Roman Messer presents Written In The Stars (album) on Suanda Music
Two years have passed since the release of Roman Messer’s previous long play ‘Dream’, and what a crazy couple years they have been. In 2021, we find ourselves in a world drastically different from that of 2019, with isolation from loved ones and the cancellation of countless public events being some of the more prominent topics of discussion in addition to the more morbid ones.
It is not surprising that, with nightlife almost ceasing to exist in 2020, many artists across the dance music scene channeled their frustration into studio time. Some put emphasis on DJ sets for virtual audiences online. Others wrote so-aptly-called ‘lockdown albums’.
In a way, Roman Messer’s new studio album ‘Written In The Stars’ is also a product of its time, of course. It is impossible for an artist’s work not to be one. But where others rushed their albums to release them in 2020, Roman was in no such hurry. Juggling the jobs of a label owner and a DJ with his own streamed radio show in addition to that of a music producer, the Russian artist had more than enough music-related work keeping him busy even in a year as crazy as that one was. And when it comes to making one’s own music, Roman is adamant that quality can not be sacrificed for meeting some arbitrary deadlines.
Indeed, the first would-be single from the new album – not announced as such at that time – only saw the light of day in the summer of 2020, and it took some seven more months until early 2021 for the other album tracks to slowly start emerging from Roman’s studio. Gradually teased throughout 2021 and completed only in autumn, ‘Written In The Stars’ houses 16 cuts by Roman that were produced over the course of these past 18 months or so. Not rushing things proved to be the right approach: most of the singles from the album became popular with listeners worldwide, and four of the tracks – namely ‘Impulse’, ‘The River’, ‘Heartbeat’, and ‘Lately’ – were featured on the ‘A State Of Trance Year Mix 2021’ compilation that showcases some of the most notable trance music released this year.
From the opening chords of the first track ‘Moment’ co-produced with the label’s rising star Anven to the eponymous ‘Written In The Stars’ with Cari that gave the album its title, the newest LP by Roman once again showcases his diversity as a musician. Arranged roughly by their energy levels, the album tracks are a spectrum of trance as Roman sees it. The more proggy part of the album sees him collaborate with fellow Suanda artists like Ruslan Radriges, Anven, Eldream and Mark Wild, with respected vocalists including Richard Bedford and Gid Sedgwick among others providing the top lines sprinkled throughout. As the BPM steadily rises and so does the energy within the tracks, listeners that are acquainted with Roman’s body of work find familiar names among the list of his collaborators: the uplifting part of the album sees him team up once again with the likes of Davey Asprey, Joe Jury and Cari, all of whom have already had successful collaborations with Roman in the past. If it ain’t broke, as the saying goes, don’t fix it.
In this list, Cari perhaps deserves a special mention as the unwitting muse behind the album. In 2019, ‘Serenity’, Roman and Cari’s uplifting anthem from Roman’s previous album ‘Dream’, took the world of trance by storm, becoming one of the top 15 tracks of that year according to the listeners of A State Of Trance. 2020 saw them team up once again for ‘Infinity’, joining forces with Ahmed Helmy this time around, but it wasn’t until Roman heard Cari’s vocal demo for ‘Written In The Stars’ and locked himself in the studio to produce the music arrangement for it that he realized that this track was a bona fide artist album material. A few months later, the album was beginning to shape up, and it was only fitting to name it after the track that kickstarted the whole thing.
‘Written In The Stars’ is an album emerging from what will be remembered as strange times that saw many strange events and spur-of-the-moment gimmicks, but the music contained within this album is, as always, Roman’s uncompromising artistic expression. Coming out hot on the heels of his 2 CD mix compilation ‘Suanda Music 2021’ that showcases his strength as a DJ and is set to become an annual tradition, ‘Written In The Stars’ shines the light on Roman’s talent as a musician. Following in the footsteps of ‘New Life’, ‘Ambition’, and ‘Dream’, this album is yet another chapter in Roman’s artistic journey. Tag along.
Buy it on: TBA
Tracklist:
Trance
Roman Messer & Anven – Moment (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer & Gid Sedgwick – This Is Real (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer & Eldream & Mark Wild – Immersion (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer & Sarah de Warren – Risk It All (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer – Can You Feel The Love (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer feat. Romy Wave – Leave You Now (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer & Ruslan Radriges – Heartbeat (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer & Richard Bedford – Breathe (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer & Davey Asprey – Impulse (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer & Mike Zaloxx With Jennifer Rene – Lately (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer – Sunset (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer feat. Joe Jury – The River (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer – Can You See The Light (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer & Natalie Gioia – Miracle (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer & Simon O’Shine – Euphoria (Extended Mix)
Roman Messer & Cari – Written In The Stars (Extended Mix)
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