Marcus Schmickler’s project is now into its fourth album, The Monstrous Surplus. If Time Was On My Side begins with sleepy vocals from its songwriter Julia Hummer and a hint of shoegaze, rubbed out and turned slightly acoustic. The keys and their changes are typically inspired by or borrowed from you-know-who, with that wonderful not-quite-right feeling – a little more restrained than you might expect. Further through the song Marcus weaves additional melodies which float above the song, only to dissipate into its mix, gradually devolving the song back to something more recognisable as the genre. Like the rest of The Monstrous Surplus, it’s a gift for your ears and your deepest emotions: this is what love sounds like.

The Monstrous Surplus – iTunes UK

One of the problems with owning an iPhone is that I now have an almost inexhaustible source of new music. When I’m bored and I have no RSS feeds to read, my attention turns to the iTunes WiFi Store… which is how I came across this.

Most of the track is melody-free percussion-based trance (care of John O’Callaghan – how spooky is that?), however halfway through comes a wavering slightly detuned riff which lightens the overall mood considerably, sits nicely in between the drums, and ends up driving the track further and faster than I originally expected.

The track is one of 50 (yes, 50) neatly packaged in the almost-laughably titled 50 Tech Trance Tracks, Vol. 2. Yours for £7.99. Given the calibre of many of the tracks on this compilation, it’s very good value.

50 Tech Trance Tracks, Vol. 2 – iTunes UK

Co-incident with the release of her second album Street of Dreams about a year ago, Sofia Talvik also released a free downloadable remix album, Street of Dreamix which has a more electronic vibe.

Johan Sigerud remixed So Good To Me, looping brief segments of the song and adding electronic washes. There’s also a heart-tweaking video to accompany it. If you’re a fan of animated fruit please view:

I’m not usually a fan of duets, but this one is subtle enough to appeal to me. The video is great, beautifully echoing the undertow of the song. Be sure to check out the saturated reds, the guitar strings and that ball of wool, which isn’t a ball of wool.

Street of Dreams – Official Store
Sofia Talvik – Official Website
Street of Dreams – iTunes UK

Last year’s album In Between continues the meandering of Paul van Dyk’s career which began with Reflections. New York City, despite or because of its gaggle of collaborators, rises above the majority of fairly forgettable tracks.

Vocalist and songwriter Ashley Tomberlin – who partnered Laurence Rapaccioli for the excellent Luminary – is the main attraction on this song. As with their lovely Amsterdam, New York City puts clear distance between the backing track and the vocals, with lyrics that recall memories of a place and time. There’s no climax to the track, nor should there be for a song that aches this much – just occasional crashing waves of sound that mark out the verses and a rhythm that mirrors the inevitability of history and that every second takes the past further away from us.

In Between – iTunes UK
Ashley Tomberlin – MySpace

Release yourself – it’s a big sky
Reveal yourself – it’s a big sky

I missed this one when it appeared last year, or rather I didn’t, but I promptly forgot about it. John O’Callaghan’s first attempt at a solo vocal production, and six months in the making, Big Sky follows the main rule of vocal trance, namely don’t let the backing track overshadow your vocalist. Audrey’s cute and uplifting vocals fit the pad-dominated backing perfectly. Everything else just simmers nicely, with appropriately placed filter sweeps and drops keeping things moving when the vocals are absent.

Big Sky – iTunes UK

Last year’s Forever album continues the Icelandic band’s electronic ecleticism, but as a complete work it’s not nearly as successful as their previous albums.

Moss is lead by chorused filtered keys and well matched with a squelching bassline and basic drum patterns, giving an understated progressive house feel. Together they provide a solid foundation for Daníel Ágúst’s relaxed vocals. Nicely placed key changes are all that’s ultimately required to make the song work.

Forever – iTunes UK
Forever – Amazon UK
Gus Gus – Official Website

Continuing my journey into vocal electro house, which I think I’ll shorten to velectro in future, Coburn’s Razorblade features a buzzing bass and stepping phased lead. Heidrun’s glacial vocals – who’s clearly been listening to too much Donna Summer, if that’s possible – help turn this minimal track into something like happy electro-industrial. I Feel Love via. Cybotron’s Eden?

iTunes UK
Official Website