Single Review: Armin van Buuren & Rank 1 - The Greater Light To Rule The Night

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Stream here 
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Armada | Cat# ASOT665
Released: Friday July 30th 2021
Buy here: https://www.beatport.com/release/the-greater-light-to-rule-the-night/3445326
01. | 132 BPM | G_Min | 06:40 | Extended Mix
02. | 132 BPM | G_Min | 03:33 | Edit
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Discogs & additional info
2021-07-29 | Judgement Day

From the album "Imagine" (2008) all the way to the album "Balanced" (2019), Armin van Buuren and Benno de Goeij have been a successful partnership for nearly 15 years now, the absolute peak coming with a Grammy nomination for their international radiohit "This Is What It Feels Like" alongside Trevor Guthrie. However, this dynamic team-up came to be because of a particular collaboration hailing all the way back from Armin Only 2006: "This World Is Watching Me", featuring vocals by Kush which Piet and Benno performed live with Armin at the time. There had been a long mutual respect between the three guys and in 2006 they finally came through on their promise to do a collaboration. 

At the time both Trance titans were going through significant sound changes and that very first team-up resulted in an extremely catchy and dancefloor-oriented Electro-Trancer, which sadly got massively overshadowed by the more deep and Techy Cosmic Gate Remix. What's interesting to note is that this first collab seemed to aim for a futuristic (or at least very contemporary) blend of elements and a venture into the Electro-craze that was sweeping through many of Dance Music's genres... Now in 2021, Armin and Rank 1 are about to release a brand new track together but this time they seemed to have opted for the opposite approach: a throwback to that Golden Era that brought both sets of artists their fame and earliest fanbases. The Iconic Supersaw Era!


The Earlier Light That Ruled The Night

Now Armin has been on somewhat of an unusual roll for me lately: though he continues to churn out succesful radio-friendly hits with many lesser known vocalists, 2021 has seen him team up with none other than Guiseppe Ottaviani, Maor Levi, Sander van Doorn and more recently even Jorn van Deynhoven (who had said he was quiting Trance). Whether these collabs with fellow Trance veterans/Legends have to do with ASOT having reached its 1000th episode this year I don't know but I have to take my hat off to Armin either way. Not since 2010 have I enjoyed this amount of new AvB singles in a row! Of course, the fact that he decided to do second collaboration with Rank 1 is the icing on the cake. So big up, Armin, I am loving this stretch! :D As for Rank 1, they are very much sticking to their "one single a year" ethos and so, almost exactly one year since that delicious Live At ASOT 950 live set was released, they draw our attention once more with a quality effort.

Now, say hello to The Greater Light To Rule The Night, an oldskool-flavored Trancer encased in a modern sonic package!
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Armin van Buuren & Rank 1 - The Greater Light To Rule The Night (Extended Mix)
Of course, Armin HAD to premiere this as his Tune Of The Week hehe! The build-up has a vague resemblance to Armin and Benno's Inyathi under their infamous Gaia moniker. It packs a very nice punch, has got a nice energy to it and isn't overdone like has often been the case in the last 10 years with Trancey tracks trying to have "an edge". There are those iconic deep tech stabs but the track never really tries to go raw or anything. And unlike Inyathi, there isn't a big contrast with the build-up starting off very techy before instantly hitting you with late '90s supersaws: instead, The Greater Light To Rule The Night adds a layer of dreamy mystery right before its breakdown, easing into its Trancey Essence as opposed to Inyathi's more bigroom / peak-time musical narrative. And I mean, both tracks execute their intentions pretty well but here it just flows that wee bit smoother... ;) The tail-end of the build-up sees its synth morphed with some funky delay tricks before atmospheric bliss greets us, and the anthem-vibe takes over.

The breakdown is magical. Using a combination of bells, filtered saw pads and a haunting Theremin melody at the height of the crescendo, Armin and Rank 1 deliver an incredible atmosphere: The Spotify version kicks of from this point right away but it somehow sounds even "fuller" and more immersive than here! Next, a very oldskool sounding Armin melody is allowed to shine as the breakdown's mystery melodies fade back in and the reverb powers those synths all the while bringing in that sweet Armin melancholia from the past (think Communication and his Rising Star remixes). The melody swells and a classic snare fill guides us to its climax, unleashing that pulsing Rank 1 bassline similar to the one present in Elements Of Nature (and I would say Juno too?). More percussive elements join in to optimize the groove at this stage. I can't quite get over how addicting that bassline groove is with those heavenly synths on top!! 

But just when you think the track has had its say and will commence the winding down phase, it suddenly plays one more time, the final notes of that measure indicating that something is up with the main melody. And my my my, it now reaches for higher chords and notes, hitting that sweet satisfying spot where a melody just amplifies itself into Epicness. And GOD... THAT SYNTH-BASS COMBINATION! The Sodade is so STRONG in this one <3 What a rush... I can't get enough of this!! Ladies and gents and everyone inbetween, THIS is Trance! I am thrilled to hear that two of its greatest Legends can still easily unleash a monster like this in 20friggin21!

To Conclude...
If This World Is Watching Me felt like a pre-dominantly Rank 1-styled track due to its very glitchy and distorted Electro-ish nature (after all, it followed right after Top Gear, Life Less Ordinary and preceded And Then...), then The Greater Light sounds like Armin's classic Rising Star alias with the Rank 1 influence mostly present in the bassline groove and the build-up details and effects. That main melody is SO Armin, though I have to admit its melancholic tone has a bit of Rank 1's Unreleased Remix for Chakra - Home to it... Moodwise it's melancholy perfection. There is a sweep effect in the track that feels like we are back in 2000, when many of Rank 1's remixes would have this effect, like their iconic Remix for Cygnus X - Superstring. I can't stop emphasizing how the final third of the main part keeps getting me, when harmonization lifts the track to a realm of epic that induces goosebumps every time, and even got my eyes watery on a couple of plays. GAH, I can't WAIT to hear this live!! I can onlin Imagine the thrill! :))

What else is there to say?? This new collab is so damn sweet, so deliciously Trancey and very much Straight To The Point (*wink wink* Piet & Benno fans from the '90s! ;) ). It does what it is supposed to do. No bullshit, no gimmicks. Just pure, unfiltered melodic delight. It might seem "just solid" at first but I have a strong hunch this could be a "sneaky killer" that suddenly just bursts into your Top 30 of the year because you realize you've played it over 90 times already and you are loving it more and more with each play. The type of track that doesn't seem to have a cap to your appreciation for it! Armin and Rank 1's second collab in 15 years time is heavy-hitting banger and might already overshadow its predecessor as far as I'm concerned. TWIWM was a cool and fun, funky track. But this! This is heavenly.

Also... RANK 1 IS BACK BABY!! Their first official single since We Finally Met (2019) and much like that one The Greater Light To Rule The Night is a track you would expect when you read the pairing. Armin, Piet and Benno... Muito Obrigado for this! Summer '21 has finally obtained its official Trance Anthem. ;)
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