In Trance is an obscure early Goa trance album by Israeli pioneers Guy Sebbag and Gal Carmy. Although Carmy has few other credits to his name, Sebbag regularly collaborated with Israeli heavyweights Har-El Prussky, Yan-Iv Haviv, Avi Nissim, and Lior Perlmutter (better known as Astral Projection). Despite these associations this particular album is often overlooked, possibly…
Lucky People Center is an obscure Swedish media collective active throughout the 1990s. They are perhaps most known for their film International (presently available for viewing on YouTube), but they also made several interesting audio-only releases in a variety of styles. This particular album is an eclectic jumble, meandering from chill out and ambient techno to progressive house…
This is an obscure compilation of remixes for Soft Ballet, a Japanese electro pop band by some of the finest names in IDM, electro, and downbeat techno. Autechre, Carl Craig, Plaid, and Global Communication appear here with intriguing and unusual interpretations of the original source material, but I’d like to highlight Greg Hunter’s ambiguously-credited…
Prototypes 3 continues DJ Basilisk’s retrospective exploration of classic progressive house and trance from the early years of the new millennium. Originally recorded live in a club in October 2019, this raw and unscripted set features an enticing blend of well-known hits and hidden gems. Although the focus of this series is documenting the legacy of progressive house, plenty of…
Formed by Graham Wood and Raja Ram, The Infinity Project were true pioneers, laying down some of the earliest sounds that are recognizably and unequivocally Goa trance. TIP were frequently joined in the studio by a list of contributors that reads like the Who’s Who of early Goa trance: Nick Barber (Doof), Simon Posford (Hallucinogen), Paul…
The debut compilation from POF Music (an acronym derived from “Product of France”) was a respectable effort but it hasn’t aged as well as some other entries on this list. In terms of style these selections consistently emphasize the more upbeat and melodic side of the emerging Goa trance sound, with soft, pulsating rhythms and synths that seem to…
Leftfield established themselves as one of the leading producers of progressive house before branching out and experimenting with breakbeat rhythms on their widely-acclaimed debut album, Leftism. Despite jumping between genres and embracing an eclectic set of influences there’s nothing overly daring or experimental to be found here, a quality that probably contributed to its mainstream commercial appeal. Smooth and…
Exit Planet Dust might not be the most compelling album from The Chemical Brothers, legendary acid house and breakbeat manipulators from the UK, but it has aged nicely, even accounting for nostalgia. Despite tempos trending toward the low end, this album still packs a punch, as the brothers work it out with brawny beats, clever sampling, and hints of…
The debut album from Total Eclipse, a French triumvirate formed by Stephane Holweck, Serge Souque, and Loïc Van Poucke, is one of the finest products of the golden age of Goa trance. Every song exudes their signature sound but there’s an incredible variety of moods explored across this uniformly excellent album. From dark and menacing to…
Dromed is a deep dive into downbeat, dub techno, IDM, chill out, and ambient produced by Bernd Friedmann, also known as Nonplace Urban Field. Although diverse in style and approach, the album is united by an emphasis on intricate details and darkly mysterious atmospheres. Some of the strongest tracks sound like forays into softly-whispered trip hop reminiscent of…