Trance DJ names, A–Z.
The short answer
Well-known classic trance DJ names include Paul van Dyk, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul Oakenfold, Ferry Corsten, Above & Beyond, Judge Jules and Sven Väth. The list below runs A–Z with real names, countries and what each is known for. It covers the 1993–2005 era rather than every trance DJ working today.
The list
Classic trance DJs, alphabetically.
A
Above & Beyond(Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, Paavo Siljamäki)
Trio behind Anjunabeats and Trance Around The World · United Kingdom
A State Of Trance radio show, launched 2001 · Netherlands
ATB(André Tanneberger)
‘9 PM (Till I Come)’ · Germany
B
BT(Brian Transeau)
‘Flaming June’ and melodic progressive trance · United States
C
Chicane(Nick Bracegirdle)
Balearic trance: ‘Offshore’, ‘Saltwater’ · United Kingdom
Cosmic Gate(Stefan Bossems, Claus Terhoeven)
German trance duo of the late 1990s and 2000s · Germany
D
Darude(Ville Virtanen)
‘Sandstorm’ (1999) · Finland
Dave Pearce
BBC Radio 1 dance shows and Dance Anthems · United Kingdom
Dave Seaman
Progressive DJ, Renaissance and Global Underground mixes · United Kingdom
F
System F ‘Out Of The Blue’, Gouryella · Netherlands
H
Hernán Cattáneo
Progressive DJ, long-form sets · Argentina
J
Bedrock and the Sasha & Digweed partnership · United Kingdom
Judge Jules(Julius O’Riordan)
BBC Radio 1 and the Ibiza club circuit · United Kingdom
M
Marco V(Marco Verkuylen)
Dutch trance and tech-trance DJ · Netherlands
Markus Schulz
Global DJ Broadcast radio show · Germany / United States
Matt Darey
Producer and DJ; Nurture compilation series · United Kingdom
N
Nick Warren
Way Out West and Global Underground mixes · United Kingdom
P
Perfecto Records and the 1994 Goa Mix · United Kingdom
‘For An Angel’ and Vonyc Sessions · Germany
S
Sander van Doorn
Dutch trance and electro crossover of the mid-2000s · Netherlands
Sasha(Alexander Coe)
‘Xpander’ and Northern Exposure · United Kingdom
Scott Bond
Gatecrasher resident DJ · United Kingdom
Seb Fontaine
Cream resident and BBC Radio 1 DJ · United Kingdom
Sven Väth
Frankfurt scene and the Eye Q label · Germany
T
Tall Paul(Paul Newman)
Turnmills residencies and UK crossover hits · United Kingdom
Tiësto(Tijs Verwest)
In Search Of Sunrise and Black Hole Recordings · Netherlands
Y
Yves Deruyter
Bonzai Records and the Belgian trance sound · Belgium
Frequently asked
What are some famous trance DJ names?
Well-known classic trance DJ names include Paul van Dyk, Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul Oakenfold, Ferry Corsten, Above & Beyond, Judge Jules and Sven Väth. The list below runs A–Z with real names, countries and what each is known for. It covers the 1993–2005 era rather than every trance DJ working today.
Who is the most famous trance DJ?
There is no objective answer. Tiësto, Armin van Buuren and Paul van Dyk are the names most often cited for the classic era. The archive’s ranked list of the best trance DJs explains its reasoning.
Why do so many trance DJs use stage names?
Short, memorable names worked on flyers, radio and record sleeves. Some, like Tiësto (Tijs Verwest) or ATB (André Tanneberger), became better known than the people behind them.