Arguably one of the world’s greatest trance DJs, Dutch producer Tiesto has continued to redefine the boundaries of trance music with his signature emotive style and arena-ready sound for over fifteen years.

For his fourth major studio release Kaleidoscope, the premiere producer of trance sought some of the music scene’s most dynamic characters, ranging from global superstars (Calvin Harris, Sneaky Sound System, Nelly Furtado) to an assortment of lesser known, left-of-center acts (Tegan & Sara, Bloc Party‘s Kele Okereke, Sigur Ros‘ Jonsi) The result? A powerhouse collection of single-worthy uptempos bursting with indie cred and trance appeal, appealing to both the body and soul.

One standout involves Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado, who had her first taste of dance with her 2006 album, Loose. Replace the generic Timbaland-produced beats of that album with a flurry of glittering, electro-encrusted pulsations, and you’ve got “Who Wants To Be Alone,” a devastatingly addictive dancefloor haunt guaranteed to delight on repeat time and time again.

Other winners include Emily Haines‘ turn on the storming “Knock You Out,” which plays like Ladytron on E, the warm synth pulsations of the Cary Brothers-assisted “Here On Earth,” and “You Are My Diamond,” a throwback to the days of pure, ‘90’s pulsating bliss. The track is made all the better thanks to a shamelessly celebratory, sugary sweet delivery from Kianna Alarid, known best as the lead singer of Tilly and the Wall.

“Feel It in My Bones,” featuring indie darlings Tegan & Sara is perhaps the album’s greatest track, and undoubtedly the epitome of the album’s intentions. As Tiesto’s cool, calculated trance vibrations shudder underneath, Tegan & Sara’s smart-pop sensibility lift the track and create something new; the result becoming a celebration of the art of collaboration.

Simply speaking, there’s not a bad track in the bunch–at least in terms of the vocal offerings. The album’s only drawback can be found in its five instrumental tracks, included as a kind of overcompensating injection of Tiesto trance, lest we somehow forget who’s in charge behind the scenes of all of these guest spots. Sadly, they do little for the album here, aside from providing long, unnecessary breaks between the meat of the album. Skip them, and you’ve got one hell of a solid set.

Kaleidoscope is unlike anything Tiesto has done before (and surely nothing its guests have recorded). In spite of what could have been a risky undertaking (whether or not devoted fans of each genre will come to embrace this album remains to be seen), Tiesto’s fifth studio album is nothing short of excellence–allowing indie music the pulse it never knew it needed and dance music the lyrical sophistication it has so stubbornly ignored. Hearing the two genres come together? Well, that’s why this is nothing short of a musical dream come true.

Kaleidoscope will be released on October 20.

Purchase more from Tiesto on iTunes | MySpace | Official Website

You know how I proclaimed the upcoming Basement Jaxx album to be the “Compendium of Cool” after seeing the tracklisting and whatnot? Well, I think the duo’s been one-upped already.

Enter DJ Tiësto, renowned Dutch DJ and electronica extraordinaire. For his aptly-titled fifth studio album, Kaleidoscope, Tiesto’s teamed up with a most colorful array of artists, from electro-pop staples (Calvin Harris; Sneaky Sound System) to completely left-of-center vocalists including Sigur Rós‘ lead, Jónsi, and indie-pop/alt-folk sweethearts Tegan & Sara.

Just check out the über-awesome list o’ tracks:

1. Tiësto feat. Jónsi – Kaleidoscope
2. Tiësto feat. CC Sheffield – Escape Me
3. Tiësto feat. Kianna – You Are My Diamond
4. Tiësto and Sneaky Sound System – I Will Be Here
5. Tiësto feat. Priscilla Ahn – I Am Strong
6. Tiësto feat. Cary Brothers – Here On Earth
7. Tiësto – Always Near
8. Tiësto feat. Kele Okereke – It’s Not The Things You Say
9. Tiësto – Fresh Fruit
10. Tiësto feat. Calvin Harris – Century
11. Tiësto feat. Tegan & Sara – Feel It In My Bones
12. Tiësto feat. Nelly Furtado – Who Wants To Be Alone
13. Tiësto – LA Ride
14. Tiësto – Bend It Like You Don’t Care
15. Tiësto feat. Emily Haines – Knock You Out
16. Tiësto – Louder Than Boom
17. Tiësto – Surrounded By Light

And if that wasn’t enough to set your hearts ablaze, here is the literally amazing Masashi Muto-directed video for the first single, “I Will Be Here,” featuring Sneaky Sound System’s lead singer, Connie:

A 2009 upgrade to “The Robot”? Now that’s something I can appreciate.

Kaleidoscope is due out on October 6 from Ultra Records.

Purchase Tiesto on iTunes | MySpace | Official Website

Seems like I only just did a remix post. Well, I kind of did on Sunday, but this is the proper Weekend edition! A lot of jittery electro nonsense this time around. If I had to recommend anything, it’s the Passion Pit mix of Dan Black‘s track, “Symphonies.” It jumps from trip-hop, to rave, turns down the BPM, and then does it all over again…fun!

As usual, take what you want, leave what you don’t.

DL: Passion Pit – Little Secrets (Internal Friends Complain Remix)
DL: Dan Black – Symphonies (Passion Pit Remix)
DL: Fonzie ft. Flam – Hands Up (Teh Interwebz Kids Remix)
DL: Markus Lange & Daniel Dexter – We Were Wild (Disco Trash Music Remix)
DL: Eli Smith – Party All Knight (True Pseudo Mix)
Bloc Party – Ares (Melting Wing Remodel)

Hey, look…It’s those crazy rascals from Bloc Party! They’ve got a new single banging around now called “Talons,” and it’s a wonderful few minutes of chugging, churning anger, sounding a bit like Brandon Flowers with a jagged knife in hand. Hold on to your tail feathers…It’s thrilling!

The single is not featured on their most recent digital album, Intimacy, so don’t bother looking there! Instead, the song will be released on October 20th, and included in the album’s physical release on October 27th.

Luckily, the video is available now…Watch away!

It’s a super smash of the electroclash: Enter Russell Lissack of Bloc Party and Milena Mepris of former group Black Moustache and what have you? Why, it’s spicy new side project, of course–Pin Me Down! As you can see above, they clean up nice. Well, I don’t know if they’re actually grimy in the first place, but…Well, what I’m trying to say is that they arouse me.

Alright, so I’m a little behind on their progress. Their first single, “Cryptic” dropped a little over a month ago on June 2 packaged with remixes galore, but that doesn’t mean the promotion has got to stop there! Check out the song above…It’s a very straightforward tune, full of crashing guitar sounds and hard hitting electro beats, as well as an immediate, soaring vocal performance that provides the tune with a proper topping of pop perfection. Head over to their MySpace for another song, the gritty, glittery “Pretty In Pink” as well!