The history of trance music.
The short answer
Trance grew out of the techno and EBM scene in Frankfurt, Germany, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, then spread across Europe. Records like Age Of Love's 'The Age Of Love' and Energy 52's 'Café Del Mar' set the template. In the late 1990s British superclubs and Dutch DJs turned it into the biggest club sound in Europe. By the mid-2000s it had split into harder and more electro styles, and the earlier records became what fans now call classic trance.
1988–1993
Frankfurt roots.
Trance started as a faster, more melodic branch of techno in Frankfurt's clubs and labels. It kept techno's four-to-the-floor beat but added long builds and repeating melodies. Read more in what is trance music.
1993–1997
Radio, Goa and the UK.
BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix began on 30 October 1993 and gave DJs a national stage. In the UK, Paul Oakenfold's Perfecto label and DJs like Sasha and John Digweed pushed the progressive side, while Italian producers such as Robert Miles took a softer "dream" sound into the charts.
1997–2002
The superclub years.
This is the sound most people mean by classic trance. Clubs like Gatecrasher and Godskitchen drew huge crowds, and Dutch DJs including Tiësto, Ferry Corsten and Armin van Buuren became stars. Armin's A State Of Trance radio show first aired on 1 June 2001.
2003–2006
The end of the classic era.
By the mid-2000s trance was splitting into harder, more electro and more minimal styles, and much of the superclub scene had slowed down. The records from the years before became a fixed canon. You can hear it in the classic trance songs list.
Timeline
Key moments, year by year.
1989
Perfecto Records launches
1990
The Frankfurt seedbed
1992
Age Of Love invents the template
1993
Café Del Mar is pressed
1994
For An Angel, first cut · Oakenfold's Goa Mix
1995
Children invents dream trance · Insomnia lands
1996
Northern Exposure defines progressive
1997
Three 'N One remix, peak-time template
1998
Paul van Dyk's remix year
1999
The peak year
2000
In Search Of Sunrise formalised · Anjunabeats launches · Perfecto Presents Another World
2001
A State Of Trance begins · Faithless Renaissance
2002
Gatecrasher and Cream at peak · Adagio in the wild
2003
Vocal trance crosses over
2004
Tiësto opens the Athens Olympics
2005
Adagio For Strings released · the pivot begins
2006
Electro-house eats the main room
The full details for each year are on the classic trance timeline.
Frequently asked
Where did trance music originate?
In Frankfurt, Germany. Wikipedia describes it as emerging from the city's techno and EBM scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s, around labels such as Harthouse and Eye Q.
Who invented trance music?
No single person. Frankfurt figures such as Sven Väth and the producers around Harthouse and Eye Q shaped the early sound, and records by Age Of Love and Energy 52 are often named as templates. The what-is-trance page covers this question in more detail.
When was the golden age of trance?
Most fans put it between about 1997 and 2002, when superclubs like Gatecrasher and Godskitchen were at their peak and trance singles regularly reached the UK charts.
Is trance music still made today?
Yes. Radio shows such as A State Of Trance, which first aired in 2001, still run every week. This archive focuses on the earlier, classic period.
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.
- Trance music
Wikipedia
Origins in the Frankfurt techno and EBM scene, late 1980s to early 1990s.
- Essential Mix
Wikipedia
First broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on 30 October 1993.
- A State of Trance
Wikipedia
Radio show first aired 1 June 2001.