Dennis Schäfer and Tobias Schuh alias Dennis Sheperd & Cold Blue have had a phenomenal year 2009 so far and it looks like they have no intention of putting this trend on hold as they're now here with another record and this time on High Contrast Recordings - which would be one of the most well-known and best selling "trance" labels in the business currently. They've already had 2 releases on the High Contrast Nu Breed outlet, but this time they get their chance on the main imprint. Back the "phenomenal 2009"; Dennis has managed to put his name on the map for real with singles like "Black Sun" and "Somehow" where the latter has spot on Armin van Buuren's ASOT2009 compilation. Furthermore he recently did a remix for Anjunabeats which brings us to Cold Blue whom Dennis did the remix for. Earlier this year Tobias released an uplifting 2-tracker on the legendary Monster Tunes label.
Dennis wrote the lyrics with no other than Richard Bedford (famous for "Alone Tonight" produced by Above & Beyond). The vocal is once again delivered by songstress Chloe Langley whom was also the vocalist on "Not Too Late".
1. Freefalling (Dennis Sheperd Mix)
2. Freefalling (Dennis Sheperd Dub Mix)
3. Freefalling (Cold Blue Mix)
4. Freefalling (Cold Blue Dub Mix)
Dennis Sheperd Mix / Dub
Dennis Sheperd has become synonymous with quality after he became a part of Kyua & Albert's Euphonic family and his sound has without a doubt developed rapidly in the most positive way. Freefalling sounds like a good attempt to create a sing-along anthem og the tune really does push alot of the right buttons, but if you pay attention to the lyrics, then it does have some similarities to modern eurodance which some might label as being cheesy. The song still feels somewhat well-written and some of the phrases falls nicely into the production. Chloe deliveres a tight vocal and pushes the song to its full potential. The climax in this tune is fantastic and the main lead is nice and bright and lifts the track those few extra notches and peaks when Chloe's vocals falls in over the top.
Cold Blue Mix / Dub
Cold Blue's version is remarkably harder, which means punchier percussion, drumrolls and a bass that cuts more through the mix - also not to forget the trancey synths. I would say the character of the vocal fits better in this mix as the overall theme, atmosphere and style suits it better. The vocal however, feels like a more integrated part of this track, so if you remove it, then it feels a bit empty. His use of piano puts a bit of a modern and emotional touch on the tune.
Verdict
Cold Blue's version doesn't go above and beyond in terms of being groundbreaking, so perhaps I'm feeling slightly dissapointed when I reflect on this release and remembering some of his other releases like "Fever", "Oasis" and "11 Days". However, it's not often that you dub anything within this particular genre as being "groundbreaking". It's not a complete turn off though, as it still works and the vocal fits the production, well. Dennis' version has a nice and polished sound and is a cross between progressive trance and trance. The climax/pay off is well done and he has created a good atmosphere with a quality bottom-end. Lovely satisfying percussion hints and production tricks. The tune aims a bit for the mainstream hence probably why this tune ended up on the "bigger" label and not Nu Breed. I could see this one becomming quite popular as there is something for both worlds, the progressive one and the uplifting trance one! And for those who dislikes vocals, then there are dubs available.
Releasedate: 22/09/2009
Youtube: Dennis Sheperd & Cold Blue - Freefalling (Dennis Sheperd Radio Edit)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfrUg3e_0Ys
Dennis Sheperd myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/dennissheperd
Cold Blue myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/coldbluehttp://www.myspace.com/coldblue
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amazing tune