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: 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: Armed with analogue and modular synthesisers, Southern Italian producers Marco Cassanelli and Deckard take you on an emotive journey inspired by geometry and symmetry for T.A. Rock Records - a small indie label out of sunny Trani, Puglia established 2010. The Splitted EP starts out with the desolate dub techno textures of 'Abandoned Town' while the spaced-out cut 'Triangle' and the hypnotising 'Rectangle' (part 1) make for more experimentally minded tracks.

Review: The fifth edition of Depeche Mode's Memento Mori white label remixes series hears four new remixes added to the post-hoc vinyl selection, offered to the world after the release of the synthpop pioneers' most recent eponymous album. Beginning with the demure atmospherics of Chris Avantgarde's 'Before We Drown', then into two propulsive, audio-brut experimental downtempo versions by AC, but not before a brilliant pystrance B1 by Indira Paganotto, which makes for a squarely sagacious sendoff.

Review: Seb Taylor is a veteran of the UK's coastal psychedelic and goa trance circuit, operating under many a name but none doing so much justice to the sound as that which came out as Digitalis. Madrid's Organic Signs know this, and have set about paying tribute to Taylor's influence with a sequel release to 1998's The Third State LP. Its psycho-spiritual successor, The Fourth State now makes up a pair, both of which are ascendant trance trouncers, aural aids for the psychonaut music fan's life's work of escaping systems of global social control.

Review: Dojo Zone's Smoke & Shadows, released on Cabaret U presents a compelling exploration of moody and futuristic techno. The EP opens with the title track, 'Smoke & Shadows,' a dark and gripping groove that pulls the listener into a shadowy world. The track's eerie atmosphere, punctuated by a deep, resonant bassline, recalls the brooding style of artists like Recondite, making it both addictive and powerful. Following up on Side 1, 'Lights Out' ventures into high-tech territory, offering a forward-thinking sound that feels both sleek and cutting-edge. It's a futuristic masterpiece that pushes the boundaries of techno with its intricate production. Side-2 begins with 'Slow Release,' where Dojo Zone delves into otherworldly sounds, crafting a track that feels like a journey through uncharted sonic landscapes. Finally, the 'Sobre Tierra' (Osaka mix) closes the EP with a groovy twist, incorporating subtle house elements that add a fresh layer of rhythm and movement.

Review: Following his acclaimed 'Love Dub So' EP, Nick Barber's Doof returns to Mysticisms with The Love Mixes-early, raw recordings from cassette-only archives. Made in 1990-91 while studying philosophy in Cambridge, these tracks fuse the spirit of Pink Floyd and Goa's Full Moon parties with the rise of UK trance culture. Crafted with minimal gear and pure DIY energy, the recordings capture the wide-eyed excitement of a scene still being born. Hand-dubbed and passed around at afterparties, one tape reached Mute Records and it was that which sparked Doof's Novamute debut. Now remastered, The Love Mixes offers an unfiltered window into the roots of electronic trance.

Review: Shout out to Greek powerhouse Kinesthetik Recordings for making it all the way to a half a century of releases there. They celebrate in the best way they know - with more tranced-out sounds from artists in their orbit. Giorgio & Andreas open things up with 'Nice One' and its thudding tech drums and cosmic synth lines. Diskinesia gets much more raw and moody with the edgy drums of 'Back & Forth' and Interphase then drops a pair of industrial tech thumpers. Giorgio & Andreas reappear with a raw, roughshod and deep groove and Marcelino Sanchez's 'Motive One' offers dub techno to close.

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.