Back in stock: Uplifting Trance

Review: The history of 'Toca's Miracle' underscores how transformative the mashup era could be. By merging Coco Star's impassioned vocal from 'I Need a Miracle' with Fragma's 'Toca Me', a simple experiment became a phenomenon. This vinyl reissue foregrounds its dramatic tension: the interplay of shimmering synths and the vocal's raw emotional pull still feels electrifying. While the original captured a late-90s wave of clubbing euphoria, its carefully crafted layersian evocative bassline, cascading melody, and dynamic buildihave aged with grace. More than nostalgia, it's a reminder of dance music's power to reinvent itself and connect deeply with listeners.

Review: Dance On The Beat offer up a once-in-a-blue-moon reissue of a rather incredible trance release (most others aren't so up to snuff) by Quench aka CJ Dolan and Sean Quinn. 'Dreams' was first released in 1993 under its own name (an earlier version of the track, albeit with the same sounds, appeared under the name 'Untitled' on a Sirius Music V/A); it was only the latter release that did the track justice, for the fact that it contained three further, equally ecstatic mixes of what was formerly just a one-off. Now reissued in its fullest and most loving capacity, 'Dreams' hears a worthy, well-timed second round for those next-gen listeners whose tastes are skewed towards the brighter, more inundant side of things, and who wouldn't mind hearing out the works of an Aussie veteran duo. The extended mix of 'Dreams' is crispy enough, but its superabundant ecstasy really only avails itself on the proceeding 'Space Mix', which adds belltower peals and pendulum-swinging hypno-leads, foiling the A-side's main-character, stadium-packing energy.

Review: The irresistibly catchy 'Oasis' by YOMC is a trance anthem that encapsulates the euphoric spirit of the late 90s scene. Released in 1997, YOMC, the German trance duo consisting of DJ Kai Franz and Lars Handler, crafted a timeless piece that resonated across dance floors globally back then, and will now it has been reissued. The track is defined by its uplifting melodies, driving beats, and ethereal atmosphere which mean that 'Oasis' became a staple in DJ sets and remains a nostalgic favourite among trance enthusiasts. It's a real tear jerker that very much chimes with what is going on in trance today.