High Contrast Recordings | Cat# HCR015
Released: Monday June 12th / Friday June 16th (Digital) 2006
Buy here: https://www.beatport.com/track/this-way-rank-1-mix/152586
Buy here: https://www.beatport.com/track/this-way-rank-1-mix/152586
01. | 138 BPM | G_Min | 06:29 | Rank 1 Remix
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Discogs & additional info
https://www.discogs.com/master/121634-Ronald-van-Gelderen-This-Way
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I remember episode #245 airing at a moment where my brother was working on a project for his study with his mp3 player locked on whilst sitting in the room with our household's only computer. Meanwhile, I was in his room, having turned on the radio, either doing some homework or drawing stuff. I remember Armin announcing something "special" involving two or three Dutch guys. And before we knew it, that Sensation voice announced the Tune Of The Week for the brand new Rank 1 Remix of This Way by Ronald van Gelderen (later I would discover that Benno co-produced the original, and the next few RvG singles). I remember being blown away by the remix and I also remember running to the other room to share my enthusiasm with my brother who was loving this remix as well. There is quite nothing like that moment when you a hear a great tune, you turn to someone else and they were already facing your direction with an expression that betrays an all-telling "I know right?!". Whether at a gig or at home, it ALWAYS feels great to share this type of moment in music.
Rank 1 Remix
"It wouldn't be this way-way-way-way-way" and in comes the kick, as Ronald's voice is chopped and keeps at it during the whole build-up. The bassline joins the fray, with some fx here and there as well as a few minor techy sounds that are heavily delayed like in their Top Gear tune and their Lyteo & Humanity Remixes. So far so good. But what's that in the background at 01:13? It's a melody! And damn! It's so... Addicting! Can't stop bopping my head! In come the cymbals to add to this infectious groove! This melody is so Rank 1ish, absolutely delicious! We're only at 02:09 now... Is that a bass guitar?? And suddenly the breakdown from the original is revealed, albeit with Ronald chopped and enhanced. Dang, this is really, really cool and so different from the other tracks in this era... Within the Rank 1 discography it also stands out! Oh shit, 03:11. It's about to go down now! That killer synth melody is back and it sounds like it's gonna go fierce on us!! No over-the-top climax but that bassline hits HARD at 03:39. The melody swells in intensity until at 04:35 it goes full throttle. GAH THIS IS SO ADDICTING! You just wish that melody would play forever! Past 05:00 minutes the track slowly starts winding down with the techy background sounds and effects the most prominent elements next to Ronald's chopped voice. As the track dies down into less and less elements you'd expect nothing more out of the ordinary to happen, but this being Rank 1 on remix duties, between 06:12 and 06:29 you can hear how they twist the bassline with a final touch that I find so characteristic of their music. Just that small detail at the end to make even the final seconds interesting. Damn these guys are brilliant!
vs. the Original
I was delighted when I figured out that the original was co-produced by Benno and I was very surprised that those amazing vocals came from Ronald himself. You can tell especially in the build-up that this track features Benno as the bass, kick and especially percussion have a similar groove to their techy tracks of this era. The original is a bit heavier than the remix and it has a pretty powerful acid stab to set it apart. Overall the build is just as intense, just more techy than the remix and the breakdown features full lyrical glory from Ronald. He has an edgy voice and the lyrics have something dirty yet cool and appealing to them. A part of me feels it's a shame that the remix did not keep Ronald's singing untouched. Then again, now you have a legitimate excuse to own both tracks. The main synth / part of the original is a lot more Tech Trance oriented with a slightly more monotone synthplay in effect as I feel this mix depends more on its heavy bassline than the Rank 1 Remix which is all about the synths. Personally I prefer the Rank 1 remix but the original is a solid piece of quality High Contrast Recordings glory that you should add to your library all the same. Remix and original lie much closer together than in the case of Lyteo but that doesn't mean they aren't both worth your time and money.
Final verdict
After a decade, this still stands as one of the greatest Rank 1 Remixes I have ever heard. Granted, it was able to borrow that cool breakdown from the original (in an enhanced state) but even so... It was an instant favorite and after more than a decade (holy sh*t I'm getting old) I still love it as much as ever. It's hard to believe it took me 9 years to finally hear this remix live (at Piet's Luminosity at the Beach gig in 2015) but as always Piet REALLY made my day by giving me the privilege to hear it in a party environment. It's just a shame that the crowd wasn't as acquinted with it as I was, because damn, we would have blown the roof of over there! This remix is nothing but a sublime piece of remixing skill from the guys and it was a well deserved and worthy Top 30 2006 entry.
NOTE | This review is part of a larger Retrospective feature:
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Rank 1 Remix
"It wouldn't be this way-way-way-way-way" and in comes the kick, as Ronald's voice is chopped and keeps at it during the whole build-up. The bassline joins the fray, with some fx here and there as well as a few minor techy sounds that are heavily delayed like in their Top Gear tune and their Lyteo & Humanity Remixes. So far so good. But what's that in the background at 01:13? It's a melody! And damn! It's so... Addicting! Can't stop bopping my head! In come the cymbals to add to this infectious groove! This melody is so Rank 1ish, absolutely delicious! We're only at 02:09 now... Is that a bass guitar?? And suddenly the breakdown from the original is revealed, albeit with Ronald chopped and enhanced. Dang, this is really, really cool and so different from the other tracks in this era... Within the Rank 1 discography it also stands out! Oh shit, 03:11. It's about to go down now! That killer synth melody is back and it sounds like it's gonna go fierce on us!! No over-the-top climax but that bassline hits HARD at 03:39. The melody swells in intensity until at 04:35 it goes full throttle. GAH THIS IS SO ADDICTING! You just wish that melody would play forever! Past 05:00 minutes the track slowly starts winding down with the techy background sounds and effects the most prominent elements next to Ronald's chopped voice. As the track dies down into less and less elements you'd expect nothing more out of the ordinary to happen, but this being Rank 1 on remix duties, between 06:12 and 06:29 you can hear how they twist the bassline with a final touch that I find so characteristic of their music. Just that small detail at the end to make even the final seconds interesting. Damn these guys are brilliant!
vs. the Original
I was delighted when I figured out that the original was co-produced by Benno and I was very surprised that those amazing vocals came from Ronald himself. You can tell especially in the build-up that this track features Benno as the bass, kick and especially percussion have a similar groove to their techy tracks of this era. The original is a bit heavier than the remix and it has a pretty powerful acid stab to set it apart. Overall the build is just as intense, just more techy than the remix and the breakdown features full lyrical glory from Ronald. He has an edgy voice and the lyrics have something dirty yet cool and appealing to them. A part of me feels it's a shame that the remix did not keep Ronald's singing untouched. Then again, now you have a legitimate excuse to own both tracks. The main synth / part of the original is a lot more Tech Trance oriented with a slightly more monotone synthplay in effect as I feel this mix depends more on its heavy bassline than the Rank 1 Remix which is all about the synths. Personally I prefer the Rank 1 remix but the original is a solid piece of quality High Contrast Recordings glory that you should add to your library all the same. Remix and original lie much closer together than in the case of Lyteo but that doesn't mean they aren't both worth your time and money.
Final verdict
After a decade, this still stands as one of the greatest Rank 1 Remixes I have ever heard. Granted, it was able to borrow that cool breakdown from the original (in an enhanced state) but even so... It was an instant favorite and after more than a decade (holy sh*t I'm getting old) I still love it as much as ever. It's hard to believe it took me 9 years to finally hear this remix live (at Piet's Luminosity at the Beach gig in 2015) but as always Piet REALLY made my day by giving me the privilege to hear it in a party environment. It's just a shame that the crowd wasn't as acquinted with it as I was, because damn, we would have blown the roof of over there! This remix is nothing but a sublime piece of remixing skill from the guys and it was a well deserved and worthy Top 30 2006 entry.
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