Arty’s classic progressive anthem “Kate” turns 6 years old

In what now seems almost a lifetime ago, Russian ‘wunderkind’ Artyom Stoliarov emerged at one of electronic music’s most pivotal moments. The young producer, who had become known to the world as Arty, and recently announced the return of Alpha 9, would go on to work with the biggest names in trance, including Armin van Buuren, Above & Beyond, BT and Paul van Dyk. Arty’s unmistakably progressive take on the genre would result in tracks like ‘Kate’. The track that now celebrates its 6th Birthday, is a classic example of what made fans fall in love with his trademark sound.

Within the many sub-genres of electronic music, there are few terms that cause as much confusion as ‘progressive’. This particular squabble results from two trains of thought, on the one side it’s a definitive word describing sub-genres from house to trance. Flip the coin, and it simply describes the current, as yet untitled form pertaining to a new emerging style of music. For example, if music were to be categorized in the same way colors are, Maroon might be classified as “progressive”, as it emerged out of Red, borrowed some outside influence and landed up between two colors, forming something new. Now that we’ve clearly defined what progressive means, let’s get to the reason you’ve clicked the link.

Clearly marking a new direction for a style of music that had stepped out of the limelight, following its boom a decade earlier, the 2011 release of ‘Kate’ breathed new life into the genre, now colloquially known as trance 2.0. Sporting all the uplifting elements that so clearly define the genre, while borrowing basslines and beats that seemed slightly more suited to electro. Following the immense success of ‘Kate’, Arty would go on to further cement his trademark sound by remixing the likes of Ferry Corsten‘s classic ‘Punk’, once again moving crowds across the globe with the unique sound he had become known for.

Relive some dance floor memories with his 2011 Masterpiece below.