Single Review: Aly & Fila And JES - Sunrise (Rank 1 Extended Remix)

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Stream here

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Armind | Cat# ARMD1602R
Released: August 12th 2022
Buy here: https://www.beatport.com/release/sunrise-rank-1-remix/3814524
01. | 128 BPM | D_Min | 05:32 | Rank 1 Extended Remix
02. | 128 BPM | D_Min | 02:59 | Rank 1 Remix

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2022-04-27 - 2022-04-29 & 2022-08-12

Armin's brand new A State Of Trance 2022 compilation is out digitally since today and will also be shipping out on CD starting from May 13th. It features cool tracks such as Armin van Buuren & Florentin feat. Jordan Grace - Echoes, Chicane vs. Armin van Buuren & Avira - Offshore, LURUM - Explorer, Ferry Corsten & Morgan Page ft. Cara Melin - Wounded, D72 - Switch Play and Aly & Fila - Euphony. But obviously the reason we are writing this review is for the brand spanking new Rank 1 Remix of Aly & Fila and JES' Sunrise that closes off the On The Beach CD! It's Rank 1's first Remix in over nine years! 

The original Sunrise stands out to me among Aly & Fila tracks because their uplifting style has never quite done it for me, though I do have to give props for Camelia, Euphony and All About The Melody. The thing with Sunrise is that it feels like those Progressive tracks from back in the day, do you remember iiO - Rapture (John Creamer & Stephane K Remix), Andain - Summer Calling (Josh Gabriel Mix), iiO - At The End (Scumfrog Remix)? Even if you don't know these, I don't think I have to remind you all of Motorcyle - As The Rush Comes. Whether you grew up with it or found out about it in later years... This seismic Gabriel & Dresden and JES team-up will soon be 20 (TWENTY!!) years (g)old... I think it was THE track that acquainted us all with JES years ago. So here we have A&F dropping a production reminiscent to that magical old progstyle and then we get JES lovely vocals but also nostalgic lyrics on top of that to create a very powerful and beautiful combination. And now Rank 1 decided to remix that! 

...So is it any good? Here's what I have to say about it:

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Aly & Fila And JES - Sunrise (Rank 1 Extended Remix)

Eh wow...! That build-up sounds savage! A very loaded, beefed-up bass, a playful synthline and some great background ambiance kick off this cut and it only takes 15 seconds to reach the breakdown which is guided in by JES and some gentle filtered synth play. I love those archtypical Rank 1 sounds playing here, very lowkey and calm at first, when suddenly...

CLASSIC RANK 1 MEGA SUPERSAW TRANCE RIFF EXPLOSION!!

I HAVE to hear this in a party setting, I can already see those arms reach for the sky! The saws blasts out my headphones with JES exclaiming "The Sunriiiiise" one last time before the climax. The drop follows and those incredible Rank 1 saw stabs pound away alongside the guiding melody from the beginning with JES' sweet voice returning. WOOT what a euphoric party track!! \0/ In that final main part segment the saws flourish for a bit before the track's final climax kicks in: I love this bit, it has a vague resemblance to what they did in the Superstring 2016 rework, albeit instead of a fierce, bending Acid synth, there is faint kind of distorted sound that sneaks into the background. The saws grow fainter for a moment but then blast back to full power as they follow that typical simplified "winding down" pattern. I am amazed at how POWERFUL this beat is!! It's so loaded and energetic, so RAW! Just this whole remix sounds so typically Rank 1, I can't get enough of it! The echoing kind of "whoo" sound, that guiding synth, the saws of course but also the bassline's rhythmic pattern.

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To Conclude...

Well... Honestly. I first got notified of the preview on Apple Music: for some reason that sounded faint and rather "empty" to me. I felt a slight pang of disappointment. I honestly don't understand why the Spotify version I got notified about an hour later sounds 1000x better but perhaps it's because they play the WAV version whilst Apple goes for 128kbps or whatever? Regardless, Rank 1's return to remix duties after a nine year absence is MASSIVE. In a way it's kind of funny how the original is pretty unusual for Aly & Fila whilst this remix is exactly what you'd expect from Rank 1. Of course, thanks to the remix, Sunrise now has a dancefloor anthem version to enjoy alongside its very deep and dreamy, beautiful original. 

In a way, this remix is almost like a 24 Hours (Rank 1 Remix) On Steroids, with JES on the vocals as the cherry on top. That Trance Explosion after the drop gives me the same energy in a way, even if the saws here are rougher. As for JES, her gentle and soothing singing is quite the contrast with the raw energy of said saw stabs. But it's a contrast that works really well for me! I am SHOCKED she still sounds as beautiful as she did two decades ago but somehow she just does! I had actually expected Rank 1 to do some vocal-chopping like they used to do back in 2005-2010 but they opted to not play around with her voice too much (bar a echo near the end). I get it, I mean it's friggin JES, I can understand respecting one of Trance music's Sirens. I am also surprised this remix to be so energetic. It's true that it ends the On The Beach CD of ASOT 2022 but because the original filled the same slot on last year's edition, I wondered if it might have been more Progressive-oriented as well. Then again, Rank 1 Remixes have rarely tended to stick in the same avenue as their original counterparts since 2004 or so.

I sincerely hope this will go on to be a big hit in the summer, it does sound like it could be a new My Enemy or Lyteo Remix in that sense. Whether that will happen or not, I'm confident that this will go down WELL with the majority Rank 1 fans the world over. :D As always, in the game to blow our minds and steal our hearts musically...

...Rank won. (Aah? Aaah?? :D) 

Silly puns aside, I am grinning from ear to ear, this was definitely worth the damn long wait! Unlike certain big football clubs, Rank 1 is truly back! Well done, guys!

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