty soon it’s going to outstay it’s welcome but right now this is exactly what clubbers want to hear. Awesome!

Written by:
frombeyond

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