My Favorite Prog of the Year #ProgAC2020 Day 1
Long time no see, this is 2bnsn. This time of year has come around again.
This article is the Day 1 entry for the Progressive House Enthusiasts' Favorite Song Introductions Advent Calendar 2020. The law of the initiator[^1].
Anyone can participate, so please feel free to contribute...!
Even just posting one of your favorite songs is fine!!
Today, I will introduce some releases from this year's Melodic Progressive House that I personally found to be great. I'll save the non-Melodic [?] Prog and older releases I discovered this year for another day...
I've compiled the songs introduced in the AC into a Spotify playlist, so please check that out as well...!
1. Druce - Newborn (Original Mix) [Emergent Shores]
This is one of my absolute favorite Melodic Progressive tracks I've heard this year. The piano in the break is irresistible. The super saws that gradually open up as the arrangement progresses are so Progressive...
2. Emro - Sunburst (Original Mix) [Emergent Shores]
This is also a release from Emergent Shores, but it's an uptempo track by Emro. The heavy ducking creates a very pleasant groove, which is fantastic... And the catharsis the moment the piano melody and chord progression lock in is insane. I'm a sucker for this kind of thing.
3. Richard Bass - Around You (Ryo Nakamura Remix) [PHW]
This is a remix by Japanese producer Ryo Nakamura, which beautifully brings out the essence of the original while adding his signature sound. Richard Bass's original version also has a strong sense of speed and makes you feel great, so please check that out too...
4. Yusuke Teranishi - Moments (Original Mix) [Synth Collective]
From the release by the up-and-coming Japanese producer, Yusuke Teranishi, this is my favorite song, "Moments." Every space from the intro to the outro is filled with euphoric sound, it's amazing.............
Since debuting on the Melodic Prog label Synth Collective in April, he has been releasing nothing but great songs at an astonishing pace, and last month he finally achieved his first release by a Japanese artist on Roald Velden's label, Minded Music. Yusuke Teranishi's unstoppable momentum continues, and it turns out he will be participating in the Advent Calendar, so 🙇♂️ look forward to it!!
5. Mark & Lukas - Dreams, Where I'm Fading (Original Mix) [Emergent Shores]
This is a song by the Slovakian brother duo Mark & Lukas. They consistently release good music, which is always a big help. It has a slightly deep atmosphere, but it was released on the Melodic Prog division rather than Emergent Music's Deep House division, Emergent Textures...
The deeper-than-usual tone and the soundscape that feels like it's slowly sinking are great, aren't they......
6. maritumix - Dream Walk (Furkan Senol's Summer Progressive Mix) [RockRiverRecords]
This is a release from the Japanese Prog/Trance label RockRiverRecords, which is well-known for having great cover art every time. This is a remix of Dream Walk, which maritumix released last year, by the Turkish producer Furkan Senol. It has a gently enveloping atmosphere that I really like.
7. inxisiv - Forever (Original Mix) [Synth Collective]
Finally, a song from our own Embers Melody, inxisiv, released on Synth Collective. When I heard the demo, even without any bias, the song was so good that I got scared, sat in the corner of my room in the morning, and trembled—I won't tell anyone about that. I especially like the part after the break (from 2:45 to 3:00 in the video).
This year, I've been expanding my digging into Prog directions other than melodic prog, so I hope to introduce those in another article as well. Thank you for reading until the end!
[^1]: 2019, Shion Sakamoto, from the Yomogi Temple Main Hall
https://shiosalt.hatenadiary.jp/entry/2019/12/01/142123