Church of Trance

Dennis Sheperd  has been on a journey, and it’s been one he’s documented album-by-album each step of the way. Through title and theme,  ‘A Tribute To Life’ ,  ‘Fight Your Fears’ ,  ‘Find The Sunrise’  and 2022’s  ‘Onwards // Upwards’  have all touched on, alluded to or out-and-out addressed the area of mental wellbeing. It goes without saying that it’s a topic as close and personal to Dennis as any. So much so that it pushed him to co-found  Soundcation  – the music production retreat specifically geared towards budding producers, and led by artists like Jerome Isma-Ae, Protoculture and Dennis himself. With his newest album however, Sheperd’s widening the lens and focusing on a next-step challenge. After ‘Onwards // Upwards’ hinted at a life being taken more in its stride, it’s time to release  ‘Release’ . Dennis elaborates: “ ’Release’s title carries a deep personal significance for me, delivering a message I feel strongly about. ...

/// Prefer audio or video? Enjoy this interview on Youtube or Soundcloud ! Extrema's mastermind, Manuel Le Saux , makes his return with a superb release, collaborating with the Dutch talent Inrayzex . 'Sunset At The Opera' features a powerful glide bassline, unique synths, and powerful trance leads, meticulously crafted to elevate your dance experience and earn a lasting spot in your playlist. We had an opportunity to connect with the legendary Italian Trance producer and DJ Manuel Le Saux to ask him a few questions about his collaboration! What is the meaning behind the track title "Sunset At The Opera"?  So we decided to call this track sunset at the opera because it has a summary vibe all over from the beginning till the end of the tune and because we decided to use a sample of voice in the track that reminds the the opera sound. So at the end of the day, we decided to go with Sunset at the opera. Working with Inrayzex on this track what moment sticks out from...

    An artist that surely shaped the scene in 2003 has to be Tomas Brueckner also known as " Tomcraft ". I do not think that there was a soul alive who loves dance music that did not experience the magic of his undeniable anthem "Loneliness" and did not find themselves dancing helplessly to the beat. A tune that defined an era to be sure. No small wonder that a huge amount of DJs added it to their playlists and it even inspired like minded future releases. Not one to be at the constant forefront of things, "Tomcraft" did not stay forever in the limelight. It is no secret that when I spotted a new release by him I was ever curious and excited to see and hear for that matter what he now has in store for us all. "That Beat" is out now on " Magik Muzik " and rest assured this track is aurally delicious!  We are eagerly introduced to pounding basslines, a most lively percussion and a fine selection of appropriate effects to conjure up the mo...

   We may have left 2023 long behind, embracing the promise of the new year but let's not forget the amazing moments we had, music we heard, experiences we went through. In that frame of mind there were plenty of gems that we may not have had the time to discover, especially during the holiday season.   One of these fine releases which may have been overlooked has got to be one that goes by the name "Oldskool". Creator of this fine specimen is German dance music aficionado "Dennis Sheperd". Dennis is known for his amazing collaborations with fellow artists on some of the world's leading labels, his very own creations which soared to the highest heights, his straight forward artist albums and his "Soundcation" concept which has brought to the forefront new and promising artists, helping them achieve their goals and ultimately breaking out of their shell. For this release Dennis decided to go under his alias "DR.DRTY", a techier, undergroun...

  Allen Watts label High Voltage Recordings is always a wealth of high quality Trance releases, and 2024 has been off to a strong start with some new names as well as the return of 0Gravity , who released " I See Right Through " in May 2023, and for vocalist Lyd14  this will be the first release on the label. Lyd14 is no stranger to the Church of Trance, as we're a big fan of her sound and contributions to Trance both professionally and being an amazing person to connect with personally. We had a chance to connect with Lyd14 to undercover the magic behind this release, and learn about the working dynamics between creator / producers and song writers / lyricists.  What is the meaning behind the track title "Dark Desire"?  Dark Desire is a metaphorical journey into one's inner world, exploring hidden emotions and depths. The song reflects the challenges and uncertainties of relationships, where passion and connection endure despite obstacles. ”Dark Desire” e...

  /// Prefer audio or video? Enjoy this interview on  Youtube  or  Soundcloud ! American Bob Bickert, aka BIXX , and Danish  Jack Aiman Høye, aka Dreamy Dawn , have teamed up on their first collaboration together and recently released on Allen Watts label  High Voltage Recordings . We've had the chance to connect with Bob on multiple occasions, both here in the US when he made a trip to play in Minneapolis is 2022, and in 2023 in the Netherlands for Luminosity Beach Festival, where we had a chance to sit down with him for an in-depth interview about himself and his music - you'll find this coming soon here at the Church of Trance.  When we received this promo we had to reach out to learn more about the meaning and journey of its creation. What is the meaning behind the track title "No Surrender"?  The meaning of No Surrender means basically keeps driving for a better way, you know, a better life, and then when you fall, get back up and make basic...

Good Friends of the Church of Trance Don and Justin, known as Euphoric Nation , have been on a hiatus from production in 2023 and this track, Viper, is their first release in over a year, and personally comes with lots of excitement with the direction of the project. Having known Don and the Euphoric Nation project for over the last 10 of their almost 15 year run starting back in 2010, I've always been a fan of his versatility across the spectrum - into progressive, to uplifting, and even guilty pleasures with hardstyle and Eurodance. In the last 18 months, there's been a big insurgence of melodic house and techno, and so it's perfect timing for the Euphoric Nation project to reemerge with Viper. We talked to Don & Justin & asked them about the inspiration of the track: Trying something new was the inspiration! It was at a time in our life when we had just come out of the pandemic, Justin had just moved to a new city, and we wanted to try something different than ou...

  RJ Van Xetten drops a massive Tech Trance banger with a hook that many of us will find familiar from the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr .... "I still have a dream". The breakdown is taken directly from MLK's famous speech:  I still have a dream - it is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream – that one day, this nation will rise up and live out its true meaning of its creed, 'We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal' We asked RJ his inspiration for this track: To be honest with you, it kind of just came spirit of the moment but what really pieces together was the initial the initial use of the "I still have a dream." That was actually a chopped vocal sample that I found in an old old old packet from the early 2000s. Long story short, I end up finding the sample again and I decided to take it a step further and to find exactly where Martin Luther said that in his speech, because "I still ...