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| High Contrast Recordings || Cat# HCR475 | |||
| Friday August 7th 2025 | |||
| 01. | Extended Mix | 07:41 | G Minor 139 BPM |
| 02. | [Edit] | 04:42 | G Minor 139 BPM |
| Stream on Spotify | |||
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| Stream on Youtube |
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| Buy from Beatport | ||
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| 2026-08-05 / 08-207 |
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| 2026 has been an immensely fun year for Rank 1/Benno de Goeij fans: as Benno has decided to share fun and interesting stories about his studio life on Instagram. Behind-the-scenes-clips of several Norderfeld tracks he's created throughout the year, wholesome educational moments with his daughter, awesome projects that were shelved too long and ended up released with different people and perhaps the highlight of them all: a reunion in the studio with Piet "GRAVE ONE" Bervoets!! Then in May Twan van Loon a.k.a. Muzikxpress revealed the first of three interviews he conducted with the Maestro in which we got in-depth stories about Rank 1's "Airwave", Dutch Force's "Deadline" and The Quest's "C-Sharp" (this last one will be uploaded in the near future). Other than that, Benno teased several Trancy IDs throughout the year: one of these became the unexpected follow-up to the C-Sharp EP from 1999 called "Round Trip" which will be released next week! And another of those IDs turned out to be the next official Rank 1 single. Ladies and gentlemen, drums please, for the next single is a collaboration with Nashville-based Dark Pop vocalist/topliner Notelle called "Serotonin"! Serotonin follows after a rare busy year with two new Rank 1 singles in the guise of "Strobo" and "Lytherion" in 2025. It's the first collab with a vocalist since "This World Is So Amazing" with York and Lola (2016). However, given that track was more Spoken Word style then sung, you could argue Serotonin is actually their first "real" vocal collaboration since "Witness" from 2012 which they made with Cerf, Mitiska and the iconic Jaren. In the Muzikxpress interview about Airwave, Benno teased that the next single was going to be a collaboration but he remained coy when pressed whether it was a collab with a fellow producer or a vocalist. Once I learned that the vocalist was Notelle, I took a quick look on Beatport and Instagram to listen to some of her work as I wasn't familiar with the name before. The various bios describe her sound as being rooted in/inspired by Dark Pop; it also reveals she is the 2021 Grande Prize Winner of the International Songwriting Competition. My Beatport journey uncovered tracks like "Hi", "Hypnotic" and "Stutter", which has a SICK bassline btw! These tracks revealed she has a darker, grittier vocal style then you tend to hear in Trance, especially the uplifting variant. So I was very curious how her sound would match Rank 1's... Late June I got my answer and I can say I am very satisfied with what I've heard. :) And turns out I am not the only one who feels that way! Early support on 1001tracklists looks pretty good so far: 3x support by Tiesto across his gigs at Silverworks London and Ibiza UNVRS as well as the Prismatic #031 Ibiza Special; 2x support by Paul van Dyk on VONYC Sessions #1026 and #1028; support by Markus Schulz on Global DJ Broadcast 2026-07-23; and then there was also support by the likes of Armin van Buuren, W&W, Andrew Rayel, Above & Beyond and big props for the first artist to drop this new gem, MaRLo! That's not a shabby list of big names to offer pre-release support! |
| Rank 1 & Notelle - Serotonin (Extended Mix) |
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| As the build-up reveals its first melodic pluck motifs and Notelle starts singing the mood is a bit sombre, melancholic even. There is a strong contemplative feeling to her voice and the lyrics, with a hint of yearning. The little flourishes that appear throughout this phase kind of remind me of Above & Beyond actually or Anjunabeats Trance from the mid/late '00s. As the breakdown hits, Notelle continues to sing her verse, but this time she guided by Classic Rank 1 pads, think Airwave or Such Is Life after the strings are replaced by the saw: the backing melody gently shifts the track's mood from melancholy to hope: Once the filters go up, Notelle switches to harmonies and the track becomes emotional. Of course, this is where the trademark Saw Stabs riff from the Glory Days make their entrance -this is the part where I have to supress raising my arms to the sky (as you do during a delcious Trance break) in public- and they loop as they work towards the climax: the drop hits and you can feel the title rushing through your veins. ;) I first heard Serotonin on MaRLo's Altitude Radio #196: but MaRLo only played two of the main parts three segments so to speak. So picture you are listening, the drop hits, the first segment rolls along and suddenly the second "stutter" effect segment hits... And the track fades after that. I was left a bit... Disappointed as I felt it was anti-climactic after you introduce such a big melody. Obviously, the subsequent ASOT play was even shorter and we only got the first segment. I then heard Serotonin on Paul van Dyk's VONYC Sessions #1026 and that's when I discovered there turned out to be a THIRD fuller segment with even more layering than the first that I finally got to witness (ha!) the full glory of the track! ...or so I thought, since episode #1026 ended abruptly midway through that 3rd segment... Oh come on!! T-T FINALLY, during VONYC Sessions #1028 Paul allowed Serotonin to breathe and I got all three segements in full. That's the cut that truly honors the majesty of this track! :D The final part where the main lead synths wind down is where the track sounds more like modern Rank 1, it's a bit comparable to the ending of The Greater Light To Rule The Night as far as groove is concerned, albeit a few BPMs faster. Serotonin is a real anthem! Now I am curious, what is the Spotify version like? |
| Rank 1 & Notelle - Serotonin [Edit] |
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| Surprisingly, the Spotify Edit is rather long at 04:42, and feels like a Mix Cut from a compilation! It reveals a little bit of opening segment but keeps the entire main part intact, being altered mostly during certain climactic bits. The final part is also vastly shortened. It's a nice alternative to the extended mix, but given that it has the main part intact without the actual build and finsih, I think my preferred version will be the Extended Mix. As it should be! |
| In conclusion |
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| This track is a gem. With a duration of 07:41 this is the longest Rank 1 original we've had since Zenith in 2015 as the releases in between that timeframe have never gone to seven minutes or beyond again until now. Another reason to love this track It's pure Rank 1, and Notelle vocals allow for interesting shift in musical mood throughout. In the end their unique sounds worked well together! So grab it below! Or stream it, whatever works for you. :D |
| Special Promo selection to celebrate the release: |
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| If you're interested in other reviews I made for Rank 1, please check out: |
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