Among the most underrated names in today’s trance scene, Russian producer Roman Messer has not only an incredible discography to his own name, but also runs (and A&Rs for) one of the biggest labels in the genre, Suanda Music. This week sees the release of his fourth artist album, titled ‘Dream’. Stacked with vocal collaborations and producer teamups, ‘Dream’ boasts 13 tracks which encompass the uplifting sound and its many derivatives, clearly crafted by the deft hands of Roman Messer.

Promotion for an album is always a tricky task, and many artists go about their single choices very meticulously. Some put out the most commercial as singles, enticing fans to listen to their album, which might not be on par with the quality of the singles individually. Others will pick their favorites and others further will choose those with big name collaborations. With Dream, it doesn’t seem like Roman Messer choose to unleash only the very best as singles, leaving only the mediocre ones in the album. On the contrary, many of my favorites are among the unreleased album tunes.

The album’s most famous tune is the 2018 Christina Novelli collaboration, Fireflies, which has received a warm response, and remixes from the likes of Eximinds and Jorn van Deynhoven. Any trance fan would have heard this tune in some form or the other, and it’s likely that they still remember it, due to its soaring vocals and unique melody. This powerful combination is seen in most of the other album tracks, which is why this album is a record you likely won’t forget any time soon.

Next up was my personal favorite from the record, the vaguely titular track, Dreaming. As the lead single for the album, Dreaming asks a simple question (‘Are we dreaming?’) and subsequently answers it through an enchanting soundscape of minor chords and drifting melodies. In uplifting trance, the intros and outros are often slow in their progression, with percussion taking center stage, thus sometime lacking on the melodic front. Dreaming goes against this convention, choosing to incorporate a simple yet effective intro and outro melody that keeps listeners captivated for the entirety of the song, rather than just the two minutes while the main melody is on show.

Serenity, a vocal collaboration with trance vocalist Cari, was released soon after. The vocal topline floats in and out through a rollercoaster of different chords, lending an almost orchestral feel to the song, accentuated by the piano during the vocal sections. Again, a simple melody with a vocal-chop focus on the intros and outros make for a top-notch uplifting tune. As an A&R, it’s clear why Roman Messer chose to release this one as a single early.

The anthemic Eternity (made with the king of long intricate melodies, Davey Asprey) and Magic Fly followed, with the latter being selected as part of the ASOT Ibiza 2019 compilation, as it focused a bit more toward the progressive styles with a punchier kick. One week before ‘Dream’ came Blossom, the last single from the album. Clearly a release intended to hype up the release of the album itself, Blossom is one of the shorter tunes on the album, as it does away with an intro/outro, making space instead for a three-minute dedicated focus on one melody. It boasts one of the densest mixdowns too, with a clustered set of supersaws being supported on the higher end by heavily reverbed vocal chops.

Among the album exclusives, Roman Messer dropped four instrumentals and three vocal tunes. The instrumentals were all similar in that they relied on vocal chops in some manner, to make for a more authentic and organic mix. Sweet Desire’s lead melody alternates between the vocal chops and a saw. It’s also noteworthy in its almost breakbeat-like rhythm in the intro and outro sections. Destiny follows a similar recipe, except with a more mainstage worthy sound design including a stronger lead. While the Feel collab, Reflection, also uses its share of vocal chops, it’s much more openly centred around a supersaw melody, as you’d expect from a conventional trance tune.

All in all, this album, with its superb production and indelible melodies, is definitely one that ranks highly among all uplifting LPs that have been released in the past. Even though Giuseppe’s Evolver was among the best albums ever released in the genre, I’d argue that Dream is on par with Evolver. Although we are comparing apples to oranges in a manner here, it’s Dream’s intros and outros on each track that make the entirety of it memorable, in contrast to Evolver, in which the melody was the highlight within each tune. Although the intense melodic appeal in Evolver isn’t as apparent in Dream, the vocals on Dream make up for it. As in Evolver, Dream explores multiple different niches of the uplifting genre, all through Roman Messer’s unique style.