REVIEW: Orjan Nilsen – In My Opinion [Armada Music]
To infinity and back. The endless options of EDM have ever been the object of Ørjan Nilsen's affection. Thrilled by diversity, he has spend months of time in the studio, trying to find the perfect blend of house, trance, progressive and everything else that tingles his open mind. The result, an amalgam of years of creativity, is Ørjan's promising debut album, 'In My Opinion'.
Indulged with music from an early age, he mastered the drums and keyboard at only 9 years old. At the age of 16, as he experienced his first crush on trance music and completely fell in love with rhythmic patterns and melodies, he got his first synthesizer. The Norwegian music lover, reigning from the cold, upper part of the country, soon learned about the magic of working on a pc and started experimenting with that extraordinary grey box. After some unofficial remixes and solo tracks, it was the release of 'Red Woods' in 2005 that turned out to be Ørjan's breakthrough. Ever since, no dancefloor is safe to the sounds of the characteristic Norwegian. Summer-hit 'La Guitarra', hammered by the trance elite for months in a row, the rough 'Moving Mojave' and sensitive 'Lovers Lane', keeping up with the ever-throbbing heart of the club society, contagious 'So Long Radio', 'Mjuzik' and the strong and outstanding 'Go Fast!'. All original and different, yet distinctively riding the Nilsen sound.
After months of hard work in the studio, Ørjan Nilsen proudly presents 'In My Opinion'. Days of experimenting, blending and shaping now come together in an album that is, sounds and represents Ørjan. Ørjan:"I can't describe it other than being me. The sound you're hearing is me, and how I feel and think. It seems like I have so many things that need to get to the surface, and I'm showing that through my music."
15 jewels of tracks tell the colorful story of musical talent, touching you on the inside with a palette of melody, beats, synths and a whole lot of feeling to glue it together. Whether you're in the mood to party or simply feel like absorbing the album with the volume up at home, 'In My Opinion' will fit all sceneries. Free of parochialism and one-style-fits-all, but crossing boundaries and hitting the right spot at the right time, is what 'In My Opinion' is all about. Ørjan:"I just didn't follow any kind of recipe. I've merged so many styles together, made so many new things and I hope it reflects both the past and future, as well as the present."
Dimitri Kechagias review: Orjan Nilsen is definitely one of the brightest examples of young and really creative artist and DJ that manage slowly to build a loyal following and reach even the high levels of producing a whole album. All this happened thanks to the big and continuous support of the number 1 DJ of the world Armin van Buuren. Orjan Nilsen first solo album is entitled In My Opinion and inside this great CD you will be able to find all the big anthems he has released so far and many future progressive trance classics as well. If you like the driving progressive basslines and tight unforgettable melodies then this album sounds perfect for you. It’s definitely the kind of the albums that will bring warmth and sense of summer in the environment that you will play it, your car or your home while you prepare the barbeque for your friends. Let’s check this beauty that deserves to offer it as a present to your loved ones track by track. The Thunder (feat. Kate Louise Smith): Large epic melodic long intro with Balearic undertones and very driving beat starts your journey in the best possible way. The sensitive and highly fragile voice of Kate Louise Smith provides the wonderful vocals that sound so special. In the epic breakdown we are treated 1st class where a beautiful Balearic guitar riff is unleashed that leads the track to the main hands in the air part. Dominatrix despite its mysterious title is a warm Balearic prog trancer that reveals in its sensual breakdown a fantastic guitar riff that sounds like coming from the Italian western films. Mjuzik is a big room floor filler with bouncy bassline and tech trance sensibility. The whole production of the track is so classy and large that you know that is a big room stadium track that will sound perfect in the open air festivals. Redemption (feat. Arielle Maren) is certainly one of my favorite tracks. The vocal and the lyrics are so powerful that is impossible not to be taken over by them. Balearic soothing relaxing beats perfect to finish off your set early in the morning when the sun will slowly comes up. So Long Radio, an already successful and highly praised single does the damage with techy trance grooves with electro and even disco twists and playful melodies and classic house style vocals on the top. Le Tour de Trance as you can imagine is a big full on warm melodic sensual trancer that flows and grows as long as it progress until to reach the highly atmospheric breakdown that break beat and Balearic guitar melodies will drive the track forward. It reminds me the high level of productions of artists like Rank 1 and 4 Strings. Anywhere But Here (feat. Neev Kennedy) is a high class really exceptional vocal trancer that has the signature of one of the best vocal providers for trance tracks Raz Nitzan. La Guitarra is another already well known and successful single that uses old school samples, Balearic beats and of course warm Balearic guitar riffs along with like a live rock band sense. In My Opinion is the title track of the album that is definitely more upfront and big room perfect for the peak moment of any set. When the ultra large synthy riff will be unleashed on the breakdown you will totally lost it. Pure hands in the air mayhem ready to rock. Between The Rays is full on driving trancer that will blow your mind but unfortunately like many tracks in the CD form are radio edits and non the extended epic mixes. The Mule is another big room tech trance smasher that Welcome us all home as the spanking tough tech beats leads us on the breakdown that this distorted swirling kind of riff will do the damage well. Go Fast is already out as single played by many A’list Djs and one that many will be carried away thanks to its exceptional composition with so many layers of sounds coming together to create an out of this world experience. Down The Line continues on that big room tech trance theme of the album but with a trancier twist that recalls the classic Roos- Moments. While I Wait brings the album slowly to its end in a Balearic feel good atmosphere. In the breakdown a distorted guitar riff waits for you to get the mind on the right mood ready to welcome the tough driving tribal Balearic beats. Nocturnal as you can guess from its title is the perfect lounge/chill out track to bring the album to its closing point and leave you that sense of being on the wings of a large eagle that took you on a sonic journey around the world and slowly lands and allows you to daydream. Overall it’s a wonderful album that sounds complete and rounded and really mature and highly artistsic too. It can easily satisfy the eclectic difficult to satisfy trancespotters but also the more mainstream pop trance audience who would like to get a taste of trance but in a more easy to digest way.
Of course the downpoint of all the trance albums is that they include short versions and not the long extended ones. Maybe the labels should consider providing the djs who purchase the album with extended versions of the tracks either as additional free download or as bonus content on the CD’s themselves. Dj’s spent a fortune to buy an album and suddenly find out that the versions are edited and not appropriate for their sets. Of course the other view on this matter is that album target a more mainstream audience that demands shorter versions as extended versions are boring for them and they are educated to like those versions by daytime radio shows. In my Opinion labels should find a way of satisfying both sides of the coin.
Orjan Nilsen – In My Opinion tracklisting
1 The Thunder (feat. Kate Louise Smith)
2 Dominatrix
3 Mjuzik
4 Redemption (feat. Arielle Maren)
5 So Long Radio
6 Le Tour de Trance
7 Anywhere But Here (feat. Neev Kennedy)
8 La Guitarra
9 In My Opinion
10 Between The Rays
11 The Mule
12 Go Fast!
13 Down The Line
14 While I Wait
15 Nocturnal
Additional info: http://www.armadamusic.com
Do not forget that Orjan Nilsen will perform Friday 22nd of July at the Trance Addict stage of the 3 days super fantastic summer festival Tomorrowland 2011 that takes place in Belgium from 22nd to 24th of July.
Additional info: http://www.tomorrowland.be & http://www.facebook.com/tomorrowland.be
