Track List
Disk 1
License To DJ – Intro
CYBERPUNK – Omnia
Immortal Lover (In My Next Life Mix) – Andrew Bayer feat. Alison May
Higher – Audien feat. Cecilia
The Last Dancer – Armin van Buuren vs Shapov
Blockchain – Super8 & Tab
Why I Came Here – Simon Lee & Alvin with Susie Ledge
Sinfonia – Mark Sixma
Coming On Strong (Gareth Emery & Ashley Wallbridge Remix) – Signum feat. Scott Mac
Hurt – Jeremy Vancaulart feat. Danyka Nadeau
True Love – Super8 & Tab feat. Envy Monroe
For You – Omnia feat. Danyka Nadeau
Awaken – Cosmic Gate & Jason Ross
Dream In Color (Ruben de Ronde Remix) – HALIENE
Happiness Amplified (Above & Beyond Club Mix) – Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford
Body (Orjan Nilsen Remix) – Loud Luxury feat. brando
Bergen – Purple Haze
Wild Wild Son (Club Mix) – Armin van Buuren feat. Sam Martin
Bloom – Estiva
Ghost Voices (Raito Remix) – Virtual Self
Will We Remain – ilan Bluestone & Maor Levi feat. EL Waves
Safe With Me – Ferry Corsten & DIM3NSION
Tim – ARTY
Violet – Fatum
Savour This Moment – Orjan Nilsen
Tierra – KhoMha
Here We Are – MaRLo feat. Emma Chatt
A Thousand Seas – MaRLo & Roxanne Emery
Sweet Lie – Denis Kenzo & Sveta B.
We Are The Light – Markus Schulz feat. Nikki Flores
Stay – Ben Gold & Sivan
Call To Arms (Cosmic Gate Remix) – Gareth Emery feat. Evan Henzi
Therapy (Super8 & Tab Remix) – Armin van Buuren feat. James Newman
Light Years – Maor Levi
Trance ReBorn (Mark Sixma Remix) – Andrew Rayel & David Gravell
Wormhole – NWYR
Inkunzi – Eric Senn
Dragon – NWYR
White Swan – KhoMha
Only Road (Cosmic Gate Remix) – Gabriel & Dresden feat. Sub Teal
Who I Am – Denis Kenzo, Fahjah & Kate Miles
Without You My Love (Myon Definitive Mix) – Seven Lions feat. Rico & Miella
Always (Above & Beyond Club Mix) – Above & Beyond feat. Zoe Johnston
Perfect Strangers – ARTY
Sleepwalker – ALPHA 9
Red Rocks – Above & Beyond
In The Dark – Andrew Rayel & HALIENE
Our Origin – Armin van Buuren vs Shapov
Surrender – Darude & Ashley Wallbridge feat. Foux
Sundown – Alex Kunnari
Pearl – Beatsole
A Slice Of Heaven – Ferry Corsten & Paul Oakenfold
Patterns Of The Soul (Davey Asprey Remix) – Venetica
Running For Peace (Club Mix) – Alex M.O.R.P.H.
Disk 2
See You Again – DJ T.H. & Nadi Sunrise feat. Michele C
This Life – Craig Connelly feat. Roxanne Emery
Open My Mind – Bryan Kearney & Deirdre McLaughlin
Fireflies (Jorn van Deynhoven Remix) – Roman Messer feat. Christina Novelli
You & I (Aly & Fila Club Mix) – Aly & Fila & Emma Hewitt
There Will Be Angels – Ben Gold & Audrey Gallagher
Fall For You – Simon Patterson feat. Lucy Pullin
D (Don’t Go) – Scot Project
Zombie – Ran-D
Strike As One – Ben Gold & Allen Watts
Northern Star – RAM & Susana
Light The Way (Bryan Kearney Remix) – Craig Connelly feat. Kat Marsh
Long Way Home (Ashley Wallbridge Remix) – Gareth Emery
Missing (Jorn van Deynhoven Remix) – Mark Sixma & Emma Hewitt
Army Of Angels – A.R.D.I.
Enough Echo – MaRLo
Coming Home (STANDERWICK Remix) – Dash Berlin feat. Bo Bruce
United – Armin van Buuren x Vini Vici x Alok feat. Zafrir
Popcorn – Armin van Buuren vs Alexander Popov
Free – Exis feat. Enya Angel
Till The Sunrise – Giuseppe Ottaviani
I Feel Love (Omar Sherif Remix) – CRW
Stadium Arcadium – Heatbeat
Be In The Moment (ASOT 850 Anthem) (Allen Watts Remix) – Armin van Buuren
Midnight – Allen Watts
Music Rescues Me – Paul van Dyk feat. Plumb
Rebirth (Ahmed Romel Remix) – Aly & Fila
Seventh Heaven – Will Atkinson
Wherever You Are (Solis & Sean Truby Remix) – Ferry Corsten feat. HALIENE
Safe From Harm (Giuseppe Ottaviani Remix) – Markus Schulz feat. Emma Hewitt
Just As You Are – Armin van Buuren presents Rising Star feat. Fiora
For The One You Love – Roger Shah & RAM feat. Natalie Gioia
Alone In The Wilderness – Davey Asprey
Zubr – Oliver Cattley with Kiyoi & Eky
Whiplash – Darren Porter
The Air I Breathe – Richard Durand & Christina Novelli
Activate – Avao
Ayla (Ben Nicky & Luke Bond Remix) – Ayla
Lifting You Higher (ASOT 900 Anthem) – Armin van Buuren
Thirty Three South – Protoculture
I’ve Been Thinking About You – STANDERWICK
Take Me There – Militia
Blah Blah Blah – Armin van Buuren
U – Luke Bond
A World Beyond (FSOE550 Anthem) – Aly & Fila with Philippe El Sisi & Omar Sherif
Disturbance – Billy Gillies
The Wolf – Chris Schweizer
The Sound Of E (Jorn van Deynhoven Remix) – Ultra Shock
Ready To Rave – W&W x Armin van Buuren
Shock Therapy (Rising Altitude Mix) – Splinta
The Verdict – Outro
Say what you will about the evolving face of trance music, there’s no denying this genre has never been so strong, growing and evolving with time. The end of every calendar year marks a special place for many fans of the genre; a reflective period to look back on all the great music the year has given us. At the centre of this is Armin Van Buuren, who graces us with an eclectic mix of the biggest trance songs from 2018. With 105 tracks and a balanced blend of styles, Armin delivers another solid mix, one that seamlessly integrates various sub-genres of trance into a cohesive, tightly mixed 2 hour compilation.
The two CDs are distinctly different too, with the first a little slower in tempo and more commercially focused. Armin’s EDM productions, various tracks from the Anjunabeats label and a big emphasis on vocals reinforces a much more mainstream approach here, mirroring the usual format of “On The Beach” as seen in his mid-year mix compilations. While there are a fair few highlights here, including personal favourites Immortal Lover, Tim, Call To Arms and Only Road, the second disk is far and away the highlight here.
This mix is much more representative of the State Of Trance sets Armin thrives with and a move toward the faster and more euphoric trance offerings from the year. Just As You Are, the stunning Richard Durand track The Air I Breathe and various remixes of classics really stand out here. There’s also a lovely little 10 minute segment at the end highlighting some of the hard trance tracks of the year, leaning on that old school hard house sound. The entire mix, from start to finish, is about as close as you could come to a consistent musical journey through trance music.
Much has been made of Armin’s style this year, evolving to accommodate a bigger, more commercially driven following. With songs like Blah, Blah, Blah, Therapy and Body becoming big hits for the trance superstar, it’s easy to see hints of EDM influence throughout the mix. The opening intro, Licence To DJ, addresses this perfectly, making it one of the best openings for these year mixes for quite some time. This clever quip toward his critics around what constitutes as ethical DJ behaviour is a great little jibe and a self-awareness that spills over to much of the compilation.
Having followed these year mixes since their inception back in 2004, Armin Van Buuren has grown and matured as a DJ and a producer. The mixing is on point and harmonic as ever, effortlessly incorporating many different styles and sub-genres into this 2 hour musical journey. The two CDs are very different in style and in many ways reflect the diversity in this genre. As 2018 bows out and we eagerly await the arrival of 2019, what better way to do it than with Armin’s beautiful 2 hour tribute to trance music.
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Verdict - 9/10
9/10