Category Archives: Trance

Mickey Hart reflects on New Orleans key role in the development of American music.

To celebrate Mardi Gras 2020, were revisiting this article from ourApril/May 2019 issue ofRelix, honoring 50 years of Jazz Fest.

Congo Square deserves to be recognized, Mickey Hart asserts. It is sacred ground, and we need to recognizeits importance. American-based music emerged from theculture that inhabited Congo Square in the 1800s. Most peoplehave no idea what has happened there, but we should never forget.We need to take care of it.

Among his many passions, the Grateful Dead drummer hasmaintained a focus on the history and mythology of music, whichhe has explored in books such as Planet Drum: A Celebration ofPercussion and Rhythm, Drumming at the Edge of Magic, SpiritInto Sound: The Magic of Musicand Songcatchers: In Search of theWorlds Music.

As Hart looks back on his development as a musician and a musicologist, he explains that, while he was drawn to the drums from an early age, his scholarly exploration of the instrument didnt manifest itself until years later. At first, I had no idea about any of this, he says. It reached out to methe ghosts of Congo Square grabbed me around the neck and wouldnt let me go. All I was doing was dancing and listening to Tito Puente, Machito, Tito Rodrguez and all the great Latin bands that were coming out of New York in the 30s, 40s, 50s. These rhythms hit the city street, and they transformed into dance music, into what we know as Latin music now. Thats how music worksyou usually base your knowledge on the body of work that preceded you, and you practice it and learn it, and then you make your own music with it, eventually. Thats what happened to the Grateful Dead, and thats what happened to me.

When I started writing my books Drumming at the Edge ofMagic and Planet Drum, back in the 70s and 80s, he continues,that was when I did all the research to find out what the historywas to what I was doing. Why was I practicing 12-15 hours a day?I had no idea. I was putting myself into a trance but I didnt knowanything about all that stuff back then. It took about 12 years ofresearch to write Drumming at the Edge of Magic, tracing whywe drum, what rhythm is all about and the history of itthebrotherhood and the sisterhood. Where did it come from? Whyam I drumming until I collapse? Why do I do these things to playmusic? Why do we play in the driving rain? Whats it all about? Andthen I discovered these rhythm cultures, which are some of themost powerful cultures on the planet. So, it was just in the ether;it was in the air. I was totally into big-band music. So, you bringyour influences forward into whatever you do, and you change itand you mutate it. It all started on the docks of New Orleans in the1800s, and wound up right here today.

Youve said that there isnt a more important city to the birth of American music than New Orleans. Can you trace the origins of that sound?

When you think about the music of New Orleans, you have to start in West Africa with the slave trade. The diaspora traveled to Brazil, Central America, Haiti, Cuba and, eventually, to New Orleans. There was a Haitian revolt beginning in the 1790s, which resulted in an influx into New Orleans of the West African slave trade. [Haiti expelled the French colonial government during a revolution that lasted from 17911804.] In many cases, these slaves brought musical instruments.

Now, the interesting part of all this is that, when they got there,the instruments were taken away. They were allowed to practicein Haiti, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean but, as soon as theygot to New Orleans, the slave owners, fearing Vodun practicescelebrating the gods Ogun, Shangoall these great gods of WestAfricalimited this practice and they did what they could toCatholicize those same gods.

However, on Sunday, the slaves were allowed to practice their rituals in two placesone in Congo Square and the other in Lake Pontchartrain. Here, they were supervised because they were afraid of slaves going into a trance, and these were trance-based religions from West Africa. So, they were allowed to play on Sundays, and between 6-8 p.m. there would be a shot. Thats when they would move into a trance. They would bring in the loa, which inhabited their bodies, in what is a classic possession trance ritual. And these trance-based religions were driven by the trance drums, often using the bat, specifically, which would become congas. Pontchartrain and Congo Square became the real nexus of everything in American backbeat. All the American music like jazz, rap, rock-and-roll, bluesthat all came out of this influx of slaves into New Orleans, where all these trance-based religions were driven by the drums.

If we jump ahead to 1900, then compare the beats of New Orleans to Ghana across the ocean. To what extent were those sounds transformed by interacting with other sounds on American soil?

They mutated, although the rituals were the same. They were going after the loa, going after the trance. And thats the important thing to understand. It was for pleasure, but their pleasure was contacting the gods, and the only way to do that was through these dances. There was no dance without a rhythm, and no rhythm without a dancethey were inseparable. These public gatherings were really frowned upon. So they used to call them entertainments.

Eventually, they were able to keep their drums. After the 1800s, they were allowed to start to have their drums and practice their own rituals. For awhile there, people were selling tickets for others to watch them. There were people in buggies up on the hillsthe whites were watching the rituals from their hillside in New Orleans, watching Pontchartrain and Congo Square. All of this came to an end in 1870 or 1875 when the first Jim Crow Act forbid blacks to freely assemblethats when the dances stopped.

But, a lot of things came out of that, like the instrumentsthe bass drums, the wood blocks, the cymbals, all the African instruments. Sometimes they changed form, but they were pretty much the same instruments.

Meanwhile, the music traveled by way of the Mississippi Riverover to Kansas City and up to Chicago, and it wound up every placein America.

You also cant forget Storyville [New Orleans red light district];thats where ragtime began. You also have the brass bands emergingat this time as well.

New Orleans is Mecca; its the birth place of American music.Its where all those rivers came together and birthed what weknow as our music. And all this history goes back to those fieldson Congo Square.

In Drumming at the Edge of Magic, you also describe how all these rhythms led to a new American instrument.

Yes, the effort to power these new rhythms led to the creation of the drum set, which is incredible. Its one of the only great American instruments and it took the tom-toms from the East, the cymbals from Turkey and some of the other things I just mentioned. Wetook all these different elements from around the world, and wemade what we call a contraption, which was shortened to traps,the American drum set.

Can you talk about the clave rhythm, which also is a product of the diaspora?

The clave means key. The key to everything; the key to the rhythms. That was picked up by Latin music like Tito Puente, Machito and all those New York bands who were playing the clave that was coming out of the rhythms of West Africa. They picked up on it and realized you had to revolve around this one rhythm. All these rhythmic patterns had some version of the clave, which was a repeated pattern where everybody knew the first part of the rhythm and the second part, and it repeats over and over. The one thing that stays constant is the clave. It was derived from the West African rhythms and, of course, it was taken into the new lexicon of the New World.

Thats what you hear in Bo Diddleyhe picked up on it. Buddy Hollythats clave! The Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead. We all love clave. I was teethed on clave. Thats where I came from. One of the things I brought into the Grateful Dead was a bit of the clave. Bill and I played that really well; we love clave. Not everyone loves clave because it has a rolling rhythm to it, which is not so easy for people to pick up on. But once you do, you realize it is the key to everything, rhythmically.

This article originally appeared in the April/May 2019 issue of Relix. For more features, interviews, album reviews and more, subscribe here.

See the original post here:

Mickey Hart's Ghosts of Congo Square - Relix

In May this year,Armin van Buurenwill embark on his series of shows titledThis Is Me. Some of the most special shows of his career so far, it will celebrate his achievements and successes through his music career when he started all the way up to present day, and will be uniquely intimate in the iconic venue Ziggo Dome. Now, these shows have the age limit of 18+ (like most electronic shows that go on through the evening), but Armin has announced something that will allow children to be involved in the action too. Together with events companyALDA(who have been responsible for hosting a lot of Armins events in the past and will be alongside him for the This Is Me shows), van Buuren has announced his This Is Blah Blah Blah show.

The all ages show will be aimed at those under 18 who still share the same passion for trance music as adults, and who wouldnt usually get to see the trance king in action. The afternoon show slots into the schedule of the other shows and will also take place in the Ziggo Dome. Explaining his reasoning behind the show and its concept, Armin had this to say:

I want to spark the younger fans with my love for music, having fun on stage, doing what I love most. Thats why I decided to add an all-ages show to the This Is Me series on Saturday May 23rd, called This Is Blah Blah Blah. This one is for all my fans who arent able to visita regular 18+ show. But most of all, this one is dedicated to my kids.

Taking place on Saturday23 May, you can now sign up the Armin van Buuren This Is Blah Blah Blah ticket pre-sale by clicking here, which starts Thursday 27 at16:00 CET. Get ready to be a part of something truly special!

Read this article:

Armin van Buuren announces all ages 'This is Blah Blah Blah' show - We Rave You

INFAMOUS PR

Irish songwriter Dermot Kennedy kicks off another strong weekend of shows at The Ritz, but the real attraction over the next few days is a Saturday set from German trance giant Paul van Dyk (pictured) whos fresh off the release of a reflective new single, Duality.

The anthem is from a forthcoming album, Guiding Light, which is a reaction to a horrific fall the 48-year-old had at the 2016 edition of Utrechts A State of Trance festival. More information on both shows is available via theritzybor.com.

Follow @cl_music on Twitter to get the most up-to-date music news, concert announcements and local tunes. Subscribe to our newsletter, and listen to us on WMNF 88.5-FMs Radio Reverb program every Saturday from 4 p.m.-6 p.m.

Read more:

Paul van Dyk and Dermot Kennedy lead strong live music weekend at The Ritz in Ybor City - Creative Loafing Tampa

2020 Indian Malayalam language film directed by Anwar Rasheed, released on 20 February 2020

Trance is an upcoming Indian Malayalam language film directed and produced by Anwar Rasheed and written by Vincent Vadakkan.[1] It features Fahadh Faasil in the lead role, playing five stages of his character's life, along with an ensemble supporting cast of Nazriya Nazim, Soubin Shahir, Vinayakan and Gautham Menon.[2][3] Amal Neerad was the cinematographer, while newcomer Jackson Vijayan composed the songs for the film. Resul Pookkutty was the sound designer.[4][5]

Filming was completed on 1 September 2019. The film is now set to release on 20 February 2020[6].

Trance was produced by Anwar Rasheed himself. The film marks the debut of Vincent Vadakkan as screenwriter. Rasheed was earlier supposed to direct a short in 5 Sundarikal (2013) based on the screenplay by Vadakkan. But it did not work out as he did not got the right cast. Later, Vadakkan narrated the story of Trance, but then he was not ready to produce the film because of its high production cost. Rasheed had Fahadh Faasil in mind for the lead role then itself. Later, Fahadh happened to hear the story from Vadakkan and insisted Rasheed to reconsider the project. By then, the storyline had changed and bankability of Fahadh had also grown and Rasheed was confident in producing the film.[7]

The first look poster of Trance was released by Anwar Rasheed. A week-long first schedule of filming was completed in December 2017 in Mumbai.[8] For the first time in Malayalam cinema, Bolt High Speed Cinebot cameras were used to shoot some scenes in the film.[9] The film is shot with sync sound. The film was shot mainly in coastal Kanyakumari, across various locations in India and Dubai, and the climax was shot in Amsterdam. In July 2019, it as reported that Trance is expected to cost close to 20 crore when it completes production.[10] Filming was completed on 1 September 2019.[11]

Its release was postponed multiple times. The film was initially scheduled to be released on 22 March 2019.[12] Then there were plans to release the film during Eid al-Fitr (June) but was later shifted to Onam (September) due to pending visual effects work.[10] Release date was again scheduled for 20 December 2019 before postponing to February 2020 due to delay in post-production work.[13] Then it was scheduled to 14 February 2020 on Valentine's Day.[6] But the regional Central Board of Film Certification in Thiruvananthapuram referred the film to a revising committee in Mumbai since Rasheed was not willing to cut a 8-minute long sequence that could hurt religious sentiments.[14] Now the film is all set to release on 20 February 2020.[15]

Follow this link:

Trance (2020 film) - Wikipedia

Sporadically throughout the evening, a faint chant could be heard across the venue. As enthusiasm built, fan engagement increased the chant's volume before it eventually consumed the room. At its climax, the mantra was unavoidable and permeated the audience in a way rarely seen in trance shows.

"BRYAN. BRYAN. BRYAN FUCKING KEARNEY."

The chant has developed into a sort of hymn for fans of Bryan Kearney. The Irish DJ and producer has garnered an extensive following within the trance community, primarily due to his ability to transcend the genre with his many projects.

A fan of dance music himself, Kearney, alongside fellow trance DJ John O'Callaghan,was an avid clubgoer as a teenager. The Irishmen recalled their youthful ventures through various Dublin nightclubs in the mini-documentary,Tales From The Temple.

Apart from depicting how Kearney took his first steps in turning his DJ hobby into a full-time career, thefilm also shed light on the inception of his successful project with O'Callaghan, Key4050.

Derived from the access code from the Dublin apartment O'Callaghan stayed in, Key4050 has been showcased in music festivals around the world including Dreamstate SoCal. The enterprise generated plenty of new material, the majority of which ended up on their debut album, also named Tales From The Temple.

As label head of Kearnage Recordings, Kearney is preparing to deliver plenty of new music in 2020. His first release of the new decade is"Snarl,"a club banger that has been reverberating through speakers since last spring.

We caught up with Kearney on the heels of his four-hour-long set at Academy LA. As his first time back in Southern California since his two performances at Dreamstate, Kearney spoke on the hectic times leading up to the trance festival.

EDM.COM: This was your first time in Los Angeles since Dreamstate SoCal back in November. Take us back, how was that experience for you?

Bryan Kearney: It was a great experience. Dreamstate is always one of the standout events of the year. The lead up to the event was quite intense with a huge amount of time spent in the studio in preparation for both my solo performance as Karney and as Key4050 alongside John O'Callaghan.

What kind of preparation was needed for your two Dreamstate performances?

September to November were intensive months of touring with shows all across the world on a weekly basis. It was a real challenge to balance the touring, studio and personal life during this period.

It was during this time where I stopped drinking alcohol at my shows in order to give my body and mind the best opportunity to focus on the tasks at hand. I tend to work better when I have something to focus on, such as a Karney set where the intention is to play as many new tracks as possible, the same with Key4050. John and I are continuously working on new material to introduce to our live shows.

And how did those two very different sets turn out for you?

I was really happy with how the Key4050 set went. We played a lot of new tracks for the first time and the crowd seemed to enjoy it, which is always the most important thing. We finished our set on the main stage and I then had my Karney performance on the Vision Stage an hour later. I really enjoyed that set. The crowd was really up for it, the area was packed and full of people that really knew their music, the diehards.

I had put a huge amount of work and effort into that 60 minutes of music, especially on the brand-new dark dub of "By My Side." That was a track that I spent an abnormal amount of time on. It was a very intensive day but it was all worthwhile in the end.

It can feel quite surreal at times to fly halfway across the world and then to be onstage playing in front of 10,000 people in a matter of hours, trying your best to process everything that is going on and to give the best performance you can.

How was the fan reaction to both of those unique performances?

I don't read comments on Facebook, Instagram, or Soundcloud and I haven't looked at my Twitter mentions in over two years. The only thing that I look at in terms of direct feedback is DMs on Instagram. I'll check the stats of a post but I won't get distracted by the comments attached to it.

At the end of the day, I have absolutely no control over what people think about me or my music. All I can do is perform to the best of my ability in the studio and onstage and the people can then make their choice based on their own subjective opinion.

Not everyone is into the techier side of dance music and that's fine. I am and I always have been. The Karney project allows me to showcase my darker creative side. Some people will prefer the trancey or vocal stuff, etc., but this sound is equally as important to me. I'm excited at how the project has developed over the past couple of years and I'm sure the music will continue to improve. It's a constant learning process.

How have you seen the Key4050 project grow?

I think we sort of take for granted how much the project has grown over the past few years, but I think that's always going to happen when you're so deeply involved in something. It's only when you step back and take a breath that you can see how much has been achieved in such a short amount of time.

Key4050 started out as a bit of fun in the old Music First studio. There was no plan or anything in place. I had a mess about on Cubase, got some rough ideas down and went home. I came back in the next day and John was after transforming the track into the final version of "Dinklebot."

From there we just kept on adding to a growing discography of Key4050 music. We released an album containing 32 tracks around this time last year, and we embarked on a worldwide tour throughout 2019. We now have a huge amount of original music and we are adding to it all the time.

We made our first vocal track in September 2019 called"I Love You" with Plumb, and this has been our biggest track to date. That track is set for release very soon.

Speaking of Key4050, about a year ago you released the YouTube mini-documentary Tales From The Temple. What inspired you guys to take viewers on a trip down memory lane?

We wanted to give people an insight into the project and a detailed backstory of Key4050. We wanted to show people where we came from, the people that inspired us, the experiences we had, and the part that they played in the project.

We were both clubbers and lovers of dance music and were always obsessed with music and everything to do with it. Key4050 draws inspiration from all of our past experiences but is produced in a modern-day production style. The documentary gives a detailed account of the Key4050 story, the venues that we attended, the DJs and producers we idolized, and how we took our first steps in turning a hobby into a full-time career.

Social Media is usually all about presenting this perfected, idealized version of yourself to the world. This documentary cut out all that and gave the viewer a proper insight into the history and story behind Key4050.

If you come from the same era of music as us I think it will resonate with you, but it can appeal to people only new to the scene as well.

The latest release out of your label is "Snarl." What can we expect from that track?

"Snarl" is a track that I've been playing in my sets since April of last year after its debut at Subculture Belfast. It's a simple enough track, to be honest, designed for impact in a club. It's out now on Kearnage Recordings. It's the first of a number of Karney tracks that will be released in 2020.

You indicated online that there are a number of new releases for 2020 out of Kearnage. Are there any that we should keep an eye out for?

I don't look too far ahead when it comes to releases on the label. I've recently signed a couple of great tracks from Will Rees and Paul Denton and they will be released over the next couple of months. I have a number of Karney tracks to put out this year and there will be a number of Key4050 tunes released on the label, too.

You had a great kickoff to 2020 with your extended, four-hour set Academy LA. Out of all of your upcoming 2020 gigs, do you have any that you're looking forward to?

The show at Academy was unreal, I'd probably put that as my favorite U.S. club show to date. I suppose the main show that I'm looking forward to at the moment is A State of Trance 950 in Utrecht where we are playing as Key4050 for the first time. ASOT is the springboard for the rest of the year in terms of new music. I'm really excited about that show.

Finally, what is your favorite subgenre of trance?

I don't believe in genres. I don't believe in limitations when it comes to music.

Facebook:facebook.com/bryankearneyofficialTwitter:twitter.com/bryankearneyInstagram:instagram.com/bryankearneySoundCloud:soundcloud.com/bryankearney

View post:

Bryan Kearney Holds No Restraints With His Varied Trance Projects [Interview] - EDM.com

For nearly 30 years, German DJ and producer Paul van Dyk has been a purveyor of the truest trance sounds. He was one of the first international superstar DJs, and he remains aforce on and off the decks.

Case in point: "Duality," hisfirst official release for 2020, perfectly bridges the gap between the thumping beats of his early days and the limitless techniques of the future.

"Duality" is straight up for the club. It rips open with a hard dance floor beat, but as all good trance will do, a stirring synth melody washes over bringing with it a river of emotion. A rush of thoughts and feelings, the single captures the yin and yang within us all.

Duality is a state of mind you find yourself in," van Dyk tellsBillboardDance."The brain is still echoing the strongest signals of how youve become used to seeing yourself: completely fit and vital and able to do everything. The truth is that your body is not currently capable of doing all those things, putting you in a surreal existence. This track is about starting to resolve that duality.

It's a rather quick tune, clocking in at just less than four minutes, and yet "Duality" opens your heart to a myriad of feelings.

It's out everywhere Friday, Feb. 14, the second single from van Dyk's forthcoming LPGuiding Light,but you can listen to it below on early exclusive onBillboardDance.

Read the original:

Paul Van Dyk's 'Duality' Is a Thumping Trance Mood Made For the Club: Exclusive - Billboard

It was on the sets of Bangalore Days that Fahadh Faasil and Nazriya met each other. Five years later, this star couple would be sharing screen space again with the upcoming movie Trance. The audience is eagerly awaiting the release of Trance directed by Anwar Rasheed, as this must be the first time that a husband and wife had played hero and heroine in a Malayalam cinema. Fahadh and Nazriya opens upabout Trance and their experiences of making the film together.

You are well connected with your fans, arent you?

Fahadh I dont try getting connected with anyone. I dont know how to use it to the advantage of my movies or my personal life.

Nazriya I am the one who is active on the social media. Fahadh is not at all active in such things. Fahadh gets connected to others with the posts and messages that I share on the social media.

Do you feel any difference acting together before and after marriage?

Fahadh I dont really feel any difference. Its been five years since Bangalore Days got released. We have been married for five years as well. We know most of the crew members of Trance from then onwards. The sets seemed like our home itself.

Nazriya We went to the sets together and came back together. That is the only change that I could see in Trance from Bangalore Days.

Do you discuss films at home?

Fahadh We dont discuss films at home at all. We never speak about how to do a character or approach a scene. I think about it only when I am shooting.

Nazriya I too am not interested to discuss movies at home.

How does Trance become a unique experience for Fahadh and Nazriya?

Fahadh Trance is not a movie that was easy to shoot or capture or even perform. We actually had very hard shooting days. I have played the most difficult character in my career, in Trance.

Nazriya My character in Trance wasnt that heavy. As the crew members were all familiar faces, filming too wasnt difficult for me.

What was the reason why Fahadh and Nazriya joined hands in Trance?

Fahadh It was in Trance that both of us were offered roles together after marriage. Moreover, Trance is the only movie that both us felt like doing together.

Nazriya We werent offered any other project that excited us like Trance. That is the reason why we didnt appear in any movie together after marriage.

Is there any advantage when a star couple becomes star producers as well?

Fahadh We dont actually do it very consciously. We hardly contemplate seriously about producing a movie. Donning the producers hat was something that happened quite unexpectedly.

Nazriya It was through the movie Varathan that I turned producer. I decided to co produce it only because we are friends with Amal Neerad.

Can you talk about your respective characters in Trance?

Fahadh I am not saying anything about my character as I am curious to know the audiences reaction when they watch it in theaters. However, I can assure that Trance and my character in it is fresh and exciting.

Nazriya My character in Trance hardly has any similarities with my life. I havent done a similar character in my career before.

After wrapping up Trance, where did you spend your holidays?

Fahadh We dont plan any trips in advance. If I unexpectedly get a break of one or two weeks, we go for vacations.

Nazriya We dont always go for trips after every movie. However, we do go for vacations once or twice a year. We had just been to a weeklong vacation in Bangkok.

Where did you spend you holidays in Bangkok?

Fahadh We went to the Koh Sanui island which is two hours away from Bangkok by airplane. It is one of the largest islands in Asia.

Nazriya I suggested this island. It is usually I who check out the places that I think would be great for a trip. I then tell Fahadh whenever we have holidays.

Did the number of journeys increase after marriage?

Fahadh I used to travel as part of my studies before getting married. I enjoyed local trips with my friends as well. However, it is after marriage that I began going for elaborate trips.

Nazriya Before marriage, I used to travel mostly as part of shooting. However, it is only now that I began going for such holidays.

Originally posted here:

Fahadh, Nazriya open up about acting together before and after marriage - Onmanorama

My mage and rogue creep through a patch of tall wheat fields before stumbling into a gigantic steampunk soldier, who brutally cuts my team down in a hail of machine gun fire. Instead of grunting through a Game Over screen or reloading a save, I enter Trance Mode and slide back in time several seconds, just before my terrible blunder.

I take a slightly different path, only to barrel into a group of Northland soldiers who toss a grenade into the wheat field, setting my world on fire. This time when I enter Trance Mode I quickly move my party outside the fields, the grenade still sailing through the air. Back in real-time the enemy chases after me. I carefully time my retreat to bait them into the wheat fields at the exact right moment, catching them in a literal grenade blast of friendly fire.

"Its like Save Scumming: The Game," says Antti Kemppainen, game designer for Iron Danger. The tactical RPG, from Finnish developer Action Squad Studios, is built around a unique form of quick-loading that's more interactive than mashing F9, thanks to a little time magic. It's like editing a video of your game while you're playing it.

The fantasy steampunk world of Iron Danger is partially based on Finnish folklore and the story of Kalevala, with a dash of giant mechs and bear tanks. As the story begins, young villager Kipuna flees an invasion by the industrialized Northland army, only to fall into an underground chamber and impale herself on a glowing shard. Lucky for her, she becomes imbued with a shard of time magic, allowing her to avoid death by winding back several seconds. I can hit a button to enter Trance Mode, pausing the action and bringing up a mini timeline on the bottom of the screen. From there I can easily scrub backwardsjust like video editingand watch the action reverse, then queue up different moves and attacks as I experiment with the optimal strategy. My enemies are always fixated on my real-time positioning, letting me dodge attacks, set up traps, synergize my skills, or back away and try something else. It's sort of like bullet time for a strategy game.

"I love turn-based games. They give you lots of time to think about what you want to do and explore your surroundings and tactics," says Antti Kemppainen. "But theres also a lot of waiting around. We wanted to take turn-based gameplay and provide more active situations so youre in the middle of this cool battle. We came up with this idea of being able to rewind time whenever you want. You need to use it to outsmart enemies, bait them into traps, and use the environment."

Limited time travel during real-time tactical combat is a difficult concept to wrap my head around, but the video-editing UI is fun and easy to grasp. "The core loop is heavily inspired by the animation tools I used while working on various TV series," says Jussi Kemppainen, game director. "So the game is totally influenced by our background in animation. In a way, Iron Danger has flavors of an animation tool at its core, but gamified and made accessible and fun."

Every skill or attack I select in Trance Mode, like blocking with a weapon or shooting off a fireball, is added to the timeline, displaying exactly how long they take to execute. By swapping between my two characters I can easily combine abilities and attacks, like enchanting my blacksmith Topis warhammer with fire before he unleashes a powerful blow.

Ive enjoyed the recent renaissance of tactical RPGs, but Iron Danger manages to feel wholly unique

Action Squad experimented with how much time-travel to allow during Trance Mode. "Go back too far and it adds too much complexity for the player and for the AI," says Antti. Five seconds ended up being the sweet spot. The timeline is broken up into individual action points, called heartbeats, which represent about half a second in real-time. Each skill takes a certain number of heartbeats to wind up and execute, followed by a cooldown. With time as my primary tool, it makes sense that my only limitation is time itself.

Where many tactical RPGs make room for a four, five, or even a six-person party, I was disappointed to learn the max party size in Iron Danger was only two. Kipuna gains several allies throughout the linear campaign, including Topi and stealthy rogue Lemichen, but only one can accompany her in each mission. "We played around with more party members but it disrupted the gameflow. It was too chaotic and too much to manage," says Antti.

Almost immediately I find two separate timelines more than enough to handle, especially with how deadly combat plays out. Even the lowliest enemy can easily drain a third of my hit points in a single blow, and if a character falls in battle, I can no longer progress in the timeline, though consumable healing items can be found in each level with a little exploration. Combat is a careful dance of blocks, dodges, and well-timed strikes, as well as properly manipulating the environment.

Nearly every combat situation I come across in the preview build has some interesting environmental hazards that I can use to my advantage, like spike wall-traps, falling log piles, and suspended weights. In a dungeon level I see a room full of rat-like creatures called Keyu. I can use Kipunas lure skill to bunch them up, then hit a nearby lever with Topi to send a conveniently placed crushing trap crashing down on them.

Alternatively an oil barrel I picked up earlier can be thrown, then lit on fire with Kipunas trusty fireball spell to create a fiery explosion, bringing back fond memories of Divinity: Original Sin 2s elemental synergies. "You reach a point where you realize its a puzzle game. Its about staying alive long enough to defeat the enemy," says Antti. My first boss battle, a gargantuan, angry chicken, destroys me time and again until I bait it into charging through another crushing trap, this time filled with fuel cans and oil barrels, along with a well-timed fireball.

Thankfully most of the fights, and the missions themselves, dont last very long, at least in the early levels. The campaign is divided into a linear series of missions in new locations. In between missions I can select additional skills and upgrades. Action Squad wanted to keep the levels fast-paced, with completion times around 30 minutes each. "We focused on keeping the length a bit shorter, making sure the game constantly feels fresh," says Heikki-Pekka Noronen, lead programmer. "Were aiming for something more linear and story-focused rather than a huge, open world with lots of grinding."

Ive enjoyed the recent renaissance of tactical RPGs, but Iron Danger manages to feel wholly unique, eschewing traditional RPG fiddliness like equipment management for pure tactical combat. "We wanted to do something that felt creative," says Antti Kemppainen. "We were super glad to be able to do this but its also scary to do a game with no benchmark. Nobody else has done anything like this." Iron Danger is due out March 25.

Read the original post:

This tactical RPG mixes real-time combat and rewinding to make you a time traveling mage - PC Gamer

Vijay Deverakonda's World Famous Lover is among the South films that is releasing during Valentine's Day. Here's a list of films releasing this Friday:

This year began on a high note for moviegoers as three big films released during the same week in January. Rajinikanth's Darbar to Allu Arjun's Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo and Mahesh Babu starrer Sarileru Neekevvaru, 2020 kick-started on a huge note. Well, we have moved to the second month of the year. After Samantha Akkineni starrer Jaanu, moviegoers will witness another big Telugu film releasing this week. Vijay Deverakonda's World Famous Lover is among the South films that is releasing during Valentine's Day. Here's a list of films releasing this Friday:

World Famous Lover: Vijay Deverakonda's World Famous Lover is one of the biggest South films releasing this week. The film stars Raashi Khanna, Catherine, Izabelle Leite and Aishwarya Rajesh in the female lead roles. Directed by Kranthi Madhav, World Famous Lover is an anthology and will showcase four different stories. Music by Gopi Sundar, the upcoming romantic film is all set to release during Valentine's Day, February 14, 2020.

Naan Sirithal: Tamil film Naan Sirithal stars Hip-hop Tamizha and Iswarya Menon playing the lead roles. K. S. Ravikumar will be seen playing a villain role, while Badava Gopi, Eruma Saani Vijay are playing a supporting role.

Oh My Kadavule: The film Oh My Kadavule will see south actors Ashok Selvan and Ritika Singh playing the lead. The upcoming romantic drama, releasing this Friday is helmed by debutant director Ashwath Marimuthu. The film is bankrolled by Abinaya Selvam and actor Ashok Selvan under the banner, Happy High Pictures.

Trance: Trance starring Fahadh Faasil and Nazriya Nazim in the lead roles is all set to hit the headlines on this Valentine's Day. Ahead of the release, the film has hit the headlines over an 8-minute long sequence, which might hurt religious sentiments. According to reports, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Trivandrum has sent the movie to Mumbai's revising committee. Hope things get sorted for the makers of the film as it is set to release this Friday.

Original post:

South Movies Releasing This Friday: Vijay Deverakonda's World Famous Lover to Fahadh Faasil's Trance - PINKVILLA

A State Of Trance Year Mix 2019 - Selected by Armin van Buuren

Graham Bell, Above & Beyond, Maurice West, Fisherman, STANDERWICK, Ben Gold, Allen Watts, ReOrder, Sean Tyas, Blastoyz, Richard Durand, Binary Finary, Maarten De Jong, Armin van Buuren, FUTURECODE, DJ Hooligan, Marty Longstaff, KhoMha, Super8 & Tab, Omnia, Whiteout, Gareth Emery, Andrew Bayer, Planet Perfecto Knights, Markus Schulz, Lachi, BT, Ferry Corsten, Roman Messer, Shapov, Cosmic Gate, Foret, Estiva, Maor Levi, OTIOT, Fatum, Seven Lions, Opposite The Other, Luke Bond, Tyler Graves, HALIENE, Orjan Nilsen, Dennis Sheperd, Nifra, Karra, Space Corps, Genix, Jaytech, jUdAh, Rodg, Matt Fax, Lara, Ruben De Ronde, Elevven, Zoe Johnston, Hilight Tribe, Vini Vici, David Gravell, Assaf, Cassandra Grey, Elle Vee, GXD, Roxanne Emery, Andrew Rayel, NWYR, Jordan Shaw, Avian Grays, Ilan Bluestone, EL Waves, Purple Haze, MaRLo, Gouryella, Rising Star, Alexandra Badoi, Luciana, Will Sparks, Avao, Dave Neven, Triqz, Feenixpawl, Ashley Wallbridge, PollyAnna, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Davey Asprey, Beatsole, Emma Hewitt, Rub!k, Ram, Stine Grove, Chris Schweizer, Darren Porter, Natalie Gioia, Scott Bond, Charlie Walker, Murica, Plumb, Key4050, Audrey Gallagher, Paul Denton, Aly & Fila, JES, DJ Kim, Jase Thirlwall, Victoriya, Christina Novelli, Atlantis, Arksun, Artento Divini, Paul van Dyk, Ciaran McAuley, Clare Stagg, XiJaro & Pitch, LightControl, Tempo Giusto, Cari, Sam Martin, Arctic Moon, Shuba, Jurgen Vries, Steve Dekay, Corti Organ, Billy Gillies, Shugz, Simon Patterson, Lucy Pullin, Marco V, John Askew, Mark Sherry

Armada Music Bundles

Follow this link:

Trance: Explore Trance Music at Beatport