Trance

Review: 2020 marks a quarter of a century since Brian "BT" Transeau released his ground-breaking debut album, Ima - with a little help from Sasha - and redefined what progressive house and trance could be. 25 years on, his music may not take the breath away like it once did, but Transeau is still the undisputed master of melodious, musically rich prog-house, trance and EDM. 'The Lost Art of Longing', his latest album, naturally features plenty of soaring, uplifting club cuts, but also acts as a showcase for his notable musical dexterity. There's little ambient fare this time (a recurring theme in his work), but a smattering of radio-friendly pop-dance numbers, slow-motion R&B songs, string-laden downtempo cuts and piano-laden torch songs.

Review: Two years ago, System 7's Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy collaborated with a Japanese drinks maker to create a brand-new sake inspired by their particular blend of psychedelic, otherworldly dance music. To promote it, they created a brand-new track, 'Field of Dreams', and offered up a mix CD to be packaged with bottles of the drink. This double-disc set presents that mix -a typically trance-inducing blend of heavily electronic psychedelic techno tracks rich in trippy noises, surging beats, inspired ambient electronics and Hillage's distinctive guitar textures, alongside a bonus CD containing fresh remixes of 'Field of Dreams' from some of their favourite Japanese producers. Those are worth a listen, not least because they're every bit as hallucinatory as System 7's admirable original version.