2001 · German CD edition (imprint not verified)
Cosmic Gate — Exploration of Space (Extended Mix)
"The documented Extended Mix, distinct from later self-remixes."
Listen to a named version
Current digital release: includes Extended Mix, with other named versions; not proof of the original imprint.
Open Spotify version catalogCosmic Gate’s Back 2 The Future Remix, a later self-remix rather than the early Extended Mix.
Listen on Cosmic Gate SoundCloudWhy this record matters
Exploration of Space is one of the classic Cosmic Gate records identified by Black Hole Recordings. This profile uses the Extended Mix named on the checked 2001 German CD as its reference. It does not claim that the earliest worldwide release has been settled: catalog listings and later digital editions can disagree about dates. The important listening distinction is between that early long version, the club and Green Court remixes, and the later Back 2 The Future self-remix.
How it came to exist
The checked German CD pairs Exploration of Space with Melt to the Ocean and is cataloged in 2001, under number 7243 8 89853 2 1. Earlier 2000 dating appears in secondary catalog discovery, but an opened original-label source confirming it has not been secured. We therefore identify the 2001 edition rather than converting a current digital date into a definitive worldwide first release. The catalog’s company entry is not reliable proof of the original sleeve imprint.
How it was built
The German CD explicitly calls its long version Extended Mix and separately names a club remix and Green Court remix. Those names should be preserved. A later catalog may use Original Mix, but matching titles or near-matching lengths do not prove identical audio masters. This page does not invent an original synthesizer list, sample origin, BPM or time-stamped arrangement cues.
What happened when it landed
Black Hole’s artist biography identifies Exploration of Space and Fire Wire among Cosmic Gate’s signature classics. That is sufficient support for discussing the record in a classic-era profile; it does not substantiate a particular chart position, sales total or claim about the first DJ to play it. The dated edition trail gives the reader a firmer basis for choosing versions.
The versions that matter
Extended Mix (documented 2001 CD)
The long version named on the German CD. The page’s 2001 year refers to this edition, not a settled earliest worldwide release.
Exploration of Space / Melt to the Ocean: 2001 German CDRadio edit (documented 2001 CD)
A shorter, separately named track on the same CD; not automatically the label for every unqualified digital title.
Exploration of Space / Melt to the Ocean: 2001 German CDClub remix / Green Court remix (2001 editions)
Distinct versions documented on the CD and Part II vinyl. Do not relabel either as the Extended Mix.
Exploration of Space / Melt to the Ocean: Part II vinylCosmic Gate’s Back 2 The Future Remix (later rework)
Artist-hosted version in the classics-remixed project announced on Black Hole in January 2011. First commercial remix day is not asserted.
Exploration of Space: Cosmic Gate’s Back 2 The Future Remix
Release and version questions
Was Exploration of Space released in 2000 or 2001?
The edition verified here is a German CD cataloged in 2001. Earlier 2000 dating has not been confirmed against an opened original-label source. The earliest worldwide release remains unresolved; the year shown here identifies the documented edition.
Is the Back 2 The Future Remix the original?
No. The early German CD names an Extended Mix. Cosmic Gate’s Back 2 The Future Remix is a separate later self-remix in the Black Hole classics-remixed project announced in January 2011.
Are Extended Mix and club remix the same version?
They are separately named tracks on the checked German CD. This guide does not merge them or assume that every catalog title called Original Mix identifies the same master.
Research & sources
These references support the factual claims on this page. Editorial interpretation is identified as such; a source link is not an endorsement by its publisher.
- Exploration of Space / Melt to the Ocean: 2001 German CD
MusicBrainz (community-maintained release catalog)
Edition-specific metadata; does not prove the earliest worldwide issue or an original sleeve imprint.
- Exploration of Space / Melt to the Ocean: Part II vinyl
MusicBrainz (community-maintained release catalog)
Edition-specific metadata; does not prove the earliest worldwide issue or an original sleeve imprint.
- Exploration of Space: Cosmic Gate’s Back 2 The Future Remix
Cosmic Gate / SoundCloud
Artist-hosted remix and Black Hole album announcement for 24 January 2011; not proof of the remix’s first commercial day.
- Cosmic Gate artist biography
Black Hole Recordings
Historical Nic Chagall/Bossi partnership and signature records; stale current-lineup assumptions and promotional totals omitted.
- Exploration of Space: current eight-track digital catalog
Wake Your Mind / Spotify
Lists Extended Mix and other named versions; retroactive catalog rights/year are not original imprint evidence.
What it changed
Cosmic Gate’s own SoundCloud account identifies Cosmic Gate’s Back 2 The Future Remix and places it in the Black Hole project Back 2 The Future: The Classics From 1999–2003 Remixed, announced for 24 January 2011. The album announcement does not establish the remix’s first commercial release day. Treat it as a later rework, not the early Extended Mix.
Trivia
- The checked German CD also includes Melt to the Ocean.
- Extended Mix and club remix are separately named versions on the original-era CD.
- The current digital rights holder should not be substituted for an unverified original sleeve imprint.