New releases last eight weeks: Uplifting Trance

Review: One of the most legendary trance anthems of all time, 'The Age of Love', continues its reign with a fresh set of remixes that bridge generations of dance music fans. On Side-A, Charlotte de Witte & Enrico Sangiuliano inject their signature techno power into the track, transforming it into a driving, hypnotic beast. Charlotte has championed this remix in her sets and for good reasoniits retro synths and rolling energy make it a festival weapon, modernising the track while keeping its euphoric essence intact. Side-B opens with the 2021 remaster of Jam & Spoon's Watch Out For Stella mix, the definitive remix that catapulted the track into trance history. With its sprawling, cinematic breakdowns and timeless atmosphere. Rounding things out, Solomun delivers his Renaissance remix, a deep and unique take that shifts the track into a melodic house and techno hybrid, offering a fresh perspective without losing the original's magic. This re-release is both a tribute and a reinvention, proving that' The Age of Love' remains unstoppable on the dancefloor more than 30 years later.

Review: DJ Nobu's avant-garde Bitta label looks to fellow Japanese great in Osaka-based Erik Luebs for its next trick. As always with this fine imprint, the sounds are about balancing transcendental synths with deep tech rhythms. They are masterclasses in economical arrangement and on the surface don't do much, but when you tune in properly, they are mind-melting trips, starting with the mystery of 'Granite Monolith'. 'Irradiated Body' has loopy synth sequences unfolding at great pace with pristine accuracy and 'Coming Up For Air' gets a little more extroverted with dubby kicks and the sound of overloaded AI machines getting ever more frenzied. 'Facing The Horizon' is a flickering, optimistic and mildly euphoric sound for dropping when the sun peaks through the blinds and you celebrate getting through another night of darkness.

Review: London DJ and producer Jules Von Daniken sets his phasers to fun, returning under his Phase O'Matic alias for another fresh EP-label inauguration (Blur Detection Program). His third release for 2025 (it's only May, god damnit), 'Behind The Glass' smashes through two-way mirror with gloomy glom-on acid, sparky redux design, slithery melodies and claspy 909 snareology, all of which together increment in intensity over a four-step dance inductor, seconding with the speak n' spelt post-new wave pranger 'Retroflex' and ending on the Robo-voiced 'Finetune (Darkest Day)'.

Review: Bulgaria's Prarhamansah is a duo that last released back in 2004, but they have remained active in the intervening years on their local scene. Their return is somewhat epic with this 11-minute-plus new single 'Bouncing Off The Van Allen Belts' a real comic odyssey. It rides on proggy drums but has an ever-shifting eco-system of synths that bring sci-fi twists and intergalactic colour that keeps the mind locked in. After that, the tune comes as various remixes, from the more far-sighted and trance-tinged subtleties of Waterblip remix part 2 to Charter Murphy's Homemade Pulse Drive remix, which is dark, hard techno for strobe-lit raves.

Review: Promising/Youngster and Sound Synthesis take charge of one side each of this new outing from Maltease label Wave Modulation Series. Lush, high-grade electro is the order of the day and 'Eleoky' soon sweeps you off your feet and up amongst astral motifs where the zippy synths provide the movement. 'Theryneas' has an organic piano line to offset the synthetic synths and corrugated rhythms, then 'Wunterbow' cuts loose with spiralling synth arcs and kaleidoscopic colours. On the flip, Sound Synthesis goes more direct with zippy electro rhythms on 'Nature Of The Dreamer' and serene acid on 'Tifkira', before a closer full of lament sends you off wanting more.

Review: Sancra's Echoes of the Infinitive is a standout second release of 2025, showing the producer's versatile and emotive sounds as he heads through techno's many shades. Opening track 'Oblivion' sets the tone with driving dancefloor energy and celestial melodies, while 'Androgena' dives into deeper, darker acid-techno terrain, which is refined yet intense. On the B-side, 'Exodus' blends neo-trance and electro with uplifting, spiritual pads for something that works the mind and body and closing track 'Until We Arrive' shifts the pace with a meditative live jam that feels introspective and serene. From peak-time power to after-hours reflection, Sancra delivers on all fronts here.

Review: Long regarded as one of Italy's most forward-thinking techno producers, Enrico Sangiuliano has spent the past decade carving out a niche between peak-time precision and philosophical intent. From his roots in the country's free party scene to headlining global festivals, he's become known for sculpting tracks that are as emotive as they are explosive. Here, he links up with psytrance icons GMS, whose trailblazing output since the 90s brings a charged, otherworldly energy to the collaboration. 'Transcendence' unfolds like a spacecraft launch, all rising tension and arpeggiated release, with Sangiuliano's signature cinematic monologue anchoring it in the present. 'The Inner World' strips everything back into a meditative synthscape, hinting at future directions while reinforcing his long-standing fascination with the inner journey.

Review: Released as a special picture vinyl, this collaboration offers two versions of the track that reimagine its infectious energy. Talla 2XLC, a celebrated figure in uplifting trance, teams up with Fragma (Ramon Zenker) for a stunning rework of the iconic trance anthem 'Toca's Miracle'. The A-side features the Extended Mix, a high-octane, 138 BPM version that drives with relentless basslines, booming kicks and tight percussion. The uplifting Ibiza-style piano synths combine with balearic percussion and bilingual vocals, creating an instantly euphoric vibe. As the breakdown introduces the signature Balearic guitar riff, the track builds to a peak of vocal trance intensity, leading into a powerful instrumental finish. On the flip side, the previously unreleased RRAW mix adds an exciting twist to the classic, presenting a fresh, dynamic take on the original. 'Toca's Miracle' continues to resonate as a timeless anthem, evoking memories of beachside raves and sun-drenched nights. With this new release, Talla 2XLC and Fragma successfully reignite the spirit of the track, breathing new life into a classic.

Review: Talla 2XLC and German composer, producer and songwriter Torsten Stenzel (who is still best known for his work as YORK) revive the 1997 trance classic 'The Wave' by Sosa with a big new remake that realigns it with contemporary sounds. Landing on bright coloured vinyl via Technoclub Retro it has two extended mixes that reignite the energy of the original with brilliantly euphoric flair. On Side A, York's 'Back to the Roots Extended Mix' has already been getting heavy plays in clubs and on festival stages around the world with its high-octane melodic rush an utter thrill when played nice and loud. Side B brings an exclusive new remix by Talla 2XLC that is only available on this pressing.

Review: Given that he's been active as a producer since the dawn of the 90s, it would be fair to say that Sven Vath is well worthy of an authoritative, expansive retrospective. That's certainly what we get here on this quadruple-vinyl mix of classic productions and fresh, eye-catching remixes. It's the latter that dominate the early stages of the collection - see Adam Port's hypnotic, didgeridoo-sporting revision of 'Ritual of Life', Speedy J's acid-fired stomp through 'Ballet-Fusion' - before Vath showcases some of his choice cuts. There's naturally to set the pulse racing, from the twisted, sub-heavy thump of 'Cala Llonga' and the tactile hypnotism of 'Sounds That Control Your Life', to the electroclash-meets-Kraftwerk flex of 'Dein Schweiss' and the ambient techno excellence of 'The Day After', a 21- minute epic from 1995 produced alongside Steffen Britzke as Astral Pilot.