Roman Messer - Suanda Music 2021

Let's take a brief trip down memory lane. 8 years ago, in 2013, Suanda Music was but a fledgling, freshly set up independent label that was barely on anyone's radar. Roman Messer, its owner, was still two years away from releasing his debut artist album; meanwhile, the label was kicked off with the eponymous single release, 'Suanda', Roman's collaboration with Offshore Wind and Ange.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Jumping back to the present, we find that Suanda Music is now a force to be reckoned with in the trance scene. With over 800 releases to date across its multiple sublabels, Suanda is a home to artists from all over the world, from Roman's home country Russia to Mexico, from Germany to the United States, from Indonesia to Egypt. The label's catalogue has no shortage of appearances in the live sets and podcasts of countless international DJs including the very top echelons of trance, and the brand of Suanda has become arguably Russia's hottest export in the global trance scene these days, rivaling only that of a few individual artists. Apart from managing the inner workings of the label itself, Roman Messer hosts an eponymous weekly radio show since 2016, mixed live in the studio and broadcasted with a video feed on all major streaming platforms - a radio show that has now reached 300 episodes, with a special club night event held in celebration of this milestone. No success comes overnight, and Roman has given his blood, sweat and tears to building Suanda from the ground up over these past 8 years.

Given the respectable release catalogue, the Suanda club nights featuring the label's artists, and the radio show, there's only one more thing that comes to mind that a successful trance music brand ought to have: a dedicated mix compilation.

Until recently, Suanda had indeed been missing one, but in 2020 Roman Messer set his sights on rectifying the issue, and thus the 2 CD incarnation of Suanda Music was born. After the success of that year's mix album, it became evident that an annual series had been long overdue. Now that we find ourselves in October 2021, between the milestone Episode 300 of the Suanda Music radio show and the imminent release of Roman's latest artist album 'Written In The Stars', the timing couldn't be more perfect for this year's installment.

Sprawling two mixes - and two discs on the physical release - Suanda Music 2021 features the latest and the greatest of the label's output over the past 12 months. 30 tracks, produced by Roman himself, by the label's usual suspects, and by the up-and-coming newer talents, showcase the sound of modern trance music as Roman sees it. CD 1 is dedicated to the somewhat slower, chunkier, moderately upbeat brand of progressive trance, with tempos staying around 130 BPM and grooves made for club dancefloors. CD 2, on the other hand, is all about the peaktime uplifting side of things, chock-full of pounding beats and driving basslines that carry soaring lead melodies at the cruising speed of 138 BPM.

Suanda Music 2021 is, in a way, a companion piece of sorts to Roman Messer's upcoming artist album. Where the album showcases his strength as a music producer, the mix compilation highlights his prowess as a DJ when it comes to everything that goes into a proper studio mix, from track selection to technical skills. Both of the two CDs end on high notes that are special to Roman at this particular moment in time; CD 1 culminates with 'Can You Feel The Love', the progressive anthem that he produced for the celebration of Episode 300 of his radio show, while CD 2 blasts over the finish line with 'Written In The Stars', his collaboration with Cari that is set to be the title track from his artist album.

With this mix compilation officially making the annual 2 CD Suanda Music series a thing, Roman Messer hopes to draw more attention to the sometimes forgotten DJ mix side of modern electronic music longplay releases. Some argue that tracks in genres like trance are meant to be enjoyed first and foremost in their mixed form, one smoothly segueing into another. Roman is firmly committed to making the series an annual treat for people who enjoy the art of a carefully prepared studio mix.

This is music that defined Suanda in 2021, hand-picked and arranged into a seamless journey. Strap in and enjoy the ride.

01. Anven - Lumia (Original Mix) 03:52
02. Roman Messer & Gid Sedgwick - This Is Real (Original Mix) 03:48
03. Semblance Smile - Unity (Extended Mix) 04:52
04. Roman Messer feat. Romy Wave - Leave You Now (Original Mix) 03:09
05. Christopher Corrigan - Autonomy (Original Mix) 03:49
06. KayZen - Unspoken (Extended Mix) 05:21
07. Frainbreeze & Thoba - Magnifica (Original Mix) 03:00
08. FEEL, Andrew Mirt & Alexandra Badoi - Our Love (Original Mix) 03:20
09. INVIRON - Afflatus (Extended Mix) 05:18
10. Roman Messer & Richard Bedford - Breathe (Original Mix) 05:03
11. Roman Messer & Ruslan Radriges - Heartbeat (Original Mix) 03:45
12. Zitro & Matt Weiss - Without Me (Original Mix) 03:50
13. Ahmed Helmy - King's Future (Extended Mix) 06:00
14. Bigtopo & The Old Guard - Cesaraugusta (Extended Mix) 06:30
15. Roman Messer - Can You Feel The Love (Suanda 300 Anthem) (Original Mix) 03:22

16. Roman Messer - Suanda Music 2021 (Continuous Mix) 1:04:32

17. Rowan Van Beckhoven - The Light Within (Extended Mix) 08:17
18. BarWall - Melody (Extended Mix) 05:44
19. Hemstock & Jennings - Hear My Name (Sabastien Extended Remix) 07:11
20. Dan Cooper - Luna (Extended Mix) 06:33
21. AMTM - Barracuda (Extended Mix) 05:52
22. Adip Kiyoi & Roxanne Emery - Embers (Steve Dekay Extended Remix) 06:05
23. Tom Exo - Skyrocket (Original Mix) 04:22
24. Roman Messer feat. Joe Jury - The River (Original Mix) 04:20
25. Steve Dekay & D-Minus - Elevate (Extended Mix) 05:54
26. Roman Messer & Davey Asprey - Impulse (Original Mix) 03:47
27. Roman Messer, Mike Zaloxx & Jennifer Rene - Lately (Original Mix) 04:22
28. Vadim Spark - Two Worlds (Original Mix) 03:58
29. Natalie Gioia, Beat & Voice - Crush (Extended Mix) 05:15
30. Exouler & Inrayzex - Genesis (Extended Mix) 06:20
31. Roman Messer & Cari - Written In The Stars (Original Mix) 04:53

32. Roman Messer - Suanda Music 2021 (Uplifting Continuous Mix) 1:12:24