TRANCE ARTISTS LIST • MUSIC HISTORY
Dude Music • Musicology

This is a highly select list of trance artists and their tracks based upon Dude's own personal taste in music and what he would consider to be part of the 'trance music' genre including the relevant major pre-genre artists who are listed chronologically according to the year of the first listing on here, and it's also a work in progress... if you find this page useful please support trance and share it with others!

You can check out Dude's releases here on YouTube and the download them from Apple iTunes

 

Jean Michelle-Jarre (Pre-Genre)

Trance music as a genre was not extant in 1976 however frenchman Jean Michelle-Jarre was already electro-synthesizing the types of sounds to be heard all over trance tracks ever since. The selected tracks below could easily be adapted to trance by speeding them up and adding a regular four on the floor kick along with a few other production techniques.

For anyone chuckling about this artist being a bit long in the tooth, Jarres spectacular laser and fireworks displays such as at Houston are legendary performances that would make even the biggest modern trance gigs look distinctly amateur in comparison.

To the extent of my understanding of the genre as a musician and producer, Jean Michelle-Jarre was really the earliest pioneering synthesist who had a big influence on the musical genre we now call 'trance'.

1976 "Oxygene Part II" YouTube
1976 "Oxygene Part IV" YouTube
1978 "Equinoxe Part IV" YouTube
1978 "Equinoxe Part V" YouTube

Klaus-Schulze (Pre-Genre)

The first time the word 'trance' was used for an album or track name to label a type of music that could be considered to be something akin to trance, was its use for the 1981 album by Klaus-Schulze "Trance fer", followed by "En=Trance" in 1988, however the music is distinctly lacking in rythmic percussion.

1981 "A Few Minutes After Trancefer" A Few Minutes After Transfer
1988 "FM Delight" FM Delight

The KLF

This somewhat outlandish UK group produced acid house type tracks in the late eighties, however "What Time Is Love" is to my ears more trance than it is acid house, and they named the group of singles the track was on 'Pure Trance' also. This is in my opinion the first trance track ever and one of my favorites.

1988 "What Time Is Love?" ("Pure Trance" Series Single) What Time Is Love

Age Of Love

If "What Time Is Love" is too 'acid' for your understanding of trance then the "Age Of Love" by Age of Love may appease your opinion.

1990 "Age Of Love" Age Of Love

Dance 2 Trance

Unquestionably trance without doubt beyond this point!

1990 "We Came In Peace" We Came In Peace
1992 "Power Of American Native's" Power of American Natives

Hardfloor

1992 "Hard Trance Acperience" Hard Trance Acperience

Orbital

1992 "Halycon" Halcyon*

*More ambient house... but absolutely classic so had to put it in ;O)

The Visions Of Shiva (Cosmic Baby and Paul Van Dyk)

1992 "Perfect Day" Perfect Day

Energy 52

1993 "Cafe Del Mar" Cafe Del Mar

Cygnus X

1993 "Superstring" Superstring

Laurent Garnier

1993 "Acid Eiffel" as 'Choice' Acid Eiffel

Quench

1993 "Dreams" Dreams

Legend B

1994 "Lost In Love" Lost In Love

Paul Van Dyk

1993 "Love Stimulation" by Humate (Paul Van Dyk Remix) Love Stimulation
1994 "The Green Valley" The Green Valley
1994 "For An Angel" For An Angel

Paragliders

1993 "Paraglide" Paraglide

Bianco De Gaia

1994 "Heliopolis" Heliopolis
1995 "Last Train To Lhasa" Last Train To Lhasa

Robert Miles

1994 "Children" Children

BT

1995 "Nocturnal Transmission" Nocturnal Transmission
1997 "Flaming June"Flaming June
2010 "Rose Of Jericho" Rose Of Jericho

Armin Van Buuren

1996 "Blue Fear"as 'Armin' Blue Fear
1996 "Communication" Communication
2000 "Eternity" as 'Alibi' (with Tiesto) Eternity
2009 "Unforgivable feat. Jaren" Unforgivable feat. Jaren
2010 "If You Should Go feat. Susana" If You Should Go feat. Susanna

BBE

1996 "Seven Days And One Week" Seven Days And One Week

Sash!

1996 "It's My Life" It's My Life
1997 "Encore Une Fois"Encore Une Fois
1997 "Ecuador" Ecuador
1997 "Stay" Stay
1998 "La Primavera"La Primavera
1998 "Mysterious Times" Mysterious Times
2008 "Raindrops (Encore Une Fois)" with Stunt Raindrops (Encore Une Fois)

Three Drives On A Vinyl

1997 "Greece 2000" Greece 2000

Chicane

1997 "Offshore" Offshore
1999 "Saltwater feat. Maire Brennan" Saltwater feat. Maire Brennan
2000 "Don't Give Up" Don't Give Up

DJ Quicksilver

1997 "Bellissima" Bellissima
1997 "Free" Free
1997 "I Have A Dream" I Have A Dream

Agnelli and Nelson

1998 "El Nino" El Nino
1999 "Everyday" Everyday

Binary Finary

1998 "1998" 1998

ATB

1999 "9pm (Till I Come)" 9pm (Till I Come)
2000 "Fields Of Love feat. York" Fields Of Love feat. York

Dutch Force

1999 "Deadline" Deadline

Ferry Corsten

1999 "Out Of The Blue" as 'System F' Out Of The Blue

Lange

1999 "I Believe" I Believe

Nalin and Kane

1999 "Beachball" Beachball

Pulser

1999 "Cloudwalking" Cloudwalking

Rank 1

1999 "Airwave" Airwave

Sasha

1999 "Expander" Expander
Galaxia
Punk (Cosmic)

Push (Mike Dierickx)

1998 "Universal Nation" Universal Nation
2000 "Strange World" Strange World
The Legacy The Legacy

Bedrock

1999 "Heaven Scent" Heaven Scent

Gouryella (Ferry Corsten and Tiesto)

1999 "Gouryella" Gouryella
1999 "Walhalla" Walhalla

Mauro Picotto

1999 "Lizard" Lizard
2000 "Komodo" Komodo

York

1999 "The Awakening" The Awakening
2000 "On The Beach" On The Beach

Above and Beyond

2000 "The Drill" as 'Dirt Devils' The Drill

William Orbit

2000 "Adagio For Strings" originally by Samuel Barber (Ferry Corsten Remix) Adagio For Strings Trance

Safri Duo

2000 "Played Alive (The Bongo Song)" Played Alive (The Bongo Song)

Ian Van Dahl

2001 "Castles In The Sky" Castles In The Sky
2001 "Will I" Will I

Tiesto

2001 "Flight 643" Flight 643
2001 "Suburban Train" Suburban Train
2003 "Traffic" Traffic

The Thrillseekers

2001 "Synaesthesia (Fly Away) feat. Sheryl Dean" Synaesthesia (Fly Away) feat. Sheryl Dean

Paul Oakenfold

2002 "Southern Sun" Southern Sun

Holden and Thompson

2003 "Nothing" Nothing

Dash Berlin

2007 "Till The Sky Falls Down" Till The Sky Falls Down
2009 "Man On The Run" Man On The Run
2010 "Never Cry Again" Never Cry Again

John O'Callaghan

2007 Big Sky feat. Audrey Gallagher Big Sky feat. Audrey Gallagher
2009 "Find Yourself feat. Sarah Howells" Find Yourself feat. Sarah Howells

TyDi

2010 "Good Dream" Good Dream
2010 "Mind Games feat. Manta Ray" Mind Games feat. Manta Ray
2010 "You Walk Away feat. Audrey Gallagher" You Walk Away feat. Audrey Gallagher

Dude ;O)

2010 "Sunseeker" Sunseeker
2010 "Trance III" Trance III
2010 "The Power Universal" The Power Universal
2010 "Infinity" Infinity
2010 "Quantum Bass" Quantum Bass

Yuri Kane

2010 "Right Back" Right Back

Dude's Trance Artist List is a work in progress... we hope you found it useful... if so please support the genre and share it with others.