Above & Beyond — Tri-State: an album with room to breathe

Tri-State frames Above & Beyond’s club sensibility as a collection of songs. The vocal presence and unhurried transitions make it feel comfortable outside a DJ set.

Listen closer

Air for Life and Alone Tonight offer different ways into the album’s emotional world. The record is a good reminder that trance albums can work as listening experiences, not just compilations of singles.

Songs as well as club records

Tri-State benefits from being heard as an album. The sequencing gives the vocal pieces and instrumental passages different roles, and the quieter moments make the more expansive ones feel earned. This is trance thinking applied to a collection rather than only to an individual mix.

The collaborations are central to its character. Voices bring distinct shades of intimacy to Above & Beyond's polished electronic production, and the strongest songs can stand outside a club context. Return to the extended versions afterwards and the decisions made for each listening environment become clearer.

If time is short, start with Air for Life and Alone Tonight; if possible, return for the full sequence. The contrast between tracks is part of the album's design, and it reveals a different side of the producers than a run of isolated singles.