Aux-In

This is a compilation album put together by Aruna Abrams, a writer, singer, DJ and producer who also hosts a radio show called The Hot List. This album is a representation of her work on said show since she started it in 2011.


(1) "The Other Shore" [Aruna vs Steve Kaetzel Radio Edit] (Aruna Intro Mix): I'm getting an icy- and/or aquatic-type vibe on the intro, which is what the producers were going for given the track's title. Later in the song, things feel more "summery." Aruna is on vocals, however, I feel that they're a miss here. It's an intro mix, so I'll cut the song some slack in that regard. "The Other Shore" stays at just below a medium pace, and it does have some decent synth work.

(2) "Toys": A more abrasive track than the first. This is a heavy instrumental. The background beat on this is light and playful, but man does the main beat sound grating.

(3) "Again": At least starting off, this sounds indistinguishable from the previous track, except for some vocal sampling and piano work. Later in the track, the flow opens up some, although the underlying tone stays in the abrasive-instrumental arena.

(4) "Leave The Light On" [Wrechiski Remix]: Power-vocal track. The vocals are extended in a high-pitched fashion in the buildup phase, which is kind of annoying. Now it drops @ 1:57 into a conventional, progressive beat.

(5) "Demon" [Kago Pengchi Remix]: Vocal track. It's a balanced track production-wise, but nothing that produces an OMG moment for me.

(6) "Phoenix": This sounds promising. I really like these types of sound effects. It's the best instrumental so far on the disc, even if it only lasted for all of 2:41.

(7) "The End" [Alex Klingle vs. Blasterz Remix Edit]: My first instinct is that this sounds like something that Anjunabeats would release. Aruna is back on vocals, and they're the best on the disc so far. I've heard this one, although I'm not sure where. The instrumental isn't too bad, but it does seem a tinge out of touch with the vocals.

(8) "Oceanside": A light instrumental that gives off the vibes of being in clouds or whatnot.

(9) "What If" [Ost & Mayer vs. Aruna] (Original Mix): Aruna on vocals, and they're on par with track #7. It's okay. Has a preppy feel to it; makes me want to shop at the mall or something. Those still exist, right?


(10) "Prank It": Some decent variation in the beat. This wouldn't be a bad track for the club, but for personal listening, I'm going to pass.

(11) "Signus": Standard tune.

(12) "Helpless" [Monster Mix]: I like the vocals, but the track doesn't stand out to me.

(13) "Helion": Standard tune.

(14) "Closer": A vocal track with some good vibes. The singer has a distinct accent which reminds me a little bit of Allisa Rose, but as you can see, it's Sarah Russell. It's an okay track. "I'm getting closer to you" is the refrain.

(15) "Miracle of Dark Paradise" [Aruna Mashup]: Like the vocal stuttering and subsequent vocal inlays on this one.

(16) "Move on the Great Divide" [Aruna Bootleg]: Definitely hearing elements in this that were in a different remix. I have not heard the original or this bootleg version, but I can hear now the genesis of the other remixes.

(17) "Horizontal": Choppy trance. Otherwise, I have no opinion on it.

(18) "Junky": An upbeat and driving instrumental. This sounds like the sort of video-game music that would play after you've beaten a main boss and completed your final journey.

(19) "Sunrise" [Aerosoul vs. Aruna] (Original Mix): Above standard. "Racing to the sunrise" or "I will race you to the sunrise" is the refrain.

(20) "Clash": No opinion.

(21) "Wayfarer": This is only 58 seconds long. Why? Pointless.

(22) "Lights" (Club Mix): This is only 1:31 long. Yawn.

(23) "Skyfall": This is only 58 seconds long. Deja vu. The track also added nothing to the mix, but it wasn't even given a chance to do so.

(24) "Reason To Believe" [Paris Blohm vs. Fractal Remix Edit]: Structurally, "Reason To Believe" is the best song here, but that's more because I'm thinking of the original. The latter half of this mix goes off into a meandering direction that doesn't work for me.


I would say this album works better as a full listen, rather than pulling out the hits and listening to them separately. This, I suspect, is exactly as Aruna intends her show/podcasts to be, and in that sense, this output does its job. However, I'm constantly listening to similar types of music as to what is presented here, across all electronic genres, so I have progressed to a higher plain of understanding in regard to what I'm looking for in my selections. The unfortunate downside to that is that it has become harder for things to stand out to me if I can't automatically pick up on a sound that I like. Much of The Hot List: Volume One is comprised of the newer, standard sounds of trance that feature larger synths and more abrasive effects. While I have no problem with that at all -- just listen to anything in this journal -- a lot of the tracks on this album simply weren't hitting the melodic, euphoric notes that satisfy my individual taste in trance music.

An important thing that must be noted is that most of the songs are shortened, and there isn't an explanation as to why. This is an Enhanced Music issue, as it's the second signed CD that I've purchased where the songs were shortened. With some tracks at 0:58, those don't even qualify as radio edits. If labels are going to release an album, which people are actually paying for, then the full-length tracks should go on it. When I looked this album up on Amazon, I saw that the songs were listed at their full lengths, so I'm at a loss for why it is not the same for the CD release. As such, if the album is incomplete, then this review might also be considered incomplete, save the fact that I'm reviewing an official release, exactly in its intended form.

This was another opportunity to pick up a signed album from an artist that I like, so I gladly took it, importing this puppy all the way from the UK. While the lack of track length throughout is unfortunate, I did only pay $10.56, and that's after the currency conversion; the digital album is $8.99, with some tracks only available on the hard copy. When considering the price, and the fact that I was able to get an autograph (autos are cool) from an industry stalwart, this purchase was an easy choice to help keep my collection red hot.

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