As their first official stint with a live audience following the world-wide pandemic, venerated trance trio Above & Beyond have announced their return to the UK for a weekend-long celebration. Commemorating 450 episodes of their weekly Group Therapy Radio show, the band will be hosting a two-day outdoor festival in their hometown of London. Set to take place Saturday, August 14th and Sunday, August 15th, the festival will showcase a star-studded roster of trance and progressive acts from the band’s two record labels, Anjunabeats and Anjunadeep. Playing host to the festivities will be the Drumsheds, a groundbreaking London event space with ten acres of outdoor use and state-of-the-art-production. A brainchild of the famed Printworks venue, Drumsheds sits to the north of London in ...
This is an opinion column. The thoughts and viewpoints expressed are those of the author, Marsh. It’s September 2017. I’m standing at Heathrow Airport, a suitcase full to the brim. I’m about to say goodbye to my family, friends, and work, emigrate to a new country, and marry my American fiancé Maddy. Little did I know, I was embarking on quite the rollercoaster. In the next three years, I am going to fulfill many of the dreams I’d poured my life into, while, at the same time we’d have our hearts ripped out by the unexpected passing of Maddy’s Mom, Carme. This is the journey to my sophomore artist album Lailonie, the “safe place” where, over the last three years, I’ve been able to process and unpack my life through writing. My name is Tom Marshall. I’m a 28-year-old Cincinnati-b...
Two of Anjunadeep’s mainstay artists, Ben Böhmer and Tinlicker, have come together for a rousing melodic house track. On “Run Away,” soft keys resound momentarily before giving way to Felix Raphael’s yearning voice. Delicate vocals float above bright chords, swiftly culminating into the soul of the song. Here, Böhmer and Tinlicker’s worlds fuse. Crisp, powerful drums—signature of Tinlicker—and a drifting, emotive melody typical of Böhmer create a musing ambivalence that mirrors the theme of the song. Running away, breaking free of something, is liberating. Though the sting of holding on for too long often lingers past the point of no return. The lyrics highlight this theme, Felix Raphael’s tone underpins it, and the soundscape crafted by Böhmer and Tinlicker echoes it through the track. “R...
Fans of Anjunabeats had a lot to celebrate this past weekend after the historic imprint reached the milestone of its 20-year anniversary. Label heads Above & Beyond commemorated the achievement in grand fashion by performing a massive four-hour set aboard a ship traversing the River Thames in the group’s hometown of London. Produced by Nomobo and Anjunabeats, the “Group Therapy 400” livestream was broadcast on September 26th exclusively on Anjuna’s Twitch channel but is now available for all to watch in full on YouTube. The performance can also be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music. The set features 70 tracks that span the history of Anjunabeats and Anjunadeep. The trio switched off on the decks playing hits from Lane 8, 16BL, Dusky, Seven Lions,...
“Melodic, dramatic, melancholic but happy; between deep house and melodic techno,” replied German super-producer Ben Böhmer when asked to describe his sound in conversation with EDM.com. Catapulting him from everyday piano teacher to renowned electronic musician, his sound propelled a trajectory that eventually culminated in a jaw-dropping livestreamed performance in a hot-air balloon over Cappadocia’s honeycombed hills (a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Turkey) two weeks ago. “In the beginning, I didn’t realize what was happening,” Böhmer gleefully recounts of the milestone hot-air balloon performance. “Actually, I still don’t realize what happened! An unbelievable feeling, definitely the most beautiful experience of my life.” With live eve...