Trance radio.
The short answer
Classic trance spread through radio as much as clubs. BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix, first broadcast on 30 October 1993, gave two-hour slots to DJs like Paul Oakenfold, Sasha and Paul van Dyk. Armin van Buuren's A State Of Trance, first aired on 1 June 2001, became the weekly home of the Dutch sound and still runs today. Markus Schulz's Global DJ Broadcast is another long-running weekly show.
BBC Radio 1
Essential Mix (from 1993).
A weekly two-hour show on BBC Radio 1, first broadcast on 30 October 1993. It is not a trance show, but it gave trance and progressive DJs a national audience. Paul Oakenfold's Goa Mix, broadcast in December 1994, is one of the best-remembered. The timeline has more.
Armin van Buuren
A State Of Trance (from 2001).
A Dutch trance and progressive radio show founded by Armin van Buuren. It first aired on 1 June 2001 and grew into an event brand and label. Its Classics compilations collect many of the records covered here. See the ASOT Classics guide.
Markus Schulz
Global DJ Broadcast.
A weekly show hosted by Markus Schulz, the German-born DJ based in Miami. It has aired on Digitally Imported and other stations.
Frequently asked
What is the most famous trance radio show?
A State Of Trance, hosted by Armin van Buuren. It first aired on 1 June 2001 and is usually broadcast weekly as a two-hour programme.
Was the Essential Mix a trance show?
No. It covers all kinds of electronic dance music. But during the classic era many of its best-known mixes came from trance and progressive DJs, which is why it matters to trance history.
Where can I hear classic trance on the radio now?
Shows change often, so this page doesn't list stations or times. The A State Of Trance archive and its Classics compilations are a good place to start, and the mixes section of this site covers the classic sets.
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.
- Essential Mix
Wikipedia
Weekly BBC Radio 1 show, first broadcast 30 October 1993.
- A State of Trance
Wikipedia
Founded by Armin van Buuren; first aired 1 June 2001; weekly two-hour show.
- Markus Schulz
Wikipedia
Host of the weekly Global DJ Broadcast.