Craig Connelly "A Sharper Edge REDUX" out now on Black Hole Recordings

With a seasonal symmetry so perfect it might even have been planned, Craig Connelly brings a winter REDUX to his early summer-released A Sharper Edge. Drawing to a close the-year-that-was in the most uplifting of ways, through the twin prisms of the remix and his own studio/spinning work he brings new aspects and angles to his much-applauded second longplayer.

Featuring rework-rich quarters, it includes new “Sharper Edge” interpretations from Giuseppe Ottaviani, Sean Tyas, Kolonie, Highlandr, Daxson and Nikolauss. Within its grooves also lies much artistic camaraderie, with Factor B, Will Rees and Peter Steele all collab-ing, as well as producer/singer unions with Cammie Robinson, Sisken (Sue McLaren and Suzanne Chesterton), Natalie Major and Karina Ramage. Craig has also seized on REDUX’s opportunity to elaborate on his original album ideas, reframing them as promise-filled floor-aimed expansions. With all these new weapons in hand, he has fashioned them into the fiercesome, firesome feature-length DJ mix, something which otherwise would’ve been denied fans in 2020.

Revisited, expanded, emboldened and root-and-branch reimagined – one of the most accomplished trance albums of the year is back to finish 2020 off the right way!

While the album’s had a radical makeover, the core tenets it was built it on remain unchanged. Originally the result of some introspective soul searching by Craig, it was composed down four specific thematic lines, all of which have been carried over into REDUX.

Commenting at the time of its original release in May, the Manchester born-and-based DJ said, “I wanted to try a non-traditional approach to this album, and I thought a little pre-production mental exercise might give me some insight. So before day-one, I crunched what seemed important in my life and more and more four words kept popping back. So when I sat down to compose each track, I tried to bring one of the four – Destiny, Energy, Travel or Optimism to my foreground and subsequently channel it into that piece of music. Whilst all the tracks represent a more radio or club focused sound, every one was designed to have its own story – regardless of whether it has lyrics or not. Even the instrumentals were written with the intention of being anchored in a strong human emotion or feeling.”

With its REDUX, Craig has tied those core elements to the artistic natures of his remixers, with every track being broken down into stems and reconstructed from the ground up, resulting in one evolving body of music. The UK’s Kolonie travels to “California”, encompassing it a cooler, more progressive demeanor, while the lament-lined “Run Away” is enhanced by the optimistic melodies and harmonies of Australia’s Highlandr. Respectively, Giuseppe Ottaviani and Daxson energize “All For Love” and “Anything Like You”, advancing them to primetime set positions. Sean Tyas and Nikolauss’ remix destinies meanwhile lie in “Watch The Way You Move” and “The Fire” which – in distinctly #140-ish frames of mind – are both put on clubbier footings.

Full tracklist details are below and Craig Connelly’s A Sharper Edge: REDUX is available digitally through all good platforms from today. You can order/stream it here.

Tracklist:

Disc 1 Mixed

Craig Connelly – California (Kolonie vs. Club Mix)
Craig Connelly featuring Cammie Robinson – Run Away (Highlandr Remix)
Craig Connelly – Earth Dimension C-137
Craig Connelly featuring Alex Holmes – Anything Like You (Daxson Remix)
Craig Connelly – Everyone Loves A Triplet (Club Mix)
Craig Connelly & Siskin – All For Love (Giuseppe Ottaviani Remix)
Craig Connelly – Sonic Grey
Craig Connelly featuring Natalie Major – Watch The Way You Move (Sean Tyas Remix)
Craig Connelly & Factor B – Tranceatlantic
Craig Connelly & Peter Steele – The Fire (Nikolauss #140 Remix)
Craig Connelly featuring Tara Louise – What Are You Waiting For (Will Rees Remix)
Craig Connelly featuring Tara Louise – Time Machine (Paul Denton Remix)
Craig Connelly & Will Rees – Inhale
Craig Connelly featuring Karina Ramage – Life Half Lived (Club Mix)

Disc 2

Craig Connelly – California (Kolonie Extended Remix)
Craig Connelly – California (Extended Mix)
Craig Connelly featuring Cammie Robinson – Run Away (Highlandr Extended Remix)
Craig Connelly – Earth Dimension C-137 (Extended Mix)
Craig Connelly featuring Alex Holmes – Anything Like You (Daxson Extended Remix)
Craig Connelly – Everyone Loves A Triplet (Extended Club Mix)
Craig Connelly & Siskin – All For Love (Giuseppe Ottaviani Extended Remix)
Craig Connelly – Sonic Grey (Extended Mix)
Craig Connelly featuring Natalie Major – Watch The Way You Move (Sean Tyas Extended Remix)
Craig Connelly & Factor B – Tranceatlantic (Extended Mix)
Craig Connelly & Peter Steele – The Fire (Nikolauss Extended #140 Remix)
Craig Connelly & Will Rees – Inhale (Extended Mix)
Craig Connelly featuring Karina Ramage – Life Half Lived (Extended Club Mix)