Trance is music with a soul’ is the caption on one of his most popular selling t-shirts. There’s a reason he says that. It’s because the trance music that he writes is absolutely enchanting and full of life. A maestro in the trance scene, Giuseppe has won the hearts of many, not only with his impeccably wonderful records, but also due to his unique live performances, where he crafts his own melodies in front of the audience. This week, he dropped his newest album, Evolver, which spans 17 stunning tracks with soaring melodies and outstanding production. It’s an entirely instrumental album, with the exception of a couple of vocal samples, and somehow works its magic without vocals.

Giuseppe Ottoviani is like none other in trance music. Many EDM critics dismiss DJing as simply pressing buttons. Giuseppe has taken his Live sets to a whole new level with Live 2.0, which is all about pressing a myriad of buttons while with playing melodies out on a keyboard – a skill that takes years to learn. It’s this Live 2.0 setup (which he carries around in a custom built suitcase) which gave rise to the album in the first place, as most of the songs in the album were crafted using it. In fact, many of the tunes are named after places or moments in time when they were produced, and most of them are quite self-explanatory yet meaningful.

Given his exceptional talent and mastery of his craft, it’s no surprise that he’s built a devoted fanbase over the years. He’s as devoted to them as they are to him, choosing his single releases for the album based on fan voting. The first single to be released from the album was Panama. Panama is one of those tunes whose melody you can’t forget. In the world of trance, where most uplifting relies on the melody to do the job, melodies are often over saturated with similar chord progressions or cadences. It’s quite seldom that you hear a melody that you know you won’t forget among everything else you listen to. Panama set the stage for the magic that was to unfurl over the rest of the year.

Next up was Tranceland, an aptly even if not creatively named single. A deep kick takes this one off, as a gritty, wide synth shimmers into existence in the intro. This synth, however, pales in comparison to the compressed, tight, mono lead which ushers in the melody. In true trance practice, Giuseppe revives the 16 bar melodies for this one. Third was the interestingly titled ‘8K’, a tribute to the Roland 8000 synth on which the melody for the tune was crafted. Relying on almost a rhythmic bassline synth to build the groove, 8K leaves fans bewildered, trying to find the pot of gold from which Giuseppe digs up his melodies.

The fourth and last single before the album was dropped was Colors, a dirty dancefloor banger with distorted, minor and detuned saws. Colors is a tune that evolved quite a bit since its demo was premiered around half a year ago. The bassline was changed and the lovely minor synths which welcome in the drop were added. Surprisingly, the dirty bass and absolutely massive drop has made this my favorite out of the previously released 4. Not to mention that the spooky transposed buildup right before the drop gets your heart racing both frantically and anticipatorily. This track proves how much white noise is worth.

Then came Jul 19, when Giuseppe unleashed his entire album to the world. 13 new singles. To be frank, fans can’t really say they haven’t heard all of them before, for he played an exclusive live set at ASOT Episode 900 teasing some of them. It still is the first time that we’ll be hearing this in its final version though. Be prepared to hear some tweaks and changes, and of course, make the occasional “old version was better” remark. Above all though, prepare yourself for a journey through trance.

The album begins with a more progressive-themed tune, Time Shift, which displays an ambient atmosphere with a punchy kick and an ethereal melody. Charming exotic vocals and some interesting instruments complement the lead well, as the melody makes the track what it is yet again. Named after Timeshift Festival in Romania for which the track was made.

Next comes Belasco, one of my personal favorites from the record. Trance melodies are known for the lovely atmosphere that a delayed lead creates, and this one’s proof. Another Day In L.A. follows, curiously introducing some vocal samples to the album. With a simple chord progression, this is definitely one of the less memorable tune, but still a great add – made in a hotel room before an Exchange LA show.

Fourth up is Empty World, boasting a slow, soothing chord progression with only five notes played every bar. Vocal chops add some beauty to this wondrous tune. Ciudad De Mexico is its successor, with a dirty bassline and a crisp lead meant for the dancefloor. Next up is Soundbar, crafted during his set at Soundbar club in Chicago. As with many of his Live productions, you can hear the raw, conventional drops at their pinnacle in terms of production quality. For Soundbar, the drop acts to incline it toward club play, while the melody works its magic in the break.

Moving on, we come to Alto, named as such for it means “high” in Italian. being created during a flight to Australia. Although a personal lowlight of the album, the minor melodies and the detuned synth in the drop onto which the lead is overlaid make this track unique.

Raven apparates in, and it’s one of my favorites. With an instant-classic melody and true uplifting, deep kicks, this track reminds me quite a bit of a top-notch Aly & Fila production (who also have another album coming this year, by the way!). After Raven comes three previously released singles, combining to make four of the best tunes off this album in succession.

Listen to this one, and I will guarantee that you will Have A Nice Trip. An exquisite, high-boosted lead takes this one toward the ambient, chill side of trance, although only as far as one can go without deviating from the Giuseppe sound. Follow The White Rabbit, soon to be the fifth single off Evolver, appears next, with a hint of minor, a hint of major and even some diminished chords sprinkled in. At this point, the album takes a turn as it peeps its head toward the dancefloor; Pluto4 and Operator follow, with psy-like basslines and convoluted breakdowns. Operator is what I would call Colors Pt 2, because it goes just as hard. After this comes Panama, and lastly, Sandcastle, which brings the album to a saddening close. Sandcastle is the only tune which wasn’t made on the road, and was one of the first made with the LIVE 2.0 setup.

Each song on the album presents an innovative picture of the Giuseppe Ottoviani song, whether the focus be on the melody, the sound design, the layering or the master. One of the best works that uplifting has seen in years, and for sure a contender for the album of 2019. Although the quality of my favorite tracks on this matches up with In My Last Life, the average rating for this album would be marginally lower than the former (in my opinion of course). While I prefer progressive, and thus side with In My Last Life, this album may possibly well be the album of the year for trance purists and fans of uplifting.