Trance Recommendations April 2011

Review: Over the last two decades, Andy Moor has earned a reputation as a purveyor of fine progressive house and (whisper it quietly) prog trance. For fans of Moor's distinct DJ style a kind of euphoric but musically sophisticated mix of catchy melodies, positive chords and epic breakdowns "Breaking The Silence Volume 2" is a real treat an action-packed progressive journey that doesn't so much boast peaks and troughs and peaks and more peaks. While the first disc slowly builds up the pressure from classic-style prog to big dancefloor anthems over an entertaining hour the second disc goes for the jugular straight from the off, delivering a cultured take on prog trance that's hard to resist.

Review: On its release last year, Gareth Emery's epic trance opus Northern Lights sold like hot cakes, becoming one of the biggest dance albums of the year. Here, the original album gets reworked by a bunch of hard-hitting big name trance, progressive and electro-house producers. Those who enjoyed Emery's original album will find plenty to titillate here, with Lange, Hardwell and John O'Callaghan turning it typically floor-friendly interpretations. Trance heads, in particular, will be drawn to Guiseppe Ottoviani's thumping, hands-in-the-air mix of the already massive "Sanctuary" and Denis Shepherd's classic rework of "I Will Be The Same", which comes on like vintage Paul Van Dyk after a night out with epic house-era Sasha.