Originally called Vaiio, after the Sony VAIO laptop, the project later changed its name: on the advice of their record label, they removed “va” to avoid potential issues with Sony in the future, thus giving birth to iiO, the project formed by Markus Moser and Nadia Ali. During the early 2000s, iiO released several dance hits, but their most famous track was probably also their first major success: Rapture, the song that brought them worldwide recognition.
Featuring elegant progressive and trance influences and the captivating voice of Nadia Ali, an American singer of Pakistani descent, Rapture conquered dancefloors across much of Europe in the autumn of 2001, even reaching No. 2 on the UK singles chart. The original version of the track would later be included on Poetica, the album released in 2005.
The project did not go unnoticed by numerous trance producers, as well as artists from other genres, with several of them putting their own spin on Rapture: among them were Riva, Deep Dish, John Creamer & Stephane K, Paul van Dyk and many others. However, the track reached the peak of its success within the trance scene with the rework by Armin van Buuren, which also became one of the first major successful remixes in his long career.
Released on United Recordings, the remix of Rapture by Armin van Buuren takes us on an intense and captivating trance journey, characterized by strong dark atmospheres and long, suspended breakdowns that further enhance the vocal structure of the track and, above all, the extraordinary performance by Nadia Ali.