In the EDM industry, the coming of summer (and the festival season) is commonly associated with Ultra Music Festival, but for many trance fans, it’s Armin van Buuren’s annual ASOT compilation that serves that purpose. Spanning around 40 tracks, these mixes feature the best of (mainstream) trance released over the start of the year, as well as tons of exclusives, which see single releases later on over the course of the year. Armin is back this year with ASOT 2019, featuring a grand total of exactly 40 tunes. All across the progressive and uplifting spectra, this mix compilation will definitely have something to cater to your taste (if not everything does, that is).

Not only has Armin mixed them all together into two long mixes to ensure unimpeded listening pleasure, but he’s also sorted then by the vibe they exude – whether they’re meant as the backing tracks to you sipping a mocktail on a beach enjoying the sunset, or to you having a blast at a massive trance rave. The ordering is also somewhat reminiscent of how he structures his ASOT episodes – starting with progressive, moving on to uplifting and psy. The choice is yours.

If you want bask in the glory of full tracks as opposed to shortened mixes, fret not, for you can hear each one in its original mix too. While mix compilations are usually used as a teaser for future releases, Armin has been gracious enough to give us each of the 40 tunes in their entirety. This isn’t something often done with a mix compilation, but it is something that makes ASOT special.

While it would be a stretch to talk about all 41 tunes, we thought we would highlight our Top 10 from the compilation, in the order listed in the compilation. Enjoy the reviews below!

Armin van Buuren & Shapov – La Résistance De L’Amour: Capping off their collaborative Trilogy EP, this has been Armin’s intro for a while, captivating its audience with its subtle energy and rhythms. With the Trilogy EP, Armin and Shapov have effectively created a new niche of trance music, which can easily be heard through its cohesive sound. In fact, it’s already being explored by others, as Alexander Popov & Abstract Visions’ ‘Telsa’, a tune also on ASOT 2019, seems to draw inspiration from it.

Fatum, Genix, Jaytech & Judah – All In: Also released last Friday on Anjunabeats, this mega foursome combined for an euphoric progressive trance record with stunning vocal chops and a simplistic melody. Read more about this one in this article which I authored!

Tenishia – Stellar: Among the more energetic cuts from the On The Beach CD, Stellar is exactly what its title proclaims. Distorted voices pave the way from soaring supersaws, culminating in a timeless melody spanning an entire octave. Collaborations with Alexander Popov and remixes from the likes of Vigel shot him up the ranks, and he’s finally back with a new mesmerizing solo single.

Beatsole & Nostrangel – Sunsets: Beatsole has remained a highlight of these mix compilations over the past couple of years, with tracks like Pearl to his name. For this captivating tune he calls upon Nostrangel for a beautiful vocal sample that the song centres around, both in terms of arrangement and chord progression. The lead synth has a beautiful amount of delay added which adds a wide and open feel to the tune.

FUTURECODE x Ruben de Ronde – Trinity: One of the highlights of Ben Gold and Omnia’s collaborative project’s debut at ASOT900, the two of them brought out Ruben de Ronde to premiere their new single. Filled with signature Ruben de Ronde hits and rough basses, as well as FUTURECODE’s vocal chops and melodic magic, this single combines the best of both their worlds. Forgoing a melodic drop (just like Armin x A&B’s Show Me Love), this stunning tune will be a hit on dancefloors for months to come.

Tom Fall – Solar: One of the few producers who, in our opinion, has mastered the art of writing indelible melodies, Tom Fall has quite literally entranced his fans with singles like Divergent, Moonless Nights and more. A simple 8 bar melody and some incredible percussional dynamics make this one truly memorable.

Sodality – Nazca: Now a regular on most of the ASOT compilations, Sodality has impressed fans with stunning melodies woven in true progressive trance style, with his previous single on ASOT 2018 Ibiza, Challenger, being a prime example. Nazca sounds like something straight out of the Enhanced Progressive catalog, packed with a deep bassline, a plethora of FXs and a magical melody. Approved by Ruben de Ronde as one of his favorite tracks on this mix comp.

MaRLo & Feenixpawl – Lighter Than Air: A solid candidate for 2019’s Tune of the Year, and one of the highlights in Armin’s sets. MaRLo’s signature in-your-face sound is on display in the synths here, and it’s no surprise that Armin has publicly bet on this tune ending up in the Top 5 of this year.

Scott Bond & Charlie Walker x Myrica – Can You Hear The Sound: An iconic duo is back with their signature uplifting sound, with the release of this mix comp coinciding with the release of another track titled Tides. Slightly vocoded vocals add to the brilliance of the melody, as it enters and exits with the help of the trance synths and the trance kicks that we all know and love.

Jase Thirwall ft. Victoriya – Dust: Another Armin van Buuren premiere, another beautiful tune. The penultimate track in the mix compilation, it is almost the epitome of the vocal uplifting sound, complete with a piano breakdown and some sentimental vocals. The melody slowly builds up, until you can hum along when the drop finally arrives. A slightly faster tempo on this makes it a great tune to end the stunning mix compilation, and our Top 10 too.

While these might have been our Top 10, we encourage you to check out the entire mix compilation, and take a special look at Super8 & Tab’s Trigger and Aly & Fila’s It’s All About The Melody, which we also wrote about here.