Up next is a refined and updated version of BT’s primary logo, for use on all future albums, press materials, posters, and miscellaneous collateral materials. This is not part of a font family—like the previous logo for which BT has become so renowned, this one is a custom job as well. Squashed, flatter, more angular and a bit more modernist with mathematically precise curves, this is a suitable (if somewhat unnecessary) identity redesign.

Available for your personal, non-commercial use is the logo in vector Photoshop PSD and standard PNG graphic formats. Have fun and enjoy!

Right click to download:

Photoshop [PSD]
Portable Network Graphics [PNG]

As so often happens in the world of Apple leading up to product announcements, all it takes is one overzealous underling doing just a little too much prep work to spill the beans. Thanks to a (likely soon-to-be-unemployed) employee of Nettwerk I present to you, the tracklistings for three variations of BT’s upcoming single “The Rose of Jericho,” complete with album art. The listed date of release is June 23, 2009… but take that with a grain of salt.

Rose of Jericho
1. Rose of Jericho (BT’s Deus ex Machina Album Mix)
2. Rose of Jericho (Sultan & Ned Shepard Remix)
3. Rose of Jericho (Adam K & Soha Remix)
4. Rose of Jericho (Robbie Rivera New Juicy Music Mix)
5. Rose of Jericho (Robbie Rivera Juicy Miami After Hours Remix)
6. Rose of Jericho (Virtual Vault Remix)

Rose of Jericho (Part 1)
1. Rose of Jericho (BT’s Deus ex Machina Album Mix)
2. Rose of Jericho (Sultan & Ned Shepard Remix)
3. Rose of Jericho (Robbie Rivera New Juicy Music Mix)

Rose of Jericho (Part 2)
1. Rose of Jericho (Adam K & Soha Remix)
2. Rose of Jericho (Virtual Vault Remix)
3. Rose of Jericho (Robbie Rivera Juicy Miami After Hours Remix)

The first appears to be the United States release, while Part 1 and 2 are very likely UK singles, as the division of tracks keeps the total running time under 40 minutes and allows them to chart properly. So, who are these people?

Sultan & Ned Shepard - These guys are the cream of the crop. Sultan became well-known initially though his progressive house work on Shinichi in 2003 and subsequent collaborations with Tone Depth, Ned Shepard is one half of former chillout progressive breaks duo Digital Witchcraft. Sultan and Shepard have teamed up quite a bit in the last few years (most notably under the Digital Witchcraft-esque side project Jiva), migrating more towards an edgier, housey sound. I can’t say I’m a fan of their recent work, which is a shame… because from 2003 to 2005 both Sultan and Ned had the golden touch. I can’t say they would’ve been my first choice for this target of genre (I would’ve gone to the Greeks: Dousk, Chris Nemmo, Kosmas Epsilon, Jose Zamora, G-Pal, Stel, et. al.), but there’s a reasonable chance we’ll get something decent. I just doubt it’ll crack Diggers’ monthly chart unless he’s desperate for material.

What you’re getting: A progressive house stomper
Choice of remixer: C

Adam K & Soha - You’re still in progressive house territory, albeit the electrohouse variant. Most of their attention comes from their remixes of Chicane (Bruised Water with Natasha Bedingfield), Deadmau5 (Hey Baby) and Kaskade (the utterly delicious 4 AM). It’s decent stuff, but painfully trendy. These are the guys you call when Deadmau5 is on tour, Glenn Morrison isn’t available, and you don’t want to deal with Pryda. Not to say this doesn’t have incredible potential—I anticipate something that will compliment a middle set nicely. I may even spin it myself.

What you’re getting: Faxing Berlin with a BT melody.
Choice of remixer: B+

Robbie Rivera - Here’s your pretentious tech house trainwreck, complete with monotonous thuds, non-sensical synth blips, rogue arps and virtually no point considering the original source material (which is really as far as it needed to go). I’d normally recommend Gui Boratto or James Holden in cases like this, except it doesn’t change the issue. I have nothing against Robbie Rivera personally, I just think his music is bland and uninspired like the vast majority of the genre he dwells in. The Afterhours mix may have some potential, since a title like that usually implies a chill pill of some kind.

What you’re getting: More blippy bleep bloops in an already bleepy song.
Choice of remixer: C-

Virtual Vault - These guys are fairly new, and bring absolutely nothing unique to the table. What we have here is another trance act, completely indistinguishable from everyone else producing the same things using the same software, patches and sounds. Paraphrasing Chris Rock’s Academy Awards crack: If you want Ferry Corsten and all you can get is Virtual Vault… WAIT! Will it chart? Yep. Will every trance DJ and their cousins play it? Of course. But it’s still fodder. Airwave, Armin Van Buuren or Maor Levi would have been more effective (and more talented) alternatives.

What you’re getting: The bastard child of Robert Miles and Above & Beyond, toddler-aged.
Choice of remixer: D

Also of note is a slight adjustment in the typeface of BT’s logo—whether it’s custom or a font family remains to be seen.

More news and views nobody asked for, as more info becomes available. Hat tip to the brother who called this in.

Within the last couple days, bubbling underneath the surface has been a controversy stemming from trance producer Dave Darell’s complete and utter lack of judgement by posting his remix of BT’s upcoming single Suddenly. We obviously do not endorse people seeking this out, for a myriad of reasons:

1. Leaking of music prior to its release creates unrealistic expectations amongst everyone including the person actually making the music, expectations that are pretty much impossible to satisfy. It’s unfair to the artist and selfish of the listener. Giving non-contributing musicians creative control of any kind is a death knell to your work. Nobody (including you) will ever be satisfied with the final product.

2. BT tends to have a scorched earth policy regarding leaked material. In 2003, an alpha version of Paris—initially a collaboration with Jody Wisternoff of Way Out West—was clipped from a live recording of a set Jody was spinning six months prior to the release of Emotional Technology. BT responded in-kind: by completely changing the track into a final product that contained only trace similarities to the leaked demo. Typical advice for people who work with BT or will in the future: Don’t do it. This isn’t Nike.

3. Dave Darell’s remix of Suddenly is so horrifically awful on uncountable levels, nobody should want to seek this out.

Leaks are inevitable and will continue to be as we get closer to the release of the new album, nobody is denying that. But for God’s sake, if you insist on hearing something, at least make sure it was intended to be heard. All signs point to this being a most definite “No”.

Rageous out.