- Aug 23, 2022
- 277 Posts
- 253 Thanked
2025 has come and gone, and my personal musical discovery of the year was undoubtedly a deep dive into the Italian wave of trance that emerged and peaked in the mid-1990s. This movement is commonly referred to as Dream Trance, Italo Trance, Mediterranian Progressive, Italian Progressive, Dream Progressive, and occasionally even Progressive Disco or Dream House. Among its most notable predecessors are figures such as Robert Miles, Roland Brant, and Gianni Parrini. Yet for me, one track rises above even the works of these pioneers: “Pleasure Voyage” (1995) by X-Form, the duo formed by Fabietto Cataneo and Fabio Piazzai. It was featured on the first release of the now-defunct Vertikal Records, a label that would go on to issue a significant number of Italian trance releases throughout 1995–1996.
The track is defined by a constant sense of motion and pulsation — reminiscent in spirit of Moby’s Go (Subliminal Mix) from 1991 — while remaining firmly rooted in the Italian trance aesthetic. True to this lineage, it largely avoids conventional, adrenaline-driven buildups, instead emphasizing atmosphere, flow, and immersion. At its core, the track seeks to evoke the mysterious, exhilarating, and kinetic experience of space travel. Archival audio recordings of rocket launches reinforce this imagery, while the recurring phrase “We are the future”, alongside the cry of a newborn child suggest not merely a journey through space, but a passage toward the birth of something new. Viewed in the context of its 1995 release, the track could be interpreted as the imminent explosion of the dream progressive sound that would soon gain widespread recognition in Italy, leaving a lasting mark on the country’s mid-to-late 1990s electronic music culture.
Total viewcount is over one million on YouTube, but most of the comments are Italian, meaning most trance-heads are probably unaware of this track's existence.
The track is defined by a constant sense of motion and pulsation — reminiscent in spirit of Moby’s Go (Subliminal Mix) from 1991 — while remaining firmly rooted in the Italian trance aesthetic. True to this lineage, it largely avoids conventional, adrenaline-driven buildups, instead emphasizing atmosphere, flow, and immersion. At its core, the track seeks to evoke the mysterious, exhilarating, and kinetic experience of space travel. Archival audio recordings of rocket launches reinforce this imagery, while the recurring phrase “We are the future”, alongside the cry of a newborn child suggest not merely a journey through space, but a passage toward the birth of something new. Viewed in the context of its 1995 release, the track could be interpreted as the imminent explosion of the dream progressive sound that would soon gain widespread recognition in Italy, leaving a lasting mark on the country’s mid-to-late 1990s electronic music culture.
Total viewcount is over one million on YouTube, but most of the comments are Italian, meaning most trance-heads are probably unaware of this track's existence.
