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Posted by Mainline on Mar-08-2023 21:44:

Early trance classics?

Lets say we have a time machine which takes us back to the end of 1995. To a time when trance has only been around for 5-6 years.

Were any records already regarded as "classics" of the genre at this stage? Or did that term first appear early in the 21st century?

I first became aware of it around 2001 - 2002. Quite a few compilations started to be released at this time with the term classics in the title. Generally, they were full of tracks from 96-2000.

Going back to 1995, were the tracks below already revered by the scene faithful? If not, what were the shining beacons for that generation of early 90s ravers?

Age of Love (Jam and Spoon mix)
Stella
Cafe del Mar
Amphetamine
Acid Phase
Point Zero
Orange Theme
Dreams

Posted by Sykonee on Mar-09-2023 02:59:

This is the earliest item in Discogs' tomes that marketed itself as 'Trance Classics':

Hard Trance Classics From Deepest Germany

Those really aren't classics.

Seriously though, there were already plenty of tracks considered classics by '95, but the reason many of them weren't on future 'classics' compilations boils down to licensing issues.

This '99 issue of Muzik Magazine did a big feature on the history of trance (kinda'), which namedrops a bunch of early trance labels (MFS, Eye-Q, Music Research) that had petered by the time such compilations became far bigger business:

The A - Z Of Trance (skip to page 65)

So it's not that the early classics weren't known, they just weren't available for licensing.

Posted by planetaryplayer on Mar-09-2023 20:21:

cascada every time we touch

Posted by Trance-M on Mar-11-2023 16:52:

Yes they were, except Stella mainly was popular in the UK according to Jam El Mar, which is in line with my memory. I did have the track in 1992 on the compilation below, but it didn't feel that special at the time as tracks by The Shamen, NUKE and 2Unlimited ruled the dancefloors.

Notice how Stella and Age of Love were next to eachother and Age of Love was a bonus track back in 1992:
https://www.discogs.com/release/101...-Bass-Volume-22

I bought these compilations in 1994, it think that's the year trance really became popular over here near the German and Belgian border and older trance tracks got discovered and added to compilations.
Trance still was that new in 1995 that we didn't call earlier tracks classics. I think they got classics when the sound changed a few years later, at the time Ferry, Armin and Tiesto got more popular:

https://www.discogs.com/release/477...rance-Nation-94

https://www.discogs.com/release/688...ance-Collection

https://www.discogs.com/release/112...ream-Structures