The fourth studio album from TST Project, titled Travelling Far Above Infinity, is out today in music stores & services. The album contains 10 tracks and 77 minutes of euphoric trance and melodic progressive house. Five tracks have been remastered for the album from the previous single releases and five other are completely new and unreleased tracks containing both uplifting, euphoric trance energy and laid-back, melodic and peaceful progressive house.
The album can be found from all major music stores and services so feel free to pick your favourite service from the list: https://songwhip.com/tst-project/travelling-far-above-infinity. If you want to give your support to the artist, the absolutely best way is to buy the album from my Bandcamp site especially today because Bandcamp Friday means that all revenues are given to the artists!
I’ve recently posted a short track-by-track introduction of all 10 tracks on the album for my social media channels, but I’m putting them here as well if you’re not following me in social channels and / or want to read some background for each of the tracks:
- Unfallen
The idea of this track began when I was trying out new saw lead riff concepts and bumped into one with rising intonation. I didn’t get it to work on the first try, rejected it and continued building the track with a different and more traditional lead melody. After I had added some rhythmic elements, I re-visited the riff and it started to grow up on me. I changed all the sounds combining to make the riff sound and there it was.
This was one of the last tracks I made for the album and I chose it as opening track because it’s kind of a synopsis for the whole album: slowly progressing, somewhat dark and atmospheric intro that builds into peaceful melody first and then banging supersaw leads. It should give you a good idea what to expect for the rest of the album.
The track honours those millions of people currently suffering in the hands of wars and violence in this world. Let’s all make sure their voices are heard.
- Twilightning
The album is a combination of energetic uplifting tracks and a bit calmer, melodic progressive house tunes. Twilightning is the first one of the latter style, combining slower tempo, rolling bassline and tranquil melody with some 303 acid vibes that are also characteristic for the sound of the whole album.
Twilightning also represents the duality of many tracks on the album, both in its rather intriguing name and sound where the calmer melodic part (“Twilight”) turns into a more aggressive sounding acid section (“Lightning”).
- Forecast feat. Petri Rinne (Merisää Uplifting 2023 Remaster)
This track and versions of it have become kind of classic among my productions. There is a longer story behind the whole concept of it, but a short version here: many years ago I got an idea that the Finnish sea area weather report (Merisää) would fit well as hypnotically calm speech vocals for a track. I created the first version and for a couple of years it stayed as something I played in my sets without an official release.
When the release of my third album Electrothesis was approaching I decided that it’s time to ask permission to use these Merisää samples in the official release of the track and not only did I get permission for it from the national broadcasting company YLE, I also got in touch with Petri Rinne who is the reader of this weather forecast and who turned out to be a big electronic music fan!
Last summer I finally decided to do a single release with a refreshed uplifting remix and that version is now included on the upcoming album with completely new mastering done as the final touch.
- Passage Of Time
Another melodic and melancholic progressive house piece in the similar mould with second track Twilightning. Slower in tempo and peaceful in melody, Passage Of Time is made for your chilling moments, bringing vibes from early morning chillout sessions on the beach.
The track is inspired by the inevitable realisation of time passing by. People aging, nature growing and dying away, eras coming and going. The world of music in constant motion, genres coming and going, people’s listening habits evolving. And in between everything you, trying to understand and cope with the change.
- Violets Are Blue (Album Remaster)
Violets Are Blue is one of the tracks previously released as a single on the album and like others, it’s been remastered to the new album, gaining some extra polishing and sound tweaking.
The track is one of the most energy-packed pieces on the album, providing some techy drone effects, breakbeat section and distorted acid 303 leads, together with a bit orchestral style melody and uplifting saw lead buildup.
- Melody For Life (Album Remaster)
This is another previously released track remastered to the album. It is somewhat different in style compared to anything else: where all the other tracks can be considered to be either uplifting / euphoric style trance or less intensive and slower melodic progressive house, Melody For Life is something in between both in its 130 bpm tempo and not directly uplifting but also not progressive-house-like melodic elements.
The style of the track is inspired by some of the greatest trance anthems of late nineties like Paul Van Dyk’s For An Angel and BT’s Flaming June. Those tracks, along with some other genre classics have heavily influenced my musical taste and are one of the big reasons why my own tracks sound like they do now.
- Above Infinity
The (almost) title track of the album is another one from the uplifting and retro-sounding section of the album. This track gave me the boost to start planning this album and it was somewhat natural to choose the album title based on the track. It was also the first track I wrote purely for the album after previously released single tracks.
Above Infinity bases its main melody on the iconic trance piano sound that has been one of the most recognizable elements of melodic trance since the nineties. Supersaw leads, breakbeat-ish middle section and big build-ups complete the retro trance mood for the track.
- Misterious (Album Remaster)
Misterious was the first new single track after my previous album Electrothesis, so it is the first track created for the album. Even if there’s quite a long time between writing it and other progressive house-styled tracks on the album (Twilightning and Passage Of Time), the tracks form a combination of melodic melancholy and unique atmosphere together.
Misterious was originally composed to capture the feeling of magical moments of autumn by the lake, seeing the colors of leaves reflecting from the surface and fog hovering on top. Only the subtle sound of a lone bird further away breaking the piece and silence.
- Raver’s Edge
Raver’s Edge is a recollection of those fantastic elements of early nineties rave and techno music that gave us so much joy and happiness back in the days. It is a tribute to the culture that started my music career and has given me so much throughout the years.
In today’s terms the track can be defined as a combination of harder uplifting trance and freeform-type sound but back in the days I called this style nu-nrg or hard trance. The tempo of the track is a bit slower than it was in its origins but the familiar atmosphere is there to give you that energy and the raw feeling of joy you’ve missed.
- 1000 Lakes (Album Remaster)
The final track on the album is a remastered version of the last release I did before the album. 1000 Lakes is an anthem for the beauty of my home country Finland, “the land of 1000 lakes” (there are way more lakes here by the way).
With its anthemic nature, the track is a bit differently structured than other tracks in the album. It has a longish melodic intro and the main supersaw build-up comes quite late in the rather long track. The soundscape of the track is also somewhat distinctive, with a kind of orchestral and classical feeling to it.
