Andy Moor – Halcyon

Andy Moor's Halcyon is a true classic. The subtly peculiar synth textures, combined with the signature snappy Moor percussions portray his style with ease. And then there's the vocals. Oh the vocals. Clearly an homage to the equally titled masterpiece by Orbital, Halcyon is a tranced up, Moored up version of the backmasking classic of the early nineties and it does a fantastic job at it. A great trance tune from every angle and a piece of electronic music history that should be listened by every dance music fan.

This release is definitely a tale of two mixes. Whilst many modern trance single releases are often characterised by almost identical A and B-Sides, or indeed ones that are far too disparate, ‘Halcyon’ effortlessly manages to achieve a balance between the two, with stunning results.

The Original Mix harnesses many of the elements that, when fused together, make up the distinctive Andy Moor sound. The deep, grinding bassline is delicately balanced with Moor’s keen ear for melodies, which are manifested in the form of glistening keys and airy stutter vocal effects. Alex M.O.R.P.H.’s remix is very different, however.

Still built around said stutter vocal effects and airy atmospheres, Alex M.O.R.P.H. transforms what would widely be described as a laid-back progressive trance production into a high velocity, cyber-influenced trancer that has an astounding amount of power and energy. He achieves this by comprehensively reworking the bassline, transforming it from an elongated groove into a much shorter frenetic rhythm and blending it with some futuristic synths, leaving the listener almost breathless at the extent of the contrast with the Original Mix.

This release will appeal to both progressive and ‘orthodox’ trance palates and in my opinion the sheer quality of both mixes makes it an essential purchase.

Andy Moor has become one of my favourite djs, much because of his latest releases. Halcyon is one my favourite songs from 2005, together with Air For Life, also made by Andy Moor (and Above & Beyond). Halcyon includes sound elements Andy Moor makes in his own special way, and together with the great vocals well mixed into the song this song will undoubtly become a trance classic. For me it is already.

Alex Morph turns in an absolutely monstrous hard trance re-work of this brilliantly original track. With fantastic production work on both sides, and such an infectious hook, this will be an incredibly popular release.