There’s something special about the Anjunabeats label. Despite being around for nearly a decade, there’s a remarkable freshness to so many of their releases. The UK DJ/producer trio of Above & Beyond who head up the label might be best known for their soaring vocal trance numbers, but they really seem to have elevated things to the next level with some of the more restrained progressive trance that’s being championed on the stable’s Anjunadeep offshoot. With a recent album release from Jaytech and a number of killer singles that have been doing the rounds, the sublime sounds coming form the Anjunabeats stable has been crossing genre boundaries and marking a mighty melodic comeback in dance music. With an impeding Australian tour for Global Gathering, the team of Tony, Jono and Paavo are pack with volume six of their Anjunabeats series.

I’ll get the superlatives flowing immediately; the first disc is quite possible the label’s best progressive release to date. The mood of the CD is beautifully launched by the delicate arpeggios and rolling basslines of Paul Keeley’s Paper Jet ,and already this sounds like the first droplets of summer with chords that crash around the melody like waves. What a start. The sound then dovetails into a chunky electro-prog 80s-laced doubleheader from Komytea and Michael Cassette (different names, same two Finnish guys). There are no end of additional highlights, including the pairing of Cocktail Bar from Joonas Haamo and the aptly titled My Personal Summer from Proff, both of which continue this disc’s airy, almost Balearic vibe. A couple of Jaytech tracks also get a touch-up here. I was nervous to see that someone had attempted to rework Pyramid, one of the best slices of progressive gold we’ve heard in ‘08, but Dinka has done an admirable job in adding a housier touch to original and, in the context of this mix, allowing the pulsating melody to breathe new life.

Speaking in terms of ‘highlights’ almost does this disc a disservice; there are simply no flat spots. Obviously the annual Anjunabeats compilations work to pull together the best from the label, so we do get multiple tracks from the same producers on this disc – Joonas Haamo, Paul Keeley, Oliver Smith, and Jaytech all get a couple of runs. But it’s perhaps because of this consistent musical thread that on the whole, this feels like such a cohesive release. Momentum and purpose travels through this mix like a school of rainbow fish swirling through the ocean; in all, it’s a sparkling collection of beautifully programmed progressive house and trance that will undoubtedly be the soundtrack to many a balmy summer evening.

Disc two starts with a bassline, breathy vocals from the timeless voice of Julie Thompson and progresses through 14 tracks of exactly what would expect to hear from the boys – ‘up-in-the-clouds, wrapped in an alpaca blanket, sipping a hot chocolate, I’m-in-my-happy-place’ trance. And for that very reason, it perhaps doesn’t work quite as well as disc one. There are moments when we get a dash of tech-trance toughness to the sound, but on the whole this is pure uplifting stuff. We are treated to some Anjuna quality – the two releases from Oceanlab with Breaking and Miracle are a demonstration of what these guys do best, as well as a number of melodic belters from the likes of Super 8 & Tab and the Signalrunners. The Anjunabeats sound does shine bright, and thankfully stops just short of being so sweet as to give you a toothache. This is a lush atmospheric trance release that only suffers because all the music is so luxuriant, and is lacking just a touch in variation.

Trance is in good shape. With international dance promoters like ID&T making waves down under, and trance DJs again dominating the DJ Mag Top 100 poll and even topping our own inthemix50 poll this year, it seems the genre’s popularity is unassailable. Anjunabeats vol. 6 shows again just how far trance has come from the doldrums it fell into earlier in the decade; by casting a slightly wider net and allowing the subtle and not-so-subtle influences of electro, progressive and tech to stake a claim in the trance paddock, the genre has re-emerged more sophisticated than ever before – and the Anjunabeats crew are at the front of the pack with yet another quality release.

Check out the tracklisting…

Disc 1:

1. Paper Jet – Paul Keeley
2. Professional Killers – Komytea
3. A Sort Of Homecoming (Michael Cassette Remix) – Paul Keeley
4. Meet Me In Montauk – Signalrunners
5. Cocktail Bar – Joonas Hahmo
6. My Personal Summer – Proff
7. Groove Nova (Oliver Smith Tech Mix) – Jaytech
8. Do Not Cross – Johan Vermeulen
9. Pyramid (Dinka Non Melo Mix) – Jaytech
10. Fake Awake – Andy Moor
11. Lights Over Austin – Tritonal
12. Not A Lot Left – Myon & Shane 54
13. Horizons – Oliver Smith
14. Tampere By Night – Joonas Hahmo
15. Defined – Mat Zo
16. Restless – Oliver Smith

Disc 2
1. These Shoulders (Club Mix) – Signalrunners & Julie Thompson
2. City Lights – Sundriver
3. Sunrise – Boom Jinx & Oliver Smith
4. Shift – Adam Nickey
5. The Last Time – Thrillseekers feat. Fisher
6. Elektra – Super 8 & Tab
7. Breaking Ties (Above & Beyond’s Analogue Haven Remix) – OceanLab
8. Show Me – Nitrous Oxide
9. Slider – Adam Nickey
10. Let Go – Kandi & Neuman
11. Cirrus – Oliver Smith
12. Delusion – Super 8 & Tab feat. Alyna
13. Madness (I Prefer This Mix) – Bart Claessen & Dave Schiemann
14. Miracle (Above & Beyond Club Mix) – OceanLab