Lustral | www.bejbi.se – A webzine about electronic music

This week’s article is about another small project that did great things. They only released 2 tracks but both of them became really huge. So which track am I talking about? It’s ofcourse Ascension – Someone (The Thrillseekers Remix). (Buy on Itunes)

Lyrics:

I need a spirit who can touch my life.
I need a voice to speak the truth.
I need a soul who will be on my side.
I need a heart I´ll never loose.

[Chorus]
Someone like you…
Somebody like you…
Someone like you…
Someone like you…

Sometimes I wonder if my dreams are right.
Sometimes I know they’ll all come true.
I need somebody who can move my world.
Someone who knows just what to do.
Someone like you…

Chorus

EeH… (2x)
Aah… (2x)

I need a spirit who can touch my life.
I need a voice to speak the truth.
I need a soul who will be on my side.
I need a heart I´ll never loose.

Ascension was Rick Simmonds & Stephen Jones, both well known in the trance-genre under aliases like Chakra, Lustral, Simmonds & Jones and The Space Brothers just to name a few.

The Ascension-project was started in 1997 and their first track, Someone (with vocalist Joanna Law) was signed to Paul Oakenfold’s Perfecto-label although Rick and Stephen had planned to release all their various releases under Judge Jules’s Manifesto-label.

The initial 1997-release contained Original Vocal Mix together with Slacker’s Rolling Mix and Slacker’s Elevation Vocal and eventually a few new remixes appeared from producers like The Thrillseekers, Signum, Space Brothers, Binary Finary & Robert Vadney just to name a few.

What I really like is the soothing vocals by Joanna which gives the track that special feeling. The 1997 original vocal was long one of my favourite until the release of The Thrillseekers remix in 2000. Was quite an experience to see The Thrillseekers play this in his classic set on Luminosity Beach Festival last year.

Lately though, i’ve been listening to the fresher Signum Remix as I really love what they did with the darker and fuller strings in the background.

Someone has been released on a total of 16 different releases whereof the latest was in 2011 on Armada Digital with fresh remixes by Signum and Robert Vadney.

Ascension’s second track, the 2002 release, For A Lifetime (with vocalist Erin Lordan) was signed to Alex Gold’s Xtravaganza-label and came with a bunch of interesting remixes by Oceanlab, Lustral and Alex Gold vs Coast 2 Coast.

The release was later re-released in 2011 on Armada Digital with fresh remixes by Roger Shah and a brand new chillout-version.

So what happened to Rick and Stephen since the Ascension-project ended? Well, they founded the online music store, Audiojelly where you can find all their tracks under various aliases together with many of your favourite producers.

Most of their aliases has been droped since 2005 but Lustral is still going strong and released a single last year.

When it comes to Ascension’s music, I believe that the track Someone is one of those early trance-tracks that people recognize and have fond memories of so my guess is that will live on in most of the older clubbers memories.

A cool thing that i’ve seen lately is that many of the older dj’s have been doing loads of classics sets which both the older and the newer audience likes. And if one track gets stuck in the newcomers brains, the DJ’s have definitely done their job. There are so many awesome classical tracks out there that will be forgotten if no one listens to them. So keep on playing classics!

Ascension – For a Lifetime (Oceanlab Mix)
Ascencion – For A Lifetime (Lustral Sunset Mix)
Ascension – For A Lifetime (Coast 2 Coast Vs. Alex Gold )
Ascension – For A Lifetime (DJ Shah Remix)
Ascension – For a Lifetime (Chillout Mix)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyS6dVSUMF8&w=680&h=383]

This weekends track is abit different from the previous tracks as this isn´t your ordinary trance-track. I´d call it progressive breaks from one of the worlds best duos in that style, namely Way Out West. They have done so many great tracks over the years and this remix is IMHO one of their finest productions. I´m talking about Lustral – Broken (Way Out West Remix). (Buy on Itunes)

Lyrics

In every heart there is regret
But they soon repair and don’t forget
The deepest songs that life then fears
Through the pain, through the years.

These are the thoughts that I conceal
Though my eyes can’t hide the way I feel.
There are no angels at my side,
I am weak, I am tired.

Because I miss you,
You know it’s true.
I am broken,
Do you miss me too?

Can we recapture
The life we knew?
I am broken,
I am missing you.

I am afraid of what I see
When my world is safe, what I dream.
I do not shed a single tear
When I sleep, you are here.

Because I miss you,
You know it’s true.
I am broken,
Do you miss me too?

Can we recapture
The life we knew?
I am broken,
I am missing you.

Goosebump points:

0:31 when the drums come in
1:02 when the soothing vocals comes in
1:30 when the bassline comes in
2:00 when the chorus and that awesome piano comes in
3:27 when the vocals start again
3:56 when the second breakdown starts

English-born Nicholas John Warren & Joseph Wisternoff formed Way Out West back in 1993.

The first 2 releases, Montana and Shoot was released on the label Terra Firma in 1994 and after those, they signed up with the label Deconstruction for the third single, Ajare which became a chart-success.

The track is rumored to use a Hindi-sample from ”Aaja Re O Mere Dilbar Aaja” (en: ”Come, Come O My Beloved Come”) from the Bollywood film ”Noorie” (1971) .
Ajare peaked at no 52 in the UK Chart and showed that Way Out West was on their way to bigger success.

The 1996 followup-single, Domination peaked at no 36 in the charts and was a protest to the ongoing nuclear testing at the Mururoa-atoll in the pacific ocean. The sample ”Madness, Power, Domination” was influented by a speech given by John. F. Kennedy. The track is IMHO one of their best original productions and I love the complexity in it. The driving synths, the camera-sample & the awesome breakdowns makes this one of those tracks that every DJ should own.

Their third chart-success came with The Gift (with singer Johanna Law) which peaked at no 15 in the UK charts. The track uses a vocal-sample by Johanna which is a cover of an old Roberta Flack-song called The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. The Gift was later re-released in 2010 with new mixes.

Way Out West´s debut album, Way Out West came out in 1997 was an epic album with all the singles so far plus the new single, Blue.

Blue was inspired by the theme to the movie Withnail and I (which was produced by Handmade Films, a company formed by ex-Beatle George Harrison) and is another masterpiece. Just listen to it and you´ll understand. I love the complexity in the track with the drums, the bassline and the lovely piano. This was the first Way Out West-single I bought and soon after that I bought the album which I played alot back in the days.

The next big track, The Fall came out in 2000. The vocal sample ”And I Miss You Most Of All, My Darling. When The Autumn Leaves, Starts To Fall” was sampled Janis Alexander of Coldcut on their track Autumn Leaves from 1993. The track peaked at no 61 in the UK Charts. There was also an amazing remix by Richard Durand on the 2009 re-release which IMHO is well worth a listening. I just love what Richard did with the track, so intense and driving.

The Fall was followed by the EP UB Devoid which contained the tracks UB Devoid, Activity & Redemption plus a remix on UB Devoid called The Computer Hell Cabin Soundtrack Remix.

The second album, Intensify came out in 2001 after a move to the label Distinct’ive Breaks and also contained the single Intensify (with singer Ally Kennen). The track peaked at no 46 in the UK Chart while the album peaked at no 61 in the UK Chart.

The album also contained the 2002 release, Mindcircus (with singer Tricia Lee Keishall). Mindcircus came with a mindblowing Gabriel & Dresden-remix with an amazing bassline and uses that wicked piano that made the original version so good. The track reached 39th place in the UK Chart.

Stealth (with Kirsty Hawkshaw) was the followup to Mindcircus and is a track that reminds me of Blue but IMHO the vocals spoils it.

The 2003 single, Muthafucka is a really funky and driving track with that massive bassline, the cool vocal sample and that guitar-riff (played by Marcus Dahl) makes this a really intense track.

Anything But You (with singer Omi) also uses guitar (played by Marcus Dahl). The track is pretty decent, especially the warm vocals together with the breakbeat-drums.
It was also the first release from the 2004 album, Don’t Look Now.

The album also contained the track Killa, which came with an amazing Orkidea Remix. The track is another all-time favourite

The next vocal track, the beautiful Don’t Forget Me (with singer Omi) became another huge success though it’s a ballad. The track was even featured on the tv-series Grey’s Anatomy. The track also comes with an amazing Riley & Durrant Remix for the dancefloor.

The 2008 release, Spaceman is an instrumental breakbeat-track with an amazing piano. The release also contains the track The Warning which uses the same sample as the 1996 track, Domination.

In 2009, Way Out West released their fourth album, We Love Machine. The album contained loads of tracks, including Only Love (with singer Jonathan Mendelsohn) which was the first time that they used a male vocalist. Only Love uses a drumsample from M.A.R.R.S. – Pump Up The Volume.

The album also spawned the single Future Perfect which uses the same funkiness as Only Love had.

The last release, the 2010 sngle Surrender follows in the footsteps of previous singles from the We Love Machine-album

There is a rumour that Nick & Jody are working on a new album and I hope that it will be released soon. Although I prefer the old Way Out West, their new funky and 4/4-driven tracks aint bad at all.
I read that they had a gig in end of March this year and I hope that they´ll be touring near me soon, as Way Out West is one act that i’d really love to mark off my bucket list.

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Etikettarkiv: Lustral

Classic FTW: Ascension – Someone (The Thrillseekers Remix)

Classic FTW: Lustral – Broken (Way Out West Remix)