Trance Masters – The Anthems From 1998

The late 90's club scene was dominated by Trance and by the turn of the century it would be dominating the charts as well. The euphoric sounds which were largely coming out of Germany and Holland had taken over the world’s clubbing capital Ibiza. Massive Synths The mix of massive synths and sunshine created a feeling that hadn’t been felt since the second summer of love in 1988. If you were a clubber back then you will have heard all of these tunes, either on the radio, in the club or at home where you probably played them through your TV so you had the trippy visuals from your PlayStation. We’ve tried to be as inclusive as possible so expect underground hits as well as tunes that stormed the charts. So let us take you back as we look at twenty of the biggest Trance tunes of 1998. Get ready for some epic nostalgia. Let's start with... Art of Trance – Madagasga (Cygnus X Remix) We’ll kick off with one of the biggest Trance tunes of all time. This one is instantly recognisable and still rocks dancefloors to this day. The Cygnus X Remix elevated this tune from great to legendary. Transa – Behind The Sun This massive tune from Transa was real head down stomper when it was released and it still gets the adrenaline flowing today. The perfect mid set stomper. Storm – Storm From the squelchy Synths to the tribal drums this sounded like it was from another planet when it first hit the clubs. It became a huge hit and did well in the charts all over Europe. The video may have helped with that too. Sash! – Mysterious Times As Trance grew it was inevitable that a more commercial sound would emerge and Sash! was very much at the forefront of that change. Sash! had already dominated the charts with Encore En Fois and Ecuador but Mysterious Times is probably one of Sash!'s most fondly remembered track. Aquaplex Meets Junk Project – Brightness Taking it back to the real underground 'Brightness' was a great bridge between the Ibiza Trance sounds and the Hard Trance that was starting to hit the UK Rave scene from Germany. This one is well remembered for its twisted vocal and massive synth buildup. Ruff Driverz – Dreaming (Percussion Mix) We aren’t convinced there was a dance compilation released in 1998 that didn’t have this track on. An anthem in every sense of the word this had us all clapping and singing along, even if didn’t have a clue what the vocal was saying. This also had an absolutely huge build up at the end of the breakdown that sent crowds wild. Liquid Child – Diving Faces Some tunes capture the vibe of a time perfectly and this is a time machine right back to the glory days. Atmospheric, Euphoric and full of joy. Surely Diving Faces one of the all-time greats. Boccaccio Life – The Secret Wish (Bulletproof Remix) This was another track that blew everyone away when it first came out. It gives you those chills that only the classics can give you. Uplifting but dark and brooding at the same time The Secret Wish still sound fresh. Y Traxx – Mystery Land Mystery Land is pure Ibiza Trance, It’s a beautiful piece of music that works equally as well in a club or chilling out in the sun. Seriously mellow vibes that still have you reaching for the lasers. That breakdown is just made for hugging your raving buddies. DJ Sakin & Friends – Protect Your Mind (Braveheart) (Suspicious Mix) Trance has never been afraid to rework a theme tune or classical piece of music and this is one of the biggest. Using the tune from the movie Braveheart this was a seriously overplayed anthem at the time, so much that it even made the UK top 10. That said, we still threw our hands in the air for that breakdown. Kai Tracid – Liquid Skies Kai Tracid may well be known for his Tracid Traxx label and his status as an innovator of the Hard Trance sound but in 1998 he was releasing some serious Trance Anthems. Liquid Skies was a big hit and rightly so. DJ Mind-X – Nightingale (Suspicious Remix) The second remix by Suspicious on our list and another track that crossed over from the burgeoning Hard Trance scene. Hard and full of energy it maintains its Ibiza credentials with a euphoric breakdown that’ll keep you up for days. Kay Cee – Escape This track has Ibiza written into its soul. Yes its fast and fairly hard but it just oozes the feeling of the Island of Trance. It also has a great Electro breakdown. DJ Jurgen Presents Alice Deejay – Better Off Alone (Vocal Club Mix) Sometimes it doesn’t matter how commercial a tune gets, it’s still a great tune. Better Off Alone was such a hit in the clubs that it got a full commercial release and dominated the charts, reaching Number 2 in the UK. You know you love it. Three Drives – Greece 2000 (Miro Vocal Version) Vocals played a huge part in the Ibiza Trance scene and whilst the original of this tune was a dreamy epic the vocal mix elevated it to a higher dimension. Everyone knows this one surely? BT – Godspeed BT is one of the finest producers on the planet and back in the late ‘90s. He was creating some of the biggest Trance anthems around. His unique style made his tracks instantly recognisable and many of them still sound futuristic to this day. Godspeed was massive when it came out and has been absolutely caned for years! Push – Universal Nation If anyone ever asks you what Trance is then this is probably the Tune to go with. It’s fairly minimal compared to some of the more Euphoric bits but it creates an atmosphere that’s just world beating. Interestingly, this tune has started to crop up in a few Techno sets by some big DJ’s recently, proving its status as an anthem as well as the quality of its production. Agnelli & Nelson – El Nino (Matt Darey Mix) El Nino is packed full of Ibizan promise. It’s the sound of a thousand beach parties all rolled into one and it had ravers closing their eyes and reaching for the heavens. It’s a genuinely uplifting and happy tune that always puts a smile on our faces. Paul Van Dyk – For An Angel (PvD E-Werk Club Mix) There is no denying that Paul Van Dyk has earned his reputation as the world’s number one Trance DJ. He’s had a huge career and has headlined every major festival and club night around the world. For An Angel absolutely cemented that position in ’98, it’s one of the all-time dance music classics, let alone Trance classics. Binary Finary – 1998 (Gouryella Remix) What better way to complete the list than with the track that not only summed up Trance in 1998 but also had the audacity to be named after the year as well. 1998 is an immense tune, we’ve said it before that some of these tunes blew us away when we first heard them but this one melted our faces. It’s just one big build up and just when you think it can’t get any bigger it does. Feeling Nostalgic? Are there any tunes you feel should be on the list? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to share it if you enjoyed reading and listening to these trance classics. Up Next: The Clubs we used to party in that are no longer with us.

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Trance Masters – The Anthems From 1998

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