This is a list of notable trance music records.
1988
- One of the KLF's first proto-trance recordings from the acid house era. The main thing keeping this record from being indisputably trance is its lack of any sort of kick drum. Interestingly, however, DJs were occasionally known to spin this on top of stripped down house beats — a combination which, taken as a whole, would have to be considered "true" trance. While it's probably going too far to say that "DJs invented trance", it's food for thought.
1989
- Pacific by 808 State
- Whilst not truly a trance track, the moody and ethereal atmosphere of this turn-of-the-'90s anthem would prove to be a definitive influence on budding German producers of the time.
- Ultimo Imperio by Atahualpa
- A techno/new beat track with very heavy trance-like overtones, and a clear stylistic precedent for the development of acid and goa/psy-trance.
1990
- Techno Trance by D-Shake
- A driving piece of early "techno-trance" (the style would later split into techno proper and trance proper; not to be confused with the much later advent of "tech-trance", a later fusion of the two styles).
- The ethereal sound of this record is the foundation of the trance sound. The original mix from 1990 was minimalistic yet still had a distinct melody that would be associated with the burgeoning trance sound at the time.
- We Came In Peace by Dance 2 Trance
- The seminal trance record by monolothic producers Dance 2 Trance, whom very probably inspired the name of the genre in Germany, where the sound was first emulated and produced by subsequent German artists, and played in underground clubs and raves; never alone, but always with another genre of electronic music, as the DJs back then never played only one style of music.
- Q by Mental Cube
- Early Future Sound of London production, which helped secure the UK's dance music production credentials.
1991
- A classic rave-era, UK progressive breaks track that also defined a huge part of trance's later sound, direction and high prooduction values [citation needed].
- Go by Moby
- One of Moby's early releases, before mainstream success.
- No Fate by Zyon
- The first successful trance release on Eye Q.[1] Although Discogs lists the release as 1992, the notes on the compilation "Five Years of Eye Q Music"(written by Rainald Goetz, a member of the label) list it as 1991.
- Cosmic Love by Resistance D
- The first release by the seminal Frankfurt trance duo [2](although it was not released as a single until 1992). The track was a huge underground success and resulted in them being signed by Sven Vath.[3]
- I Will Fight No More Forever by Peyote
- Another early production by DJ Dag and Rolf Elmer (who were also the members of Dance 2 Trance), the song fused Native American tribal overtones with a distinct trance beat. The lyrics dealt with the plight of Native Americans, a theme that Dance 2 Trance (and DJ Dag particularly) would use in later releases.
1992
- P.ower Of A.merican N.atives by Dance 2 Trance
- One of, if not the first vocal trance song ever recorded.
- Quicksand EP by Spicelab
- The first trance-related production by Oliver Lieb [4][5], who would go on to become one of the genre's premier producers during the 1990s and into the 2000s.
- Perfect Day by Visions of Shiva
- Paul van Dyk's first production, produced along with fellow trance artist Cosmic Baby.
- Liquid Is Liquid by Liquid
- This is a prime example of atmospheric "old skool" trance, with its continuous arpeggios and haunting sound. One of the first tracks to enjoy anthem status. 11 years later it was revamped by Scooter in their album The Stadium Techno Experience.
- Rave Generator by Toxic Two
- Stella by Jam & Spoon
- A classic Ibiza trance track.
- Camargue by CJ Bolland
- Strings, chords and elegant techno-trance from the ex-hardcore man who would bring the darkside in 1992's 'Mantra' and the seminal, groundbreaking 'The Fourth Sign' LP (1992)
1993
- How Much Can You Take? by Visions Of Shiva
- The second and final production from this early trance outfit [6], along with "Perfect Day," this release was a major anthem at the time and helped start Paul van Dyk's career.
- Love Stimulation by Humate
- The Paul van Dyk Lovemix is considered a defining moment in art of remixing, giving an otherwise plain tune "classic" status.
- Outface by Komakino
- A track which sits between techno and trance and illustrates the difference between the two.
- An early vocal trance track and a great international hit.
- Abduction by Eat Static
- One of the very first Goa trance artist albums.
- Epitomises the romantic imagery of Ibiza: originally part of a series of melodic ambient tracks played in Café del Mar in Ibiza while tourists sit to watch the sunsets, it has been remixed numerous times into a variety of different trance sub styles and hence has reached its present day iconic status.
- The First Rebirth by Jones & Stephenson
- Perhaps the first hard trance track [7], also appears on many albums with classic hardcore techno tracks. [8] [9] [10]
- Vernon's Wonderland by Vernon
- Released during the peak of the German trance scene, it is notable because of the exposure it got in other parts of Europe, and particularly the UK. One of the first trance tracks to gain such popularity outside Germany, along with "Stella" by Jam & Spoon and "Hello San Francisco" by Dance 2 Trance.
- Wow! Mr. Yogi by The Overlords
- In particular, the "F.A.M. Tranceport Mix" is one of the very earliest tracks to delve deeply into the mystical, Eastern-tinged Goa Trance sound.
- Paint a Picture by Man With No Name
- Man With No Name would go on to become one of the most respected names in goa/psy-trance in the mid 1990s. This was his first foray into psychedelic trance territory. An extremely influential, precedent-setting track for the sound of deep goa/psy and acid trance.
1994
- The Milky Way by Aurora Borealis
- A fast and hard trance track, originated in France
- The Orange Theme by Cygnus X
- This Cygnus X (aka A.C. Boutsen) reworking of the theme tune from A Clockwork Orange continues to be played even as of 2006 and has been remixed countless times. It is notable for the number of scales the main theme is played.
- Lost In Love by Legend B
- Trance classic from Germany, a fast hard Trance track written and produced by Peter Blase and Jens Ahrens.
1995
- Oasis by Paragliders
- One of the last major classic-style trance tracks before the progressive sound emerged.
- An original and innovative psychedelic goa trance album [citation needed] . Completely representative of psychedelic goa trance at that time (others such as Astral Projection and X-Dream are typical of a slightly later sound (1996 onwards)). This was one of the first Goa Trance albums to sell over 50,000 copies.
- Mahadeva by Astral Projection
- Iconic among goa-trance’s listeners. Mahadeva catapulted Astral Projection to the top of the genre and brought to prominence the Israeli psy-trance scene.
- A dream trance hit that has received acclaim from critics both inside and outside trance. Influential as it was one of the first trance tracks to break into the mainstream and charted exceptionally well for the genre at that time.
- I Want To Live by Grace
1996
- No Access by Hondy
- The Salone Margherita mix, at this time played often by Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1 is a key example of trance at its peak demonstrating its amazing symphonic and anthemic qualities. While one variant of this record actually came out in 1995, it is listed here, since most versions of the record came out this year.
- Beachball by Nalin & Kane
- An example of Ibiza-style Balearic Trance, a global hit for Nalin & Kane.
- Flaming June by BT
- A widely-accepted classic [citation needed]. Example of progressive trance. Composed in thirds, the structure of this tune represents the evolving, progressive structure of mid-1990s progressive trance.
- Offshore by Chicane
- Another classic Ibiza trance track, it appeared on both European and USA charts.
1997
- Blue Fear by Armin van Buuren
- Armin van Buuren's first big success on Cyber Records. Along with 'Communication', this made it to the UK charts on its first day debut. Remixers include Solid Globe, Agnelli & Nelson and Scott Mac.
- Open Your Eyes by At The Villa People
- A venerable club classic[citation needed], At The Villa People came from the rather underground club At The Villa, which at this time was located in a church in Belgium, the original location, which was a true villa, had burned down.
- Desert Storm by Desert Storm
- Originated from Germany, a slow paced, heavy bass tune, very long, and very deep. Originally released in 1994, but re-released in 1997 on the At the Villa compilation maxi bundle called "At the Villa Laurence, Music from the Club".
1998
- For An Angel (PVD's 1998 E-Werk Remix) by Paul van Dyk
- Released at the pinnacle of the anthemic/progressive trance scene, a remix of an earlier 1994 track produced in homage to the closure of Berlin’s E-Werk club at which Dyk was a resident DJ. The has established itself as a cult classic among the mainstream and trance connoisseurs.
- 1998 by Binary Finary
- A runaway trance hit for Binary Finary (producers Matt Laws and Stuart Matheson). It was noticed by many influential DJs such as Paul Van Dyk, who remixed the track and exported it around the globe.
- Universal Nation by Push
- Belgian uplifting trance by Push (aka M.I.K.E.).
- Madagascar by Art of Trance
- This track from the Platipus label was composed by Simon Berry and has been remixed several times since its first release.
1999
- Liberation by Matt Darey
- "Liberation", which features the soaring vocals of Marcella Woods is one of Matt Darey's most well-known works. It receives annual remixes from Darey and others (under titles such as "Liberation 2002", "Liberation 2005", and "Liberation 2006"), and Darey still features it prominently in his live shows.
- Carte Blanche by Veracocha
- This driving epic trance track was produced by Vincent de Moor and Ferry Corsten and is archetypal of epic trance.
- Saltwater by Chicane
- An example of epic trance; it featured Celtic/folk chanting throughout and became a hit, partly due its use in an Irish tourism television advert.
- Barber's Adagio for Strings (Ferry Corsten Remix) by William Orbit
- This Ferry Corsten treatment of William Orbit's rendition of the Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, has been one of the most successful marriages to date of classical music and trance. Later also covered by DJ Tiësto
- One of Sasha’s most acknowledged works in production. Its use on Global Underground 13: Ibiza (a popular mix compilation) and on the soundtrack to the game Wipeout 3 increased mainstream awareness of the track.
- One of the few 'true' trance tracks to achieve mainstream success: reaching #1 in the UK and Irish single charts.
- Huge classic from one of the biggest names in this genre. Sold 20.000 copies in the first week after it's release. Described as "The best trance record of the last 10 years" by Djmag.
2000
- Bullet in the Gun 2000 by Planet Perfecto
- An uplifting track that was hugely popular in the clubs. Paul Oakenfold was one of the producers.
- Airwave by Rank 1
- Airwave was one of a number of uplifting anthemic trance tracks to enjoy chart success in 2000.
- The Airscape remix was another track to enjoy chart success, though the Tiësto mix was more commonly played in trance clubs.
2001
- Dreamland by NU NRG
- A massive hit that came into spotlight by featuring it on Paul van Dyk's The Politics of Dancing, regarded by many the best trance track of 2001.
- Urban/Suburban Train by DJ Tiësto
- An energetic single, made prominent in its use as a closing track during Tiësto’s performances.
2002
- Ligaya by Gouryella
- A relatively recent track that has been an important addition [citation needed] with its euphoric and emotional melody to any DJ's sonic arsenal.
- A vocal trance released on Oakenfold’s experimental albeit mainstream trance album Bunkka. Made famous mostly through DJ Tiësto’s remix.
- Mistral by GTR
- Produced under his GTR alias, Mistral was the release that truly put Gareth Emery on the production map. Never destined to be a trance anthem, it was produced on a laptop computer over the course of a two week holiday in Provence.
- Solarcoaster by Solar Stone
- Another classic from Solar Stone. Solarcoaster was in a way the follow-up to Seven Cities, and became almost just as popular.
2003
- Burned With Desire by Armin Van Buuren
- Armin Van Buuren's Burned With Desire epitomised vocal and euphoric/anthemic trance. Trance artists that remixed this song include Ronski Speed and Riley & Durrant.
- A minor release which garnered attention through its use in performances by some of the more prominent DJs.