Tracing The Spark
If you ask someone — or search online — for what the very first trance track was, you’ll likely run into two common answers. Half will point to What Time Is Love by The KLF from 1988, while the other half will name Jam & Spoon’s remix of The Age of Love from 1992. From time to time, you might even hear something completely off the wall — like the claim that trance didn’t exist before the mid-’90s, or conversely, that experiments from the ’60s and ’70s by artists like Kraftwerk or Gershon Kingsley could already be considered early examples of the genre. And while some of these responses do reflect certain aspects of the truth, none of them offer a clear or accurate answer to which track — or tracks — truly marked the beginning of trance as a genre.
Debunking The Origins
We humans tend to romanticize the past — often casting its moments and creations in a light more favorable to us. Gershon Kingsley’s Popcorn was a landmark in electronic music history, and Kraftwerk are cultural icons in their own right who pushed the medium forward in meaningful ways. Thus, it’s only natural that many would want to draw a strong connection between them and our beloved genre, granting trance a richer historical backdrop. However, that would be nothing more than historical revisionism. Despite planting the seeds for many branches of electronic music — including trance — their productions were still far removed, in both style and structure, from what we would later come to recognize in the genre during the ’90s and 2000s.
The aforementioned track by The KLF is a far more plausible choice, as it represented one of the first truly prominent examples of a track — preceded only by the ‘87 remix of Split Second’s Flesh — that broke away from the framework of a reasonably established electronic music genre (Acid House, in this case), steering toward a sound that would later become synonymous with trance. However, this is what we refer to as proto-trance — a precursor and forerunner of trance, if you will — much like tracks such as Neue Dimension, Come Into My Life, or early Dance 2 trance productions that also emerged from their own distinct musical contexts (new beat, techno, ambient, house, etc.) and took a decisive step toward what would eventually become the trance sound.
To address the other end of the opinion spectrum: claiming that trance wasn’t a thing before the mid-’90s is not only misguided but also shows a complete disregard for key historical milestones such as Quench’s Dreams, The Source Experience, Eternal Spirit by 4Voice, Paul Van Dyk’s take on Illuminate The Planet, and hundreds of others. And then there’s the legendary remix of The Age Of Love, which is legendary for a reason. It was the first-ever trance track to truly fire on all cylinders, flawlessly realizing its vision while fully adhering to the genre’s artistic philosophy and structural boundaries, thus becoming immensely famous and cementing itself as one of the most important tunes in electronic music history. But does that make it THE FIRST trance track?
Age Of Trance, Before The Age Of Love
While Jam & Spoon’s remix of The Age Of Love was the first track from the genre to make a worldwide impact, there were quite a few others from the same year — and a handful from even earlier — that already had all the key ingredients to be unquestionably called trance. These electronically instrumented tunes were built around a melody-driven approach, a strong forward momentum and energy, and intricately interwoven with hypnotic and atmospheric elements. Repetition played a central role in shaping their trance-inducing effect, allowing themes and textures to evolve gradually and organically.
Every musical tool — be it melody, atmosphere, rhythm, or hypnotic sequencing — was ultimately deployed with one goal in mind: to guide the listener toward an emotional culmination, often in the form of an intense, euphoric, and cathartic peak. In the spirit of Bruce Lee’s famous saying, “Be like water”, these tracks embraced a fluid, seamless sense of motion, and it was this uninterrupted, organic current that decisively set them apart from the earlier proto-trance works, which often retained a more segmented, mechanical, or rigid structure. These are the tracks that, in many ways, marked the true beginning of trance — and they’re the ones we’re going to explore today.
Zyon - No Fate (Struggle Continues Mix)
1991- Q4 | Germany
Eye Q Awakens
Wait a second: Zyon and No Fate? You’d be forgiven for mistaking them for a sci-fi convention that only admits guests in black trench coats. Jokes aside, No Fate was one of the earliest releases on the now-legendary Eye Q label, which would go on to play a pivotal role in shaping trance music as we know it. The track was arguably their first major hit too, although it never quite reached the mythical status of Jam & Spoon’s remix The Age of Love — widely considered the definitive trance anthem of the early ‘90s.
The original 1991 vinyl brilliantly illustrates the subtle shifts that had to occur for trance to finally step out of the frameworks of its genre predecessors and emerge as a standalone style. While the A-side version (No Fate Mix) leans more heavily on other genre elements — including traces of ambient and even recurring rap sections — the Struggle Continues Mix fully surrenders to the melodies. It lets them take the lead and define the listening experience, giving the track a direction and identity that feel unmistakably trance.
Thanks to its relative success, the track secured a lasting legacy and saw multiple remixes and reissues in the following years. In 1992, it returned in the form of the Back From Ghoa Mix and Brainfood Mix, and in 1993 as the No Fate Mix '93. However, all of these versions offered mostly minor sonic tweaks — slight adjustments in tempo, texture, and energy — without fundamentally reimagining the track or surpassing the melodic magic of the original versions.
It wasn’t until 1997 that No Fate saw a proper revival — and this time, from multiple fronts. The German hard dance act Scooter released a more commercial, vocal-driven rework that even came with its own music video and climbed all the way to number two on Finland’s official music chart. But for trance purists, the real breakthrough came from Santini & Stephenson, who masterfully reinterpreted the original by using its atmospheric foundation not as an end in itself, but as a slow-burning buildup to a powerful climax where the full melodic potential of the track was unleashed. It was the first — and perhaps only — version that truly managed to outshine the 1991 classic.
Bassrace - Futurama (Final Dream Mix)
1991- Q3/Q4 | Sweden
A Statement For The Future
Bassrace was a short-lived project by British-born Nick Conceller and Morgan King, both of whom remain active in the music world today. While they mainly operate within other genres, their 1991 album Futurama — originally released in Sweden — featured one of the very first trance tunes. The Final Dream Mix of the titular track is a hidden gem from the early '90s that leans more on dark, atmospheric sounds than on bold, energetic, upfront melodies.
It’s clear that the creators recognized the track's innovative and powerful sound for its time, as despite there being three other versions, this one was placed at the very beginning of the A-side, setting the tone for the rest of the release. The spoken phrase "Welcome to a journey into the future" at the beginning of the track serves as a declaration of its groundbreaking nature. It not only hints at the entirely new and previously unheard sound we’re about to experience, but it also foreshadows the immersive, exploratory, journey-like quality that would become a key element of the trance genre.
Although the Final Dream Mix was the version that tipped the track into trance territory, each of the four versions of Futurama offers an interesting take, providing listeners with different sonic interpretations — from ambient-leaning detours to more groove-oriented structures. It's no wonder that opinions are divided among fans, with each version having its own group of devotees. The diversity across these mixes is a testament to the track's adaptability and creative depth.
The lasting appeal and historical value of Futurama didn’t go unnoticed — in 2022, Sound Metaphors Records, a label dedicated to reviving synthetic dancefloor productions from the '90s that are believed to have held deeper expressive significance, remastered and reissued the album on vinyl. They even included a brand-new mix to further highlight the record’s legacy. Ironically, however, the Final Dream Mix — the very version through which they carved out one of the first trance tracks in history — was the only one left out. Fortunately, it had already been preserved in lossless format on the Techno Trax Vol. 3 compilation, originally released in 1991.
Eden Transmission - I’m So High (Ubud Mix)
1991- Q4 | United States
The Hypnotic Climb
The Ubud Mix of I’m So High is a hypnotic 12-minute journey that places significant emphasis on a prolonged build-up to reach incredible euphoric peaks, much like later classics such as After Hours by Unreal or Hello San Francisco by Dance 2 Trance. The track is an amalgamation of multiple genres, and for its first 9 minutes, it primarily masquerades as a tribal, techno, and Goa record, before transitioning into trance territory with a goosebumps-inducing climax that retroactively recontextualizes everything that came before.
And this is precisely what makes I’m So High so remarkable: it effectively demonstrates the powerful impact of the tension-and-release principle that lies at the heart of trance music. In this sense, the track is not just a musical experience but also an educational one — a perfect illustration of how patience and gradual progression can yield a much deeper emotional payoff. It stands in stark contrast to the short-attention-span culture of modern electronic music, offering a masterclass in the art of long-form tension building.
Since the track was an underground piece with limited releases and relatively low visibility, it remained confined to vinyl for over two decades. However, over time, its quality began to be recognized, particularly within professional circles. It was first included in the 2014 release For Tourist Only: The Complete Voodoo & Eden Transmissions, where the track was digitally preserved in lossless quality.
A few years later, Electronic Beats featured it in their article 25 Classic Trance Tracks That You Can Still Play Today Without Feeling Bad About Yourself, noting that even without the vocal sample, “the track would still be the perfect musical representation of its title”. Then, in 2025, Sound Metaphors Records remastered and reissued the original vinyl, further demonstrating that more and more people are beginning to recognize the track’s value and historical importance.
Moby - Go (Subliminal Mix)
1991- 03 -13 | United States
Sublime Melodies
Go was originally released as the B-side to Mobility, with Moby having little idea of the track’s true potential — he was simply hoping to sell around 4,000 copies. To his surprise, however, Go became a monumental success, not only in sales but also in its cultural and musical impact. In 1991 alone, it saw over 30 different releases across the UK, Netherlands, US, Germany, and beyond, each showcasing varying mixes and reinterpretations of the original track.
The infamous Woodtick Mix is probably the most recognized version, and it remains the go-to choice for many electronic music fans — the version that Twan from Muzikxpress, a well-known figure in trance circles, primarily covered in his 2018 video about the track’s origins. However, the mix that pushed the boundaries further was the Subliminal Mix, which marked a decisive departure from the track’s initial house influences, becoming one of the first tracks to fully embrace the ethereal soundscape of the trance genre.
Produced by Moby himself, this mix was built on the foundation of the Woodtick Mix, but with the house and techno elements stripped away, leaving only the lush atmospheric pads intact. Over this, he layered a strong, constantly moving, and fast-paced melancholic melody to create a true trancy feel. While the track doesn't feature the typical intros, buildups, breakdowns, or outros found in many trance productions — as it focuses solely on the immediacy of the melody — its artistic and stylistic elements still make it an undeniable example of early trance.
Looking back, the Subliminal Mix has arguably withstood the test of time better than any of the other versions and was also the version that marked the beginning of a then-forming genre — even if its significance only became clear in retrospect. And while it is less well-known than other mixes, the track was acknowledged in a popular video (with nearly 5 million views) that traces the history of electronic music from 1969 to 2020, highlighting the Subliminal Mix as a key moment in its development.
Neuron Systems - Orbital Fantasy
1991 | Australia
The Real Don Goes Trance
This is one of those rare productions where the context of its creation is more compelling than the track itself. It was produced by none other than Donald Steele Revert — better known as The Real Don Steele — one of the most popular radio DJs in the US from the 1960s through the mid-1990s. His cultural imprint was so lasting that his voice resurfaced decades later in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, via archival footage.
While in the early ’90s he was already well into his 50s and primarily known for spinning ultrahip pop and rock hits, that didn’t stop him from experimenting — and producing one of the earliest trance tracks with Orbital Fantasy in 1991. Unlike most other tracks from this era that are often labeled as trance despite leaning closer to techno, acid, or other genres with only superficial trance elements, this one fits the bill not just in style, but in structure as well: it features an intro, buildup, breakdown, and outro — the full package.
However, Orbital Fantasy remains elusive to most modern listeners. The track was only released on vinyl and, given the circumstances, it is likely to stay that way unless the necessary files or digital audio tapes (DAT) resurface. This is due to the fact that the track was released through Don’s own label, Global Warming Productions, and with his passing in 1997, access to the original materials has become increasingly difficult.
It’s also fascinating to consider where trance might have gone if Don had continued to contribute to the genre. By the mid-1990s, he had become even more active in the electronic music scene, producing tracks for compilation albums such as Tranzmission and The Cheese Factory Compilation. In 1996, he even created a psytrance mix and played a key role in Armin van Buuren’s very first single, Check Out Your Mind E.P., by mastering tracks for its Australian and New Zealand releases.
Dance 2 Trance - We Came In Peace (‘91 Mix)
1991 | Germany
Untapped Potential
While We Came In Peace originally appeared in 1990 on Dance 2 Trance’s debut EP Dance 2 Trance, the initial version leaned more heavily on acid and techno influences. Its first half was dominated by inconsequential acidic filler sequences that barely would have functioned even as background elements. However, the second half hinted at something greater — a shift toward a more atmospheric, hypnotic, and melodic sound — whose true potential was only realized in a later 1991 mix.
The revised 1991 version of We Came In Peace stripped away many of the weaker elements and leaned into the track’s hypnotic and progressive potential. While it still suffered from some pacing issues, it was among the very first productions that met the core criteria to be reasonably considered one of the earliest examples of trance music. This iteration also resonated the most with listeners — not only did it feature on numerous compilations over the years, but it also holds the highest YouTube play count among all versions.
The original producers revisited the track again in 1992 and 1993 with the Desert Mix and the ’93 Mix, respectively. The Desert Mix offered an intriguing reinterpretation, subtly reworking nearly every element of the original and introducing a gentle, mesmerizing wordless female vocal that blended seamlessly with atmospheric pads. The 1993 version, by contrast, opened with a deeply melancholic yet hauntingly beautiful intro, suggesting a memorable experience ahead. Unfortunately, the rest of the track failed to fulfill that promise, gradually losing momentum and confidence after the strong beginning.
In my opinion, nearly every version of this track has something exceptional to offer. Yet each also suffers at times from an overly stripped-down, rhythmless sound that causes a loss of momentum and listener engagement. Despite the many remixes, a truly definitive version never emerged — one that would build on the 1991 mix’s foundation, incorporate the haunting intro from the ’93 Mix, add the ethereal female vocal from the Desert Mix, and eliminate the empty stretches — fully embracing the melancholic, melodic, and hypnotic qualities that have always been this track’s strongest aspects.
Global Roots
The commonly accepted origin story — not to be confused with the question of what the first trance track was — claims that trance music was born out of Sven Väth’s travels to Goa, India, which supposedly inspired him to establish Eye Q Records in Germany in the pursuit of a new sound. However, all the works mentioned above seem to debunk this narrative. In reality, the emergence of trance was more organic: with the rise of various electronic genres, a natural, almost instinctive urge emerged among producers worldwide to fuse the rhythmic energy of electronic (dance) music with the progression, melody, sensuality, and structural elegance found in classical music.
This is how trance came into being — not as the product of a single country or scene, but as a global phenomenon. Already in the genre’s earliest year, its distinctive sound surfaced independently across different continents and countries, including the United States, Sweden, Germany, and Australia. And that list only grows if we also take into account the tracks featured in the following sections — productions that, while not fully trance yet, were already approaching its aesthetic and helped pave the way for the genre’s development.
Close Encounters With Trance
1991 also saw the release of other intriguing tracks that were on the cusp of being trance, such as God’s Groove's Prayer Five. While it was nearly there, it still leaned a bit too heavily on techno elements, which interrupted the melodic flow of the production. In a 1993 remix, techno elements were further toned down, and in subsequent releases (titled Prayer Seven and Prayer Eight) the same melodic foundation was used, but with the addition of vocals, marking some of the earliest examples of vocal trance tracks (with the exception of Prayer Eight).
Speaking of vocal trance, the Italian group Datura also offered an early take on the subgenre with their first single, Yerba Del Diablo (1991). The Shagras mix is likely the version that comes closest to the articulated trance sound we discussed earlier. However, it still leaned towards a more simplified, mainstream style, while also incorporating elements from other genres. Despite its driving melody, it mostly lacked the hypnotic and mysterious qualities that would later define the genre, much like Format's Solid Session from the same year — a track also often cited when discussing the early days of trance.
Finally, it is worth considering tracks like Melt’s Radioactivity (1989), Liaison D’s He Chilled Out (1990), and the 10-minute mix of Stardiver's Lifetime Mission (1991), which could be regarded as fully-fledged trance tracks, depending on one's perspective. The first is a cover of Kraftwerk’s Radioactivity, featuring new vocals, extensive guitar riffs, a captivating electronic soundscape, and a hypnotic, gradual progression that elevates the track into the realm of trance music — although with a tempo much slower than what would later become common in the genre. The lack of an energetic pacing is also the key factor that sets He Chilled Out apart from typical trance productions, though this was later "addressed" with a remix by Phenomenia. As for Lifetime Mission, it has echoes and elements of that trance-like feel, but struggles to build a sense of momentum or true development, despite its length.
Conclusion
Discogs lists around 2,500 tracks released between 1988 and 1992 that are tagged with some form of trance on their database entries for the corresponding vinyl releases. However, after listening to every single one of them, I can confidently say that, despite a few outliers, 1991 was still very much a year of proto-trance — which just speaks volumes about how far ahead of their time those select few truly were. Even in 1992, trance hadn’t fully emerged yet, and it wasn’t really until 1993 that the genre came into full force and we started seeing a substantial number of proper trance productions. In any case, I hope this article has not only offered a fresh and thought-provoking perspective but also helped to finally put a definitive end to a decades-old question — one that many believed had long been solved, yet was, in truth, only ever partially explored and often answered incorrectly.
Author: @TheTranceHistorian
If you ask someone — or search online — for what the very first trance track was, you’ll likely run into two common answers. Half will point to What Time Is Love by The KLF from 1988, while the other half will name Jam & Spoon’s remix of The Age of Love from 1992. From time to time, you might even hear something completely off the wall — like the claim that trance didn’t exist before the mid-’90s, or conversely, that experiments from the ’60s and ’70s by artists like Kraftwerk or Gershon Kingsley could already be considered early examples of the genre. And while some of these responses do reflect certain aspects of the truth, none of them offer a clear or accurate answer to which track — or tracks — truly marked the beginning of trance as a genre.
Debunking The Origins
We humans tend to romanticize the past — often casting its moments and creations in a light more favorable to us. Gershon Kingsley’s Popcorn was a landmark in electronic music history, and Kraftwerk are cultural icons in their own right who pushed the medium forward in meaningful ways. Thus, it’s only natural that many would want to draw a strong connection between them and our beloved genre, granting trance a richer historical backdrop. However, that would be nothing more than historical revisionism. Despite planting the seeds for many branches of electronic music — including trance — their productions were still far removed, in both style and structure, from what we would later come to recognize in the genre during the ’90s and 2000s.
The aforementioned track by The KLF is a far more plausible choice, as it represented one of the first truly prominent examples of a track — preceded only by the ‘87 remix of Split Second’s Flesh — that broke away from the framework of a reasonably established electronic music genre (Acid House, in this case), steering toward a sound that would later become synonymous with trance. However, this is what we refer to as proto-trance — a precursor and forerunner of trance, if you will — much like tracks such as Neue Dimension, Come Into My Life, or early Dance 2 trance productions that also emerged from their own distinct musical contexts (new beat, techno, ambient, house, etc.) and took a decisive step toward what would eventually become the trance sound.
To address the other end of the opinion spectrum: claiming that trance wasn’t a thing before the mid-’90s is not only misguided but also shows a complete disregard for key historical milestones such as Quench’s Dreams, The Source Experience, Eternal Spirit by 4Voice, Paul Van Dyk’s take on Illuminate The Planet, and hundreds of others. And then there’s the legendary remix of The Age Of Love, which is legendary for a reason. It was the first-ever trance track to truly fire on all cylinders, flawlessly realizing its vision while fully adhering to the genre’s artistic philosophy and structural boundaries, thus becoming immensely famous and cementing itself as one of the most important tunes in electronic music history. But does that make it THE FIRST trance track?
Age Of Trance, Before The Age Of Love
While Jam & Spoon’s remix of The Age Of Love was the first track from the genre to make a worldwide impact, there were quite a few others from the same year — and a handful from even earlier — that already had all the key ingredients to be unquestionably called trance. These electronically instrumented tunes were built around a melody-driven approach, a strong forward momentum and energy, and intricately interwoven with hypnotic and atmospheric elements. Repetition played a central role in shaping their trance-inducing effect, allowing themes and textures to evolve gradually and organically.
Every musical tool — be it melody, atmosphere, rhythm, or hypnotic sequencing — was ultimately deployed with one goal in mind: to guide the listener toward an emotional culmination, often in the form of an intense, euphoric, and cathartic peak. In the spirit of Bruce Lee’s famous saying, “Be like water”, these tracks embraced a fluid, seamless sense of motion, and it was this uninterrupted, organic current that decisively set them apart from the earlier proto-trance works, which often retained a more segmented, mechanical, or rigid structure. These are the tracks that, in many ways, marked the true beginning of trance — and they’re the ones we’re going to explore today.
Zyon - No Fate (Struggle Continues Mix)
1991- Q4 | Germany
Eye Q Awakens
Wait a second: Zyon and No Fate? You’d be forgiven for mistaking them for a sci-fi convention that only admits guests in black trench coats. Jokes aside, No Fate was one of the earliest releases on the now-legendary Eye Q label, which would go on to play a pivotal role in shaping trance music as we know it. The track was arguably their first major hit too, although it never quite reached the mythical status of Jam & Spoon’s remix The Age of Love — widely considered the definitive trance anthem of the early ‘90s.
The original 1991 vinyl brilliantly illustrates the subtle shifts that had to occur for trance to finally step out of the frameworks of its genre predecessors and emerge as a standalone style. While the A-side version (No Fate Mix) leans more heavily on other genre elements — including traces of ambient and even recurring rap sections — the Struggle Continues Mix fully surrenders to the melodies. It lets them take the lead and define the listening experience, giving the track a direction and identity that feel unmistakably trance.
Thanks to its relative success, the track secured a lasting legacy and saw multiple remixes and reissues in the following years. In 1992, it returned in the form of the Back From Ghoa Mix and Brainfood Mix, and in 1993 as the No Fate Mix '93. However, all of these versions offered mostly minor sonic tweaks — slight adjustments in tempo, texture, and energy — without fundamentally reimagining the track or surpassing the melodic magic of the original versions.
It wasn’t until 1997 that No Fate saw a proper revival — and this time, from multiple fronts. The German hard dance act Scooter released a more commercial, vocal-driven rework that even came with its own music video and climbed all the way to number two on Finland’s official music chart. But for trance purists, the real breakthrough came from Santini & Stephenson, who masterfully reinterpreted the original by using its atmospheric foundation not as an end in itself, but as a slow-burning buildup to a powerful climax where the full melodic potential of the track was unleashed. It was the first — and perhaps only — version that truly managed to outshine the 1991 classic.
Bassrace - Futurama (Final Dream Mix)
1991- Q3/Q4 | Sweden
A Statement For The Future
Bassrace was a short-lived project by British-born Nick Conceller and Morgan King, both of whom remain active in the music world today. While they mainly operate within other genres, their 1991 album Futurama — originally released in Sweden — featured one of the very first trance tunes. The Final Dream Mix of the titular track is a hidden gem from the early '90s that leans more on dark, atmospheric sounds than on bold, energetic, upfront melodies.
It’s clear that the creators recognized the track's innovative and powerful sound for its time, as despite there being three other versions, this one was placed at the very beginning of the A-side, setting the tone for the rest of the release. The spoken phrase "Welcome to a journey into the future" at the beginning of the track serves as a declaration of its groundbreaking nature. It not only hints at the entirely new and previously unheard sound we’re about to experience, but it also foreshadows the immersive, exploratory, journey-like quality that would become a key element of the trance genre.
Although the Final Dream Mix was the version that tipped the track into trance territory, each of the four versions of Futurama offers an interesting take, providing listeners with different sonic interpretations — from ambient-leaning detours to more groove-oriented structures. It's no wonder that opinions are divided among fans, with each version having its own group of devotees. The diversity across these mixes is a testament to the track's adaptability and creative depth.
The lasting appeal and historical value of Futurama didn’t go unnoticed — in 2022, Sound Metaphors Records, a label dedicated to reviving synthetic dancefloor productions from the '90s that are believed to have held deeper expressive significance, remastered and reissued the album on vinyl. They even included a brand-new mix to further highlight the record’s legacy. Ironically, however, the Final Dream Mix — the very version through which they carved out one of the first trance tracks in history — was the only one left out. Fortunately, it had already been preserved in lossless format on the Techno Trax Vol. 3 compilation, originally released in 1991.
Eden Transmission - I’m So High (Ubud Mix)
1991- Q4 | United States
The Hypnotic Climb
The Ubud Mix of I’m So High is a hypnotic 12-minute journey that places significant emphasis on a prolonged build-up to reach incredible euphoric peaks, much like later classics such as After Hours by Unreal or Hello San Francisco by Dance 2 Trance. The track is an amalgamation of multiple genres, and for its first 9 minutes, it primarily masquerades as a tribal, techno, and Goa record, before transitioning into trance territory with a goosebumps-inducing climax that retroactively recontextualizes everything that came before.
And this is precisely what makes I’m So High so remarkable: it effectively demonstrates the powerful impact of the tension-and-release principle that lies at the heart of trance music. In this sense, the track is not just a musical experience but also an educational one — a perfect illustration of how patience and gradual progression can yield a much deeper emotional payoff. It stands in stark contrast to the short-attention-span culture of modern electronic music, offering a masterclass in the art of long-form tension building.
Since the track was an underground piece with limited releases and relatively low visibility, it remained confined to vinyl for over two decades. However, over time, its quality began to be recognized, particularly within professional circles. It was first included in the 2014 release For Tourist Only: The Complete Voodoo & Eden Transmissions, where the track was digitally preserved in lossless quality.
A few years later, Electronic Beats featured it in their article 25 Classic Trance Tracks That You Can Still Play Today Without Feeling Bad About Yourself, noting that even without the vocal sample, “the track would still be the perfect musical representation of its title”. Then, in 2025, Sound Metaphors Records remastered and reissued the original vinyl, further demonstrating that more and more people are beginning to recognize the track’s value and historical importance.
Moby - Go (Subliminal Mix)
1991- 03 -13 | United States
Sublime Melodies
Go was originally released as the B-side to Mobility, with Moby having little idea of the track’s true potential — he was simply hoping to sell around 4,000 copies. To his surprise, however, Go became a monumental success, not only in sales but also in its cultural and musical impact. In 1991 alone, it saw over 30 different releases across the UK, Netherlands, US, Germany, and beyond, each showcasing varying mixes and reinterpretations of the original track.
The infamous Woodtick Mix is probably the most recognized version, and it remains the go-to choice for many electronic music fans — the version that Twan from Muzikxpress, a well-known figure in trance circles, primarily covered in his 2018 video about the track’s origins. However, the mix that pushed the boundaries further was the Subliminal Mix, which marked a decisive departure from the track’s initial house influences, becoming one of the first tracks to fully embrace the ethereal soundscape of the trance genre.
Produced by Moby himself, this mix was built on the foundation of the Woodtick Mix, but with the house and techno elements stripped away, leaving only the lush atmospheric pads intact. Over this, he layered a strong, constantly moving, and fast-paced melancholic melody to create a true trancy feel. While the track doesn't feature the typical intros, buildups, breakdowns, or outros found in many trance productions — as it focuses solely on the immediacy of the melody — its artistic and stylistic elements still make it an undeniable example of early trance.
Looking back, the Subliminal Mix has arguably withstood the test of time better than any of the other versions and was also the version that marked the beginning of a then-forming genre — even if its significance only became clear in retrospect. And while it is less well-known than other mixes, the track was acknowledged in a popular video (with nearly 5 million views) that traces the history of electronic music from 1969 to 2020, highlighting the Subliminal Mix as a key moment in its development.
Neuron Systems - Orbital Fantasy
1991 | Australia
The Real Don Goes Trance
This is one of those rare productions where the context of its creation is more compelling than the track itself. It was produced by none other than Donald Steele Revert — better known as The Real Don Steele — one of the most popular radio DJs in the US from the 1960s through the mid-1990s. His cultural imprint was so lasting that his voice resurfaced decades later in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, via archival footage.
While in the early ’90s he was already well into his 50s and primarily known for spinning ultrahip pop and rock hits, that didn’t stop him from experimenting — and producing one of the earliest trance tracks with Orbital Fantasy in 1991. Unlike most other tracks from this era that are often labeled as trance despite leaning closer to techno, acid, or other genres with only superficial trance elements, this one fits the bill not just in style, but in structure as well: it features an intro, buildup, breakdown, and outro — the full package.
However, Orbital Fantasy remains elusive to most modern listeners. The track was only released on vinyl and, given the circumstances, it is likely to stay that way unless the necessary files or digital audio tapes (DAT) resurface. This is due to the fact that the track was released through Don’s own label, Global Warming Productions, and with his passing in 1997, access to the original materials has become increasingly difficult.
It’s also fascinating to consider where trance might have gone if Don had continued to contribute to the genre. By the mid-1990s, he had become even more active in the electronic music scene, producing tracks for compilation albums such as Tranzmission and The Cheese Factory Compilation. In 1996, he even created a psytrance mix and played a key role in Armin van Buuren’s very first single, Check Out Your Mind E.P., by mastering tracks for its Australian and New Zealand releases.
Dance 2 Trance - We Came In Peace (‘91 Mix)
1991 | Germany
Untapped Potential
While We Came In Peace originally appeared in 1990 on Dance 2 Trance’s debut EP Dance 2 Trance, the initial version leaned more heavily on acid and techno influences. Its first half was dominated by inconsequential acidic filler sequences that barely would have functioned even as background elements. However, the second half hinted at something greater — a shift toward a more atmospheric, hypnotic, and melodic sound — whose true potential was only realized in a later 1991 mix.
The revised 1991 version of We Came In Peace stripped away many of the weaker elements and leaned into the track’s hypnotic and progressive potential. While it still suffered from some pacing issues, it was among the very first productions that met the core criteria to be reasonably considered one of the earliest examples of trance music. This iteration also resonated the most with listeners — not only did it feature on numerous compilations over the years, but it also holds the highest YouTube play count among all versions.
The original producers revisited the track again in 1992 and 1993 with the Desert Mix and the ’93 Mix, respectively. The Desert Mix offered an intriguing reinterpretation, subtly reworking nearly every element of the original and introducing a gentle, mesmerizing wordless female vocal that blended seamlessly with atmospheric pads. The 1993 version, by contrast, opened with a deeply melancholic yet hauntingly beautiful intro, suggesting a memorable experience ahead. Unfortunately, the rest of the track failed to fulfill that promise, gradually losing momentum and confidence after the strong beginning.
In my opinion, nearly every version of this track has something exceptional to offer. Yet each also suffers at times from an overly stripped-down, rhythmless sound that causes a loss of momentum and listener engagement. Despite the many remixes, a truly definitive version never emerged — one that would build on the 1991 mix’s foundation, incorporate the haunting intro from the ’93 Mix, add the ethereal female vocal from the Desert Mix, and eliminate the empty stretches — fully embracing the melancholic, melodic, and hypnotic qualities that have always been this track’s strongest aspects.
Global Roots
The commonly accepted origin story — not to be confused with the question of what the first trance track was — claims that trance music was born out of Sven Väth’s travels to Goa, India, which supposedly inspired him to establish Eye Q Records in Germany in the pursuit of a new sound. However, all the works mentioned above seem to debunk this narrative. In reality, the emergence of trance was more organic: with the rise of various electronic genres, a natural, almost instinctive urge emerged among producers worldwide to fuse the rhythmic energy of electronic (dance) music with the progression, melody, sensuality, and structural elegance found in classical music.
This is how trance came into being — not as the product of a single country or scene, but as a global phenomenon. Already in the genre’s earliest year, its distinctive sound surfaced independently across different continents and countries, including the United States, Sweden, Germany, and Australia. And that list only grows if we also take into account the tracks featured in the following sections — productions that, while not fully trance yet, were already approaching its aesthetic and helped pave the way for the genre’s development.
Close Encounters With Trance
1991 also saw the release of other intriguing tracks that were on the cusp of being trance, such as God’s Groove's Prayer Five. While it was nearly there, it still leaned a bit too heavily on techno elements, which interrupted the melodic flow of the production. In a 1993 remix, techno elements were further toned down, and in subsequent releases (titled Prayer Seven and Prayer Eight) the same melodic foundation was used, but with the addition of vocals, marking some of the earliest examples of vocal trance tracks (with the exception of Prayer Eight).
Speaking of vocal trance, the Italian group Datura also offered an early take on the subgenre with their first single, Yerba Del Diablo (1991). The Shagras mix is likely the version that comes closest to the articulated trance sound we discussed earlier. However, it still leaned towards a more simplified, mainstream style, while also incorporating elements from other genres. Despite its driving melody, it mostly lacked the hypnotic and mysterious qualities that would later define the genre, much like Format's Solid Session from the same year — a track also often cited when discussing the early days of trance.
Finally, it is worth considering tracks like Melt’s Radioactivity (1989), Liaison D’s He Chilled Out (1990), and the 10-minute mix of Stardiver's Lifetime Mission (1991), which could be regarded as fully-fledged trance tracks, depending on one's perspective. The first is a cover of Kraftwerk’s Radioactivity, featuring new vocals, extensive guitar riffs, a captivating electronic soundscape, and a hypnotic, gradual progression that elevates the track into the realm of trance music — although with a tempo much slower than what would later become common in the genre. The lack of an energetic pacing is also the key factor that sets He Chilled Out apart from typical trance productions, though this was later "addressed" with a remix by Phenomenia. As for Lifetime Mission, it has echoes and elements of that trance-like feel, but struggles to build a sense of momentum or true development, despite its length.
Conclusion
Discogs lists around 2,500 tracks released between 1988 and 1992 that are tagged with some form of trance on their database entries for the corresponding vinyl releases. However, after listening to every single one of them, I can confidently say that, despite a few outliers, 1991 was still very much a year of proto-trance — which just speaks volumes about how far ahead of their time those select few truly were. Even in 1992, trance hadn’t fully emerged yet, and it wasn’t really until 1993 that the genre came into full force and we started seeing a substantial number of proper trance productions. In any case, I hope this article has not only offered a fresh and thought-provoking perspective but also helped to finally put a definitive end to a decades-old question — one that many believed had long been solved, yet was, in truth, only ever partially explored and often answered incorrectly.
Author: @TheTranceHistorian
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