The Classic Trance
Archive.

Paul van Dyk (born Matthias Paul) is the Berlin DJ and producer behind 'For An Angel', first released in late 1994, and an influential 1998 remix of Binary Finary's '1998'. He came up through Berlin's early-1990s club scene, including regular sets at Tresor, and his remix of Humate's 'Love Stimulation' on MFS in 1993 was an early breakthrough. His 2003 album Reflections made him the first artist nominated for the new Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album, and DJ Mag readers voted him world number one in 2005 and 2006.

Before his pop and big-room years, Tiësto (Tijs Verwest) was the biggest name in classic trance. In 1997 he co-founded Black Hole Recordings with Arny Bink, where he released the Magik and In Search Of Sunrise mix series. His remix of Delerium's 'Silence' and his own 'Adagio For Strings' are two of the most recognised trance records of the era, and at the 2004 Athens Olympics opening ceremony he became the first DJ to play live at an Olympic Games.

Ferry Corsten is the Rotterdam DJ and producer behind System F, Moonman and (with Tiësto) Gouryella. AllMusic calls him one of the most prolific and commercially successful trance artists, and his 1999 System F single 'Out Of The Blue' reached number 14 in the UK and is widely treated as a landmark uplifting-trance record. He co-founded the Tsunami label with Robert Smit, later ran Flashover Recordings, and moved toward a broader progressive-house sound in later years while still returning to classic trance through Gouryella.

Armin van Buuren turned the weekly radio mix into trance's central institution. A State Of Trance first aired on ID&T Radio in May 2001 and is still running, and it is the platform through which much of the world discovered trance in real time. His early productions, including 'Blue Fear' and 'Communication', are foundational uplifting records, and DJ Mag readers have voted him the world's number one DJ a record five times.

Sasha (Alexander Coe) is the Welsh DJ who rose through residencies at the Haçienda and Renaissance and became one half of the Sasha & Digweed partnership behind the Northern Exposure mix series. His productions, including the 1999 Xpander EP and the album Airdrawndagger (2002), are reference points for progressive trance and progressive house, and his mixes taught a generation that the set itself could be the composition.

Chicane is the project of English producer Nick Bracegirdle and the defining name in Balearic trance. 'Offshore' became an Ibiza anthem, 'Saltwater' featured Clannad's Máire Brennan, and 'Don't Give Up' with Bryan Adams went to number one in the UK in 2000. His debut album Far From The Maddening Crowds (1997) is still regarded as a key trance album, and the follow-up Behind The Sun went gold in the UK.