BEST OF 2009: Orbital - Halcyon (Tom Middleton Remix)

It's been a huge year for dance music. Over the next ten days we're going to look back at the largest tracks of 2009, as featured on Large Weekend.

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Orbital's Halcyon, originally released in 1992, is a melancholic gem featuring a simple yet alluring melodic phrase, sung wordlessly and accompanied by a bass and percussion backing. Seventeen years later, Tom Middleton revisits the classic to produce a breathtaking masterpiece. Choosing to keep the tone of the 1992 version, Middleton milks every last drop of the haunting sadness that lies at the center of the original. He then builds upon it with a symphony of spine-tingling instrumentation. Complex layers of synth melodies, pulsing chords, and ghost-like echoes of the original vocals continue to build in a crescendo of digital wonderment. This unexpected collaboration between remix master Middleton, and the legendary Orbital results in a gracefully produced and dazzlingly beautiful piece of music.

rating: *****
url: www.myspace.com/tommiddleton
url: www.myspace.com/orbitalofficial
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