The group's initial success was aided in part by popular trance musicians remixing their original work. The first single to be released in 2001 was the song "Clear Blue Water" which was remixed by several artists, but the most successful remix was done by Ferry Corsten. The second single "Sky Falls Down" was released in 2002 and remixed by Armin van Buuren. The third single "Beautiful Together" was released in 2003 and was remixed by Seraque, Silvester and Signum. The single that is considered to be their break-through track is "Satellite" their fourth single which was released in 2004.
On 24 August 2007 "Breaking Ties" (Above & Beyond's Analog Haven Mix), was featured on TATW #178. Audio footage of "Breaking Ties" started to surface on YouTube around October 2007. On 1 November 2007, Miracle also appeared on YouTube. Although this was given as the title on the Above & Beyond official forum, at the time the title was unconfirmed.
McGuinness and Siljamäki of OceanLab discussed the album during an interview in Riga, Latvia: We've been experimenting with a completely new sound - one of the tracks we're working on right now features a 56 piece mouse choir. We went diving in Formentera too to record some noises from the dolphins.
On 14 March 2008, "Sirens of the Sea" (Above & Beyond Club Mix) premiered on TATW #207. It was presented as one of the new singles for the upcoming album. Prior to this, "Sirens of the Sea" (Kyau & Albert Remix) was released on Above and Beyond's Anjunabeats Volume 3.
On 7 April 2008, the single "Sirens of the Sea" was released. New remixes by Sonorous, Cosmic Gate, as well as the Kyau & Albert remix were included. Also included was a .WAV file of Maor Levi's remix of "Sirens of the Sea".
On 10 June 2008, OceanLab's debut album - Sirens of the Sea - was announced on the Anjunabeats website with a release date of 21 July 2008. The single, "Miracle", appeared a week earlier on 14 July 2008. Included in the single are Above and Beyond's Club Mix of tracks, as well as remixes by Martin Roth, Michael Cassette and Fletch. The "Sirens of the Sea Remixed" album released in 2009 includes the most successful remixes of OceanLab's three most popular tracks that had only been released as singles - Satellite, Sky Falls Down and Clear Blue Water.
On 30 January 2014, McGuinness and Siljamäki confirmed via Reddit that the artist name OceanLab would no longer be used on future productions, with Justine Suissa now being identified as a part of Above & Beyond.
On 26 September 2015, however, Above & Beyond featured a new surprise Oceanlab production at ABGT150 in Sydney, Australia. The title of this new trance single is Another Chance.
Albums
* 2008: Sirens of the Sea
* 2009: Sirens of the Sea: Remixed
Singles
* 2001: "Clear Blue Water"
* 2002: "Sky Falls Down"
* 2003: "Beautiful Together"
* 2004: "Satellite"
* 2008: "Sirens of the Sea"
* 2008: "Miracle"
* 2008: "Breaking Ties"
* 2009: "On A Good Day"
* 2009: "Lonely Girl"
* 2010 "On A Good Day (Metropolis)"
* 2016 "Another Chance"
Remixes
* 2001: "When Love Breaks Down (OceanLab Remix)" - Teaser
* 2002: "For a Lifetime (OceanLab Remix)" - Ascension
* 2009: "tonight (above & beyond remix) - dirty vegas
Ashes
Oceanlab Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Misty covered glass I spied
A sad procession, snaking down
The dry and deathly trail
And as my telescopic eye
Focused on the marching line
It settled on the fallen crown
Now covered with a veil
The heavy weight of mourning
Drew each head to face the ground
Muscles tight on bearers' arms
Each body cold and frail
And through the muslin mist
The beating drums, the only sound
Twenty boats out in the bay
All ready to set sail
Ashes take me back to Earth
Water quench my human thirst
Ashes take me back to Earth
Water quench my human thirst
My bones soaked in the icy cold
And fixed me where I lay
Until each vessel left the shore
And made a line for me
There never was a breeze
The leaves were silent all that day
They say the sails were ghosts
That stole the wind to set them free
I layed transfixed
Felt nothing, but the beating of my fear
As flames rose up and swallowed whole
Greatest of the fleet
The others circled round
And I heard chanting fill the air
The ashes, lifted high
Were falling back into the sea
Ashes take me back to Earth
Water quench my human thirst
Ashes take me back to Earth
Water quench my human thirst
The lyrics to Oceanlab's song "Ashes" paint a dark and eerie picture of a funeral procession taking place by a body of water. The first verse sets the scene with a telescope-like focus on the procession and the fallen crown, now covered with a veil. The second verse describes the weight of mourning and the sound of the beating drums as the boats line up to set sail. The chorus, "Ashes take me back to Earth, Water quench my human thirst," seems to be an appeal to return to the natural world after death.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of the supernatural, from the misty-covered glass to the sails being ghosts. The imagery is haunting and visceral, conveying a sense of loss and the inevitability of death. The repeated chorus adds to the haunting atmosphere, as if the singer is pleading for a release from their earthly existence.
Overall, "Ashes" is a powerful and poetic song that explores themes of mortality, grief, and the mysteries of death.
Line by Line Meaning
Across the Eerie waters
Over the mysterious sea
Misty covered glass I spied
I looked through a foggy telescope
A sad procession, snaking down
A mournful group weaving through
The dry and deathly trail
The lifeless path below
And as my telescopic eye
While I focused my far-seeing lens
Focused on the marching line
My sight fixated on the procession
It settled on the fallen crown
And rested on the lost crown
Now covered with a veil
Now hidden beneath a cloth
The heavy weight of mourning
The burden of grief
Drew each head to face the ground
Forcing everyone to bow down
Muscles tight on bearers' arms
The carriers' arms straining
Each body cold and frail
Every body weak and frail
And through the muslin mist
Through the sheer haze
The beating drums, the only sound
The drums thudding as the only noise
Twenty boats out in the bay
Twenty ships floated in the bay
All ready to set sail
Prepared to start their journey
Ashes take me back to Earth
Let the remains return to the ground
Water quench my human thirst
Let me drink water to quench my thirst
My bones soaked in the icy cold
I was freezing, chilled to the bone
And fixed me where I lay
Immovable in my spot
Until each vessel left the shore
Until each ship departed from the coast
And made a line for me
And lined up to receive me
There never was a breeze
No breeze was ever felt
The leaves were silent all that day
Trees rustled still, without a sound
They say the sails were ghosts
Rumored that the sails were ghost-like
That stole the wind to set them free
That took the wind to break their chains
I layed transfixed
I froze in place
Felt nothing, but the beating of my fear
Only felt my fear thumping inside
As flames rose up and swallowed whole
As the fire rose and consumed everything
Greatest of the fleet
The largest ship in the group
The others circled round
The rest of the ships surrounded it
And I heard chanting fill the air
I heard voices chanting all around
The ashes, lifted high
The remains, raised up
Were falling back into the sea
Dropping back into the water
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANTHONY PATRICK JAMES MCGUINNESS, JONATHAN DAVID GRANT, JUSTINE SIMONE FREHA SUISSA, PAAVO OLAVI SILJAMAEKI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Baheccakonova7
"Ashes"
Across the eerie waters
Misty covered glass I spied
A sad procession snaking down
The dry and deathly trail
And as my telescopic eye
Focused on the marching line
It settled on the fallen crown
Now covered with a veil
The heavy weight of mourning
Drew each head to face the ground
Muscles tight on bearers arms
Each body cold and frail
And through the muslin mist
The beating drums the only sound
Twenty boats out in the bay
All ready to set sail
Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst
Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst
My bones soaked in the icy cold
And fixed me where I lay
Until each vessel left the shore
And made a line for me
There never was a breeze
The leaves were silent all that day
They say the sails were ghosts
That stole the wind to set them free
I lay transfixed
Felt nothing but the beating of my fear
As flames rose up and swallowed whole
Greatest of the fleet
The others circled round
And I heard chanting fill the air
The ashes lifted high
Were falling back into the sea
Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst
Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst
@Baheccakonova7
Across the Eerie waters 💖
Misty covered glass I spied
A sad procession, snaking down
The dry and deathly trail
And as my telescopic eye
Focused on the marching line
It settled on the fallen crown
Now covered with a veil
The heavy weight of mourning
Drew each head to face the ground
Muscles tight on bearers' arms
Each body cold and frail
And through the muslin mist
The beating drums, the only sound
Twenty boats out in the bay
All ready to set sail
Ashes take me back to Earth
Water quench my human thirst
Ashes take me back to Earth
Water quench my human thirst
My bones soaked in the icy cold
And fixed me where I lay
Until each vessel left the shore
And made a line for me
There never was a breeze
The leaves were silent all that day
They say the sails were ghosts
That…
@Uzzy649
Ashes"
Across the eerie waters
Misty covered glass I spied
A sad procession snaking down
The dry and deathly trail
And as my telescopic eye
Focused on the marching line
It settled on the fallen crown
Now covered with a veil
The heavy weight of mourning
Drew each head to face the ground
Muscles tight on bearers arms
Each body cold and frail
And through the muslin mist
The beating drums the only sound
Twenty boats out in the bay
All ready to set sail
Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst
Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst
My bones soaked in the icy cold
And fixed me where I lay
Until each vessel left the shore
And made a line for me
There never was a breeze
The leaves were silent all that day
They say the sails were ghosts
That stole the wind to set them free
I lay transfixed
Felt nothing but the beating of my fear
As flames rose up and swallowed whole
Greatest of the fleet
The others circled round
And I heard chanting fill the air
The ashes lifted high
Were falling back into the sea
Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst
Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst
@charmin745
It's 2023 and I listen to it over and over. Beautiful mix of music, voice, lyrics, and DRUMS
@Castle24
I can still remember driving to the coast with an old girlfriend listening to strictly trance the entire way. We talked about trivial things mostly, but any time a song like this came on, there was nothing but silence.
It moved my soul, and I shared a moment lost in time and emotion. Trance truly saved my life from drugs. It made me miss myself, my friends, my family. Thank you OceanLab, Above and Beyond, and all the others captivated every ounce of my shame and put it to hope.
Every time I hear this particular song come on, I miss her brown eyes and the warmth of that car ride. And I miss the breath of the ocean; the pure rapture of my life begun anew.
Thank you for trance. Thank you for all music.
@Castle24
captivating*
>_>
Dem grammar mistakes.
@idlh
Hence the name "Trance!"
@Castle24
Been almost a year since I last posted about this. I still gravitate to this song during times of need. To those of you who empathized with me and enjoyed my story, I'm touched. Here I am at 2:30AM moderately content with myself, but I needed that final something to unburden my soul. Thanks again OceanLab.
@JippysProfoundings
<3 Trance thanks you!
@fridakahlo9027
What a nice memory. Thanks for sharing.
@ksy4747
I always pictured the spirit of the one who died observing his/hers own funeral and longing to return back to being human . Reading the lyrics more thoroughly for the first time in years I think that's exactly what is happening in the song. This is my favorite OceanLab song and I have some of the best memories to this song... time flew by too fast..
@mizzhudson0127
Yes I totally agree! I've always felt the same way since I heard this song. It seems like that's what I hear them saying in the lyrics
@MDCSWildcats86
Specifically, it's a Valkyrie (still alive) imagining her own funeral.