In Retrospect: The Most Underrated Armin van Buuren Album Of All Time [1/2]

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Stream here

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Armada Music Albums | Cat# ARDI4115
Released: Friday June 21st 2019
Buy the album: https://www.beatport.com/release/moons-of-jupiter/2626868

The Album
01. | 147 BPM | C_min | 01:58 | Metis
02. | 105 BPM | C_min | 02:33 | Adrastea
03. | 105 BPM | F_min | 02:30 | Amalthea
04. | 110 BPM | A_min | 03:36 | Thebe
05. | 110 BPM | C_min | 03:34 | Themisto
06. | 114 BPM | A_min | 03:01 | Leda
07. | 120 BPM | A_maj | 02:52 | Himalia
08. | 123 BPM | D_min | 04:29 | Jupiter LXXI (S/2018J1)
09. | 126 BPM | G_min | 04:06 | Jupiter LXV (S/2017J4)
10. | 126 BPM | F#min | 04:21 | Lysithea [Sine Square Noise]
11. | 126 BPM | A_min | 03:26 | Elara
12. | 130 BPM | G_maj | 03:49 | Dia [Computer Electronic]
13. | 130 BPM | D_maj | 04:03 | Carpo
14. | 130 BPM | D_min | 04:03 | Io
15. | 130 BPM | B_min | 04:04 | Europa
16. | 130 BPM | D_min | 05:32 | Ganymede
17. | 130 BPM | F#min | 03:39 | Callisto
18. | 130 BPM | C_maj | 04:40 | Euporie
19. | 127 BPM | F#min | 02:53 | - (Lost) (S/2003J12) [Moons Of Jupiter]
20.| 130 BPM | G#maj | 04:11 | Valetudo
21.| 130 BPM | C#min | 02:12 | Jupiter LX (S/2003J3)

DJ Mix
22. | 130 BPM | A_min | 01:17:20 | Moons Of Jupiter (DJ Mix)

* For the Moons Of Jupiter Album samplers, click here.

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June 19th - 20th 2023

The Setting

Cast your minds back to four years ago... June 2019... Where were you back then? What were you up to in life? I remember it pretty well. After a long and troublesome road, I had finally managed to end up with the girl I had liked for the last two years or so. Earlier in the month, Portugal added the shiny inaugural UEFA Nations League trophy next to their European Championship trophy from 2016. My guy CR7 had dropped another clutch performance in the semi-finals and could now collect another international honor. Then, as June entered its final third, Gaia FINALLY dropped the long-awaited embodiment of that unforgettable night at Paradiso back in October 2018.

One could say I was living my best life that June. Thought that wasn't actually the case I did have a lot more to enjoy then the depressing Winter that preceded it. But all of that didn't matter. What mattered here was that Armin and Benno had turned their incredible live show into an album for me to completely lose my mind to. I bought the album digitally and got two physical copies of it: one for me, one for my bestie Marc. Heck, I even got my bro up for a listening sessions together, like we used to do so regularly in the distant past. It happened to be the very last album we checked out together. I went on to (re)play this album to death. I was absolutely in love with it. I felt that an album of such majesty deserved a massive, mega review at the very least to reflect how amazing it is.

I came up with this whole idea to give each seperate track it's own post. I tried to find pictures/images of the moons the tracks were named after through NASA, google and a friend of mine who's into all the space science stuff. Before I knew it, this stopped being a review and instead it started to look and feel more like some high school project. It started to take up too much time and motivation to work on and as life kinda headed into a wrong direction, I failed to finish the review. 2019 went by. 2020 went by. 2021 went by. 2022 went by. And now we're already halfway past 2023 and Moons Of Jupiter is celebrating it's four year anniversary. It just doesn't feel right to never have written a review for an album that I adore so much and that has given me so much immeasurable joy! So today I am going to rectify that mistake. Bear with me on the style because it's going to be a bit of a Frankenstein in that it will have my initial thoughts from the first listens back in 2019 mixed with my thoughts on it now and I will probably go even further back to the Paradiso live set from 2018 since it all started with that!

Fasten your seatbelts. Let's visit the Moons Of Jupiter with Papa Razor... For real this time:

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The Journey

01. Metis (Original Mix)

The cinematic opener to this marvelous experience. The perfect soundtrack to the liftoff for a space rocket or vehicle as it is launched into orbit. Try to envision it for yourself, a voice-over counting down while you hear the chatter of the crew in the cabin as they brace themselves for the launch. Something big is about to happen. The suspense gradually builds throughout these first two minutes. The fx are expertly used to conjure images of vast space, emptiness, endless stars... We are being launched into all of it.

02. Adrastea (Original Mix)

The launch proves successful. Echoing tones and fading synth line create image of floating in zero gravity whilst the glitchy beeps and fx allow me to envision countless computer screens and interfaces, information flashing by. Vivid imagery... But what about emotion? I feel a sense of wonder with Adrastea, like I am about to embark on a quest full of ancient mysteries. That main motif serves almost like a Voice Of The Past as we are lured into the depths of space.

03. Amalthea (Original Mix)

After mystery and darkness, comes the wonder of it all. With Amalthea strings resurface, but they aren't bold and epic like in Metis, no they are gentle and humble. There is something hopeful here. And something familiar. Do you remember Armin van Buuren - I Don't Own You (2010) and Face To Face (2008)? Both tracks had these little brief ambient segments in them that Amalthea has as well. There is something soothing and comforting in this light melody. The first kick drum has revealed itself as well now but no 4x4 just yet. Things are still bordering between Ambient and Breakbeat.

04. Thebe (Original Mix)

A more defined synthline is built on top of Amalthea's modest beat, backed by a trippy reverbed melody and other backing layers. Our journey is becoming more mellow and melodic. Then, a gorgeous Breakbeat is released. It's time to dance my friends... :) In this vastness of space, Thebe manages to relax us and find enjoyment because the stars are gorgeous and these shooting, glowing objects tickle our imagination.

05. Themisto (Original Mix)

Suddenly, things get a little heavier, a little deeper, a little darker. A bass with a more Techy make-up enters the stage. What's about to happen...? A Godly Choir descends upon us. Are flying over a moon covered in the ruins of a Once Glorious Civilization? Themisto was one of the tracks I prayed to find on the album. Because Themisto was one of the Paradiso highlights: besides being blown away by how well a Breaks track can work live, Themisto was that track that I turned to my good friend Marc with a huge grin, only to find him grooving to the tune with his eyes closed, arms raised and smiling in pure bliss. One of the most gratifying things I've ever seen in my quest to get other people to "join my kind of music". I love this track so damn much: The choir, the gritty bassline, the tasty Breaks, and that addictive main lead. This is like Shiver-Era Armin came from the past and was given the tools of 2019 music production. What an absolute masterpiece.

06. Leda (Original Mix)

At last... Breaks makes way for the first 4x4 beat and Leda builds on the trippy atmospheric vibes of the opening tracks to lead Moons Of Jupiter into its Progressive phase. What I love about this track is how seems to pay homage to the Progressive styles of 2005-2007, back when Armin had Armada at Amnesia guestmixes by Electronic Music Titans like Nick Warren or when he dropped Progressive (House) gems by the likes of Jody Wisternoff. This track just oozes that mysterious late night club vibe where you are just dancing away, slightly sweating, immersed in the magical set the DJ before you is weaving together.

07. Himalia (Original Mix)

The prog vibes continue but here things get a little more Trancey. The high-note synth is typical of those catchy Armin/Benno bangers: think of Lost Luggage (Rank 1 Remix) (2008), Pulsar (2013), This Light Between Us (Armin's Great Strings Mix) (2010): it's catchy and just a delight to the ears. The melody here is so gentle and calm, beautiful and mysterious thanks to its tone shifts. The end of this track calmly creates some suspense as we prepare to visit the next moon.

08. Jupiter LXXI (S/2018J1) (Original Mix)

Heavenly choir intros ALWAYS work for me. And the way this one transitions from that to its techy, ticking-clock like beat groove gives me a vague Metroid vibe. I can envision some sort of mythical Sky City Ruins you explore, captivated at once by its majesty whilst also struck with a sense of sadness over its decay. As hopeful as the track starts, its main motif further on has a much more homesick feeling to it. The contrast between this heavy deep beat with an unusual rhythm and the simple but nostalgic melody makes this one a stand-out tune for me. It also kicks things up a notch from the more easy-going vibes of Himalia and Leda.

09. Jupiter LXV (S/2017J4) (Original Mix)

Aaaah here we get into groovier territory. Once again we get those insane De Goeij percussive vibes and techy fx splattered throughout. It thumpes deliciously as we get a reverbed guiding monotone lead that builds to a crescendo before it dies down quietly... Leading to a playful, dramatic "LE.D. phone beep" hook which is backed by several gritty synths that swell and are soon released backed by the groovy thumping beat from before.  Melody-wise, this is typically Gaia, typically Armin, typically Benno, and it works to perfection. I recall this one being dropped at Paradiso and it was definitely one of the big ones that night, backed by the epic lightshow. To me it also sounds like a distant cousin to Fire Wire (Rank 1 Remix) (2010) both in synth intensity and sound use. Which is a gargantuan compliment since that Remix might be one of my favorite Rank 1 Remixes of all time (so underrated!!!)...

10. Lysithea [Sine Square Noise] (Original Mix)

We've just about reached 29 minutes. The journey so far has been brilliant and absolutely magical. Cinematic intro into Ambient into Breaks into Progressive House into Progressive Trance into a bit of a Progressive/Tech hybrid (...or should I just call it Melodic Techno/House at this stage?)... Lysithea continues in the Techy direction and adds some Acid to boot. We get a robotic voice repeating "Sine Square Noise", thereby referencing the shape of soundwaves and hailing production terminology. Goes to show what sound design nerds Armin and Benno are, eh? :D It's a pretty ballsy track, great dancefloor tune with a good groove to it. Technically it's another production-perfect exhibition from this illustrious duo.

11. Elara (Original Mix)

The Techiest track yet makes its appearance!! What I love about Elara is that the distorted synth line it uses has a ring to it that reminds me of Rank 1's  Trance Energy 2002 live act: their Techy live renditions for Passage To The Unknown and Airwave had pretty powerful techy synths that Elara seems to have as well, or at least some successor variant of sorts... It's a catchy tune and like Lysithea it's very club-oriented and works well on the dancefloor. The breakdown actually reminds me of Duderstadt's stuff, in particular Muhanjala (2006) though it vaguely reminds me of the atmosphere in Rank 1 - Equilibrium (2002) as well. It's quite a solid banger!

12. Dia [Computer Electronic] (Original Mix)

Compared to the previously beat-heavy Prog Housey/Melodic Techno-ish drive from the previous ones, this one feels much lighter and also hints that this journey is about to get much more Trancey. The melody is euphoric and has a whimsical vibe to it that is only strenghtened by its... Is that a bit of an Electro-Trance beat?? Oooh Imagine-Era Armin in the house :D Still, something about the melodies in this one reminds me of 4 Elements... I can almost picture this track with more oldskool synths, gated saw here, classic pluck there and it could have been a B-side to 4 Elements... Regardless, it's a nice track to shift gears and moods. It might not be a stand-alone banger but in this section of the mix it does what it should do. The robo-vocal feels like something of a Daft Punk tribute and since DP are life, well done guys!

13. Carpo (Original Mix)

Dayum, the heavy-duty tech beats haven't left us at all! Carpo's powerful bass and beat vaguely reminds me of Jochen Miller - Face Value and Red One. God how I love these de Goeij sounds!! Like Dia, Carpo is built around a playful lead melody albeit with a more mystical feel to it because of the clever pads the guys drop to back it up. The beat has a delicious chaos to it, groovy, deep, pumpin' and I feel this one too sounds a bit different from the usual stuff. A very solid one here!

14. Io (Original Mix)

Oooh... Now things just get magical. I'm getting Prodemium/Precious/Mr Sam vs. Fred Baker - Forever Waiting vibes here... This is 2003 Trance re-invented and my, is it GLORIOUS. Those trademark Rank 1 percussive hits that echo throughout, the rich, warm pads and heavily altered/processed vocalchops all contribute to a very mysterious atmosphere... So just as you are about to drift off into another realm, the guys yank you down to a sweet, deep beat and groovy filtered acid synth with beautiful arps floating all over. What a magical track!!

15. Europa (Original Mix)

"Omg... YESSSSSS! It's that Acid Banger from Paradiso!!" Europa was probably a favorite before I had even attended the show in Paradiso because Armin showcased it in one of the vlogs in the weeks leading up to that big night. Man I couldn't wait to hear it live! They did change it up a bit from what they dropped on the dancefloor, that version seemed slightly more Techy, this one takes a bit of a more proggy approach with a longer build-up, letting the tension rise slowly. The percussion, once again, is incredible. The robo-vocal repeating Eu Ro Pa Pa Pa fits well alongside the mysterious pads swelling in the background. The thugging bassline is sooo good too here. Soon a synthline reveals itself that follows the same rhythm as the bassline: in the breakdown it's overtaken by a powerful Acid synth. The drops of Europa hit much harder live but the one drop it has here still works well imo. Definitely one of the standout tracks of the album!

16. Ganymede (Original Mix)

Up next we get some Classic Push vibes with a gated saw. Ganymede carries on the techy/Acidy theme of the last few tracks and keeps the energy going. I'd rank it along Elara and Lysithea for being great "bridge" tracks in the mix but on its own I don't quite feel it's up there with Carpo, Io, Europa, Themisto or the two tracks that are about to follow. That said, it has this carefree, trippy feel to it in its breakdown and the Acid-driven climax and drop are very nice. Especially once it starts winding down and making way for...

17. Callisto (Original Mix)

...that divine transition into Callisto at 58:36 that still sends me into a frenzy after four years!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh can you imagine the thrill I felt the very first time I made it to this part of the mix?? "THIS HAS TO BE THAT TUNE!!" And I knew merly because of that absolute, fiendishly primordial and angry Tech Bass of Madness that blasted into my headphones... "Meu Deus. It has to be that wicked Tech/HipHop track they dropped at Paradiso as well!! IT MADE IT ON!! ....! Wait... IT'S THAT HAUNTED SYNTHLINE!!! YESSSSSSSS IT'S HEEEEEERE!!!! @*($Y(*@Y$(*@$Y(@($Y@(*$" The breakdown hits and suddenly the tempo is all different. The ghastly, evil synth swells and filters angrily when Armin and Benno drop such a FILTHY instrumental HipHop beat with an even filthier bass... Cue the Mane Pandemonium. In Paradiso I lost my absolutely shit to this track. And back in June 2019 I lost my shit once more. What an unexpected (but not illogical!) mixture of genres... Oh yeah, and of course the tempo shift post-HipHop beat... Goddamn. After countless replays of this album and this track separately (as a Top 2019 track, obviously!!) I can state with absolutely certainty that Callisto is my absolute highlight of this entire album. It is the unrivalled peak. This track is so devious, so evil, so Tech, so different, weird and cool at same time... It's a typical Razor Mindblower. F*ck to the yes, baby. Divine Beast of a Track. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

18. Euporie (Original Mix)

So how do you go on after such a mad dive into a Techy Floor Obliterator like Callisto? Why, by dropping an irresistible, Marvelous, Victorious core-Armin melody, of course. Euporie is the album's Tranciest effort and it's melody proves the brilliance of simplicity when it's executed well. But actually, before any of that even happens, Euporie's groovy beat makes sure to keep the dancing vibe going strong. It's build-up actually hints at something a bit more abstract than we end up getting in the breakdown. But it's this playful contrast, this unexpected turn that makes this one work so well for me. Furthermore, for me that melody is pure Armin. The breakbeat that backs it up fits right in!

19. - (Lost) (S/2003J12) [Moons Of Jupiter] (Original Mix)

And then, from all that light we suddenly get sucked into an abyss of sorts! Abstract, trippy and weird, this is one of those tunes you just expect from Benno given his hand in wicked jams such as Rank 1's Top Gear (2005), Love Kills (Rank 1 Dub Mix) (2006), And Then... (Rank 1's MPTET Mix) (2008) and Armin's Ygrene Taht Rof Evil I (2017) among others. As stated, a very abstract tune that heavily contrasts with all the melodic stuff that came before it. Aesthetically speaking it might not be the prettiest track on the album but on a technical level this is perfection. Listen to the heavy processing of the voice that utters Moons Of Jupiter: it becomes a percussion element in itself! Raw and haunting stutters, clicks, whitenoise, failing/glitching machinery sounds create an ethereal kind of darkness. It's as the space vessel you've been on this whole journey has been hurled into a wormhole and you've lost control of a ship as it just floats through infinite darkness, without even the stars to gaze upon anymore... Come to think of it, Jean-Michel Jarre's Oxygene (Part 11) (1996) has this haunted "derelict space vessel" feel to it as well, albeit some minor chaotic "melodies" popping up to create a sense of dread... Could they have been paying tribute to that here?

20. Valetudo (Original Mix)

And here we enter... My least favorite track of the Mix and the album/samplers as a whole. I think this track was probably a tribute to some early '90s pioneer, maybe Speedy J. Now I love tributes to predecessors and all that but something about the psychotic melody in Valetudo is off-putting to me and sadly still is four years later. x) On a technical level it is as subliminal as everything we've had so far. But aesthetically speaking I can't say I enjoy it all that much. Now that isn't even my main problem with it. My problem is that being the penultimate track, I'd expect the mix to not wind down in this way. Up until Euporie, the mix is pretty much flawless for me, but to then follow the hyper-abstract - (Lost) with this kind of takes that magnificent high I was on and drags me back to a "it's okay" level. If I could change one thing about MOJ it would be this track. I'd have put it on the next album. Because tracklist wise it would only make sense after Callisto but then you ruin that brilliant Tech peak into Trance Bliss moment that makes that part of the album stand out so much... Hmmmmm... 

21. Jupiter LX (S/2003J3) (Original Mix)

Arp-driven, with some vocal samples that remind me of the Aztecs for some reason... Everything about the outro track to this album screams Long Lost Civilization. The contrast of the electronic synth line with the organic, mantra-like voices (from the Dead?) creates a bit of an unsettling atmosphere. The slowly fading pads that appear near its end contribute to a sense of sadness that this incredible journey has come to an end. But sadly, all good things in life must come to an end. And that applies to Moons Of Jupiter as well.

Damn... What an incredible aural experience this album remains...

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The Conclusion

This is what happens when you allow Pioneering Minds and Sustainers of our genre to cut loose from convention and trends and just focus on making something that's so wickedly cool that they both fully believe in it. This album oozes passion and love for electronic music, it pays tribute to Sounds that have come and gone throughout the years, and then resurfaced in "new packaging". The album's whole creation process was very creative in itself as it was the reversed order of how an album subsequent tour are usually realized. Armin and Benno flipped that formula on its head and did it the other way around which does not seem like an easy task but it wouldn't surprise me if they had double the fun because of the challenge it brought along! I am also very pleased with the fact they did the effort to release four DJ-friendly samplers of the album with 15 tracks getting (slightly) extended mixes. I've always loved it when artists bother to make extended mixes and in this Era of the Spotify Attention-Span (*rolls eyes like a Boomer*) it's great to see not everyone is phobic to making tracks longer than 3 minutes...

Oh before I forget! If you've got about 42 minutes to kill, be sure to check out this interview below: they explain all the cool behind-the-screen details about this album and it's a must-watch, especially if you loved the album!

So... From June through to December 2019 I played the DJ Mix of MOJ at least twice a day each week and since then it has had plenty of replays in each of the four years since then. Last year alone, during the summer of 2022, I would often turn to this mix when I was working on Concept Art and story elements for a comic thing I'm working on: there is just something so comforting about this 21-track journey. It has been with me so much as I've gone through the challenges of the past four years and as a result it puts me at peace in a way like no other album does. But it's also the perfect go to album whenever I'm about to head somewhere and I don't know what to listen to because I'm not in the mood for anything. Somehow it's always a good time to put on MOJ, be it Spring, Winter, Autumn, Summer, Early Morning, Evening, Afternoon, Midnight, in public transport, at work (when you've got to reorganize stocks in a secluded space mind you), for a walk, it doesn't matter. And that really sets it apart from my previous favorite albums. Moons Of Jupiter is always with me!

To Gaia

Guys, I am very much looking forward to the next Gaia album! I sincerely hope that this first Gaia album of yours will be "rediscovered" soon and people will finally give it the love in numbers it deserves. And I also hope the lackluster 2019 reception won't scare you away from creating another album in this vein, one that's purely you in the sense of instrumental electronic goodness to the core which you dip in whatever genre you see fit so you can mesmerize people with its sonic brilliance, like this first one did. 

No, I'm not expecting a MOJ clone! I'm merely expecting you to put your boundless and timeless talent on display once more in a way that keeps you true to yourselves. MOJ was the project I dreamed of for years of which I never thought I would actually hear from you and voila, there was the Paradiso live act in 2018 followed by the actual (physical) album in 2019... Given how much and how often I still replay this album I can't conclude otherwise than that this is the best album you two have ever done and that says a lot since you were both separately responsible for 76 and Symsonic, two of the very pillars of my Trance Upbringing!

So big up yourselves my dudes, Moons Of Jupiter is Eternal and truly the G.O.A.T. <3

But Before We Leave...

...I remember when Moons Of Jupiter came out, Armin and Benno received massive praise by many of their peers like M.I.K.E. Push, Leon Bolier, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Alex M.O.R.P.H. etc. Amongst their fans however, the reception of this Masterpiece was rather... ...underwhelming to put it lightly... So I want to take this opportunity to address those fans directly. If you are one of those Armin/Gaia fans that back in 2019 was disappointed with MOJ because iTs NoThInG lIkE eMpIrE oF HeArTs/cArNaTiOn or because you felt "it isn't Trance (enough)", etc., I have a favor to ask of you:

Please give Moons Of Jupiter another chance!

It's been four years since you were disappointed by the album. If you are still into Electronic Music today, the odds are your taste in this music has widened significantly and you have "musically matured" to a level that allows you to "understand" an album like this now. It's natural as far as I am concerned, I went through it myself. At the start of my journey through TranceI only enjoyed the "obvious" hits, anthems and Classics. Over time I learnt to adore Progressive Trance, Tech Trance, Electro Trance, Progressive House, Tech House, Deep House, Disco House and the many, thumpin' forms of Techno next to my undying love for Anthem and Classic Trance. I think most of us go through these phases and it takes time to form new preferences.

So come! Just put on the DJ Mix of MOJ next time you are on your way to college/work/vacation or when you are cleaning the house/garden, etc. Give this album another shot. I have a hunch that with your evolved ears it will actually really hit home this time around. I just strongly believe MOJ deserves your recognition. As do Armin and Benno: if you've been a fan of these guys before they started teaming up in 2008, you can tell that this was a real Passion Project. You can hear the origin of these sounds in many of their tracks over the years, most notably the stuff they made between 2005-2010. Furthermore, a non-poppy, gimmick/trend-free and purely Electronic album like this from two such Trance Heavyweights is RARE. Please give it another chance and hopefully this time around you'll come around to cherish it...
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