New Era Trance

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, electronic music blossomed in various genres: house, techno and acid emerged, among others. One of the most enduring electronic genres that came from this time is trance.

Looking at the genre’s genesis, trance started as an offshoot of German industrial music in cities like Frankfurt, where electronic producers took the intense energy release of those stomping electronic body music (EBM) tracks and teased them out into euphoric beats that focused on melodic riffs and energetic highs and lows. This steely Germanic style quickly evolved, though, thanks to the influence of a small group of DJ and producers who traveled to another site of experimental electronic music, thousands of miles away, on the island of Goa, India.

When DJ/producers like Sven Väth went to Goa, they discovered Goa trance: a patchwork blend of acid, house, funk, techno and psychedelic music. Drawing from eastern philosophies, Goa’s hippie culture and tropical climate, these influences made a tactile, otherworldly impression on the German beats. 

In this back-and-forth, modern trance music developed into a euphoric electronic sound that pushes the 120BPM of house up to 150BPM, and focuses on soaring vocals, rapid arpeggios and minor key melodies, often with classical, chill out or ambient breakdowns. Throughout the ‘90s and ‘00s, trance became the de facto sound of the superclub era, dominating the Ibiza club scene, and major UK and European dance brands like Cream and Gatecrasher. 

As the relationship between house, techno and trance intensified, new styles emerged that pushed the energy and tempos harder and faster, such as hard house, jumpstyle, NRG and hardstyle. Within trance, subgenres emerged, too, with hard, acid, classical and progressive styles helping to expand on the genre’s tempos, moods and sonic palettes. Trance’s most legendary artists — some of whom have had careers spanning decades — include Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyk, Ferry Corsten, Tiësto and Above & Beyond.

Armin van Buuren has had a particular impact on the genre’s enduring appeal, with his Grammy-nominated music, chart-topping releases, and A State of Trance radio show and compilation series. In our exclusive Sound Advice interview, Armin reflects on his career journey, offering invaluable insights on building longevity as an artist while staying authentic. Touching on the current state of trance, Armin shares, “I think right now, trance is no longer a dirty word. When I started A State of Trance, trance was the hot thing; it was the sound. And then it was kind of back to minimal, and then all the BPMs went lower, and then it was 128 that was the new thing, and then now, we’re fully back with trance. It’s amazing. … I think the big difference between the trance now and the trance five years ago is that the BPMs are higher.” Elaborating on this trend further, Armin notes how, after the pandemic, “people just wanted to go out and party hard. So, I guess that has everything to do with the fact that younger generations just want to go hard, harder than than my generation when I was that age. So yeah, if there's any difference, then it's just BPM at the moment.”

New era trance DJ/producers are emerging from different countries and cultures, bringing their own tastes and ideas into the trance blueprint. Icons like van Buuren, Above & Beyond (who also recently appeared on Sound Advice) and Ferry Corsten are still riding high. These legendary artists continue to create music regularly and collaborate with this new generation of artists, who themselves bring elements of psytrance, techno and hard dance into the mix, bridging generations of the majestic subgenre.

Representing the new class of trance are artists such as Newcastle’s Ben Hemsley, Amsterdam’s KI/KI, Montreal’s TDJ, Berlin’s Marlon Hoffstadt aka DJ Daddy Trance, Paris’s TRYM, Northern Ireland’s Matty Ralph and Slovakia’s Nifra, among others. Dive into this collection of new tracks — featuring DJ HEARTSTRING, Daxson, XiJaro & Pitch, Panteros666, FRANCK and more — and discover the sound of new era trance.

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LISTEN TO THE NEW ERA TRANCE PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD

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Armin van Buuren, Ben Hemsley, Lucy Pullin, “Is It Beautiful? (A State of Trance 2025 Anthem)”
Dutch icon Armin van Buuren elevates his A State of Trance sound with this collaboration between UK DJ/producer Ben Hemsley and vocalist Lucy Pullin. You can find out more about Armin van Buuren’s journey so far, his latest music, A State of Trance and more in his recent episode of Sound Advice. To learn more about his 2025 album, ‘Breathe,’ check out his exclusive Voice Notes, where he breaks down the stories behind four of his favorite tracks from the project.

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Above & Beyond, Justine Suissa, “Bigger Than All Of Us”
On the title track of Above & Beyond’s 2025 album, long-time collaborator Justine Suissa’s vocals lift up this euphoric album cut. You can learn more about the trance trio’s latest project and creative process on their episodes of Sound Advice and Voice Notes.

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KI/KI, Marlon Hoffstadt, “Losing Control”
Rising Amsterdam DJ/producer KI/KI collaborates with fellow new school hard dance artist Marlon Hoffstadt on this fresh take on trance.

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Ferry Corsten, KASIA, “Punk”
NYC DJ/producer KASIA delivers a remix of Dutch trance icon Ferry Corsten’s 2002 classic track for Flashover Recordings.

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Ben Nicky, ARTY, Chicane, “Oxygen”
Leaning into anthemic trance vibes, this collaboration with Ben Nicky, ARTY and Chicane is a hands-in-the-air moment.

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LSR/CITY, Gareth Emery, Annabel, “don’t leave”
LA-based British DJ/producer Gareth Emery’s latest alias, LSR/CITY, invites vocalist Annabel onto this 2025 track.

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DJ HEARTSTRING, SWIM, “Forever (if u need it)”
Berlin duo DJ HEARTSTRING pushes their distinctive sound, which they describe as “trance dance music” (or TDM), on this 2025 track with Australia’s SWIM.

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Billy Gillies, Nu-La, “Crystallize”
Northern Irish trance DJ/producer Billy Gillies released this collaboration with vocalist Nu-La on Spinnin’ Records.

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TELYKAST, Oaks, “Super Powers (Giuseppe Ottaviani Remix)”
Italian DJ/producer Giuseppe Ottaviani remixes this 2025 track by LA duo TELYKAST for Armada Music.

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TRYM, “We Are Ravers”
A key name in the French trance scene, TRYM draws from hard dance and techno for his stadium-ready tracks.

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Ben Hemsley, Rose Gray, “Tidal (Ferry Corsten Remix)”
UK DJ/producer Ben Hemsley gets the remix treatment from Rotterdam’s Ferry Corsten.

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TDJ, Danny L Harle, “Shoreline”
Montreal trance DJ/producer TDJ links with hyperpop pioneer Danny L Harle on this bouncing 2025 track.

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Daxson, Susana, “Miracle”
Manchester’s Daxson, a key name in the new generation of trance acts, collaborates with vocalist Susana on this 2025 track for Coldharbour Recordings.

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Marlon Hoffstadt, “Hotshot (Extended)”
The artist also known as DJ Daddy Trance turns up the heat on this 2025 track, mixing trance and hard dance.

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Highlandr aka Factor B, “Me & You”
The Australian DJ/producer works within the uplifting side of trance music. This 2025 track dropped on the Theatre of the Mind label.

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Trance Wax, “Childhood”
Trance Wax, the trance alias of UK DJ/producer Ejeca, dropped this gentle 2025 track on the Anjunachill label.

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XiJaro & Pitch, Christina Novelli, “When Nobody Cares”
Belgian duo XiJaro & Pitch team up with vocalist Christina Novelli for this 2025 track on Dutch label Black Hole Recordings.

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Talla 2XLC, Airwalk3r, “Colors In My Dreams”
Frankfurt-based DJ/producer Talla 2XLC and Airwalk3r dropped this soaring 2024 track on the Future Sequence label.

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Matty Ralph, “Rave Life”
Hailing from Northern Ireland, Matty Ralph is a name to watch in the new era trance scene.

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Nifra, “Madness”
Slovakian DJ/producer Nifra takes a harder, faster approach to trance on this 2025 track for Amsterdam’s Revealed Recordings.

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Panteros666, “Chasing Dreams”
Parisian DJ/producer Panteros666 orbits the same style of hard dance/trance as Marlon Hoffstadt, with a Y2K aesthetic.

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FRANCK, “One Night In Bogota”
Scottish DJ/producer FRANCK imagines a Colombian trance rave in this 2025 track.

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33 Below, Midnight Dance Party, DRIIA, “LOYAL”
London-based, New Zealand-born DJ/producer 33 Below’s track with DRIIA gets the remix treatment from Melbourne’s Midnight Dance Party.

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mischluft, “Side to Side”
Leipzig-based DJ/producer mischluft showcases his take on trance on this 2025 track.

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Asteroid, “A Distant Hope”
UK DJ/producer Asteroid pushes a high energy, melodic style of trance, blending tech and psytrance influences.

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SUPERSTRINGS, Signum, “What Ya Got 4 Me”
It’s double Dutch on this collaboration between Signum and SUPERSTRINGS, which dropped on Armada Music.

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Robinito, “Aetherial”
Hailing from Helsinki, Finland, DJ/producer Robinito dropped this 2025 track on Dutch trance label Avena Records.

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Rank 1, “Lytherion”
Dutch DJ/producer duo Rank 1 dropped this 2025 track on High Contrast Recordings.

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Daniele Filaretti, “Doubt and Fear”
DJ/producer Daniele Filaretti creates uplifting trance music. This 2025 track is his latest for Chasing Dreams Music.

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Adam Reece, “Thoughts Of Passion And Darkness”
UK DJ/producer Adam Reece returns to the Borderline label for this 2025 track, blending hard dance and trance.

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LISTEN TO THE NEW ERA TRANCE PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD