Introuduction

It’s a bit weird writing a review in October for Markus’ new City Series compilation, considering that we were treated with LA ’12 almost 20 months ago. Further, while LA ’12 was teased and hyped up for months, we didn’t seem to get the same treatment for 2013, nor were we really told why this year the compilation was delayed until October (weird considering his Scream II album is supposedly on track for later this year). It has been weird for compilations in 2013, hasn’t it? Anjunabeats delayed. Anjunadeep delayed. UR pushed up. Markus city delayed. But nevertheless, we were promised a release date for this year’s compilation, and Markus has delivered, with Buenos Aires ’13 being released today, October 4th, 2013.

Since I went into depth last year regarding the history and progression of Markus’ City series, I won’t hark on that for this review. I do encourage those who are new to Markus Schulz or his compilations to take a look at my Los Angeles ’12 review, in which I explore the progression and changes between series.

Moving onto this year, we are brought to the beautiful South American city of Buenos Aires. My initial impression here was positive: it’s a change from the heavy North American influences we’ve had for the past few years (past 3 of 4 from N. America). So while I was expecting a London, Moscow, or even Johannesburg compilation, this is a pleasant surprise. Granted, I can’t speak for the trance scene in Argentina, but that’s no different than Prague for me, and look at how Prague ’11 turned out. So with the city named, my initial thoughts turned to how Markus would approach this compilation. I hoped for something in similar vein to LA ’12: CD1 full of dark progressive tunes with CD2 being his normal club flavor, perhaps all with a tint of Argentinian charm. And, of course, minimal vocals with tracks from all the Coldharbour favorites.

My first tinge of disappointment came from the cover. Compared to the covers that we’ve had in the past, it seems like the PR team of Coldharbour game Markus all these beautiful shots of Buenos Aires, each with a different color tint (as we’ve seen in the past albums), only to have Markus turn them down, whip out his Motorola Razr, and show his creative team a picture he took after an 8 hour set and a few too many shots of aguardiente. It’s tilted, so it doesn’t feel natural when looking at the cover. he problem with the white balance, I think, is not that it’s off per se. To add to the problem, the camera was capturing two primary temperatures from the lights: ~2700K in the streetlights (that “yellowish” color) and ~7000K with the LED signs along the main row of buildings, but instead of fixing that in post, it was left as-is. Add to the fact that the dark blue clashes a bit with the yellow, I think he should have stuck with a mostly monochromatic cover as he’s done in the past, or have his designer spend a few minutes in Photoshop touching it up a bit. So we’ve got a Twitter-worthy cover and not something worthy of a permanent collection, but this isn’t a cover review, is it? Onto the tracklist…

For the most part, we saw our normal artists on our tracklist. We’ve got some newcomers on Disc 1 which I’m looking forward to hearing. We also have the classic Coldharbour guests as well: Tucandeo should be good, ditto with Rex Mundi. I’m woried about KhoMha, as his latest works are more suited for the club-ish atmosphere of Disc 2, rather than the dark hour of disc 1. I was excited to see what the “Shadows of Coldharbour” remix of Nothing Without Me will be, but a bit disappointed as this track has been out for a while. However, we do get some new Scream II and possibly even new Dakota TBT3 material, so that’s always a plus. So overall, a good fair of old and new. I’m secretly hoping Rex Mundi surprises me this time around. While his tracks on LA ’12 weren’t necessarily bad, I always felt they didn’t live up to the magic he worked on Amsterdam (Sunrise in Ibiza), Toronto (Nothing At All, Scorpion), Las Vegas (Opera of the Northern Ocean), and Prague (Sandstone, Valley of Dreams). Rex Mundi has always been the great oddball on Coldharbour, producing classics that defy current styles. But I didn’t think he hit that high bar on LA ’12.

Now, to the downside of this album: 19 tracks on each album. That’s insane. LA ’12 and prior were 12-14. I’m hoping this is a case of longer album length, but it seems it might be what Armin has been doing with ASOT Compilations: 2-3 minutes per track to cram as many tunes in 80 minutes a side. Which is a pity considering some of the best songs on LA ’12 (Hyperfocus, A Man With Two Names) were over 7 minutes long (Ercole pushed 8 minutes with his Track 2 CD1 hit). Further, after hearing some of the previews, it does seem that both CD1 and CD2 are more club-oriented in that classic Markus style, which is fine for one CD, but the whole point of having two separate CDs is to tell two stories. LA ’12 and earlier were like this: CD1 being the songs you play on a dark, windy road around the Alps and CD2 the songs you play when you reach the club on the peak of a mountain. It’s the same way Armin’s run his ASOT compilations: the sunset beach music on CD1 and the club music for CD2. But, as we’ve seen recently, it’s becoming harder to differentiate between the CDs with Armin’s mixes, and I was hoping Markus would not succumb to the same fate. So, is Buenos Aires ’13 the start of the downfall of Markus? Have we lost the side of him that produced the wonderful Miami ’05 forever? Or are the previews like a trailer that leads the viewer one way but produces a completely unexpected movie going the other way? Read on to find out!

Disc 1

We start off with one of Markus’ famed intros…

01. Marscela – Momento de Gloria (8.5/10)

We start off with a high-note string with some swooping synths in the background. For the first minute or so, we’re definitely on par with LA ’12 in terms of famed intros. Although, at 3 minutes long, is this really classified as an intro and not just an ambient track? Anyway, it has a great build-up, despite it being such a long song, so while repetitive with the main synth, it doesn’t feel like Markus accidentally left the loop button on during his mix. Unfortunately, the last 30 seconds of the song is where we start to go downhill. While we get an increasing drum beat to bring us into our next song, Markus does so with that pitch-up technique. I expected that sound in this album from him, just not CD1 Track 1. A pity since it decimates a perfectly good intro.

02. Sequ3l – We Evolve (8/10)

It almost feels like Momento de Gloria was just the extended intro to Sequ3l’s new track. It’s not as dark as Ercole’s track this stage with LA ’12, but it’s definitely on the progressive end. It has this isolating beat back and forth with a subtle but present pitch-up in the background throughout the song. It’s catchy, but while listening to it, I kept having this nagging feeling that it would have been more appropriate at the end of CD1 rather than the beginning. Still, these first two songs have set the tone for CD1 and perhaps a shift in style from recent years: we’re in the early stages of a club night now rather than the darker street life as we saw in previous compilations.

03. Sensetive5 – Sin City (9/10)

Despite it sharing it’s name with a Dakota production from a few years back, don’t expect anything in similar vein. We’re continuing the pattern from We Evolve with darker progressive beats intertwined with drum hits indicative of a club night. But despite perhaps my initial reaction to be against this change, so far Markus has done nothing but impress. The depth of the song really shines through on a high quality speaker or headphone system, where you can hear all the layers of the song working together brilliantly. It’s definitely something one would want to warm up the dance floor, despite perhaps the tint of sadness in the chords being played.

04. Crystal Design – Scarface (8.5/10)

So far I’ve failed to comment on the transitions of this album, and figured I might want to now while we’re going into this song. They are superb so far. I was worried that with more than 13 tracks this time around, we’d see issues in this department (like we’ve seen in Armin’s latest compilations), but Markus isn’t a fan of the start/stop. Quick transitions? Sure. But clean and smooth. No complaints here.

Onto Crystal Design’s new track. We’ve traded in the clubbier beats now for some of the classic darker progressive sounds. The synth plucks are superb, but not sure what the voices in the background are suppose to add (unless they really are clips from the film Scarface. If they are, I can’t really tell. Okay, you know what? Okay, I play with you; come on. Okay. You wanna play rough? Okay. Say hello to my little friend!). Still, if this track is a homage to the film, be warned: these bullets are precise and silenced, not the classic loud and rapid from the ending scenes. But that’s what makes it such a nice song, one that if tweaked a bit might even confuse me for a song that would have been released in the early 2000s: it has that CD2 ISOS feel for some reason.

05. Rodg & Ruben de Ronde – Remain Different (8/10)

A bit quick of a transition here, but we’re welcomed with that deep bassline and muddled synths to start off from this collaboration. Interesting to see Ruben de Ronde on here, especially considering most of his works usually end up on different labels. Still, when we get to the breakdown, it isn’t hard to see why this song is here. The synths are hard to describe. They aren’t siren like, but they have that feel to them. Piercing amongst our dark bass. Hailing to us amidst a South American drum beat. Leading us to our main melody which really harks back on that classic Coldharbour feel from the late 2000s instead of the big room trance that they’ve had of late. It’s superb, and it makes me happy that Markus has been able to keep both camps happy with his compilations (those who favor the dark progressive sounds and those who favor the louder, big room trance). Remain different, my friends, indeed.

06. Tucandeo – To an End (8/10)

We’re building up the tempo a bit here with some new Tucandeo. A shorter song, so don’t expect a long buildup or breakdown. We hear Tucandeo’s classic singing synth-strings in the background, interrupted by a more industrial pad to progress us not to an end, but to our old-school progressive house breakdown: a few notes of a piano. Hope amongst the despair with 6 simple notes. But just like that, that sound fades; we’re back into the underworld. The dark sounds that Tucandeo has created, sometimes incorporating that two-note repeating piano melody in the background. The biggest downside here is the muddled pitchup transition to our next song…

07. KhoMha – Cyclone (6/10)

We had that club beat to start off, but lost it early on as Markus explored the darker side of progressive trance. But he’s brought us back in with KhoMha’s Cyclone. The breakdown is quick here, full of the vocal choir backed by a driving bass. The main melody synths pulse in and out with that classic KhoMha touch. It’s definitely tops recent works of his (like The Dark Knight), but it falters in two ways. One is the pitch-up that he uses as a progression technique, but instead of a gimmick it seems that it is now a defining staple in big room trance. A pity since it’s overused, but something I’ll have to get used to. Second, while the main melody hints more at something I’d hear in a house set rather than a trance set, I wouldn’t mind it within the mix if placed right. However, I really don’t think it is. We just came from a darker Tucandeo track and get thrown right back into a song better suited for CD2. So while I do enjoy the song (despite its shortcomings), it feels a bit out of place from what we’ve listened to so far, even with Sequ3l and Sensetive5.

08. Rex Mundi – Aureolo (9/10)

It’s a bit tougher of a transition here, but I think Markus pulls it off. The downside being we were in a darker style of trance and house for a while to be brought back to a lighter and happier sound of Rex Mundi. But it provides a good break 8 songs in, so it’s not as bad as I might be making it sound.

It feels like I just reviewed this song, and hey, I did back in UR7! So to the point: more big-room sound with the in-and-out of the heavy synth. The breakdown is definitely house inspired, but I still love the “do da do da do da.” Our synth returns in big fashion. It’s definitely Rex Mundi back on top of his game, and so far a better performance on the compilation than his tracks last year. Plus, we get perhaps another one of the famous trance CD1 Rex Mundi songs for the ages. Only time will tell.

09. Ruffault – Progressive Dreams (8.5/10)

Hmm, a quicker transition here than what I would have hoped. We’re starting to see the unfortunate side effects of 19 tracks on a side. Still, doesn’t impact this song in anyway. We’re back to the sounds from earlier in case you couldn’t tell from the name of the song. The bassline on this song really makes the difference between the pads and synths. Our breakdown is short lived, evident more of an action-packed dream as one rushes to be the hero. And while there isn’t a whole lot of movement in the sounds, would we even want that with a progressive track?

10. Grube & Hovsepian – Palermo (9/10)

I was a bit worried here after hearing Trickster from this duo, as anything close to that song would be disastrous for this mix. Luckily, we get the complete opposite: a stunning production worthy of its placement in this mix. The right touches of the 4/4 drum kit, the occasional high-note synth that brings me back to Amsterdam in 2008. And that breakdown is just soothing while building to our main beat. Dare I say that this style of G&H is more preferable than the big room sounds of Trickster?

11. Danilo Ercole – Point of View (6/10)

It was always going to be difficult for Danilo Ercole to live up to his stunning opener in LA ’12 with “A Man With Two Names.” I just think it would be this short of the mark. The big room pitch is present early in the song, but fades out quickly. The song acts more as a filler, getting us away from the slower tempo that we’ve heard for the past few songs and back into a higher bpm groove. Which is fine within a mix, but I just wish there was another avenue of approach. The synths are okay in this song, but I’m really enjoying the drum selection. It’s quick: 16 for every 4 beats. But it’s definitely the highlight of the song, as the the rest of the instruments fall short.

12. Markus Schulz presents Dakota – Barracas (8.5/10)

Cursed again by short transitions, but this time it’s definitely more in line with what Armin’s been doing as of late. Still, I can forgive it since we have new Dakota! I really enjoyed his Thoughts Become Things CDs, which really are Markus’ way of showing off his progressive side. Barracas is no different. It’s got the style and bass that many came to love from TBT2, so more “Apollo” and less “Chinook” with a touch of “Sin City” thrown in. Has a higher synth that contrasts greatly with the darker and deeper drums and bass line. Overall, definitely worthy of the Dakota name and keeps us grooving.

13. Wellenrausch & Basil O’Glue – Wickaninnish (9.5/10)

I was really looking forward to this song, as Wellenrausch was probably my producer of the year for 2012 (and still producing great hits in 2013). Alongside Basil O’Glue, can this duo do no wrong? The breakdown has this really deep bassline that screams classic Wellenrausch (think of his Apollo Remix) while we hear Basil’s contribution overlayed on top. The downstep on the synths really work well here, and the song is full of energy as we enter into the last quarter of the album.

Regarding the name, “Wickaninnish was a chief of the Tla-o-qui-aht people of Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada during the opening period of European contact with the Pacific Northwest Coast cultures in the 1780s and 1790s (Wikipedia).” Well, it’s definitely one of the top songs so far on CD1, so an appropriate name for a superb collaboration between these two.

14. Markus Schulz featuring Ana Diaz – Nothing Without Me (Markus Schulz Shadows of Coldharbour Remix) (7.5/10)

We’re onto our single vocal for this side as we’d expect on a City Compilation. My initial thoughts here were a bit negative, as while a great song, it’s been out for almost a year now. Same with the Coldharbour Remix. So I had my doubts if a re-work of the Coldharbour Remix would bring new life into this song.

It starts off without much indication of what we’re listening to until we hear those Ana Diaz vocals: “All I am. All I know is hanging by the thinnest of threads.” In the background, we hear that slowly increasing beat. So far, it sounds like a softer version of the normal Coldharbour Remix, perhaps a bit darker? The “Shadows of” really is appropriate here. But then we get to the breakdown where the real differences shine. It’s definitely a softer and dare I say better version of the song? I’m loving the quick synth plucks and their vibrations throughout the song. In fact, the vocals almost sound out of place here: overpowering in content and sound over the darker and subdued sounds surrounding it. I think one could make the argument here that a Shadhows of Coldharbour Dub would have been more appropriate here, especially considering that everything about the song is toned down except the vocals. Really that’s what I feel separates the song between good and great.

15. M.I.K.E. – Before Dawn (6.5/10)

Another sloppy transition here to our new M.I.K.E. song. The song starts off with a happier feeling to it, a bit different from our past few darker songs, slowly changing as we continue to build up. Our breakdown starts off with the drums and bass fading away. Silence. Then a sound from left field. It’s the “Sweet Little Pepper” of this year’s CD1, starting off one way and switching halfway through. But that sound in the breakdown is really something. Pity it doesn’t continue carrying over as we get into our main melody save for a few hints in the background. The overall melody though is standard M.I.K.E., but I feel he’s produced better in the past. A great filler song for the album, but at the end of the day, just that.

16. Markus Schulz – Remember This (7/10)

A bit surprised when I saw this track on CD1, as it screams CD2 throughout the song. It’s Markus’ new big room track done in the style of “The Spiritual Transmission” from earlier this year. So we have the classic Big Room Markus sounds, from the pitch up and huge breakdown. Which, speaking of, is definitely on par with some of his other big room tunes. Definitely something to get you grooving in a club and perhaps a sign of what to expect as we wrap up this side of the CD. Still has a great driving melody with a great drum beat, encourage you to move while still not going overboard on the speed. Still, the beginning and end of the song sound so out of place compared to the main melody and breakdown. So while good, I think his incorporation of the genre-standard pitch synths ruin an otherwise superb track.

17. Mr. Pit – Catch Me (7/10)

Surprising that we aren’t finishing this CD with a Mr. Pit song as the tradition has been for the past few years. We start with a more hollow synth that is reminiscent of his CD2 song from last year: Pole Position. The breakdown synths are definitely more in line with what he’s released in the past few years, incorporating a bit of the softer synths with the grandeur drums. The breakdown (if we can call it that) is a bit repetitive and could have probably been shortened by a few bars. Our driving melody after the break definitely has hints of his signature sounds. I’d argue that while not perhaps his best work, it is definitely worthy of a song to end a CD. But we’ve still got a few tracks left!

18. Aaron Camz – Suburbia (7.5/10)

Aaron Camz’s Aqua and Camshaft have grown on me over time, both being superb works on his Coldharbour EP. We start off with Aaron’s standard choice of drums and bass with a hidden synths and vocal hits to bring us to our breakdown. So far, it’s definitely not the heavier and darker sounds that we’ve heard from LA ’12, but more in line with synths that remind me of his Prague ’11 hit “Room To Breathe.” The primary melody continues pushing us, securing finally the transition away from the darker progressive tunes and keeping us in the club this time. Might not have the same groove that Camshaft did, but definitely a solid piece by Mr. Camz.

19. Rex Mundi – Backpain (8/10)

Wrapping up CD1 is our second Rex Mundi tune. While keeping us high in tempo, we go a bit away from the clubbier sounds and more towards the happier sounds that we found earlier in “Aureolo.” It definitely fits in line with his progressive style as of late, but I’m split on its placement. Part of me says it’s out of place in the album; that the final tracklist should have been “Remember This,” “Suburbia,” and then “Catch Me” to finish us up. The other part of me says it’s a great, happy track to finish a night of dancing as the sun rises. Not sure which theory is correct here, but I do know that while it’s no Mr. Pit outro, it definitely seals the album to a close.

So, CD1 out of the way. Definitely an enjoyable experience, but perhaps a few hiccups along the way compared to last year. Although this year, I felt there wasn’t as many filler tracks, so we’re even in that regards. A few tracks had a South American feel to them, but it definitely incorporated the feeling of the first few hours of a night in a club in that area of town you know you shouldn’t be in. I think CD1 here was probably a bit more similar to Prague ’11 in that respect.

Average Score CD1: 7.89/10

The Tracks of the Night:

Sensetive5 – Sin City (9/10)

A superb progressive tune that mixes that dark sound of CD1 with a beat that is perfect for a dance floor. Good enough for me to overlook the muddled pitchup halfway through.

Grube & Hovsepian – Palermo (9/10)

A surprising track from this duo, who I thought to be stuck in the big room style. Definitely appropriate for its release soon on Coldharbour.



Wellenrausch & Basil O’Glue – Wickaninnish (9.5/10)

Has everything you’d expect from this duo: Basil O’Glue’s perfect downward synths intermixed with Wellenrausch’s bass lead.

The Weakest Links:

The Cyclone/Aureolo Duo Breaking Up Our Progressive Streak

From Tucandeo to Ruffault would have been a perfect transition keeping us in a nice dark progressive streak. But Markus adds in KhoMha (with an okay big room tune) that should have been near the end of the CD if not CD2 followed by a different (yet still good) Mundi track. They just felt out of place, which brings us to:



Storytelling

It just wasn’t as strong as we’ve seen in the past with Markus. Part of that was with the songs going from dark progressive to club big room and back. Part of it was transitions, which is a result of trying to mix 19 tracks in 80 minutes. A 3 minute intro didn’t help matters in that regards either.

Markus Schulz featuring Ana Diaz – Nothing Without Me (Markus Schulz Shadows of Coldharbour Remix) (7.5/10)

This could have been a brilliant track if Markus would have spent just a tad more time on mastering and lower down the vocals a touch; even better: remove them entirely. Instead we get a great song tarnished with overpowering vocals.



Onto CD2, which historically has always been the clubbier of the CDs, but with CD1 having part of that in there as well, how will things play out?

Disc 2

Interestingly, we start off not with one of Markus’ intros, but rather:

01. Protoculture – Talisman (9/10)

We start off just as smooth as CD1; our only indication this is the more upbeat side is the slowly increasing synths with the rumbling low bass in the background. The main melody kicks in after a minute (definitely getting to the business of trance faster than CD1) with a smoother melody than before. 1:30 in and I’d almost argue that this might have been a better CD1 intro than what we had. The sounds are some classic Protoculture. It feels you could have placed this track within the “On The Beach” CD of ASOT and no one would be the wiser. For all I know, this track was lifted from 2008.

But it’s sublime progressive. Nothing overpowering about the track as we progress slowly throughout the breakdown and back into our main melody. We’ve got a smooth transition into our vocal for this side:

02. Markus Schulz & Rex Mundi – Towards the Sun (8/10)

If I recall correctly, Rex and Markus have had this track finished (for the most part) since July of 2012(!), so they’ve kept this under wraps for a while. “Keep on walking. Keep on moving.” Things pick up the pace a bit here, but again everything seems care-free and happy. Our main melody has the distorted synths with a driving bass and higher pitched drum kits. We “keep on walking towards the sun,” but I’m a bit worried here. I know this mix gets darker and clubbier, but so far it really sounds like a beach mix; nothing compared to Arnej’s “We Unite” from last year around this time in the CD.

Still, the song has a nice groove to it, and it’s our longest song on the album this time around. Still shorter than last year by 25%, but I’m happy we aren’t interrupted by quick transitions (yet). The main melody is repetitive, though, so quite honestly I would have rather seen a few other songs have the 6 minute mark. Further, most of the work here seems to be from Rex Mundi. I haven’t really been able to pick out where Markus laid his hands on the track. The bass perhaps? Everything else screams Mundi, and is definitely more in line with Back Pain than his recent Explore Heaven E.P. Still, a great song, just perhaps continuing interesting choices for CD2 so far (and a bit too long).

03. KhoMha – Dimensional (6.5/10)

A decent, quick transition into our next KhoMha track. We get an immediate pitch up to our melody, which is composed of some dark background strings with a pulse synth on top. This is more like CD2: the dark overtones. The high tempo. But to continue with the first few songs, we get a relatively simple breakdown: a few piano keys as our beat builds back up slowly. So far, it’s turning out better than “Cyclone,” and arguably should have swapped places with it. But after a few listens, it feels like a filler song to get us to the more club-oriented tracks on the album. I wasn’t a fan of the key change either during the second quick break. Finally, you can hear KhoMha’s standard synth lines that he’s used in previous songs, but it’s much more buried than past works.

04. Digital X – Stratosphere (7/10)

We’re continuing this dark trance stage here with Digital X. It’s relatively simple so far, with a few key elements and a synth that sounds similar to what Armin used in Rush Hour. It’s short, simple, and to the point, but it’s got the Coldharbour feel all over it. Again, though, it seems that Markus is trying new things this year, as this would be a song I’d normally expect on CD1. Still, late 2000s Coldharbour sounds? I’ll take it.

05. Purple Stories – Praia da Adraga (8/10)

Black Warrior was an interesting song from Purple Stories that really was designed for the club setting (and ended up being a staple in some of Markus’ sets), but it wasn’t my favorite on that Coldharbour EP. Still, it looks like things changed a bit here. The intro synths keep things mostly under wraps and the listener in the dark, but our breakdown has a nice soothing piano that would make Andrew Rayel weep with joy. A bit weird seeing these piano breakdowns in a City Compilation, but they’re done tastefully. The overall song, though, feels a bit defeated; the synths create this sort of gloomy day where a beat tries to get us moving again. Interesting choice of sound, considering that Praia da Adraga is a beach in Portugal, where one would expect things to be more full of fun and summer. Nonetheless, it’s still a great tune, and definitely surpasses any of their works on their EP.

06. Danilo Ercole – Freezing Rain (9/10)

We get to our Danilo song for this side, and I’d hope we’d get something a bit better than CD1, as Point of View just seemed like a filler song. A bit rougher transition to get here, though, as our song lengths keep on decreasing. A quick approach to the breakdown, and then we hear it. A glorious synth. It’s got a tinge of old Coldharbour (2009) combined with the big room of late. If the goal was to get a club moving, this will do it. Again, a relatively simple construction of the song between basic drum kit, synth, and bass, but Danilo delivers a much better package on this side of the album. Only downside is that high frequency (~17Khz) synth being used near the end. Not a fan of it, and unfortunately is what keeps this song from being a perfect 10.

07. Fisherman & Hawkins vs. Nifra – The Battle (7/10)

Ah, there we go. I knew this side was going to be the typical Markus club set, and we start now strong with the collab between these two, aptly named Battle. Downside here being that our intro into this song completely destroys what we’ve built up so far in the first 6 songs. In fact, this is the first song that really reminds me of what CD2 normally sounds like, for better or worse. This has been in a few GDJBs as of late, and it isn’t hard to see why. The main beat has Fisherman & Hawkins written all over it, while the breakdown and synth feels similar to Nifra’s Dark Harbour from last year. It has the standard big room sounds: pitch up to get to the main melody, the marching drum beat. More in and out overall than a smooth flow across the main melody. Still, when we’ve seen these two produce Dark Harbour and Apache, I feel that they just missed their mark with this song.

08. Elevation vs. Grube & Hovsepian – Fair Winds (6.5/10)

A rough transition gets us to our next collaboration; again we’re starting to see why 19 songs a side isn’t always the best approach. Grube & Hovsepian really surprised me with Palermo, and these two produced the superb “City of Angels” last year on LA ’12, so the bar is set high for them. The building up synths are definitely G&H’s big room style leading us to a quick breakdown 40 seconds into the song. It’s building up almost like City of Angels with the grandeur sound proclaiming conquest of the area around it. But while it tries to match the sound and layout of last year’s record, it falls short. The marching drum and the rising note synth pitch just make it more big room than great club trance. But if you can ignore that bit of the song, the main melody really gets you moving, G&H built with Elevation’s darker touches. But as we get to the outro melody, we see why again this is Big Room Trance, and not sure if it really works here. Take that away, and the song would just be that bit closer to City of Angels.

09. Vassilakis & Tarr – Galea (5.5/10)

We’ve got a longer transition here (for once) that really gets us into a group I haven’t heard of before. The satellite sounding synths fade out amongst a background of dark synths, and again we’re transported back into the first half of CD2. The bass sounds like something Wellenrausch would add to a track, but the main melody during the breakdown is just a held note changing every 4 beats which isn’t really anything special. Nor is the buildup to our main melody. So while it feels Coldharbour-ish, it acts more of a filler, or rather, a break from the larger big room sounds that we’ve heard for the past few tracks and are about to hear shortly with:

10. Grube & Hovsepian – Trickster (5/10)

The problem with a filler track that sounds nothing like the songs surrounding it are when you do need to transition back to the sound, you feel unbalanced. Of course, that’s what a Trickster would want, no? This is the Grube & Hovsepian meant for CD2 and is a world apart from “Palermo” and a bit more in line with “Fair Winds,” albeit with more big room sounds here. We build up to our breakdown and that’s when we hear a bit cliche sound from the world of big room trance. It’s the same cookie-cutter method being used by many these days in this subgenre, with the marching band-isque drum pattern and the beat that is suppose to make you throw your hands up and down. But when you’ve heard it over and over, it defeats the purpose. It’s the same curse of the Anthem and Epic Trance movement of the early 2000s. You can throw in as large and grandiose breakdown as you want in your song, but people are only going to hold their arms up for so long and so many times in a set. And after a while, it just becomes stale. Don’t get me wrong: the big differentiator of trance (at least since the mid-90s) from house has been the breakdowns. But as we’ve seen throughout the years, there can be and is room for evolution. So why haven’t we reached that point yet with Big Room Sounds? Because so far, it’s the same stuff year in and year out.

11. Basil O’Glue – Gilgamesh (7/10)

Interesting to see Basil O’Glue on CD2, but he and Wellenrausch were able to pull off a wonderful tune earlier. The transition from basic beat to the main intro melody is a bit rough. Combine that with a 2:40 song (our shortest minus the outro), and everything comes at us quick. Great bassline throughout the song, with an interesting but perhaps a bit uninspired melody. Then we get Basil’s form of the note changeup to our main melody, but I’ll admit it works a bit better here than most big room trance, if only because it isn’t the exact same sound and it’s over quickly. Still, as we get to the end of the song, the main melody still keeps us grooving.

12. Solid Stone – Scrambled (6/10)

Quickly shifting here as we get into a Solid Stone production. For the first minute and a half, it’s nothing special as we get to the breakdown. However, with the heavy strings and darker synths, we can see why it got placed in CD2. They definitely have a nice sound, ruined by the dot-synth-rising-pitch-crap. Yeah, that doesn’t really work for this song, and again we see how cliche elements in a genre can ruin an otherwise nice sounding track. Because the main melody is overpowering, but in a good way, and works for what we’d want halfway through this side.

13. Markus Schulz – Mardi Gras (6.5/10)

We get a quick but relatively clean transition to our next new Markus track on this album, a plus seeing that we didn’t see that many in LA ’12, but with Buenos Aires, Markus joined in the fun. Nothing major to our breakdown, but once we get there, it’s a nice collaboration of strings and vocal choir. Our main melody is pretty catchy, with the spark filled synths and the background higher note synth. Definitely has the new Markus touch all over the song, and is probably closer to “Remember This” than “Barracas,” especially with the (wait for it) note pitchup near the end of the song. But, used in the right set at the right time, it’s definitely an interesting song. One thing to note is that after that rising octave synth, the melody changes again to something more in line with big room trance than before. It’s an interesting song. Not Markus’ best, but something that is a bit catchy. But I will say it doesn’t really remind me of Mardi Gras in anyway.

14. Harry Square – Royal Flush (6.5/10)

While I wasn’t a fan of the start of the song, the breakdown is pretty catchy, combining a heavy bass on top of a groovy synth melody that’s been inspired from some of the all-time Coldharbour greats. Designed for the club and something that’s been a staple in his sets as of late, it’s not hard really to see why throughout the song. But then at the end of it, it becomes forgettable, a distant memory into a quick transition to:

15. Digital X – Phantom (8/10)

Our second Digital X Production, but the first that seems destined for CD2 rather than CD1. It’s got a smooth sweeping string-based synth on top of a nice melody, and the breakdown here works well. Similar to “Stratosphere,” but definitely more big room inspired sounds. Personally, I feel that this is the big room style that should be approached more often instead of songs like “Trickster.” It has its shortcomings, no doubt, alongside some cliche elements, but the point being is that those elements add to the song instead of overpowering the song. There should not be some huge announcement every time the song switches sections. “Attention all clubbers! We are now going from the breakdown to Main Melody 01!”

16. Skytech – The Other Side (9.5/10)

The more I hear this song, the more I fall in love with it. We heard this on UR7, and it fits even more in place here on Buenos Aires. It’s a superb track by Skytech that’s full of their signature sound that is placed perfectly within the Coldharbour vaults. A great melody to build us up with a nice piano-infused breakdown overlapping some fluttering strings. I know I rated it 8.5/10 within the confines of Universal Religion 7, but here, on this CD, we see where it really belongs: during the peak of a big room trance set hosted by none other than the front man Markus Schulz.

17. Elevation – Stadium Control (7.5/10)

Our second introduction to Elevation. After hearing the attempted follow-up to “City of Angels” fall a bit flat to fair winds, we get a very rough transition from Skytech to the main beat of “Stadium Control.” It’s heavy bass this time around with a commanding (controlling even) melody that would really get that one guy in the corner with his vodka and tonic jumping finally after spending all night just standing there. Dance, man, it’s okay! We all look ridiculous. The main melody has a bit more uplifting sounds towards it, so definitely something to use near the end of our journey. Not necessarily a fan of how Elevation exited the breakdown, but it’s a bit more unique than what we’ve heard so far tonight, and I can forgive it for the nice melody going through our song.

18. Solarstone – Solarcoaster (Markus Schulz Coldharbour Remix) (8/10)

“I look back and I’m amazed…that my thoughts are so clear and true. That three words ran through my mind endlessly, repeating themselves like a broken record. You’re so cool, you’re so cool, you’re so cool.” I don’t care if you’ve listened to trance since 1992 or 2012, if you’ve heard any classic trance, you’ve heard of Solarstone and his most famous song: Solarcoaster. Off topic here, but those lyrics are actually lifted from a Quentin Tarantino written and Tony Scott directed film called “True Romance” in 1993, from the last scene where Patricia Arquette has this internal monologue to herself.

Anyway, the song. It’s Solarcoaster remixed in a big room style from Markus. So you’ve got your Solarstone melody but the synths that one would see used in big room trance. Which makes it very difficult to rate this song. I first heard it during Markus’ set in Charlotte (April 2013), and in the club it absolutely dominates the dance floor. I was always curious how many people actually recognized the more classic trance song, but I was definitely singing along with Patricia.

But to accept that it’s Solarcoaster in 2013 means you have to accept the cliche elements like the drum and synth rise between Melody 1 and 2. And while I hate that Markus felt compelled to add those elements in his remix, I’m happy that I get to hear Solarcoaster in a mix again. Sure, it will never top the beauty of the original (hearing it for the first time in ISOS 3 is life-changing), and doesn’t come close to the Midway Remix (where some even argue it’s one of the few times a remix is better than the original). But I’d rather hear this in a big room set than “Trickster” any day of the week. To the point: if you enjoy big room trance, you’ll love this song. If you don’t, you’ll think it’s a crime against humanity that Markus destroyed a true classic. Either way, you should be listening to the classic again after you finish Buenos Aires ’13, because we finish off now with

19. Marscela – Viaje Completo (8/10)

The transition to our outro is a bit rough, but the way Markus slows down Solarcoaster makes it work on our completed journey. It definitely bookcases the intro that we started CD1 with, and is very soothing way to end a night in our Markus-fueled club. A bit unique compared to the rest of the songs that we’ve heard on this side, but no different really from the ending we heard on CD1.

CD2 was an interesting journey. We started off a bit more relaxed and progressive, to the point you could have taken the first 6 songs and started CD1 that way with none the wiser. But after some rough transitions and filler songs, we get to the meat of CD2: the club music. Unfortunately, it seems that Markus has started to incorporate his set music into his compilation music, which doesn’t always work out. Nor is it special. Parts of CD2 just felt like another Global DJ Broadcast, which isn’t why I buy City Series Compilations. Markus was able to make it work last year in LA ’12: he still played big room trance in his sets but crafted a great mix for us on CD2 last year. Why not again?

Average Score CD2: 7.29/10

The Tracks of the Night:

Protoculture – Talisman (9/10)

What a superb intro and song from Protoculture. Definitely one of their best songs.

Danilo Ercole – Freezing Rain (9/10)

It might be a simple song, but it reminds me a lot of why I liked “Sweet Little Pepper” last year on LA ’12. Simple, pure progressive trance.

Skytech – The Other Side (9.5/10)



This song has continued to grow on me, and is definitely a great Coldharbour big room tune that matches up with some of Skytech’s classics.

The Weakest Links:

Grube & Hovsepian – Trickster (5/10)

Take all of the big room trance cliches and throw them into one track. You get this song. Sad since we see what they are capable of with “City of Angels” last year and “Palmero” this year.



Note change increase / pitch up

Can we move on from this phase of big room already? We’ve heard it since Klauss introduced it to us with “Turbulence” back in 2011. I think it has had its stay.



GDJB or City Compilation?

I’ll go a bit more into it later (but touched on it already), but I buy these compilations to hear a story of sound, from dark progressive to club trance. If I just wanted a GDJB Broadcast, I’d download a podcast.



No Beat Service

Sadly, we don’t get a follow-up to Outsider or Fortuna this year. A pity since those always end up being huge hits. Spiritually, I think “Aurora” fits the same mold (great song by the way), but it’s been out since April. Perhaps if Markus released Buenos Aires ’13 in February…

Overall Score Buenos Aires ’13: 7.59/10

So, there you have it. Buenos Aires ’13. A journey from sunset to sunrise in the Queen of El Plata, Coldharbour style. As always, each side gives us a different perspective of the city, from the darker, more progressive side of CD1 to the more uplifter and clubbier of CD2.

While I enjoyed many parts of Buenos Aires ’13, it didn’t really exceed (and in some cases even meet) by expectations that I had of the City Series. After delaying the release by 8 months, I had expected something brilliant (why else would he spend so much time on the album?). Yet sad to say, at times I felt that I wasn’t listening to something special, but rather just another Markus Schulz Podcast (make sure you send your messages using the hashtag GDJB). Which makes it hard to place with the other compilations, because at times it reminded me of Miami ’05, others Las Vegas ’10, and others even worse.

The plus side of all of it was there were less fillers this year than last year, but those were replaced by uninspired, overused-elements big room trance, so not as many superb or brilliant tracks this year. And surprisingly not even any 10/10 tracks either. All the tracks that came even close still had issues with them. Which meant that even when I wanted to really enjoy a track, there was always something nagging me about it that stopped from that pure bliss. So while still a good mix, it just fails to live up to Los Angeles ’12. Wrapping things up….

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is this CD for?

For those who enjoy both the old and new Coldharbour sound, including Markus when he’s at his best with dark progressive and his newest sounds with the big room trance of late.

What if I think Los Angeles ’12 was Markus’ best?

You’ll be disappointed here. CD1 comes close to CD1 of LA ’12, but the short tracks and being interrupted by Big Room Trance puts a hamper on its brilliance. CD2 falls short with Markus being all over the place.

What pleased you the most?

There were some great tracks on both sides. I really enjoyed “Freezing Rain.” The progressive was done properly on CD1. We heard some old-school sounding Coldharbour from Rodg and Ruben. Rex Mundi really surprised me this time around, and I definitely enjoyed his tracks moreso than what we saw on LA ’12. As good as his older works? Not quite, but an improvement.

Disappointed you the most?

Three major issues: the story, the big room, and the tracks. I felt that the flow was just off on the album. CD1 could have been superb (and is still great overall), but KhoMha’s big roomm sounds and Rex Mundi’s superb but otherwise out-of-place track in the middle of a dark progressive mix really threw things in a loop. Then to end it, we again get a nice Mundi track on its own, but really changed the style quickly from what we had going a few songs back. CD2 suffered the same issues. We start off darker, slower, and more progressive, confusing since CD2 is the clubbier side of the compilation. Then we get a quick transition to the big room sounds, going back and forth between fillers, meh big room, and good club songs.

Speaking of big room trance, there were just too many songs that used the same elements over and over, becoming repetitive and boring. Luckily this was mixed in with songs that contained variations of those elements that worked, but I’ll be happy when the current big room trance Markus is embracing shifts away from the “Turbulence” sound.

Finally, 19 tracks a side was a disaster for Armin van Buuren in his ASOT series and was almost as bad here. At times, it just felt rushed. The transitions ranged from great to sloppy, the quick beat changes are meant more for a live set than a compilation, and I shouldn’t be hearing a breakdown 30 seconds into a song. There’s a reason why you do this during live sets: get all the new songs in alongside that people dance to the beats and don’t care about a pitch-perfect transition. Is it relatively smooth? Yes? Okay, moving on. But with a compilation that I’d put on my iPhone and blast in the car, the library, or at home? I want the longer, smoother transitions that trance is known for. There’s a reason Original Mixes of songs have like 2-3 minutes for an intro and outro.

As a bonus grief, I was disappointed that in CD2 it felt less like a great club side to a City Series Compilation and more like another GDJB episode. I can get one of those for free every week; I don’t want to pay money for the same thing.

Where does it fall in the list of City Series?

Interestingly, with this big room sound really becoming the hallmark not just in Markus’ sets as it has been over the past few years, but now in his City Series, I really think we need to start a new chapter in comparison. The sounds we heard from Toronto ’09 to Los Angeles ’12 are gone now; Buenos Aires ’13 is the start (good or bad) of a new era.

Our first era:

Miami ’05

Amsterdam ’08

Ibiza ’06

is how I would rank the first three. But I think we saw a fundamental shift in trance music across the board in 2009, and I think you really have to compare ’09 onwards separately from ’05-’08. So for the later ones:

Toronto ’09

Prague ’11

Los Angeles ’12

Las Vegas ’10

And now era three:

Buenos Aires ’13

Honestly, if I had to compare it, it would probably be around or below Las Vegas ’10, which theoretically makes it the worse City Series to date. Buuutt, I hate saying that because it’s still good overall and I really enjoyed many parts of the album. It just isn’t Markus‘ best work.

Would you recommend this album?

Yes, but with reservations. If you’re not a fan of the current big room trance/house or Markus’ primary GDJB songs, then you’re going to dislike a good portion of CD2 and parts of CD1. If you do enjoy those sounds, or if you enjoy dark progressive house and trance, then I’d definitely recommend giving it a good listen.