Back catalogue: Trance

Review: Hyperdrive's label debut was a biggie that brought together old and new-school techno on one fizzing EP. The follow-up comes soon after and this time makes no bones about being a Rave Revival. Anthrophia's 'The Voice' kicks off with what is a hefty breakbeat cut with edgy rave stabs and slamming bass. Dimension 23 - 'Fascination' (Seb G mix) then takes a more stripped-back approach with turbocharged synths layered up over silky drums. Centuras brings plenty of bright, euphoric prog energy to the urgent drum funk of 'Jizz' and last of all Dimension 23's 'The Eagle' then kicks out more dusty old-school breaks with machine gun synth fire. A potent EP, make no mistake.

Review: Released just days after their Reflections tour, I Jordan and Sherelle link with club institution Fabric and their new label Fabric Originals. Both artists currently working on inspiring stratospheric levels, their energy is captured here across the two unique tracks. I Jordan rinse us up and down the highways and byways of the UK with their high impact 'M1 / M3' while Sherelle goes full-on techno with 'Getoutofmymind'. Intoxicating stuff!

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: Sasha & Digweed are known for their heavy hands in pop and trance, but the former's best known work has to be 'Xpander', which set him apart from his myriad remixes of Madonna, Moby and The Chemical Brothers back in the day. Now the 4-track EP version of 'Xpander' sees a double 12" reissue from Music On Vinyl, showing off Sasha's taste for advanced breaks-trance, psychic themes and everything in between.

Review: Technohead were a married couple of Lee Newman and Michael Wells who also famously recorded under the other names Greater than One (GTO), Tricky Disco, Signs of Chaos and Church of Extacy, They were well known in the late 80s and early 90s for their raw techno and rave tunes that explored every genre in the electronic dance kaleidoscope from Gabber to ambient music, even scoring a UK number one single with the warwormy pop gabba of 'I Want To Be A Hippy'. In 1993, their hardcore hit 'Passion' was a huge success. Now, a little more than 30 years later, German veteran Thomas Schumacher updates the track into another anthem worth checking out. Whichever side you choose, expect this slice of techno history to reign over the dancefloor. An unforgettable tune.

Review: Future Romance's Collector II release is a futuristic trek into through the realms of melodic trance and techno, featuring four melodic tracks by different distinct artists. Solee's 'Euphoria' takes trance into the future with a smoother, more reserved approach, toning down the over-the-top elements for a refined experience. Paul Angelo & Don Argento's 'Harpe' delves into a deeper style of trance, characterised by snappy percussion and growling basslines, with influences from goa trance. On the flip side, Drumcomplex & Frank Sonic's 'Ultra Hex' offers celestial-sounding techno that builds euphorically. Closing the EP, Off Night's 'Definition' presents the most peak-time trance track, with epic and big-sounding elements. If you are looking for the future of the trance and neo-trance, check this out this EP from the birthplace of the genre.

Review: Hess Public has not been in a hurry to put out new music having debuted back in 2021 and only now has it hit release number three, but the last two sold out in quick time and the second surely will too. It is a collaborative affair that sees French artists Arnaud is Dancing, Solma and remixer Maelit share the production duties. All four of these cuts are punchy deep tech with a penchant for progressive melodies as on 'Sugar Snake' which takes you deep into the cosmos. 'Stomatal Conductance' is riddled with bacterial sounds and the Maelita remix of 'Incomplete Integration' is a fluttering and cut of loopy, deft breakbeats.

Review: Given his profile and the fact that much of his music is released via the Diynamic Music imprint he co-founded way back in 2006, it's something of a surprise to see Solomun pop up on Running Back - a testament, perhaps, to his friendship with RB chief Gerd Janson. 'Can't Stop' is undoubtedly a peak-tine classic in the making - a breathless, non-stop sprint in which waves or raw electronic lead lines, TB-303 driven bass and tech-house flourishes ride a jacking house beat. It comes backed with more percussive, beefed-up 'Dub Mix' and bonus cut 'Follow The Disco Ball', a sparkling blend of stomping house, Eurodance style lead lines and pulsating Italo-disco bass.

Review: Alex Stein's Delusion EP is a sonic rollercoaster of techno innovation. 'Delusion' thrusts listeners into a mesmerizing fusion of heavy techno and trance, dominating the main floor with its colossal sound. The bone-crushing bassline anchors the track, while its futuristic undertones flirt with psy trance, creating a vortex of heavy beats and hypnotic rhythms. On 'The Leap', Stein delves deeper into the realms of acid techno, crafting an intense journey tailor-made for massive rave mainstages. The track's monumental build-up crescendos to euphoric heights, setting dancefloors ablaze with relentless energy. Stein's mastery in constructing immersive soundscapes is evident, ensuring 'The Leap' will leave an indelible mark on the techno scene with its head-turning beats and futuristic allure, sheer intensity and sonic complexities.

Review: Jake Stephenson's compilation Selected Works: 1995-1999 pays tribute to his diverse musical personas and their eclectic styles. Across celestial sounds that traverse genres, Stephenson showcases his timeless production talent that makes his music very desirable today. On the techno-infused side, Bass Meditation's 'Symbiotic' (D-Troit mix) excites with psychedelic chill-out vibes, while Dr. Psychedelic's 'Hypnotic Tripnotic' seamlessly merges elements of psy trance, techno, and rave music. Shamanic Tribes On Acid takes listeners on a spiritual journey with 'With The Wind Blows Peace,' featuring stunning trance melodies that evoke a sense of serenity. 'Voyage To Atlantis' (Percussion mix) further enhances the atmospheric experience with its soothing ambient tones and floaty beauty through ethereal realms. Selected Works: 1995-1999 serves as a testament to his enduring talent and innovative approach to electronic music.

Review: Reissued through Dance On The Beat, Storm's debut self-titled EP from 1998 gets a fresh reissue, doing best justice to the incarnation of the release put out via Positiva Records, which heard the original club mix sit side-by-side with remixes from Man With No Name (real name Martin Freeland) and Rollercoaster (Koen Groeneveld, Addy van der Zwan & Jan Voermans). Storm, in turn, were Markus Loffel & Rolf Ellmer, whom together laid down this debut dirge as a new exploration in trance music. The titular 'Storm' is an authentically tense, cyclonic trance whirl; the track proves that the genre need not just be thought of in gushingly emotive or ecstatic terms, that it can also be unnervin, sublime. Freeland and Rollercoaster's versions harness increasingly more barometer-shattering beats, like Raiden gods in command of supercells.

Review: Ubsism is back with more sonic adventures that explore hybrid and aquatic sounds and blend shifting atmospheres, spiraling variations and adventurous rhythms. Inspired by the ocean's deepest zones, this dawn dance album invites listeners into a world of sonic immersion with its pulsating dub basslines, ethereal pads and high-energy grooves. Hadale creates an otherworldly experience here as he oscillates between tranquility and intensity. The EP's unique approach offers a journey through deep, immersive soundscapes that mean it is perfect for both reflective listening and the dance floor alike. It's a bold and fluid work.

Review: The mighty Drumcode is back with another one of its beefy techno 12"s, this time with Sudo bringing the noise. The whole of the a-side is given over to 'Real World', a taught, twanging techno cut with scintillating snare rolls and pulsating pads driving it forward beneath raw vocals. On the flip, that knack for industrial sound design also reappears with more metal clangs but also some trance-inducing chords which will zone out dancers on 'Construction'. Last but not least is 'Mercury', a bright, upbeat trance-techno cut with euphoric feels washing over the jacked up beats.

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.