Back catalogue: Uplifting 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: Woah, we didn't see this coming; Ajunabeats, the UK trance imprint founded in 2000 by Above & Beyond types Jono Grant and Paavo Siljamaki, release a pair of remixes that touch on dubstep and future garage. The label boss's "Sun & Moon" is given some sub bass growl and menace by Distance on the A, while Seiji pops up with a garage-y interpretation on the flip that retains the straight up trance synths and chipmunk vocals!

Review: Rambal Cochet is also known as Volta Cab and here the prolific producer is in posh and uplifting trance mode. He has been turning out tunes and DJing globally for over a decade and brings all that experience to this EP. 'Pharmacom' will get anyone fist pumping and wide eyed with its nice futuristic lines and shiny trance chords. 'Autismo1' is powered by some old school breakbeats and characterful samples that keep you begging for more and the two flip side jams are just as effective and emotive. 'Muscle Fields' is a little slower, as is 'Underworld', but both ooze real atmosphere.

Review: '& Then' is the long awaited return from the legendary Rank 1. After their huge hit 'Life Less Ordinary' Rank 1 teams up with yet another rising star Jochen Miller. With DJ Support from: Tiesto, Marco V, Armin van Buuren, Sander van Doorn, Marcel Woods and Eddie Halliwel.

Review: Remotif is a fast-rising star with a sound being called 'trance fusion.' He makes his mark again to that end with a new one on Especial that brings more of his modern-day ethnic styles to the driving breaks of techno following outings on the likes of Coymix and Space Lab and sets everywhere from Fabric to Berlin's Warning parties. This one kicks off with 'U 15' which is a busy blend of shimmery timbres and sharp perc, spaced-out pads and psychedelic synths that are ever on the rise. More trance overtones define 'Glint's Pursuit' and 'The Elevated Place' is slick and sleek, ascending and always rising. 'The Sunken Place' shuts down with more slow and percolating dub mutations to round out a superb EP.

Review: The 9th EP from not for profit label Needs is a historic one which embraces the future of vinyl production by partnering with Green Vinyl Records in Holland. Together, they have produced a 100% recyclable record which, we're told, uses 60% less energy costs when compared with traditional vinyl production methods. Musically it bangs, too. Saoirse kicks off with a chunky techno cut with dazzling melodies and Pugilist fires up an electro spaceship and heads off to the future with 'Gluttony.' Reptant is in more rueful mood on 'The Last Laugh' and there are still three more cuts on the flip with the highlight being the percolating beats of 'Flex.'

Review: Frenchman Rodriguez Jnr moved from his native Paris to the sunny climes of Miami not long after the pandemic. He had already started recording the music that features on this new album before he left, and finished it off in the US. You can hear the influence of both settings as he cuts more loose than ever before. His signature synth craft and elegant melodies remain, but there are also collabs with hip-hop's Stereo MCs, his own partner Liset Alea who is an esteemed vocalist, and Giorgia Angiuli. It adds up to a super smooth and sophisticated album with plenty of earworms.