Various Artists – MOMENTUM, Pt. 3 [Astral Records]

As 2024 winds to a close, Astral Records unveils Part III of their 'Momentum' series. Following on from their highly stylized brand of melodic house and techno, the label continues to push the boundaries of this burgeoning genre, focusing on its romantic aspects, while never losing sight of the cosmic qualities that has made the sound so appealing to many. With an emphasis on melody, emotion and the dancefloor, Astral Records now unveils Part III of their beloved 'Momentum' series, featuring exclusive new music from (in order of appearance) PABIKI, Dioniseo, Chris Schweizer, Ruiz, I.AM and Nick Matthew.

Selection one finds PABIKI making his label and production debut with ‘Łódź’. Hailing from France, PABIKI is an emerging talent within the melodic house and techno world. The Marseille resident arrives with a colourful, character rich sound, whether it be through club focused productions or more abstract studio experiments. His much-anticipated Astral debut focuses more on the latter with ‘Łódź’, a widescreen cinematic creation which is deeply moving across its triplet style groove and symphonic synth phrasing.

Also making his label debut with the second selection is Dioniseo. Hailing from Greece, Dioniseo has been a producer for the better part of a decade, recording under different aliases before solidifying his current moniker for melodic house and techno. Although just two releases into his journey as Dioniseo, the Patras resident has already notched releases via Glory Hill Studio and Sasha Carassi’s Phobiq imprint, making him an emerging talent to watch. Now, adding Astral Records to his discography, Dioniseo debuts on the label with the trance inducing sounds of ‘Redux’.

Moving forward to selection three it’s Chris Schweizer who makes a welcome return to Astral with ‘Who Is Alive Anyway’. Since his emergence in 2009, American producer Chris Schweizer has developed into one of trance music's most recognized artists. Armin Van Burren's Armada imprint would be the primary vehicle for Chris' energetic, club-effective and highly emotive sound. The Dutch imprint would play host to the Miami resident's production prowess in excess of one hundred times, with Black Hole, Coldharbour and Perfecto also being landing spots along the way. 2023 proved to be a pivotal year in Chris' evolution as an artist, with a shift in sound marked by a release via Paul Thomas' UV Noir, one where Chris would explore the slower tempo's and the metallic melodies of melodic house and techno. 2024 would mark Chris’ Astral debut with ‘Flashback’, a track championed by Armin Van Buuren and included on the Dutch DJ’s ‘A State Of Trance Ibiza’ collection. Now, following a single for Armada’s Armind imprint, Chris returns to Astral with ‘Who Is Alive Anyway’, a track which finds the American artist exploring nostalgic German trance narratives, with buzzing synth lines and an energetic pulse which is sure to gain full command of the dancefloor.

For the collection’s fourth selection we travel to Brazil and welcome Ruiz to the label with ‘Diamond’. Based in São Carlos, Ruiz is a producer and DJ who has been a rising force over the last twelve months. Releases via ONErpm, ERRORR and HUB Records have been praised for their fresh club-effective approach, in turn earning play from Anyma, Kevin de Vries, Massano and Tale Of Us. Already a regular in Beatport’s sales charts, Ruiz’s most recent release ‘Innerdive’ reached the highly competitive Top 10, sitting alongside electronic music giants Adriatique and Argy. Now, as 2024 winds to a close, Ruiz continues on an upwards trajectory, making his Astral debut with the goosebump inducing ‘Diamond’.

Also making his return to the label is I.AM with his latest studio creation ‘Missing You’. Hailing from Israel, Amit Maimon aka I.AM entered the world of melodic house and techno as a DJ first, channeling languages of varied musical landscapes into his sets, and churning them into his own complex rollercoaster of intricate melodic techno. Gigs at some of his country's trendiest venues such as The Maze, made I.AM a name to watch as he approached his production debut, the Astral vehicle ‘Falling to Pieces’. Released during the spring of 2024 and backed by remixes from Paul Anthonee and Omar Khalifa & Turako, it established I.AM as an emerging production talent. Continuing to make his mark across 2024, I.AM now returns to Astral with the cosmic qualities of ‘Missing You’.

The release concludes with Nick Matthew returning to the label with ‘Last Dance’. Previously known as Silent Progress, Greek artist Nikos Mattheou created the Nick Matthew alias as an avenue to explore the astral realms of modern techno music. Paired with fellow countryman Voices of Valley, the trio's debut would come last year courtesy of Three Hands Records, a release which would see Nick go on to headline the 'Roundish 01' collection via Toto Chiavetta's Borders of Light imprint. A debut on Astral Records ‘Voce Interna’ would follow shortly thereafter, an EP which would lead to appearances on Running Clouds, Massano’s Stimulate and a second Astral project ‘Anna’, which highlighted the summer season. Now, following a contribution to Eleatics' 'Axioma' collection, Nick makes a welcome return to Astral with the emotive broken beat journey ‘Last Dance’.

Buy: https://tinyurl.com/2mce5vpp

Release Date: 15-11-2023

Release Promo: http://releasepromo.com

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