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For twenty-five years, A State Of—Trance has united trance lovers around the world, evolving from a radio show into a global movement and one of the most influential brands in electronic music.

To celebrate this remarkable milestone, Armin van Buuren presents A State Of—Trance 25 Years - Selected Highlights, a special mix featuring a personally curated selection of ASOT tracks that highlight some of the biggest moments, memories, and milestones from the past quarter century.
Bringing together timeless classics, scene-defining anthems, and exclusive new interpretations, the mix also includes brand-new remixes of beloved ASOT favorites by some of today’s most exciting trance artists, including Andrew Rayel, ReOrder, Matt Fax, and Dan Harrison.

Honoring the past while embracing the future, A State Of—Trance 25 Years - Selected Highlights is a celebration of the music, artists, and global community that have shaped the journey—twenty-five years together, all united by one sound: A State Of—Trance.

Emmy Award-winning composer Bear McCreary returns to the Outlander universe for another score, this time for the spin-off Blood of my Blood. This next chapter in the time travellers saga premiered in August 2025 and serves as a prequel to the critically acclaimed Outlander series.

Set in 18th century Scotland and England during the World War I, the series focuses on the lives and courtship of the parents of Jamie Fraser and Claire Beauchamp. McCreary masterfully brings the tale alive by blending classical music with folk and traditional Celtic.

The soundtrack of Outlander: Blood of my Blood is available as a limited edition on transparent vinyl and includes an insert.

With one foot in the Mexican underground rock scene and the other one in the global tape trading circuit, Las Ánimas del Cuarto Obscuro found themselves in the middle of a crossroad after their first LP. México wasn´t the same country as when the band first started. Even though access to non-commercial music still was a difficult task in the late eighties, the fringes of culture had way more resources thanks to the stubbornness of certain anonymous heroes: dwellers of El Tianguis Cultural del Chopo, niche record stores, illegal underground parties and hosts of late night Mexican public radio shows.


Ubiquitous social unrest expressed itself in every way possible. The aftermaths of the 1985 earthquake weren’t the only matters on the table. Protests erupted after a rigged presidential election and a student strike hit Mexico’s biggest public university. This was just the tip of the iceberg of issues PRI’s perfect dictatorship was or wasn’t addressing. The clash of the authoritarian regime against new and fresh ideas.


If the first record was about the loneliness of self-destructive youth and it’s urban phantasmagories, LACO’s second LP dealt with change as the axis of human existence. Las Ánimas is just the beginning of the sonic metamorphosis Toño Sánchez went through until this very moment.
The departure of former bandmembers set a different approach towards more experimental and atmospheric sounds. As the project’s only member, Toño Sanchez took an alchemical trip aiming for more mysterious horizons.


Despite the fact that we can still find conventional dark pop and catchy songwriting, the record rests on sound landscapes closer to Jorge Reyes or Tuxedomoon and This Heat than the orthodox ways of so called post-punk, seasoned of course with the lack of music gear and the economic reality prevalent in Mexico of those convulsed times.


Las Ánimas is a goodbye letter to underground but not because the next move is the mainstream. Far away from it, it’s a farewell to traditional rock and a the first steps down into the depths. From now on, Toño Sánchez will dedicate his musical efforts to weirder sounds and scarcer audiences in the search of the arcane, possessed by a mania of constant change that infects the soul after crossing the black door’s threshold.

Synth driven perpetual punk rock, darkened by atmospheric touches in its production and songwriting, yet uplifted by its intention to distill that darkness into light. Pop music from France on either side of the punk explosion has never shy’d away from electronic elements and on Nuits Blanche’s Helás LP there is plenty to remind us of that legacy. The sounds we are given rub against neither pop or dance, but instead absorbs the impact of quite tough sounding street punk. Four on the floor drums, like Disco’s ghost stamped across the face by the weight of the electric guitar run with songs not out of place if “A Country Fit For Heroes” got shoved inside the sleeve of “Wanna Buy A Bridge” and the two became one. Helás has the heft and the violence of boots treading across concrete en masse but within that is the lightness and the style of a dark smokey room filled with people wearing dark glasses and considering the inevitability of the pointlessness of existence…off the dance floor anyway. (Jonah Falco)

Detroit underground's DJ Girl gracefully appears on Ultralow, with a (turbo) five track EP. Unapologetically in her style and attitude, for the second release of the label. Electro sounds by the ounce, something to look out for!

What happens when bassweight electronic beats meet the abstract world of one of the most uncompromising MCs on this planet?

Get ready for a special listening experience as Abu Ama and Sensational take you deep into a world of heavy bass, fractured rhythms, strange frequencies and completely unpredictable flows.

Abu Ama is known for his unique production style, combining Dub, Ambient and Industrial soundscapes with Middle Eastern sound structures. His productions create vast, atmospheric spaces where bass pressure and subtle details constantly collide. Over the years, he has developed his signature sound through releases on forward-thinking labels such as Bokeh Versions and Accidental Meetings. With Ringing In Your Ear, Abu Ama presents some of his most adventurous and forward-thinking productions to date.

On the microphone, we are proud to present a true underground legend straight outta NYC: Sensational.

Born Colin Julius Bobb in Guyana and raised in Brooklyn, Sensational became one of the most distinctive and unpredictable voices to emerge from New York’s experimental hip-hop underground. Originally performing under the name Torture, he was already connected to the Jungle Brothers in the early 1990s before developing the completely unique style that would become synonymous with Sensational.

In 1997, he released his debut album Loaded With Power on the influential Word Sound label. Built from dusty beats, unusual samples and lo-fi textures, the record established Sensational as an artist who seemed to operate completely outside the established rules of Hip Hop.

Over the following decades, he continued to explore the space between underground rap, experimental electronics, noise and abstract music. His long list of collaborators included artists such as Spectre, Kouhei Matsunaga, Kid 606, Cardopusher, Handsome Boy Modeling School and many others. His work with Kouhei Matsunaga was even remixed by Autechre.

Sensational was never interested in fitting into a particular scene. His rhymes were surreal, his flows unpredictable and his approach completely his own. For more than three decades, he remained a true outsider — a cult figure whose music connected underground Hip Hop with some of the strangest and most adventurous corners of experimental music.

After Abu Ama and Sensational’s heavy 2023 single International Rokkaz left us wanting more, the two decided to take things much further. What started as a single collaboration evolved into a full length soundclash.

We were already incredibly hyped about this collaboration from the moment we heard it. But while we were preparing for the release of the single MOZZ, the terrible news reached us: Sensational had passed away.

The news hit hard. It is still difficult to believe that we will never hear a new Sensational verse again.

What makes Ringing In Your Ear even more special is that it captures Sensational doing what he did best — completely free, completely unpredictable and completely himself.

We dedicate this record to Colin Julius Bobb aka Sensational, in loving memory of an extraordinary artist, MC and true underground original.

Rest in power, Sensational.

New school meets old school on Visitors’ third release!

Returning with a second Various Artists EP, Visitors bring together two pioneers of an authentic tech house sound alongside a new generation of producers. Scene legends Pete Hurst aka Sloth UK and Adam Collins join newcomers Locky Mazzucchelli and Sweater for a versatile four-track offering. Acidic touches run throughout, alongside raw bassline house and broken techno rhythms, with the modern sounds of the A-side flowing seamlessly into some classic flavours on the flip. A versatile and highly playable EP that balances contemporary club energy with old-school attitude - four tracks made to fit your record bag and stay there

Phillip George Allison was born and raised in Denham Town, West Kingston, the last of six children and the only boy. As a boy he sang hymns at his mother's side. Before long he was singing radio hits at school concerts, where he did Curtis Mayfield, Smokey Robinson and Eddie Kendricks in a falsetto so close to theirs that friends called him "George Smokey."
With Delroy Williams and Shirley Forbes he formed The Mad Lads. Leroy Sibbles auditioned them at Studio One and called Coxsone Dodd over to listen, and they recorded the same day, with Sylvan Morris as engineer and the Sound Dimensions backing them. Ten To One, Losing You and You Never Know were big with the sound systems. George then left music to study electrical engineering at CAST. Years later producer Carl Prince of Gibbous Records asked him to re-record Ten To One, and that brought him back into the studio for the 1984 album So Unusual, where both of these sides first appeared.
Gypsy Woman was one of the first songs he ever sang in class. "Gypsy Woman was originally done by Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, one of my favourite groups. I chose to do it a little differently, in my falsetto style, like Ten To One that I recorded while singing lead with the Mad Lads."
War Is Ugly "I wrote War Is Ugly during the politically motivated tensions and killings between rival gangs and gunmen all over the island in that period. My message was to the gunmen: turn in their arms and come. War is ugly, love is lovely."

Das zweite Album der "Colors"-Trilogie! Der aufstrebende Metal(core)- und Alternative-Künstler hält seine über 2 Millionen TikTok-Follower in Atem. Arankai stammt aus Wisconsin (USA) und trat erstmals 2022 mit einer Reihe von Independent-Veröffentlichungen in Erscheinung. Durch die Kombination von Elementen aus Metal, Alternative Rock und emotionalem Storytelling baute er sich dank seines rohen Sounds und seiner markanten Präsenz in den sozialen Medien schnell eine treue Fangemeinde auf. Nach der "The Portrait Tour" im Mai und Juni 2026 - seiner ersten Headliner-Tournee, die mehrere ausverkaufte Shows in den USA umfasste - wird Arankai ausgewählte Headliner-Konzerte in Europa spielen (darunter einen Auftritt beim Reeperbahn Festival). Anschließend nimmt er diesen Schwung mit ins Frühjahr 2027, wenn er gemeinsam mit Melrose Avenue als Support-Act durch Europa tourt. Arankai in his own words: ""The Shape of Blue", like its predecessor "A Portrait of Red," covers a range of human experiences: rebellion, pride, sacrifice, to name a few that stick out. I tend to draw from personal experiences, but with this particular record I found myself writing songs that reflected specific situations involving other people; sometimes I wasn't even a part of those situations, it was just a powerful moment I found inspiring. I really wanted this record to be something special. I did a lot of things I haven't done before, wrote songs in styles that were new to me; I really wanted to give people a new, exciting experience. I believe "The Shape of Blue", as an album, is a strong, emotive piece. And I hope people enjoy it as much as I loved making it."

*CASSETTE TAPE!**

SELN Recordings is proud to present Sillons, the debut release from French musician Pierre François.

Straight from Nantes with love and sadness; Sillons is the soundtrack to being shut inside and sheltered from all the dread beyond your bedroom door. What may at first appear as a collection of abstract loops unravels into something much greater throughout its entirety.

Underneath a thick atmosphere of tape hiss and crackle, minimal synth explorations emerge and float away while the occasional guitar-esq riff ebbs in and out of the foreground like waves at the shore. Percussive refrains come through with perfect timing, their occasional rudimentary timbre all in the spirit of ‘do it yourself magique’.

Picture the following: it’s been decades and you’ve forgotten how to communicate with the world outside, all you have left are message-songs which leave behind a story of what it was like to be separated from everything you’d ever known during an existential sabbatical. This is very near to the audio experience that Sillons gives and thus makes it so real. On this merit alone François deserves his flowers.

Even the shortest of songs manage to conjure up visceral imagery. For example ‘Abouile’, with an impressive runtime of 51 seconds, dives straight into the eeriest corners of a Cold-War era ‘Numbers Broadcast’ being sent out from malfunctioning military personnel venturing off into the depths of their consciousness.

All in all there is something distinctly ambitious and positive within Francois’ work. It takes you to a place where little else matters except the mood and feeling the music provides, a hopeful and emotive landscape.

Mastered by Amir Shoat

Anna Almani might be your new favourite producer. IFYKYK.. If you don't, then let's get to know..

Anna Almani is a Berlin based “Drag-DJ & Fun-House-Queen”. She is “Big Sister” at ‘Love Letter’ an imprint “for flinta & queer sonic goodness” and she is the alter ego of deep house producer and Poker Flat & Watergate artist ‘Iorie’.

Anna says “This EP is part of my queer expression. It’s all about the attitude to resist, it’s about being yourself unapologetically. It’s a big hug to the queer community and a love letter to resistance on the dancefloor. Be radical, have an attitude and lose yourself.”

When we picked the tracks for this EP we were completely spoiled for choice. There’s so much personality in Anna’s music that every track list made sense. And that’s because there’s a common thread that runs through all of Anna’s music - Balance. Ying & Yang. Dark & Bright, Passive & Assertive, Masculine & Feminine, Fun & Depth all in kept in amazing dynamic balance.

This is Share Now & Save for Later… Gratification immediate and delayed. .. . four tracks to take you through from open to close. From Berlin to NYC and round again

‘See Me Walk’ is gonna be the track that grabs the attention and connects with dancers everywhere. Fast, fun and full of attitude it’s a 909 workout with the energy and syncopation of Ballroom Vogue aaaaand a fabulous diva vocal to match. ’Tender T’ counters the audaciousness with some tenderness. Energetic yet embracing, this introspective proggy, dubby afterhours roller is a proper trip! Full of colour but hazy af.

On the flip ‘Gimme Some’ ramps up the tempo. Fast, urgent and cyclic grooving techno - with a strut - that’s both dubbed out and in your face. ‘Anladın mı’ is a collaboration between Anna and German/Turkish producer Zettka. Low slung house that both jacks and grooves. Rolling basses balanced with playful chords. “Anladın mı” it translates as “Do you understand? or “Got it?”. By now I think we do understand.. That certain je ne sais quoi… Anna Almani has definitely got it.

$uicideboy$’ Stop Staring at the Shadows continues to stand out as a defining project in the duo’s catalog, showcasing the dark, atmospheric production and raw, introspective lyricism that have helped establish them as one of the most influential acts in the underground rap space.

The project further cemented their ability to connect with a highly dedicated global fanbase while pushing their sound deeper into the mainstream.

The release has become a fan favourite, with tracks such as ...And to Those I Love, Thanks for Sticking Around continuing to generate strong streaming activity, social engagement, and renewed discovery years after its original release. Its heavy production, emotionally charged themes, and distinctive $uicideboy$ aesthetic have given the project lasting catalog value and a strong connection with their core audience.


















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In Dead Deities, SATANIC PLANET’s new album for Relapse Records, we see a band coming into its own while offering an aggressive, pitch-black, deeply surly call-to-arms against autocracy in the age of Christian Nationalism. Lucien Greaves (The Satanic Temple co-founder and spokesperson), Luke Henshaw (Planet B, Sonido de la Frontera, First Power Crew, Variations In the Key of the Afterlife), Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Misfits, Mr. Bungle, Dead Cross), and Justin Pearson (The Locust, Swing Kids, Deaf Club) are now a fully together-in-the-studio band with razor-sharpened focus, creating a sound and lyrical catalog of ideas that Greaves says is both more personal and even closer aligned to the goals of The Satanic Temple, which through art, action, and activism seeks to “encourage benevolence and empathy, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practiced common sense, oppose injustice, and undertake noble pursuits.” The Satanic Temple and SATANIC PLANET are here to empower all those who are needed in the ongoing battle against theocracy, apathy, and inequality. Dead Deities begins as a brooding, doomy soundscape with backwards ritualistic vocals that churn forward like a barbaric horror flick scene before launching into the aptly named “Antichrist,” with a hypnotic, screamy post-post-post-hardcore intro that melds into a slow, nasty, heavy vision of what pop music might sound like in Hell. This 11-track stygian brute of an album is a journey through modern dark music with tolling bells, blackened synth, diabolical noise interludes, drums as heavy as a mountain, and group vocals torn straight out of your best-worst nightmares.

'A little grungy, a little groovy…after 25 years of making music, ELIZA has finally written her first real love song.
'Fifteen years on from her platinum-selling debut, the music she is making now feels far more authentic to the soundtrack of her teenage years: D’Angelo, Radiohead, Janet Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Prince, and The Smashing Pumpkins.'

"On her best record yet, Eliza strips her songwriting to its bones” - Shatter The Standards (★★★★☆)

"The Darkening Green feels like a natural deepening of her voice and vision, balancing intimacy, social awareness and quiet hope” - Wordplay

"Serious, stylish, but also effortlessly cool” - Song Bar

It’s a rare occurrence for a band to continue making music into their fifth decade, even fewer top off that achievement with one of their most recent albums being named one of “2023’s Best Albums” by a venerable magazine like SPIN. But The Church did just that with The Hypnogogue, an album so adored by critics and fans alike that it ushered in an entirely new era for the Australian band.

Now armed with their 28th album Lacuna, the psychedelic dreampop legends continue to evolve and transform, remaining not only relevant but consistently delivering music that is innovative yet true to their signature sound. “Intense, forlorn, and exultant,” is how bassist/vocalist/founder Steve Kilbey describes the album.

With a measured command of melody and instrumentation that only comes with experience and age, it’s an album rife with indelible musical clasps that fasten hold of your attention and refuses easy surrender. It’s a steadfast talent that Kilbey hosts close to his chest that’s been ever-present in the 27 albums that preceded it (best evidenced by the jubilant, nearly sold out 2025-2026 Singles Tour legs across Australia and North America, featuring night after night of incredible three-hour sets).

Starting in 1980, The Church continued expanding their highly cinematic and atmospheric blend of indie rock, shimmering post-punk, icy dreampop and psychedelic post-rock without retreading their steps. Beginning with classic early albums Of Skins and Heart, The Blurred Crusade, and Heyday which built a sturdy foundation, 1988’s Starfish broke into the mainstream and gave The Church the international hit “Under the Milky Way.” The hit single has been regarded as one of the most influential and recognizable Australian rock anthems of all time.

EPILOGUE is the culmination of more than four decades of music-making by Japanese composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Ken-ichiro Isoda, an album in which environmental sound, electronics, contemporary classical composition and memory converge into a deeply personal late-career statement. Isoda moved through video-game music, film composition, classical production, Okinawan music, television and collaborative projects, continually developing an approach in which acoustic instrumentation, field recordings and electronics could coexist naturally.



His collaborative album Interwoven with aus, released through WRWTFWW, further demonstrated the openness of a musical philosophy Isoda describes as being rooted in fluctuation, imperfection and organic movement.



EPILOGUE brings those threads together while refusing to function simply as a retrospective. The album consists largely of older compositions that Isoda has returned to, reconstructed and reinterpreted from the perspective of the present.



Opening track “TANEKOMA” refers to the Izu Robin, a rare bird native to Hachijō-jima, the volcanic island where Isoda lives. Its song, recorded by Isoda in the mountains, becomes part of the composition itself. Placed at the beginning of the album, “TANEKOMA” becomes both document and prayer.



Elsewhere, “Circulation 2” develops from a work created around the relationship between forest, sea and the movement of water. Flutist Dogen Kinowaki replaces Isoda’s original piano melody with a performance that gives the piece a distinctly Japanese sense of place. Kinowaki also appears on a newly reimagined version of “Beach of the Pliocene”, one of Isoda’s most recognised compositions.“STEPS”, first composed for film in 2008, looks back toward the electronica of that period. For this definitive version, Tsutomu Sonoda of maya ongaku provides vocals, bringing new emotional and lyrical depth to a piece Isoda had wanted to properly complete for more than a decade.



The title track from Isoda’s 1991 New Age album “Yume no Sazanami” is similarly reconsidered. Originally recorded with a small chamber orchestra, the new arrangement replaces elements of the harp and cello with layers of nylon-string guitar performed by Tatsuro Murakami. Perhaps the album’s clearest meeting point between past and present is “WATERWAYS.”The mysterious European ambient artist Aiko Takahashi, transforming an abandoned demo into what is simultaneously the oldest and newest work on the album.



“A Flowering Tree,” written for film in 2013, is reconstructed around multi-tracked flute performances by Dogen Kinowaki. Isoda carries that association into his own arrangement, allowing the piece to function as another quiet meditation on memory, loss and hope.



The album closes with “EPILOGUE” —less a grand conclusion than a moment of acceptance. Isoda chose it as the album’s title piece to hold what he describes as the complex emotions that accompany the twilight of a life spent making music. EPILOGUE is not simply a look back. It is the sound of older music continuing to move, change and breathe in the present: a lifetime of ideas distilled into Isoda’s own form of pure music, shaped by memory, collaboration, nature and the world immediately outside his home on Hachijō-jima.

Prolific British multi-instrumentalist William Dorey makes music emphasising traditional means of recording under the Skinshape moniker, referencing influences ranging from Ennio Morricone to The Beatles, and a variety of genres including but not limited to retro funk, soul, reggae, psychedelic rock, African music and folk. Far from carrying an anything goes attitude, Dorey's is an evocative melting pot moulded in an orderly fashion, creating output that keeps categorisation open-ended. Whilst tackling a busy tour schedule over the past 18 months, Skinshape has continued to find time to make music in his studio based in North London. The latest endeavour is titled Chapman's Pool - named after a bay on the Jurassic coast in Dorset, located walking distance from where Dorey grew up. Chapman's Pool carries a sense that Skinshape is reconnecting with the sound which formed his musical identity, drawing inspiration from spaghetti westerns, trip-hop, `60s+'70s Ethiopian Jazz, '80s South African bubble gum and so on, all while the multiple years of recording, songwriting and production experience are clearly audible.

It's hard to pin down the age of chest's music, as it seems to be in a state of constantflux - a fusion of spontaneous energy and timeless electricity. The band didn't choose this name by chance: for years, its members have been breathing music through every pore of their bodies; they bonded amidst the darkness and vibrations of Supersonic, the heart of the independent music scene in Paris, where they met and have all worked. Even before releasing a single record,chest. were spotted by NME,which ranked them among the 100 to follow last year in 2025. A debut EP in February 2025, All Good Things End (Howlin Banana), further boosted the band's credibility and international popularity at breakneck speed. chest. opened for DITZ, Jehnny Beth, Heavy Lungs and KNIVES, who welcomed them with open arms onto a bustling Anglo-Saxon music scene. They're spotted at La Maroquinerie, Rock en Seine, ESNS and across the UK. chest. come of age without ever going through adolescence. In autumn 2025, chest. began recording their debut album at La Frette studio, known for having hosted sessions by Nick Cave and the Arctic Monkeys. The band, with a line-up featuring three sound engineers, self-produced the album there and opened themselves up to new inspirations without, however, straying from the powerful and melodic noise rock of their early days. Their sound becomes even more complex and personalised, revealing perfectly assimilated influences from industrial, techno and shoegaze. chest. embodies the future figurehead of a French rock scene that is no longer afraid of anything. A band capable of bringing people together without compromising their artistic standards.

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five waren eine wegweisende Hip-Hop-Gruppe, die sich in der South
Bronx in New York City formierte. Sie waren bekannt für innovative DJ-Techniken und sozialkritische Texte
und wurden 2007 in die Rock and Roll Hall of Fame aufgenommen.
Diese Compilation enthält mit „The Message“ eine der einflussreichsten Hip-Hop-Singles aller Zeiten sowie
„Scorpio“ – eine der großartigsten Electro-Aufnahmen, die je produziert wurden.
Ein ungeschöntes, direktes und bildgewaltiges Porträt des schwarzen Straßenlebens im New York der frühen
80er Jahre sowie eine faszinierende Zeitkapsel der ersten Versuche des Rap im Albumformat – dieses Album
erwarb sich aus eigener Kraft Respekt.

POV zeigt Nico Santos in zwei Extremen: ganz nah und ganz groß. Sein viertes Album ist ein Doppelalbum
aus zwei vollständigen Welten: Personal und Optimist. Personal versammelt intime, persönliche und echte
Geschichten, vielleicht die biografischsten Texte, die Nico bisher geschrieben hat, für Momente, die man
allein mit sich hört. Optimist ist das Gegenstück: große Hymnen und der Soundtrack zu seinem lauten,
schnellen Leben als Popstar, für Nächte und Momente mit Freunden. Zusammen ergeben beide Seiten 18
Songs, darunter ”Why Don’t You Stay”, ”Optimist”, ”Ray of Light”, ”All Time High” und ”Body”.