Solar Stone* – Solarcoaster

Check Way Out West's Blue from 1997. Solarcoaster used the entire main melody from that.

Midway Mix is phenomenal - Perfect Trance, no other words needed.

It was only recently that I discovered that the main melodic line is copied from the movie "Withnail And I". It's called Withnail's Theme by David Dundas & Rick Wentworth.

The Midway Mix of Solarcoaster is proof enough for me that trance music reached stellar heights at one point, and has the potential to play with your emotions in deeply profound ways. This song is one of my sharpest memories relating to my discovery of trance music back in the early 2000s. I suppose fate would have it that this was one immense way to become exposed, for essentially the first time, to this form of music.

The reason Solarcoaster, especially the Midway Mix, was such a huge breakthrough for me was because it opened my eyes to a species of electronic music that focused on pronounced melodic builds and shifted attention away from easy to grasp beats and melodies at obvious climaxes. This to me suggests a level of higher musical thinking so vastly apart from many other forms of dance music. This goes the same for the original for Solarcoaster as well, but I am simply especially enamored with the Midway Mix, which gives it a stronger edge. Solarcoaster is brilliant, and the Midway Mix is simply perfect.

Ralph Barendse's (Midway) interpretation of Solarcoaster, just like the original, is accessible without being commercial, catchy, or cheesy. It is deep and broadly emotional without being saccharine. There is some very fine equilibrium at work here, between the uplifting, the mysterious, and the melancholy; an equilibrium between what works wonders in a club setting and what will also release you when you are just listening at home.

There is also an equilibrium between technical wizardry, such as the perfect entry and release of an acid riff of sorts that strikes just before each breakdown, and musical genius. A luscious guitar playing out a delicate chord progression is backdropped by a xylophone that rings out calmly, an array of lush (if shy) synths, and a haunting presence of enigmatic female vocals saying "You're so cool", all arranged to make you want to scream to the heavens. And yet, there is this contrast between these gentler elements and the more aggressive, club-friendly ones, such as the deep bassline and acid elements. Not a single element seems out of place or excessive.

Thinking back on all this, I am strongly reminded of why I fell passionately in love with trance music in the first place.