It's been over 8 months since Lee has released and single and boy is it worth the wait! Since his last release Lee has not only taken over the Slinky brand and brought right back to the forefront of the trance scene with it's sell out events at The Opera House in Bournemouth and The Syndicate in Bristol but has also found the time to develop a massive 50 date world tour and remixed over 8 tracks for labels like Five AM, Alter Ego, Propulsion, Presence and Diverted Recordings. Read on for more details about this tune....
"O.M.D" was played four weeks in a row on Radio One by Judge Jules and with many license requests already being taken for the track including the new Judgement Sunday's compilation, it now gets its full release to the masses.
On remix duties, Digital Remedy have Paul Webster, who has had releases already on Armada, Fraction and now of course Digital Remedy as he takes the original and works his magic and serves up a gargantuan teched up monster for those harder floors.
Finally Guy Mearns delivers a third mix in preparation for his own EP coming out on Digital Remedy in the coming months.
A release not to be missed and compounds Lee's rising status as one of the best up and coming trance DJ's and producers of today.
Verdict:
Lee Haslam - O.M.D (Original Mix): The Original Mix of O.M.D is definately the best tune i've heard so far this year! It combines a powerful, pulsating bassline with crisp percussion and powerful, dramatic chords to give you a fantastic peak-time Trancer. The first thing which popped into my head when I first heard this was how it reminded me of the Sinister Strings remix of Brainbug's 'Nightmare' from the late nineties - but that is no criticism because 'Nightmare' is a classic tune which is regarded as one of the best of all time. It's certainly one of my all time favourites, which is probably why I love O.M.D so much! Lee Haslam has created an energetic intro which climbs and climbs before changing towards the distinctive powerful chords which really make this tune stand out. It's those chords which remind me of 'Nightmare' - they're dramatic and 'moody', yet so gutsy and appealing. The one thing I like about this tune is that, unlike 'Nightmare', it fits in with most of the sub-genres within the Trance scene - it could fit into a peak-time melodic Trance set, a slightly harder Trance set, or even as a cross-over into a more Techier-sounding set. Its also very 'mix-friendly' - it has a long intro and outro that gives you plenty of time to add some creativity to your mixes - in fact, I heard Eddie Halliwell scratching over the outro quite recently. The quality of production and mastering is also superb - the bassline, percussion and synths are all crisp clear and really stand out. Its also quite clear that a lot of thought has gone into this track because Lee Haslam has offered us something different for a change. A lot of criticism with Trance these days is that a lot of it is quite 'generic' and predictable and all follows the same structure - but Lee has given us something completely different. Its not that often that you hear a tune these days which makes you think "wow, this tune has the potential to be a classic' - but O.M.D is one of the very few that will still sound good in a few years time! If you were a fan of Brainbug's 'Nightmare', then you have to check this out! 10/10
Lee Haslam - O.M.D (Paul Webster Remix): Paul Webster is a relatively new face in the production world, but after releasing a string of successful productions, producing a cheeky remix of Warrior's 'If You Want Me', which was supported by the likes of Judge Jules and Eddie Halliwell - plus being signed to Armin's 'Armada' label, he's set for a bright future! Paul Webster's remix kicks off with a more funkier, bouncier bassline, again, making it more suited towards a peak-time set - probably one leaning more towards the Techier side. Like the original mix, it uses the chords to great effect - however, the breakdown is less 'moody' as Paul has opted to keep some lighter elements of percussion in the breakdown to make it sound more like his trademark style. I've always been a big fan of Paul Webster's work, however, this remix didn't grab my attention as much as some of his other work - but to be fair, the original mix is so good, it's impossible to beat. If you prefer tunes with a more energetic, bouncier vibe, then you may prefer this remix - however, I felt that it lacked that little something which really made it stand out. 8/10
Lee Haslam - O.M.D (Guy Mearns Remix): Guy Mearns is a familiar name to fans of the Digital Remedy label, and if his remixes continue to be as good as this, he's a name that's going to become even more familiar in the near future! Guy has beefed things up even more by giving us a tough, powerful bassline combined with gorgeous Trancey synths. He starts things off with a superb, driving intro that continues to build up to the breakdown, and then once again, those distinctive powerful chords come into play. Likes Lee's Original mix, the breakdown is very dramatic and moody, yet very powerful. After the breakdown, the sound changes towards a stabbing Tech-Trance style combined with Electro elements which gives this remix a completely different style from the other two mixes. Again, another superb remix which deserves a great rating. 9/10
Release Date: 26th May 2008
Label: Digital Remedy Recordings
Label Website: http://www.digitalremedyrecordings.com/
Artist Website: Unknown
Catalogue Number: Digrem011
