Album Review: XONE by Paul Todd – A Trance Odyssey You Didn’t Know You Needed
If you’re into electronic music that feels like it was brewed in some neon-lit underground club but still has enough polish to soundtrack your existential crises, XONE by Paul Todd might just hit the spot. Released back in 2015 under Extrema Global Music (shoutout to the UK for keeping trance alive), this album doesn’t try too hard—and that’s exactly why it works.
Let’s cut to the chase: the title track, XONE (Original Mix), is an absolute banger. It kicks off with this hypnotic beat that sneaks up on you like a cat stalking its prey—soft at first, then BAM, you're hooked. The build-ups are smooth as butter, and when the drop finally hits? Pure euphoria. This isn’t one of those tracks where you wait forever for something to happen; it keeps moving, evolving, pulling you deeper into its groove. I remember blasting this late at night while staring out my window, pretending I was in some cinematic montage about self-discovery. Cheesy? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely.
Then there’s the Astuni Remix. Holy cow, does this version flip the script or what? Where the original mix feels sleek and calculated, Astuni takes things darker, grittier, almost like they threw the song into a storm and let chaos do its thing. The bassline gets nastier, the synths take on this eerie edge, and suddenly you’re not vibing in a cozy club anymore—you’re lost in some cyberpunk alleyway. It’s wild how two versions of the same track can evoke such different moods. One minute you're dreaming about dancing under strobe lights, the next you're plotting your escape from a dystopian cityscape. Bravo, Astuni. Bravo.
What makes XONE stick in my brain isn’t just the quality—it’s the vibe. Todd knows how to craft sounds that linger, even if you don’t realize it right away. There’s no over-the-top theatrics here, no desperate attempts to grab attention. Just solid, well-executed trance that respects the genre without being afraid to tinker around the edges.
And honestly? That’s kind of beautiful. In a world full of flashy drops and overproduced beats, XONE reminds us that sometimes less really is more. Or maybe I’m just sentimental because I once spilled coffee all over myself while listening to the remix. Either way, give it a spin—you won’t regret it.
P.S. If anyone asks, yes, I totally cried during the breakdown of the original mix. No shame.
