Back catalogue: Trance

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: ATF's first new release of the year has a little bit of everything across three different but all-powerful new cuts from Andromeda. Cole features on the first one, Cyberspace. which barrels along at 170 bpm and is a high-energy rush of driving rhythms and haunting dystopian samples. Bold, evocative melodies offer a striking contrast to the track's relentless pace then ' Waveride' is a more chilled trancer with lush melodies and delicate percussion. Lastly, 'Time' is a nice uplifting closer with dazzling melodies and a memorable vocal hook that means you get both emotional depth and soaring energy

Review: Nuno Dos Santos' Something Happening Somewhere label is back, revisiting a classic by a right legend of the scene: none other than Dave Angel. The UK veteran unleashed these surefire cuts back in 1993 and they have certainly aged gracefully. The A-side's 'Original Man' is soulful techno the way it's meant to be; a true zeitgeist of Detroit influenced techno with its DX sounds and syncopated 909 rhythms, while B-side offering 'Quarter Pounder' brings the future funk on this properly slamming cut. It also comes with B2 track '4th Symphony', an exclusive not featured on the original pressing.

Review: Lyon-based Brazilian Pedro Bertho is an accomplished producer who now steps out with his own label, fittingly enough called Chez Pedro. It kicks off with a new EP 'Starlit Crates' which has already been teased by the well-received 'Have You Ever Played in Abidjan' (exclusive aired on Juno Daily), which paid tribute to that vibrant city and the Ivory Coast. 'Have You....' is a collaboration with percussionist Tutsy N'Zore, who adds great layers to Bertho's deep grooves, but there's loads going onelsewhere too.. 'Let Me Show You' has what sound like ambient recordings from a bustling market over bass-driven beats. 'Blue Hot Monday' is another humid and muggy deep techno mind melter and 'Shaved' is a crisp, tech-edged cut with frazzled synth work for peal time deployment. A great example of making functional, floor-pleasing grooves that have oodles of personality and character at the same time.

Review: Paul Mahoux's BuLu was a groundbreaking project when it was originally released 30 years ago on the French label Virtual. The Parisian, who is now based in Okinawa, crafted 'Silicon-Shepherd' and 'Senegalese-Sharpshooter' as defining tracks of the early trance scene and both of them transcended techno and house boundaries in all new ways. Side A features chopped vocals, trippy synths and M1 slap bass for some peak-time euphoria with a mind-expanding edge. On the flip, things slow down with a mix of traditional instruments and mystical choirs for a meditative journey. Remixes round out this great revising of a 90s free-spirited sound.

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: Two underground artists with many years in the scene behind them in Darwin Chamber and DJ Spun come together for the second in their Episode series on Rong Music. Once again they dig into the sounds of their formative years while also looking to the future as they blend dub, trance and techno into lithe new forms. 'The Revolution' is a mid-tempo and atmospheric roller with hypnotic vocals, while 'The Playa' is a deft bit of electronic minimalism with a deep space feel and ticking 808 sounds. Things get more loose with the warped synths and dusty tech beats of 'Dysfunction' while 'Acid Tounge' closes with trippy designs, a skeletal rhythm and a sense of late-night melodic and afterparty mischief.

Review: The Holding Hands label is back to pressing up vinyl after a pause during the COVID years and this EP is perfect to be spun nice and loud. Earth Trax deals in big dance sounds and opens this one with 'Amnesia' (dub mix) which has a thudding kick and big bright chords. 'Stars' then brings more euphoria with lush pads and grinding basslines and 'Someday Soon' locks you into a zoned-out vibe with its rich arps and retro stabs. Last but not least is 'Dislocation Blues' which rides on dubby broken beats with swirling cosmic pads.

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: Quinoa Cuts's fourth release combines some smart nostalgia with plenty of modern innovation. Side A opens with two analogue-driven tracks reminiscent of the 80s synth-wave era, so rich with electro-inspired nuances that evoke a bittersweet and rather romantic atmosphere. It transports you to a dreamlike, neon-lit past then Side B takes a darker, more introspective turn by exploring shadowy, progressive sounds. These haunting tracks come with deep, emotional layers and show Marvin to be quite the producer.

Review: Alpha Tracks introduces the new label Airways as an open platform celebrating the full range of electronic music. Dedicated to exploration, it promises to offer a creative space where innovative sounds and new musical visions can flourish without genre restrictions. Launching this new imprint is Scandinavian trance artist and avant-garde talent Mikkel Rev who delivers an impressive debut that captures the label's unbound creative spirit. 'Ocean X' opens with turbocharged beats and euphoric pads, 'Submerger' has a darker heart and 'Anhedral unfolds in overdrive with glossy, psychedelic synth colours before the moody depths of 'Internal Unrest'.

Review: The Model brings great form and function to this arresting new EP on long-running French label Partout. It kicks off with 'I Am Always On Your Mind' which has bright, glass melodies and snappy snares that very much get your attention while 'Crossover' is a more frazzled bit of synth-laden techno with sci-fi motifs and withering melodies. 'Six Days Of Heat' is a slower groove with another big focus on the melodies, this time they are rather eerie and unsettling. Last of all is 'Global' with its smeared pads and dusty drum work.

Review: Poet, librarian, Mancunian, father, husband, uncle, brother. Mike Garry is many things to many people, but tonight, Matthew, his voices guides our eyes upwards, inviting us to stargaze to one of Orbital's most emotionally resonant and timeless pieces of rave noise. Belfast Revisited would be one way to describe it, taking some of the classic and unmistakable elements of that anthem and turning it into something new. First and foremost freshness comes with the spoken word addition - a thoroughly positive, passionate and amorous declaration of unending love that could feel jarring depending on whether you always felt 'Belfast' was reflective and slightly melancholy, or not. Gone too are the breaks, replaced now by stadium-sized four-to-the-floor turning what was once the end of the night walking home at dawn into something that sounds way more 11PM at the concert.

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: German label Terminal M's place in the techno world has long been established - it deals in fresh sounds for big rooms with hints of minimal. Mark Reeve now adds his work into the mix with this bold and inescapable two tracker. 'Golden' is a wave of techno with textural synth loops spraying about the mix like an untethered hose while chunky drums rattle the walls. 'All We Have' then gets even more extroverted and maximal with tortured synth stabs, big brain frying leads and more dark, all-consuming drums.

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: Riviera's early momentum continues here with a punchy four-tracker from six on-point artists. Lewis Taylor kicks off with 'Non Stop' which is a straight up and funky peak time then pumper with bright chords and plenty of fun in the atmosphere, Cult keeps the energy high with 'Total Kill' and X Coast & DJ RaDa then offer the acid-laced and turbocharged bass stomps of 'Come Together.' LIL NASSTY then flips the script with some sleazy trap beats with menacing bars and futuristic synth patterns on 'Get It Up So' and DJ Pacifier shuts down with some high-speed ghetto-tech in the form of the relentless 'Fried Again.'

Review: Moustache Records has long ploughed a synth-heavy, retro-futurist furrow in which 21st century producers showcase their love of muscular, body-shaking styles of the 1980s, most frequently Italo-disco and Hi-NRG. The playfully named Trending Topic fit neatly into this blueprint, with this debut EP framing them as lovers of Bobby Orlando style Hi-NRG, the camper end of Italo-disco and the formative years of Euro-dance. This approach is best exemplified by lead cut 'Terpentine', where colossal synth riffs and lead lines climb above a thickset sequenced bassline and snappy drum machine beats. That is given a slightly harder and more pulsating tweak courtesy of Machinegewhr, before our heroes return with two more tracks: the Hi-NRG-goes-trance style 'Our Adventure Begins' and the on-the-dancefloor-at-Heaven-in-1986 flex of 'Mowing The Lawn'.

Review: Fantastic Planet (which is also the name of a great 1972 sci-fi flick) is back with a powerful new collection, Survival Mode, which goes way beyond music and is in fact dedicated to the fight for freedom in Georgia. It draws on a diverse lineup of visionary artists who serve up sounds that embody resilience and resistance and call upon the instinct to persevere when all other options are gone. For those in Georgia fighting oppression, it's about unyielding determination to defy silencing forces, and the power of that translates into the music. All four cuts are cutting-edge techno sounds with jungle breaks, empowering spoken word slogans and beats that give you the energy to stand tall.

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).