Back catalogue: Trance

Review: One of the most legendary trance anthems of all time, 'The Age of Love', continues its reign with a fresh set of remixes that bridge generations of dance music fans. On Side-A, Charlotte de Witte & Enrico Sangiuliano inject their signature techno power into the track, transforming it into a driving, hypnotic beast. Charlotte has championed this remix in her sets and for good reasoniits retro synths and rolling energy make it a festival weapon, modernising the track while keeping its euphoric essence intact. Side-B opens with the 2021 remaster of Jam & Spoon's Watch Out For Stella mix, the definitive remix that catapulted the track into trance history. With its sprawling, cinematic breakdowns and timeless atmosphere. Rounding things out, Solomun delivers his Renaissance remix, a deep and unique take that shifts the track into a melodic house and techno hybrid, offering a fresh perspective without losing the original's magic. This re-release is both a tribute and a reinvention, proving that' The Age of Love' remains unstoppable on the dancefloor more than 30 years later.

Review: Re:discovery has got a superbly illusive reissue eon its hands here with 1993's Clouds Over Europe EP from Aquarian Atmosphere, 39626 and Unit 2. It is a cosmic deep tendon voyage that tingles all of your sense as you ride on the gloriously serene synths of opener 'White Clouds'. It is one of the three tunes from Aquarian Atmosphere, the others being 'Floating On Boyne' a dreamy downtempo number that leaves you gazing at the stars and also 'Rhiannon', a thinking melodic masterpiece. 39626' 'Elixir Of Life' is an intense mix of synth modulations and minimal rhythm and Unit 21s' 'Clubtraxx' (Movement 1 - unreleased version) is pure Detroit techno goodness.

Review: Concept Werkstatt is an experimental project, not defined by identity but by pure sound and vision. It offers a space, say the eponymous producer behind the beats, where music exists for its own sake, free from ego and expectation. The first transmission is a useful one that taps into tool-like techno. The opener is in a hurry to get you under its spell with dusty drums and fluttering percussion. 'Stahlwerk 102' is more raw with unsettling vocals beaming in as if down a badly tuned radio and two flip-side cuts keep things wonderfully weird.

Review: Between Stations is branching out with a new series of edits that take trance classics and rework them for modern floors. 'Track 1' is a slow start with percolating drums and fizzing synth energy all suggesting big drama is ahead. 'Track 2' is a speedy sound that takes off to the stars on lush synths full of subtle euphoria and nice pitched-up vocals. 'Track 3' cases down with more astral synths and star-gazing pads over hyperactive drums. Lovely stuff.

Review: Where dub and ambient house meets tense techno, Sascha Funk has us covered. The prolific Berlin DJ and producer has here created a monument to a nearly lost cultural artefact: the Germina Speeder, the only skateboard made in East Germany before reunification in 1986. Known for their unwieldy quality - likely the result of technical limitations faced by the chocolate factory improperly tasked with making them - the title track on this record rolls much more smoothly than the Speeder, its trucks comparatively loosened and boardside waxed. But most skateboards out there would likely pair well with this glorious, wind-in-your-hair dance EP; 'Bo Knows' and 'Master Mind' are easy-rolling, manual cascaders of equal calibre.

Review: A dynamic fusion of ghetto electro, trance and techno, this record is a fresh spin on familiar sounds. The title track, 'Booty Trance (feat Detroit's Filthiest)', is sure to stand out with crisp production that blends high-energy trance melodies with the raw edge of ghetto electro, creating an electrifying single. 'Another Time' shifts gears, drawing on 90s influences to craft an electro-techno hybrid that feels both nostalgic and forward-thinking. Its futuristic vibe and driving rhythm make it a standout for fans of classic electro with a modern twist. On Side-2, the Rawtakes Refix of 'Booty Trance' strips back the trance elements, leaning deeper into electro with a nod to Cybotron's iconic 'Clear'. The result is a grittier, street-smart version that feels grounded yet innovative. Closing the EP, the remix by Aura T-09 and Wheez-ie transforms the track into a hardcore techno anthem. The stomping beat and reimagined trance melodies elevate the energy, blending celestial tones with raw intensity. This EP is creative within the techno genre with diverse interpretations that will resonate across dancefloors and playlists alike.

Review: Originally released in 1990 as the follow-up to Chime, Orbital's 'Omen' EP cemented the duo's reputation for innovation in early electronica. Now freshly remastered for the Orbital LEDs series, this reissue captures the moment they expanded their sonic palette by fusing trance, house and unexpected elements like an ABC sample. Tracks like 'Omen,' 'Open Mind' and '2 Deep' alongside alternate versions 'The Fool' and 'The Tower' showcase their evolving vision with tunes that still bang. Overseen by Phil and Paul Hartnoll, the remaster preserves the EP's original impact with renewed clarity that reaffirms 'Omen' as a pivotal and forward-thinking release in their early catalogue.

Review: Long regarded as one of Italy's most forward-thinking techno producers, Enrico Sangiuliano has spent the past decade carving out a niche between peak-time precision and philosophical intent. From his roots in the country's free party scene to headlining global festivals, he's become known for sculpting tracks that are as emotive as they are explosive. Here, he links up with psytrance icons GMS, whose trailblazing output since the 90s brings a charged, otherworldly energy to the collaboration. 'Transcendence' unfolds like a spacecraft launch, all rising tension and arpeggiated release, with Sangiuliano's signature cinematic monologue anchoring it in the present. 'The Inner World' strips everything back into a meditative synthscape, hinting at future directions while reinforcing his long-standing fascination with the inner journey.

Review: Reissued 30 years on, SYT's 'Deep Drift' first hover-slammed its way onto our turntables as a spinoff EP of the much-nattered-about Shave Yer Tongue free party, which took place every Sunday night somewhere in suburban West London. The night's founders, Scott James and Christopher Hayne, took on this duo-deistic alien guise as a response to the tractor-beaming blisses they'd experienced on the dancefloor, yet which they could not find solid enough expression for in words. 'Siren' and 'Loop Hole' span allotropic forms of the same style, quantum superpositions of trance: cascading, welcoming, introductory; then cautionary, hovery, supernatural. 'Drift' goes big on the surround mix with extra boxy kicks; 'Jitter' then serves as a bleeping, free-teknikal enervation in trance, and is by far the best on the record, for its unguent stereo design and strobing synth patch layers.

Review: Released as a special picture vinyl, this collaboration offers two versions of the track that reimagine its infectious energy. Talla 2XLC, a celebrated figure in uplifting trance, teams up with Fragma (Ramon Zenker) for a stunning rework of the iconic trance anthem 'Toca's Miracle'. The A-side features the Extended Mix, a high-octane, 138 BPM version that drives with relentless basslines, booming kicks and tight percussion. The uplifting Ibiza-style piano synths combine with balearic percussion and bilingual vocals, creating an instantly euphoric vibe. As the breakdown introduces the signature Balearic guitar riff, the track builds to a peak of vocal trance intensity, leading into a powerful instrumental finish. On the flip side, the previously unreleased RRAW mix adds an exciting twist to the classic, presenting a fresh, dynamic take on the original. 'Toca's Miracle' continues to resonate as a timeless anthem, evoking memories of beachside raves and sun-drenched nights. With this new release, Talla 2XLC and Fragma successfully reignite the spirit of the track, breathing new life into a classic.

Review: Given that he's been active as a producer since the dawn of the 90s, it would be fair to say that Sven Vath is well worthy of an authoritative, expansive retrospective. That's certainly what we get here on this quadruple-vinyl mix of classic productions and fresh, eye-catching remixes. It's the latter that dominate the early stages of the collection - see Adam Port's hypnotic, didgeridoo-sporting revision of 'Ritual of Life', Speedy J's acid-fired stomp through 'Ballet-Fusion' - before Vath showcases some of his choice cuts. There's naturally to set the pulse racing, from the twisted, sub-heavy thump of 'Cala Llonga' and the tactile hypnotism of 'Sounds That Control Your Life', to the electroclash-meets-Kraftwerk flex of 'Dein Schweiss' and the ambient techno excellence of 'The Day After', a 21- minute epic from 1995 produced alongside Steffen Britzke as Astral Pilot.

Review: Boys Noize has been tearing up dance floors and serving up arresting electronic assaults for ages, often on his own self-titled label. He branches out here though with a new one, Ones & Zeros, which he has said is a "concept label reflecting new modes of creative and subcultural circulation". it launches with a bumper compilation featuring 22 blistering sounds across six sides of wax. Two of them come from the bas himself, one is a collar with Locked Club, and elsewhere new school and more established names like Skee Mask, Safety Trance and Manni Dee all offer up the sort of high impact tracks that will always be useful to have at your disposal for when the rave really is ready to peak.

Review: Yves Deruyter has spent forty years as a pioneering force in dance music; kown for his huge sets and anthemic musical procurements, his trajectory follows a familiar arc as an early tooth-cutter on Belgium's underground scene heralding later international recognition. His hits like 'Rave City' and 'Calling Earth' shook the earliest and staidest foundations of trance. To celebrate his career, a new ten-vinyl compilation celebrating Yves' work here proves that relevance isn't about trends - it's about a distinctive sound and an undying connection to the dancefloor.

Review: Serbian-born, NYC-based DJ and producer X-Coast returns with a new set of high-energy tracks designed for big arenas and main stages. As shown when remixing Shygirl's '4eva 'and DJ Gigola's 'La Batteria', he blends house, techno, electro, drum & bass and trance on labels like Steel City Dance Discs, Higher Ground and Mama Told Ya. X-Coast's signature sound fuses 90s and 00s rave nostalgia with modern production here and results in the tribal-infused 'Neapolis', soaring trance of 'Desert Storm,' and diva house energy of 'Hold Me Baby'. They all make for a dynamic collection which shows off X-Coast's genre-spanning versatility.