Trance charts

Review: Multi Culti introduces Orchid's vibrant tribute to Spain's trance era on this album which merges Balearic allure with a rejection of modern techno's commercialism. Orchid, isolated in a psychedelic-deprived nation, yearns for the cultural fusion of sex, power, love, and sweetness found in Spanish-speaking music scenes. Techno Valencia beckons listeners to immerse themselves in a nostalgic journey, evoking the soulful resonance of a bygone musical era. Through exploration of archival sounds, Orchid resurrects the essence of pure musical expression, inviting a return to a time when music was deeply felt-a testament to passion and fun in an age of commercialisation.

Review: A new collaboration of Philoxenia Records founders Luigi Di Venere and Neu Verboten, Affekt Unit is informed by an aim to "spark new feelings on the dancefloor". The three track Discorgy EP celebrates their musical obsessions - Italo house, Frankfurt EBM-house and trance - with the result proving an electrifying crossover of these classic genres together with surprising new sounds. 'Oct-Opus' boasts a serious electro component, fused with progressive trance, UK bass, techno, transcendental rave and even a climactic outbreak of rave-era breaks. The title track 'Discorgy' draws from Euro dance and EBM, experimenting with a polyrhythmic bass line and bringing the kind of 'stadium house' that The KLF were always aiming for. Closing track 'Dreams Of Wrestlers' is cosmic house at its sweetest and beefiest, spruced here and there with Italo stabs and pianos, drum machine fills and some lovely subtle filtering. Not so much a case of something for everyone than everything from everyone, you might even say.

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: In celebration of their tenth birthday, Selador marks the occasion in style with a four-track collaborative EP, featuring tracks from 3D, Robert Owens, Olivier Giacomotto, Quivver, Dave Seaman, Hernan Cattaneo, Argia, and Jepe. The opening track, 'Known Love', is a deep, pulasting house tune that feels like an instant classic, perhaps thanks to the soulful, pop-tinged vocals - think LCD soundsystem meets Four Tet. 'Snailblazer', the second track on the EP, takes a much darker turn, with a chugging, EBM-esque feel. Full-bodied and complete with obscured vocals, this is the kind of track to pull out your bag when it's time to really get stuck in. On the B-side, 'Napkin Knowledge' draws on the glistening synths of eurodance, yet still securing the melodies to a grounded bassline and rhythm section. 'Salitre' is the perfect closing track, rising up in a gleaming, ecstatic melody, before delicately returning to ground level. A varied yet firmly cohesive collaborative release - the perfect way for Selador to kick off their 2023 catalogue.

Review: Following up the inaugural release by Braintalk, Zurich-based label Human Sense Technology returns for its second edition here, this time from hometown hero Dan Piu. He rebooted his career after a 16 year hiatus a few years ago and has been more prolific than ever, with releases on Childhood Electronix, Cartulis, and Hizou Deep Rooted Music. The Modern Utopia Thoughts EP is dedicated to his youth and influenced by future visions of creation, featuring early '90s UK techno sounds that are very much in fashion at the moment ('Dysfunctional / 'Libertarian On A Mission') deep subterranean 303 acid journeys Modern (the title track) and classic Chicago house tropes as heard on 'The NATA Liaison'.

Review: West Coast rave scene specialists Michael Kandel and Tom Chasteen are Voodoo Transmission and they have one again plunged deep in their vaults to serve up this reissue EP. One side boasts two dynamic dancefloor renditions that blend rhythmic layers with dubbed-out effects - 'Crazy Jane' channels Debbie Harry's 'Heart of Glass' on LSD. The flip side intensifies with downtempo gabba vibes with raging synths and abundant cymbal action. Three versions incorporate samples from Jimmy Stewart's 1946 monologue in It's A Wonderful Life to add another vibe entirely.

Review: Apogee Music's debut vinyl EP premieres this week. Italian melodic techno trio Folual's talent shines through four powerful tracks, accompanied by remixes from Italy's T78 (Autektone) with his pounding dub techno rework of 'Ghosts' and Swedish veteran Tiger Stripes with a peak time rework of 'Scanner'. The vinyl's exceptional sound quality adds to its allure. Don't miss this impressive release by Folual and Apogee. Tracks arranged, recorded, and mixed by Alessandro Bianchi and Luca Antolini at Apogee Music Studio, with production by Folual.

Review: Sex Tapes From Mars come back a year after their last EP with a third one on the small but well-formed label and this one is handed over to Jata. Opener Stutter '(I)' is pure funky techno and mind altering cosmic synth work for the peak time. It's a bright and vivid sound world that's as good for the head as the heel. 'Midstate' then gets more dirty with warp synth riffs and smeared chords over industrial tech beats. It's restless and kinetic and another dancefloor bomb. Last of all comes the wonky closer Stutter '(I)' which is full of trippy effects and freaky little synth motifs over squelching basslines.

Review: The Club Vision label is hurtling towards its tenth release with another potent techno offering from underground favourite Riccardo - two c's. As always he brings plenty of character to his machine sounds, such as with the lazy bassline that underpins the cosmic tech of opener 'Ricordi'. 'Foulard' is another one with bright synths and naive riffs that hook you in while the thudding drums and steely snares drive things onwards. 'Parade' is a playful one again with wispy pads and whistling leads that convey a real innocence. 'Curtain' shuts down with a touch of trance and prog energy as the future tech grooves march on.

Review: Grown-up techno label Kompkat has always served up its most dancefloor ready sounds as part of the Speicher series and it is now up to an impressive 129 installments. This one kicks off with Hunter/Game & U S H N U's collaboration 'Reload' which is an electric cut with bright synth lines shimmering about the mix next to thunderous claps and dark future vocals. On the flip, Bawrut cuts loose with rave stabs over dense percussive grooves with vocal snatches adding to the unsettling and boisterous mood of 'Clapa', which does indeed also have plenty of claps.

Review: There is a great backstory to this new one on Blue Hour: when Stockholm producer, DJ and promoter Maya Lourenco aka Parallax Deep was digging for music in the local Snickers Record store, she found two classic goa and psy trance tracks that particularly interested her. As such she snapped them up, took them home and began to work on her own distinctive edits of them, rearranging sections, cutting up bits and adding extra details while never getting too far away from the essence of the originals. Her edits of those two originals - 'Gobi Desert' by 100th Monkey & Tristan from 1995 - and 2000's 'Bunker' by Four Carry Nuts - are pressed up here and both sound brilliant.

Review: Acid Waxa take a break from carrying Roy's mind-warping rave gear to bring you the deep donking, hardstyle hype-up of 'The Kingdom Of Scotland' by Romeo Taylor. You may have already heard the track bouncing around the odd mix or two for those with a penchant for full-fat hard dance with a wry comedic edge. On one hand it's a patriotic pelter, on the other it's a neo-rave laff which will comfortably lodge itself in your brain, more than ably backed up by some more wayward ravey gags and headsy gear (watch out for the simmering, heads-down wave-splashed techno of 'Keep Him On The Line'. Roy Of The Ravers is on hand to deliver a more direct remix of 'The Kingdom Of Scotland' on the B side which blows the original out into a wigged out, spooked up acid gurgler. oot!