Church of Trance

We had the opportunity to connect with Darren Porter during Luminosity in the Netherlands for this exclusive interview, where he reflects on the childhood spark that led him to Trance, the cinematic techniques that shape his signature sound, and the spontaneous creative flow behind his collaboration on “Potion.” He opens up about the personal battles that inspired his Reason to Rise label and explains its unique A&R process that's focused on quality. Along the way, Darren shares grounded advice for aspiring artists and shares the joy balance of music, relationships, and dog Teddy brings to his life. // WATCH // LISTEN Church of Trance · Exclusive interview with Darren Porter // READ TRANCE JESUS: Chris Blackburn reporting from the Netherlands for the fourteenth edition of Luminosity Beach Festival. I’m joined here for this special interview with a DJ who is no stranger to Luminosity and has released dozens of tracks and instrumentals and is a driving success behind a ...

Ironically perhaps,  ‘Finding Me’ owes its existence to a period of profound creative doubt on Ciaran McAuley’s behalf. After years of forward momentum, the Irish artist found himself questioning not only his own direction, but his relationship with music itself. At that crossroads, rather than forcing (what now only had the appearance of) progress, he chose to pause and fully acknowledge the rift. Then he turned into its headwind and harnessed that turbulence as the start-point for his recalibration. And that became the core of  ‘Finding Me’ . That type of reset often requires a little help from your friends and Ciaran found a wealth of that through a truly standout cast of collaborators. Amongst that cadre are studio mainstays like  Paul van Dyk ,  Roger Shah ,  Ferry Tayle , and  Sean Tyas , and singer-songwriters like  Audrey Gallagher, Christian Burns ,  Sue McLaren ,  Zara Taylor, Sarah Howells ,  Clara Yates, Deirdre Mc...

What happens when two producers — bound by a shared history, yet also significantly parted for fragments of it — rediscover the musical language that first brought them together? And then further, seal it with a 20-track first album as a two-piece? For Driftmoon’s Juraj Klička , and Miikka Leinonen , who in 2023, rejoined, seven years after his departure, the answer’s  ‘Moonstruck’ —a record born through (not to put too fine a point on it!), reunion. Featuring a constellation of talented co-producers ( Ruben de Ronde, Richard Durand, Robert Nickson, Hel:Sløwed  to mention a few )  and vocalists like  Sue McLaren Sarah Howells  and  Susie Ledge,   ‘Moonstruck’  is Driftmoon’s most ambitious studio work to date. “ Opus ” may not be too big a word. Divided into four lunar events, each echoing a stage in the duo’s timeline, they, alongside their creative allies, have delivered the most vivid, and indeed,  complete   Driftmoon LP to date....

Nefarious Things is a masterclass in storytelling through sound from one of Trance's heroes Deon Butler, aka. Kaeno. One of our friends here at the Church of Trance I had the chance to talk to him about his origins in Music back in 2024 [ watch / listen / read ], and now in 2025 he continues to innovate through his globally syndicated platform, The Vanishing Point Records. Kaeno has always been the champion of the unsung voices of Trance and pioneers the future of underground music, and Nefarious Things is the stage where he weaves his own personal history, pioneers genre innovation, and embeds emotional resonance into a cohesive album, making this project stand out across both the trance and techno landscapes. Each track invites you not just to hear but to feel the journey, and the collaborations amplify the album’s emotional depth, genre fusion, and storytelling. Each partner brings a distinct flavor, helping Kaeno realize his vision of an album that’s as personal as it is uni...

“ Always, I have believed that artist albums need a purpose ” says Johan Gielen , “ and that purpose can’t simply be feeding the industry machine or the bi-annual expectations of a fanbase ”. Nonetheless, it’s been nigh on twenty years since ‘Revelations’ appeared, making ‘ Etherflow ’ less of a ‘return’ to the Johan Gielen longplayer, and more a musical reckoning for it. Fair to say then that expectations have been raised, and its taken the Belgium-born/Dutch-based legend three earth cycles of production to meet them. An album forged in grief, resilience, and a raw creative truth, ‘ Etherflow ’ isn’t just a long-awaited ‘next chapter’ . It’s part an epic celebration of life, and part an existential excavation of it - one that’s been written from the inside out and charged by the weight of lived experience. As Johan himself puts it: “ there’s the Beauty of Silence, but also ‘the beauty of absence” . ‘ Etherflow ’ though, is where that absence ends. What’s in a title then? Joh...