ASOT: Top tracks of the year vote (My Top 5)

Oh my...how amazing of a year was 2010 for Trance? So many amazing tracks and remixes were released in this year. In my humble opinion, I believe 2010 put 2009 to shame in terms of releases and it was great to see how many great DJ's and producers had come ups this year. I'm thoroughly excited to see what the top 100 DJ's poll from djmag.com turns out like. But in the meantime, it's that time of year to vote for Armin van Buuren's A State of Trance top tracks of the year for his end of the year episode. For those unfamiliar with the ASOT final year episode (which I wouldn't imagine any of you would be), the ASOT listeners get to vote for their top 5 favorite tunes of the year here, which then get tallied and premiered in the end of the year ASOT episode to premiere the top 20 of the year as voted by the viewers. What are your top 5? I'm sure everyone has their favorites for any specific reason; whether it be for legitimate production appreciation, its your favorite producer, or you really just fell in love with the track hearing it at your favorite summer festival. Regardless, here are my top 5 picks:

1. Sied van Riel & Radion 6 - Radiator



Up until this year, Sied van Riel and Radion 6 were relatively unheard of to me. But oh goodness do I know them now. This was a great introduction to a great year for these two. Their styles meshed incredibly well for this tune to great a jam that was probably played by the vast majority of trance DJ's at all their sets this summer. The sound is unique, the progressions are unpredictable, the melody is uplifting with a dark edge to it, and it picks up crowds like no other. What really took me aback is the main melody synth and it's buzz-saw like feel to it. Absolutely stunning. Both went on to have great come ups this year.

2. Faithless - Not Going Home (Armin van Buuren Remix)



Anybody who doubt's Armin van Buuren's artistic prowess when it comes to producing need not look any further than this summertime jam off of his A State of Trance 2010 compilation. I first heard it when I listened to that album for the first time, but the power of it never really hit me until I heard it live during his set at Electric Daisy Carnival this past summer. Simply put, it's as catchy as a trance song could possibly get. Most Faithless remixes are good, but Armin's distinct recognizable flavor could be spotted a mile away. That synth bass carries this tune along perfectly.

3. Sander van Doorn - Daddyrock



Call the presses because Sander van Doorn did it again with "Daddyrock". An amazing track by the likes of a man who is hard to classify. Could this even be trance? It starts off trancey, but what is it really? It's just SvD style...that's what it is. His productions continue to leave me scratching my head with the "how did he do that?" afterthought in terms of how he goes about producing his tracks. That piano like synth putting it in gear for the breakdown...nothing short of amazing.

4. Stoneface & Terminal - Moment



I can't say enough about Stoneface & Terminal for this particular tune. It is trance teasing at its finest. The build up is long but justified. Everything is perfectly placed and as soon as you think the track has reached its peak of pick up, they throw a curve ball at you. Every single layer added on to the track adds an amazing new depth to it. Once the track finally does reach its peak, you realize how much this "trance" track actually could be played on any sort of dance floor. This is definitely should be a top candidate on anyone's top 5 jams.

5. Jochen Miller - Humanoid



Trance heads, if you aren't a sucker for killer melodies (like me), why are you even listening to trance in the first place? In terms of killer melodies, look no further than this banger. Along with this vote's #2 track, hearing it in a live setting really set it off to me how epic this track really was. From start to finish, it never disappoints. Like the #4 track, the build up is what really sets your euphoric points up until the main melody hits. The Ali Wilson remix is pretty good too. What can I say? We need more guys like Jochen Miller.




Now I know there were many other tracks that deserved to be on this particular vote. But sadly, Armin only let's us vote 5 of the tracks we love. Unfortunate no? Oh well...however, these are a list of mentions I feel were close contenders for my list as well. Oh my how great was 2010?

Honorable Mentions:

Gareth Emery - Sanctuary (Club Mix)***in retrospect I'm bummed I left this one off my top 5!!
Ashley Wallbridge - Smoke
Ashley Wallbridge - Walk On Water
Markus Schulz - Perception (from the album "Do You Dream?")
Markus Schulz - Lifted (from the album "Do You Dream?")
Markus Schulz - Rain (Phynn Remix)
Gareth Emery - Citadel (from the album "Northern Lights")
Gareth Emery w/ Jerome Isma-Ae - Stars (from the album "Northern Lights")
Armin van Buuren - Orbion (from the album "Mirage")
Armin van Buuren - Mirage (from the album "Mirage")
Armin van Buuren - Not Giving Up On Love (Dash Berlin 4AM Mix)
Above & Beyond w/ Kyau & Albert - Anphonic
Faithless - Feelin' Good (Ferry Corsten Mix)
4 Strings - Sundown
Ummet Ozcan - Arcadia (Original Mix)
Dustin Zahn - Stranger To Stability (Len Faki Podium Mix)
Faithless - Tweak Your Nipple (Tiesto Remix)
Mr. Pit - Sky Traffic
Michael Angelo & Solo - Alone (Ashley Wallbridge Remix)
Radion 6 - Lightning
Mat Zo - 24 Hours (Rank 1 Remix)
Super8 & Tab - Black Is The New Yellow
Kyau & Albert - Painkillers

...and probably many, many more I'm forgetting.

So what were your top 5? Any thoughts, comments, criticisms? Please leave your 2 cents in the comments section! I'd like to hear what every one else's favorite tunes were. Till next time!

~Mark