#32 Feat. Staff Picks in Trance (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic)

Were off to Leeds for LOST197 where JESH makes his EL-EL debut with the 21st-century-deep-trancer AFTERGLOW. Beautifully crafted, with a nod to the late 90s / early 00s big room prog of Mark Shimmon, Miller & Floyd, Christian West et al - its an exercise in build and restraint, with a melodic martian sunset payoff in the widescreen sci-fi breakdown. SUNDA, last seen on the label with his gorgeous remix of Q00Bs Suns Horses, has continued to build a reputation for producing deep soulful melodic trance. His remix here is no exception - a classy rework, that dials up the trance whilst preserving the progressive nature of the original. HALCYON is a name to watch, and weve got a stunning original of his on the way very soon, but here he twists Afterglow into a new breed techno / trance crossover, that draws heavily on the likes of LSG / Oliver Lieb. Hard and beautiful in all the right places. We love a strong bonus track here at LL towers, so rounding things off we have another JESH original: MY MIND - pushing his sound deeper into analogue-driven Techno territory.

Jesh Bargota

#73 Feat. Staff Picks in Trance (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic)

Ukrainian deep trance hero OTTO K returns with his third EP on EL-EL, delivering two slabs of underground, forest-tinged prog, both packed with psychedelic tension and widescreen detail. Portugal 99 leads the charge with eerie top-line melodies and sharp percussion, carving out a cinematic space between progressive trance and forest psychedelia, receiving early support from Standard Form and Mr Wright on their acclaimed Sunset Sessions 2024 mix. On the flip, Isolated Island ups the energy with a driving, percussive groove, mixing brooding atmospheres with melodic restraint- a heads down tool built for long, late hours. First up on remix duties is Jake Grace, whos Meteor Shower was a much loved cut on 2024s Plymouth Brethren EP (LOST191) - and hes back here with a peak-time take on Portugal 99, stretching out the central riff into an expansive, big-room moment. Lawn Jarre, an exciting young talent from China, completes the package with 2 versions of Isolated Island. The first is a deep, hypnotic interpretation soaked in mid-90s post Goa / pre World Tour 99 era Oakey textures (think Ecano, Dream Traveller, Pink Bomb…) while a sharper, club focused mix rounds things off, dialling up the intensity whilst maintaining the hypnosis.

Otto K