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Trance Review: Alex Sonata & TheRio x Equinøx - Halcyon out on Anjunabeats

10.0
Overall Score

 


Alex Sonata & TheRio join forces with Equinøx on ‘Halcyon’, out now on Anjunabeats.

Fraser Shaw and Riccardo Derio first began producing together in 2018. Two years later, the pair officially emerged as Alex Sonata & TheRio, and in 2021, they made their Anjunabeats debut with ‘Time’, a track released as part of our Rising EP series.

The Scottish-Italian duo went from strength to strength in the years that followed, releasing trance floor-fillers like 'Are We Dreaming', 'Cala Luna' and 'Breath Of The Wild'. Last year: they released ‘Mantra’, which Above & Beyond hammered at their headline performance at Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas and at legendary London institution Printworks; joined forces with Elevven on ‘Hanalei’; and collaborated with trance linchpin Giuseppe Ottaviani and electro pop vocalist Tishmal on ‘Tears Of The Kingdom’.

The pair rounded off 2023 by mixing the hotly-anticipated Anjunabeats Worldwide 11 compilation, which shot to #1 on the US iTunes Dance chart. They also dropped their ‘Feels Like Home EP’, which featured all of the duo’s solo productions from 2023, including four new originals that featured on Worldwide 11.

The duo earned support from trance icons like Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten and Paul van Dyk, as well as the likes of David Guetta, Markus Schulz, Farius, Hernan Cattaneo and more on their releases in 2023 alone.

Italian DJ and producer Equinøx, aka Matteo Corradi, is a burgeoning progressive house and melodic techno artist hailing from Milan. His last single ‘Everyman’, released on MEDUZA’s coveted Aeterna Records earlier this year, saw spins from the likes of Tiësto, W&W, R3HAB, ALOK, Zonderling, Benny Benassi and beyond.

Following performances at Above & Beyond’s Group Therapy Weekender at The Gorge, our Anjunabeats Outdoors show in Montreal and a sold-out Worldwide 11 launch event in Glasgow, Alex Sonata & TheRio kickstarted 2024 by embarking on their first run of international tour dates. Next up in their Worldwide 11 Tour are headline shows in San Francisco and Denver, tickets on sale now:

Buy/Stream: HERE


Dimitri Kechagias review:
Alex Sonata & TheRio x Equinøx - Halcyon 10

Summary

Alex Sonata & TheRio have prove their worth with their exceptional tracks released on Anjunabeats lately packed with great ideas and always unique tracks. Their collaboration with Equinøx is called Halcyon and it has all the elements to fulfill the title highly euphoric balearic energetic feel good anthem that you simply let all the inhibitions go and you are longing to join the dancefloor asap and without delays. The chunky groovy foundation of tribalesque beats and pounding basslines combined with freshly squeezed refreshing synths leading to a phenomenal climax that you feel naturally your hands to be lifted to the air without to try at all. It has flow and strong arrangement and it has the club ready seal of approval all over it. #PureGold Love IT
10.0
Overall Score
Beat and Rhythm10
Basslines and Groove10
Melody 10
Synths 10
Breakdown10
Climax / Drop / Crescendo / Pay off moment10
Intensity, Drive and Energy10
Sound-design and Arrangement10
Overall Atmosphere10
Goosebumps / Shivers moments10
Emotional affinity and heartfelt moments10
Originality and Inventiveness10
Radio Friendly10
Vocals & lyrics10
You can’t get this memorable track out of your head10
It has potential to become an anthem or a classic10