Back catalogue: Trance

Review: Kevin de Vries collaborates with rising stars Y do I on his latest EP and it is a three-track journey showcasing the signature Afterlife sound. Merging emotionally charged moments with driving basslines and electrifying energy, the duo strikes a balance between light and dark while cooking up grooves that resonate deeply. Each track embodies the label's ethos of fostering close dancefloor connections through rhythm, emotion and vibration. This is evocative, painstakingly designed melodic techno with pristine synth work and sleek drums that carry you into all new worlds.

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: Laars taps into the rich nostalgia of the mid-90s with a release that will resonate with anyone who longs for the early days of trance and progressive house. Side-1 kicks off with 'Breath Control,' a track that could easily have been spun by Sasha in his heyday. It starts with progressive house rhythms and a subtle breakbeat before edging towards trance, creating a hypnotic atmosphere. 'What If You Fly?' follows, channeling the early 90s progressive house vibe, reminiscent of the sound championed by labels like Guerilla Records. It's a mid-tempo journey that captures the essence of that era. On Side-2, 'Concur' ups the tempo slightly, with a sound that harks back to 1994-1995 when trance began to blend Goa and analog psy elements. This track brings memories rushing back. Finally, 'Delight' closes things out with a more chilled, spacey vibe, perfect for winding down. A true homage to the golden age of progressive house and trance.

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: Monica Venturella is a rising talent from Sicily who is fresh off a much talked about performance for System Error on the MS Hoppetosse. At just 22 years old, Monica has already won over knowing audiences with her self-produced tracks and slamming sets. Now, the self-taught musician develops her sound further with elements of high-energy electro, raw emotion and smart melody. 'Arabian Nights' marries tough drums with whimsical melodies, 'Expectations' is a real crunchy house stomper with blazing synths and 'Respect Your Fantasy' is stiff but playful with 8-bit synths bringing colour. 'Dans Avec Moi' shuts down with more rough and tough tech beats.

Review: With its fractal-sporting artwork, psychedelic electronics, bold melodies and thrusting grooves, France's 39 label feels like it is rooted in another, earlier time - one where progressive house, trance and techno were still evolving. This collaborative EP from Wigs and Body Clinic fits neatly in its catalogue. They begin with 'Into The Void', a spiralling slab of uplifting 90s progressive house/trance fusion, before unveiling 'Lost Souls', where spacey headiness rubs shoulders with thunderous beats, restless bass and trippy TB-303 motifs. They plump for a darker and more intense, acid-fired techno sound on 'Tuna Bap, while 'NK Prog' sounds like a long-lost progressive house gem from 1995 (bonus points awarded for their use of MK style organ stabs).

Review: DC Salas' second album To The Places I Call(ed) Home is a personal journey through memories, loss, and the idea of home, blending house, progressive, new beat, acid, Goa and trance. Created over two years in Brussels and on tour, it became a form of healing after personal tragedies and reconnects Salas with his Peruvian heritage. Featuring collaborations with Curses and Moroccan artist Zaatar, each track captures significant moments in his life while honoring his past. Despite its themes of grief, the album remains uplifting, offering bright dancefloor energy and a sense of renewal.

Review: Dutch electronic outfit Tinlicker hails from Utrecht and is made up of Micha Heyboer and Jordi van Achthoven. They have been serving up the heat for more than a decade on labels such as Anjunadeep, mau5trap and Armada, which gives you an idea of their accessible, medically rich sounds. Back during ADE 2023, they hopped on stage with the renowned Metropole Orchestra to play the opening concert. You can relive it in all its glory now with this limited edition release featuring plenty of progressive house highlights from the show, all of which bring together the acoustics and the digital in a seamless fashion.

Review: Real-deal 90s ethereal breaks from the electronic music duo Way Out West. First released in 1997, this was not their best-known outing: only when this Bristolian duo was later joined by singer Omi (Emma Everett) did this happen, and this Deconstruction debut had only seen their instrumental incarnation so far. Nevertheless, this is a distinctly of-its-time record, offering blinding, game soundtrack-informed fusions of chillout flourishment with ascendant breaks-phoria and only vaguely touching on the theme of the wild West, ironically separate from the electronic music enthusiast's main imaginary. The record's non-breaksy moments are well worth noting too, with the slidden guitars of 'Earth' and chattering dub atmospherics of 'Dancehall Tornado' serving as the two most out-there numbers.