SMR LVE – To The Stars
Release date: 2021-09-17Within the past few years, Toronto-based outfit SMR LVE (pronounced as Summer Love) has accumulated an array of plaudits through their appraised range of vocal trance explorations. This journey to date becomes signified with the release of their debut artist album, To the Stars.
The duo, consisting of Mhammed El Alami and Chris Stebbins, rose to prominence thanks to the instincts of one of trance’s finest tastemakers in Daniel Kandi. With the ushering of spring, they made their Coldharbour Recordings bow through their emotionally-stirring uplifter Need Somebody, alongside That Girl. Having formed an important piece in Markus Schulz’s annual all-vocal In Bloom presentation, Need Somebody racked up streaming and download sales in a hurry; and provided strong footing on which To the Stars would be built.
As summer beckoned, so did the release of Rising Sun alongside Polly Strange; complimented with the Sunrise Set featured and previously unreleased Beautiful. And in rekindling their relationship with Eric Lumiere for Through the Fire, their warmup lap towards an album showcase was complete.
Featuring previously unheard work alongside the likes of Roxanne Emery, Linney and EL Waves, along with cemented pieces beside Christina Novelli and Kyler England, To the Stars demonstrates their versatility in marriage of music and song, across the broad range of trance’s terrain.
In 2021, SMR LVE embarked on a quest To the Stars. Their journey is complete.