ARTY is perhaps the most consistent producer I have come across, when it comes to the combination of quantity and quality of releases. 2018 saw the release of 9 ARTY tracks/remixes, and 9 more under his trance-influenced Alpha 9 moniker. These included the much acclaimed single “Rain” and his tribute to Avicii, titled “Tim“, both of which charted in the Top 50 Tunes of 2018 on ASOT.
ARTY wastes no time getting things going in 2019, and keeps his insane release schedule as regular as ever with his newest single “Save Me Tonight” out on Armada. The release of Save Me Tonight also kicks off his new tour of the same name. According to the man himself, it’s his favorite production he’s ever done, influenced by the music of legends like Axwell, Ingrosso, Eric Prydz and Roger Sanchez.

In many ways, “Save Me Tonight” retains many of the signature ARTY progressive house elements, while adding some groovy ones through soaring pianos, funky house-styled vocals and a rhythmic drum loop in the break. Pianos have always played an integral role in ARTY’s production, epitomized in his beautiful single, “Tim”. However the pianos in that tune were warmer; “Save Me Tonight” is composed of a much brighter piano lead – which sounds a lot like the widely-renown Nexus preset, but is obviously polished to fit the track. Quite a significant number of classic deep house songs have relied on these pianos to carry the track through, and this one is no exception. On a side note, the album art is bursting with colors and complements the vibrant pianos perfectly.

In general, ARTY chooses a minimalist approach to “Save Me Tonight” – the mix is dominated by the piano lead, the vocals and the percussion (whether it be kicks, claps or loops). And it’s this uncluttered style that makes this song so catchy. The elements that ARTY does choose to use, however, are fine-tuned to perfection – the vocals are EQed on the deeper, bass-heavy side, while his signature white noise is incorporated subtly into the drop.
In my opinion, this track doesn’t match the calibre of his masterpieces like “Rain” and “Sunrise”, but it’s still a great feel-good tune regardless. Capping in at under three minutes, ARTY explores a slightly different style from his usual, without letting his sound design fade too far into the background. With a much different fun, loving vibe compared to his other sentimental, nostalgic ones, “Save Me Tonight” marks a pivotal point in his career – where he steps out of his comfort zone with more innovative productions and also embarks on a brand new tour.
It looks like there’s more to come with regards to this old-school vibe in “Save Me Tonight” – ARTY calls this song the ‘highlight’ of his last two years and he’s incredibly satisfied with the end result. He says that he has more songs in store than he can possibly release in 2019, so suffice it to say that the regular ARTY/Alpha 9 releases will continue unimpeded.
If you’re left wanting more from ARTY, check out my selection of his best music below: