Artist Spotlight: The Arkham Knights Rises

Exploding out of Leeds, UK, Arkham Knights quickly gained the attention of trance lovers with their dark, progressive sound. Stuart and Ben Turner are the two brothers under the vigilant name that resembles the one and only DC’s Dark Knight, Batman.

When Arkham Knights started to make their presence in Markus Schulz’s live sets and on various track listings, I, like many others, became intrigued with this mysterious duo; their sound lured my ears to shake my body with unorthodox dance moves, while the strength in their name caught my eyes.

“Stu (Stuart) actually thought of the name a couple of months before the (Batman) game came out and it was just coincidentally called Arkham Knight, ha”, Ben told me in a Facebook message. “But the name is based upon the Batman theme (😀)”.

The name that the Turner brothers chose isn’t just for appearances, their productions and mixes affirms their right for such a strong DJ alias. However, the Coldharbour Recordings Label was not the first to discover the captivating sounds of the Turner brothers. Arkham Knights actually entered the scene a year ago on Infrasonic and Interstate Recordings.

Arkham Knights

With freshmen hits like “Tomorrow’s World” in 2014, Arkham Knights gained the support of DJs like Solid Stone, Paul Van Dyk and Ben Gold. Then in 2015, many Coldharbour fans fell in love with the euphoric percussions of “Blackgate”. It wasn’t long after that their massive hit “Knightfall” was feature on Schulz’s label. This was a dream comes true (as they described Coldharbour Recordings to be their dream label in their Facebook bio).

After it was featured on the Global DJ Broadcast radio show, the track rapidly became a fan-favorite for all the Trance Warriors battling the good fight on dance floors and in festivals worldwide. It’s not surprising that Arkham Knights’ first track on the Coldharbour swiftly won the support of veteran DJs like Mark Sixma, Simon Patterson and Lange.

The success of “Knightfall” is benchmark as their first Top 10 track in the Beatport Trance Chart, reaching up to the #3 spot. Another notable achievement is its featured on the iconic Ministry of Sound compilation: Trance Nation, which is mixed by the Coldharbour label Boss himself.

Arkham Knights’ follow up track on the Coldharbour label, “Legacy”, is no slouch either, and lives up to the track’s name. Many fans loved their second Coldharbour release, voting it up to the #7 spot on the Beatport Trance chart. Their notches of success not only proves that the two brothers from Leeds are no one hit wonder, but they also have the ability to hold their own with the current stars of trance.

 

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The Boss of Coldharbour had some kind words for the new rising stars in February’s edition of Raver Magazine. In an interview with Michael Beas, Schulz explains what he is looking for when it comes to the Coldharbour sound:

“As for Coldharbour and me, I am not just looking for a new track. I am not just looking for a new vibe. I am looking for a new attitude. I am looking for someone who is going to blow me away with the whole package . . . Right now, Arkham Knights is doing that for me. They have really come up with this new Tech Trance old Tiesto sound that is filled with energy. I think that is really what Trance is missing right now. It’s missing that groove and sometimes there is too much standing around . . . I think that Arkham Knights does it perfectly.”

The perfect sound that Schulz described in his interview is the intense techno infused trance that delivers a progressive punch. Their productions are powered by driving percussion, rumbling bass-lines & infectious melodies that is a synergy of uplifting beauty and passionate aggression. Their sets and mixes are composed of songs that contains looping melodies that progressively builds up to release an orchestra of sounds that penetrates the genre of trance, strung together by a techno synth.

The Turner brothers have an ability to travel through both genres that is refreshing to fans. This is the reason why fans are quick to jump on the dancefloor when they hear the hypnotizing drums and hi-hats of Arkham Knights. Don’t believe me? Check out their Twitter page that is filled with complimenting Tweets. As for their ability to travel in between genres, check out their guest mix on Judge Jules radio show, Global Warm Up. If trance and techno had a musical baby, this is what it would sound like.

If you want to get more acquaint with the sounds of Arkham Knights, be sure to catch their weekly radio show: Arkham Knights Presents: Arkham Afterhours. Every month, their hourly show features new music that incorporates the deep and progressive side trance. Be careful that you don’t fall into their rabbit hole, fair warning.

 

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Don’t miss your chance to catch these two as they join fellow Coldharbour DJs Fisherman & Hawkins, MIKE EFEX, Dave Neven, with special guest, the legendary Ronski Speed for another Coldharbour Night at Avalon in LA, April 9th. Tickets are cheap, so they’re sure to sell out.

Tickets: http://bit.ly/avalon49

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About Airec Syprasert

Airec Syprasert is a graduate from San Francisco State University with a degree in English, Creative Writing and dabbled a little bit in journalism. Originally from the small town Visalia, he now lives in San Francisco. Airec has a vast taste for music, literature, and various forms of comedy. Since graduating, Airec shares a piece of his humor with his two blogs adarkmindedgiggle.com and sorryasianparents.com. Another blog that he writes for is for Phoria Events, reviewing trance music. Aside from writing, Airec enjoys going to live music shows of all types and tries to attend as many festivals as he can.

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