Meramek remixes 'Be The One' from Oliver Smith's debut studio album 'Footprints', out now on Anjunabeats.
Oliver Smith has established himself as a driving force in electronic music and performed at some of the biggest clubs and festivals in the world. With a wide array of releases and multiple aliases under his belt, the London-based DJ and producer is part of the fabric of Anjunabeats, being both the first signing to the record label and the only artist (other than label bosses Above & Beyond) to have featured on all 16 of the label's beloved 'Volume' compilations.
Released last year as part of Oliver Smith's debut album 'Footprints', 'Be The One' sees the Anjunabeats mainstay join forces with accomplished singer-songwriter Benjamin Roustaing. Now, Oliver delivers a club-ready remix of the track under his Anjunadeep alias Meramek.
Oliver made his Anjunadeep debut as Meramek in 2013 with 'Feeling / Maybe / FWD'. He went on to drop a string of floorfillers on the label like 'Only You' and 'Know Me', which featured on the Anjunadeep 06 and 07 compilations, as well as a celebrated Meramek remix of Oliver Smith and Amy J Pryce's 'Lovingly'. Last summer, Oliver graced us with a head-turning Meramek set at the Anjunadeep Explorations Festival in Albania.
‘Footprints’ takes listeners on a captivating journey through Oliver’s evolution as an artist. The timeless and hotly anticipated debut album is one of the top requested Anjunabeats releases to date, and is the culmination of a songwriting process that began several years ago.
“I’ve been releasing music for years, but my own album always took a backseat,” Oliver says. “When I finally started the project I had so many ideas and was unsure where to begin. I decided to embrace the process and let the destination reveal itself. This inspired ‘Footprints’, the title for the album, as even the tracks that didn’t make it left an imprint, and were a necessary part of the journey.”
There’s echoes of all eras of Oliver’s sound on ‘Footprints’, from addictive bassline-driven tracks like ‘Legacy’ and ‘Be The One', to stylings of his Anjunadeep alias Meramek in the house-leaning ‘Love Is A Feeling’, and the soaring trance arps in ‘Don't Hold Back’ and ‘Breathe’. The album also sees Oliver collaborate with an eclectic cast of vocalists and songwriters, including Tailor, FARLEY, Benjamin Roustaing and Susie Ledge.
“I wanted to go beyond club music and tell real stories, so I collaborated with some incredible singers and songwriters who brought a whole new dimension to the project,” Oliver says. “I put a lot of thought into making sure every track had something special and truly deserved its place on the album. I think people will recognise the thread that connects all my releases, and hopefully, they’ll enjoy the new directions I’ve explored as well.”
The album arrived hot on the heels of Oliver’s head-turning singles ‘Rely On Me’ and ‘Breathe’, which earned support from Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Solarstone, Don Diablo, Gabriel & Dresden, Massane, Mees Salomé and more, as well as from editorial playlists on Spotify and Apple Music including Heart Beats, Trance Mission, danceXL, Trance & Progressive, Future Dance Hits, and Breaking Dance to name a few.
‘Footprints’ also follows a string of hits in recent years that have cemented Oliver’s position at the forefront of dance music. Fan favourites like ‘Lovingly’, ‘Warehouse’ and ‘Be Alone’ rapidly ascended the Beatport charts and added to a discography that’s amassed over 20 million streams to date. In 2018, Oliver mixed the ‘Anjunabeats Worldwide 08’ compilation, which included ten of his own productions and reached the #1 spot on the iTunes dance chart in the USA, UK, Canada, and Australia.
Buy/Stream 'Be The One (Meramek Remix)':
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[item value="10"] Oliver Smith & Benjamin Roustaing - Be The One (Meramek Remix) [/item]
[content title="Summary" label="Overall Score"] Meramek’s remix of Oliver Smith’s “Be The One,” from the debut studio album Footprints, is a masterclass in modern electronic music production, seamlessly blending Anjunabeats’ euphoric trance roots with the deep, textured grooves of Anjunadeep. The track opens with a meticulously engineered low-end foundation, where a clean and punchy kick drum interacts with a rolling sub-bass line that provides both warmth and propulsion. Transient shaping and precise sidechain compression give the mix an airy, pulsating flow, allowing each percussive element to breathe. Meramek’s characteristic use of filtered arpeggios, layered pads, and atmospheric effects creates a sense of expanding space, while tight automation on reverb and delay parameters ensures that every sonic element evolves organically throughout the track. The remix showcases both technical and emotional sophistication in its arrangement. The midrange is occupied by lush synth stabs and subtly detuned plucks that enhance harmonic richness, while high-frequency content is treated with a combination of spectral shaping and careful EQ sculpting to prevent listener fatigue. Vocals from Benjamin Roustaing are reimagined with delicate time-stretching and spatial placement, allowing the expressive topline to float over the instrumental in a way that is simultaneously intimate and expansive. Dynamic phrasing is achieved through the thoughtful use of breakdowns and tension-building risers, which release into drops that balance energy and musicality. The production employs layered compression and saturation to create warmth without distortion, and the mastering process reflects a modern loudness standard without sacrificing headroom, ensuring the remix performs equally well on club systems, streaming platforms, and personal headphones. From a psychological and physiological perspective, tracks like “Be The One (Meramek Remix)” have shown notable benefits for mental health and fitness applications. Studies in music therapy and neuroscience suggest that rhythmic entrainment—the synchronization of brainwave activity to persistent beats—can reduce stress and increase dopamine release (Thaut et al., 2015). The track’s consistent 4/4 pulse and melodic progressions are particularly suited for wellness environments such as yoga, dance-based fitness, or cycling classes, where immersive soundscapes enhance focus and promote both cardiovascular and cognitive engagement. Research has also demonstrated that listening to electronic music with moderate tempo and harmonic consonance can positively impact mood regulation and perceived exertion during exercise (Karageorghis & Priest, 2012). The emotional arc of the remix, moving from anticipation to release, mirrors the psychological patterns of flow state induction, which has been linked to improved mental resilience and overall well-being. In human terms, the positive impact of this type of music lies in its ability to create a sense of shared consciousness and release. By combining adaptive harmonies with entrancing beats, Meramek’s production supports both active movement and meditative states. Its spacious design cues the listener’s mind toward a balance of alertness and relaxation, which, according to recent studies in music cognition, can reduce cortisol levels and enhance endorphin production (Chanda & Levitin, 2013). In wellness spaces, such tracks foster a multi-sensory environment where participants experience increased motivation, social cohesion, and prolonged engagement in physical activity. #PureGold Loveit [/content]
[item value="10"]Rhythm, Groove & Drive[/item][item value="10"]Melodic Hooks & Harmonic Layers[/item]
[item value="10"]Transitions, Drops & Build-Ups [/item]
[item value="10"]Energy Flow & Momentum [/item]
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[item value="10"]Originality of Arrangement & Structure[/item]
[item value="10"]Use of Effects & Spatial Design[/item]
[item value="10"]Dynamic Range & Loudness Balance[/item]
[item value="10"]Atmosphere & Immersion[/item]
[item value="10"]Emotional Resonance[/item]
[item value="10"]Creativity & Artistic Identity[/item]
[item value="10"]Cohesion & Storytelling[/item]
[item value="10"]Vocal Performance & Lyrical Impact[/item]
[item value="10"]Catchiness & Replay Value[/item]
[item value="10"]Club / Festival Suitability[/item]
[item value="10"]Track Intro/Outro Structure[/item]
[item value="10"]BPM Consistency & Sync Ease[/item]
[item value="10"]Cue Points & Loop Potential[/item]
[item value="10"]Dynamic Energy for Set Flow[/item]
[item value="10"]Crowd Reaction Potential[/item]
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Suggested Bibliography:
Chanda, M. L., & Levitin, D. J. (2013). The neurochemistry of music. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 17(4), 179–193.
Karageorghis, C. I., & Priest, D. L. (2012). Music in the exercise domain: A review and synthesis (Part I). International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 5(1), 44–66.
Thaut, M. H., McIntosh, G. C., & Hoemberg, V. (2015). Neurobiological foundations of neurologic music therapy: Rhythmic entrainment and the motor system. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 118.
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