Happy New Year to you all! Hope you had a nice holiday, and hope it was as festive as you wished it would be. Now we are all in 2024, and let's kick off the year with an amazing mix I only discovered a few days ago, and I've fallen in love with immensely. You know when you hear something that good, it takes over everything in your life, and you cannot control yourself anymore. This is one of those mixes that I didn't know I had to hear, and the second I heard it fully, it went on repeat for days on end. Yes, it's that cool!
During the Millennium years, you could not go anywhere without hearing songs by 4 Strings. They were literally everywhere, and the biggest hits were played on the radio and you could find them on many compilations. You know the hits I'm talking about; 'Take Me Away', 'Believe', and 'Turn It Around'. Trance was still a new thing for me, so I didn't invest too much time in each act: I just wanted to absorb as much as I could. So I knew of 4 Strings, but never knew the ins- and outs.
So how did I find this mix? Well, I was in a Millennium Trance mood, and whenever I think of the 2000nd, I always think of a certain Carlo Resoort song. A quick look on Discogs gave me the answer of which track I was looking for, but it also opened my eyes as to his aliases. He's not just Carlo Resoort, he's also Carlos (who made The Silmarillia, which is probably my first ever Trance track on CD single) and also part of 4 Strings. That I didn't know.
And I only listened to whatever was on the compilations I owned. It was the early days of the internet, so I was only focussed on whatever was on the discs in front of me. I wasn't aware of the full discography of 4 Strings, but when I put 2 and 2 together, I quickly had a look on my trusted old friend Soundcloud, and found this mix by Darren Simpson. A 4 Strings appreciation mix, shall we call it.
4 Strings - Summer Sun (DJ 4 Strings Mix)
4 Strings - Take Me Away (Into The Night) (Original Vocal Club Mix)
4 Strings - Desire (Original Mix)
Carlo Resoort - Remover (4 Strings Mix)
4 Strings - Mainline (Original Mix)
4 Strings - Let It Rain (Mystery Vocal Remix)
4 Strings - Catch A Fall (Club Mix)
Carlos - The Silmarillia 2007 (4 Strings Extended Remix)
4 Strings - Hurricane (DJ 4 Strings Mix)
4 Strings - Daytime (Gizeh Remix)
I have listened to this mix over and over, for days in a row. This is such a dope mix, and the selection is great. You know, sometimes you just have the urge to listen to something, and when you do find exactly what you were looking for, it makes you extremely happy and feeling satisfied. This is how I felt the first time I heard this mix. I felt satisfied. Pleased with myself and with the music I just re-discovered.
There is something so pleasing in finding something so good, it makes you just feel elated. Like it has elevated me to the next fucking level. Darren Simpson's mix has done exactly that, and even though it's only 10 records, it's an hour of pleasure.
The songs still rock, and can be seen as all-time classics. Obviously 'Take Me Away' is a huge hit, but let's not forget 'The Silmarillia'. The original was slightly better though. This extended version is good, but not as good as the version I had as a CD single. And I truly believe it was my first ever Trance single. I might be wrong, or right. Who knows?
My God, it is hit after hit. But you know when it goes from 'big hits' to 'heavenly anthems'? From 'Desire'. The 5 songs in a row are just the finest Trance anthems ever made! Yes, that's one hell of a statement, but fight me in the comments though. They are solid as a rock. No messing about, pure Trance Heaven here.
Those 5 records are my favourites of this mix. The others are good, but these 5 are just much, much better. They take me back to the golden years of Trance, when I was a young lad, discovering this 'new' thing called Trance. This made me happy, and still makes me happy, to this day. 20+ years, and it still sounds fresh, and still worthy to hear in a club or at a party, and you can still close your eyes and raise your hands in the air, and you will feel enlightened.
A fucking solid mix. This is one I highly recommend. 4 Strings, they ruled during the Millennium years. They still release music, but the Millennium sound is just some next level shit!
Is this going to be the only Trance mix you need to hear in 2024? It is fucking awesome though.
It might be an 8 year 'old' mix, but it hasn't aged at all. It's still fresh. This is timeless music.
DJ: Darren Simpson
Genre/Style: Trance, Uplifting Trance
Mix Info: Darren Simpson - 4 Strings Special (AH.FM Exclusive Mix)
Length Mix: 01:00:05
Tracks: 10 (ten)
Download/Listen (via Soundcloud): CLICK HERE
File Size: 137 MB
File Type: mp3
Audio: Stereo
Bit Rate: 320kbps
Release Year: 2016
More Information: Darren Simpson - Soundcloud Channel