The much awaited second artist album by Maltese DJ & production duo, Tenishia, holds no surprises. It is technically superb. The follow-up to their ‘Frozen Roads’ chillout album collection, Memory of a Dream is a display of musical diversity. The duo does not seem to discriminate against vocal or non-vocal tracks, elements of dubstep production, pure uplifting melodies nor the more melodramatic breakdowns that make trance so intense.
Since Joven Grech and Cyprian Cassar joined forces in 2004, they have come a long way from playing the small clubs on the island of Malta to selling out arenas worldwide. They have collaborated also with many of the top names in the trance industry, such as tyDi and Roger Shah as well as having had remix duties for the likes of Ørjan Nilsen. In Memory of a Dream we see tracks produced alongside up and coming Dutch producer, Ruben de Ronde as well as tracks featuring the vocals of Jan Johnston and Aneym, both of whom are no strangers to working with Tenishia. These collaborations offer an extra dimension to the album adding to its musical diversity.
‘Face Your Fears’ has a beautifully melodic and classical breakdown, with heavy emphasis on synth strings, while a staccato vocal sample is played over the top, reminiscent of Armin van Buuren’s ‘Tuvan’. ‘Across the Border’ uses the evermore popular and Balearic sounding acoustic guitar in its breakdown which works in perfect harmony with the pulsing bass synth that drives the track.
Many people will argue that the emergence of dubstep into trance is a bad thing. However it gives the producers a chance to experiment and if it sounds good then I say let it stay. ‘Broken Wings’ is the example of this in the album, although it does sound rather out of place. Fair play to Tenishia for having a go, but I think that should be the last of their experiments to fuse genres.
Having seen Tenishia perform live in Malta, I can honestly say that they are not in danger of making music that has become popular in recent years within the trance family and leaning away from their roots. This gives them longevity. Already in the DJ Mag Top 100, it will be interesting to see where they go from here.
Memory of a Dream [Album Preview]
Tracklist:
01. Tenishia feat. Chris Jones – Memory Of A Dream (4:12)
02. Tenishia feat. Jan Johnston – As It Should (4:21)
03. Tenishia – Chords Of Life (4:08)
04. Tenishia – Jaguar (5:02)
05. Tenishia & Aneym – Crash & Burn (4:32)
06. Tenishia feat. Elleah – Broken Wings (5:27)
07. Tenishia feat. Kyler England – Attention (4:35)
08. Tenishia – As We Speak (5:59)
09. Tenishia – Where Do We Begin (4:57)
10. Tenishia – Always Loved, Never Forgotten (The Day Will Come) (4:16)
11. Tenishia & Ahmet Atasever – Across The Border (4:20)
12. Tenishia feat. Ivan Grech – Ghost Of Love (4:25)
13. Tenishia – Face Your Fears (4:36)
14. Tenishia & Ruben de Ronde feat. Shannon Hurley – Love Survives (3:56)
15. Tenishia – Shores Of Eden (3:55)
16. Tenishia – Point Of No Return (6:28)
This album is available to buy and download now from Beatport and iTunes:
http://www.beatport.com/release/memory-of-a-dream/947288
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/memory-of-a-dream/id544340482
www.tenishia.com
www.facebook.com/Tenishia
www.twitter.com/TenishiaMusic
