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In the past 10 years Trance music has gone through the necessary reinventions and as a result our genre has seen many older styles rediscovered and dressed in new coats of paint so to speak. The past decade also saw the likes of the Armada, FSOE and Pure Trance rosters establish themselves as the biggest players in terms of (uplifting) Trance. But in all of these ongoing changes and steady streams of new upcoming talents and rising stars, many veterans have continued to play their part in the scene they helped built.
Rank 1 is one such act, albeit due to their insistence on keeping a low profile, which they took to the extreme post-2013, it sometimes feels as if they've just vanished off the grid completely or haven't really released anything at all anymore. Curiously, the other day I thought about compiling a "decade" tracklist from 2023 back to 2013. And to my surprise the guys actually created 19 tracks in this timespan, even though it felt like way less. It helps of course that 2013 was an uncharacteristically release-rich year for them and 2020 saw them "release" their massive ASOT #950 tracks via Spotify. So it came to mind to do a little Quick Look Back post on all these tracks. The idea here is to acquaint some of you to more of their work, especially if their two collabs with Armin in the last three years tickled your fancy and made you wonder if these guys have done more that might be up your alley. And maybe some of you missed out on some of their stuff through this decade that might be a welcome addition to your music collection(s)! Either way, it was about time for the annual retrospective. :P
So let's get right into it. On the 10-year anniversary of 13.11.11(!!!!), let's go back. We'll start with the most recent release, Destination and head back all the way to the start of 2013 when Rank 1 blew minds away with their seismic, Titanic monster-collab Elements Of Nature with fellow veteran M.I.K.E. Enjoy the ride!
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Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Rank 1 & Ruben de Ronde - Destination
Released: Friday September 22nd 2023
You will rarely run into a more massive collaboration pool than this, honestly, the only name missing among these guys would be (oldskool) Tiesto and you would be set for life. Destination is one of those retro-flavored throwback bangers and fully delivers on the nostalgia whilst managing to sound squeaky clean and crisp by today's standards. I liked it initially but not as much as I would have expected from this team-up but I must say that over the past month, ever since buying the extended mix, I've gotten a little addicted to it. It's a proper banger and one of 2023's defining tunes!
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Aly & Fila feat. JES - Sunrise (Rank 1 Extended Remix)
Released: Friday August 12th 2022
I couldn't believe my eyes during Spring last year when the 2022 version of ASOT's annual In The Beach/In The Club compilation said "Rank 1 Remix" in the tracklist. It had been no less than 9 years since they last bothered to sprinkle Rank 1 magic over another artist's track and with Sunrise they turned a tasty Proggy original by Aly & Fila feat. the timeless siren JES into a real, banging, party anthem. The classic Rank 1 sawstabs are back in full glory and to maximum effect and backed by JES' angelic voice, you simply can't go wrong!
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Armin van Buuren & Rank 1 - The Greater Light To Rule The Night
Released: Friday July 30th 2021
Two years have come and gone since this one dropped out of the blue and I have to say it still blows me to shreds every time its melody starts to build that extra tension between 04:22 - 04:32 before exploding into harmonic heaven in its third and final main segment... The emotion, the pure and raw Trance synths and bassline here are out of this world. Armin and Rank 1 obliterated their previous effort This World Is Watching Me (2006) imo. That was a very cool tune for its era but this is the type of timeless collab you'd want two youth heroes to make. The Greater Light Still Rules The Night!!
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Rank 1 - Transatlantic Communication (Live At ASOT 950)
Released: Friday July 31st 2020
Buy here: n/a
Who knew back then that for many of us ASOT #950 was to be the last event we'd get to attend in two years? It has since become an ever more memorable night due to the crapdemic that followed but the obvious highlight was Rank 1's Live Performance. They opted for an interesting live/megamix hybrid form that I had not hear them do before. Transatlantic Communication was the opener to a half an hour of Rank 1/Trance Classics bliss and its infectious euphoria has not lost a single drop of its charm in the (nearly) 4 years since we got to rave to it!
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Rank 1 - Predictive Memory (Live At ASOT 950)
Released: Friday July 31st 2020
Buy here: n/a
This is Rank 1 at their Rank 1-est. Tribal percussion meets Techy drop meets Trancy breakdown. An eclectic blend of genres with dancefloor shredding power which I was lucky to experience live... They had previously performed Predictive Memory at Dreamstate in 2017 so imagine my delight when they announced the whole live act would be out on Spotify at the end of July 2020... Now all of you can experience it too. If ONLY they decided to release it as a standalone single or as part of a multi-track EP. The low quality rip of their 1-hour Dreamstate performance has this track running for nearly 6 minutes and on the basis of both versions, it merits an official release... Come on guys, think about it please!! I swear it brings back memories of that Golden 2005-2008 Tech/Prog/Electro era of yours... <3
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Rank 1 - No Name (Live At ASOT 950)
Released: Friday July 31st 2020
Buy here: n/a
Leave it to Rank 1 to basically name a track "ID" in non-Dance music lovers' jargon. xD Always the punniest in the (Big)room, the guys must have had a little laugh as they came up with this one no doubt. Funny as its name might be, its bassline is serious and means business. This track too, was performed at Dreamstate 2017 for the very first time, albeit without an actual title back then. This version hits even harder though and has some extra live synth play inbetween. It's hook is rather simplistic but the bassline is so damn catchy, I couldn't stop dancing to it!! Massive!
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Rank 1 - Paris Nice Cannes (Live At ASOT 950)
Released: Friday July 31st 2020
Buy here: n/a
Okay I know I said Predictive Memory was typically Rank 1 but Paris Nice Cannes is even MORE typically Rank 1! The title and the "vocal" are clearly them being insanely punny again but it's the cheeky blend of a Reinier Zonneveld-esque Techno build and drop embracing a M.I.K.E. sounding Classic Trance breakdown that just feels like the good ol' experimental Rank 1 we haven't had in so damn long!! This track takes Predictive Memory's cool factor, mixes it with No Name's bounciness and tops it off with a bit of Transatlantic Communication Classic Trance dust... Mmmmm enjoy your exotic boundary-crossing Rank 1 Cocktail, friend!
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Marco V & Rank 1 - We Finally Met
Released: Friday February 22nd 2019
FINALLY. November 2018 - March 2019 was a tough period for me, depression going haywire... But Rank 1 seem to have some sixth sense on when to release music for their tunes to come and offer me strength, hope or a dose of happiness when I most need it. We Finally Met sees them FINALLY team up with Tech Trance King Marco V and both acts decided to be at their techy best: from the intro throughout the break's climax and subsequent drop and final phase, WFM is one hot ball of bouncy Tech Trance energy like you'd expect these guys to make. The hook is simple but oh so catchy and backed by the powerful synths it has, this track packed a lot of punch back then and still does today!
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York & Rank 1 feat. Lola - This World Is So Amazing
Released: Tuesday November 1st 2016
I will never forget how this track popped out without previous announcement or even a heads-up from Rank 1 or anyone related to them labelwise. Still reeling with joy due to post-Euro 2016 euphoria after Portugal FINALLY won a maiden tournament, I was going through Rank 1 releases on Beatport with the hope of finding some of their more obscure early 2000s remixes re-released. Instead I found this. A beautiful, short, simple but delightful Balearic Trancey collab with York and (to me unknown) vocalist Lola. York's iconic Latin guitar is backed by heavenly strings and a playful Rank 1 synth melody on top of a very subtle breakbeat. Then my mind was flooded with the memories of turning 18 and my brother buying me York - Reachers Of Civilization (Rank 1 Remix) (1999). I mean, isn't it sick that original artist and remixer would make an actual collab nearly two decades later?? And like that one, this track is peak summer bliss, a tune of utmost relaxation and enjoyment. And what a way to complement my Euro 2016 bliss... To this day TWISA makes me smile. And f*ck me, Rank 1 ALWAYS show up at the right time. :)
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Rank 1 - Superstring
Released: Friday June 3rd 2016
Soooo when this was being hyped at the start of summer 2016, I was a bit disappointed we only got another Rank 1 rework of one of their biggest Classics. I was dying for new material. As such, this release, much like Airwave 2014, got a fair share of disapproval from me. But as the years have gone by I've come to appreciate it for its groovy build-up. Unlike Airwave 2014, Superstring 2016 keeps its main saws superduper clean and makes them sound even fuller than they did in the original 2000 Rank 1 Remix. The piano part adds a nice nostalgic touch. All in all its a decent 128 "EDM era" take on one of the(ir) biggest Classics out there.
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M.I.K.E. Push vs. Rank 1 - Zenith
Released: Monday November 9th 2015
Zenith had the luxury of being the follow-up to Juno, and not the direct follow-up to Elements Of Nature and as such I could experience it for what it was and man, I was delighted with it. Still am today! Zenith is the most euphoric of the three collabs between these heavyweights and its melodies and synthlines all contribute to a very merry rush of Trancey goodness that has put many smiles on my face throughout the past 8 years. One might argue it's not the most elite track either Rank 1 or M.I.K.E. have ever crafted but sometimes it's exactly those tracks that don't try to be brilliant but simply ARE that manage to tickle my imagination. This is a happy track, and it makes me happy. And Markus Schulz agrees! He promoted the sh!t out of this one back then hehe!
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Rank 1 vs. M.I.K.E. Push - Juno
Released: Monday June 20th 2015
Classic case of the "Middle child syndrome" / "follow-up pressure". Imagine being the official follow-up to Elements Of Nature, a truly unforgiving task indeed. It's the one thing Juno suffered from a little for me but much like Floorlifter it ended up growing on me a lot in later years. The bassline on this tune is MASSIVE, it's such a raw, crunching, punch in the gut! Melody-wise it's a bit on the simplistic side and such, it doesn't quite get as addicting as EON did but it's still one of those tunes that fills the room with energy. Armin adored this one the same way Markus adored Zenith, it's still funny for me to see to big colleagues of Rank 1 take a different preference on these Rank 1 vs. M.I.K.E. Push collabs.
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Rank 1 - Airwave (21st Century Mix)
Released: Friday August 8th 2014
This one was hyped so hard by Rank 1 and High Contrast. I really thought this was going to be that friggin' Symsonic album follow-up I had been waiting for since 2005 but alas, it was just a Bigroomy Rank 1 take on Airwave. At the time my disappointment about that overruled my enjoyment of the track. But as one grows older and perhaps more forgiving of youthful disappointments I have come to embrace this version of Airwave. I still feel the synths could have been truer to the source material (after all, they pulled it off in their Superstring rework two years later) but the catchy, groovy build-up and middle part between the first drop and reprise just really remind me of A Less Ordinary Rank 1 Remix for Life Less Ordinary and that eclectic era of theirs... It's just so glitchy, catchy and fun! And in the end, that has become my lasting impression of this 21st Century Mix. Hats off, guys!
Ps. the bonus points for staying true to the length of the original still apply!!
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Rank 1 & Dennis Sheperd - Freudenrausch
Released: Monday March 17th 2014
"Rush Of Joy'. Once again the guys opt for the self-explanatory. From the moment this track came out in early 2014, it has been one of my favorite Rank 1 tracks to play, especially during Spring/Summer. Something about that build-up just gets my dopamine going and when that first breakdown hits, it's just a big smile from ear to ear. The piano-driven breakdown with the House bassline is a genius blend of styles as you'd expect from the guys and that main hook is so catchy, especially when backed by the iconic Rank 1 tech synth stabs... It's kinda odd how the colorscheme for Freudenrausch' artwork was so... Eh... Dull compared to the actual track! Still one of the highlights in this past Decade Of Rank 1 imo.
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Rank 1 - 13.11.11
Released: Monday November 11th 2013
Imagine a track in which release date = title = BPM = duration. Leave it to Rank 1 to cheekily think up something so high concept and then go on and actually execute it as a cinematic masterpiece of an anthemic dream-Trancer. When this came out, the sky felt like the limit for where these guys would be going next as Rank 1 had just had a magnificent year with five releases, a mix album, a fantastic live show at Back In The House near Java Eiland and of course I FINALLY got to meet Benno de Goeij in person. It's ridiculous how long ago that was even though it still feels so recent in my memory. I will cherish this track forever as it also feels like the embodiment of my adolescence, or at least the best aspects of that period.
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Guiseppe Ottaviani feat. Eric Lumiere - Love Will Bring It All Around (Rank 1 Remix)
Released: Monday May 6th 2013
When this came out, I was disappointed. Whereas the build-up had a bit of a proggy atmosphere to it with that crisp and clean high quality production value you'd expect from Rank 1... The breakdown let me down big time, and the main lead even more so. Was this a Rank 1 Remix or a cheap Armin van Buuren - This Is What It Feels Like knock-off?? I wasn't too big on the vocals either. Over the years I've secretly found myself appreciating them and the remix as a whole by extension. In hindsight, it's a decent tune and in the right mood it's actually a pretty nice one!
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Rank 1 - Floorlifter
Released: Monday April 29th 2013
Floorlifter kinda felt like a curious release following the well-received Retro-flavored goodness of Elements Of Nature (2013) and 7 Instead Of 8 (2012). A typical "Rank 1 Doesn't Give A F*** About Convention" release, they suddenly went full on Bigroom with this one however and succeeded in making a floor-oriented monster. Ultimately it took me until their live performance at Back In The House to completely embrace it: It does exactly what its name implies, the place went NUTS when they played it!! 10 years on I have to conclude: Floorlifter is still f*ckin' massive.
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Conjure One feat. Leigh Nash - Under The Gun (Rank 1 Remix)
Released: Monday April 15th 2013
The last batch of Remixes were out of this world... Whether for Velvetine - Safe, Mat Zo - 24 Hours, Super8 & Tab - My Enemy or the highly underrated and overlooked Rank 1 Remix for Cosmic Gate - Fire Wire... They hit it out of the park four times in a row. With Under The Gun, they did so a fifth time. Massive remix from the guys with a very catchy, typical Rank 1 synth lead. It has a simple catchiness to it like This Way (Rank 1 Remix), albeit different. The build-up is very raw and techy, the breakdown stays true to the original and the drop is Tech 1 at its finest... Still a belter 10 years later!
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Rank 1 vs. M.I.K.E. - Elements Of Nature
Released: Monday January 28th 2013
It felt like yesterday that I saw the interaction on Twitter between the guys and their sheer excitement about this tune as they crafted a mighty fine Trance collaboration that has aged like the finest of wines. The slowburner tension in the build-up; the- less-is-more breakdown that doesn't lose any of its intense charm despite its minimalism; and of course the magnificent, powerful, beast of a melody which returns with a vengeance in the reprise in anthemic RIFF form because that's just how Trance is supposed to be!! It's an 8:18 minute rush of the purest Trance & Energy that both these acts have always been loved for. Elements Of Nature was massive back then. It is still massive now. It will be massive in 2033. Form is temporary. Class Is Permanent.
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In Conclusion
Though they might not be as active as in the old days, Rank 1 are very much still around to offer the occasional slice of cutting edge Trance music for the main floors. I sincerely hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane with me and hopefully it helped you (re)discover some goodies the guys unleashed on the dancefloors/airwaves this past decade... And never forget!
Rank = #1. Now and forever.
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