One of the greatest legacies any performer can leave behind is their journey. Whether its music youve written, performances for fans around the world, or the way you art rejoices, a lengthy journey as an artist gives the record books plenty to write. Enter the celebration compilation from Dutch trance legend RAM, Essence of Trance (25 Years of RAM) in which he delivers a massive mix compilation that explores the music he loves.

Unfamiliar with RAM? In 2009 his solo career catapulted his popularity thanks to stellar releases on Armada Music like RAMsterdam, RAMexico, and his immortal tribute to his deceased wife Amelia in 2013 RAMelia. He took on the Grotesque Music label family and saw the brand rise through the ranks to worldwide recognition. Today, RAM oversees the Nocturnal Animals Music label group launching new creative efforts to celebrate his continued success.

Released in late February on Black Hole Recordings, Essence of Trance (25 Years of RAM) provides a beautiful journal of trance over the past two decades plus. Clocking in at a combined time of five hours and 18 minutes, the four mixes span the genres longest popular reaches. Available on a variety of platforms, you can tune in on your preferred one or smash that play button on Spotify below!

Well dive into each mix in a moment, but its worth staying just how powerful each mix remains today. The energy of mix one represents the rise of the genre at the turn of the millennium, while the final mix catalyzes the modern era showcasing the passion RAM still carries even today. Thats a great segue to another interesting fact each disc comes with a subtitle clearly foreshadowing the sound fans will enjoy. So lets dive in each disc and experience what comes forth!

The first disc reshuffles the deck with a fresh perspective on where RAM began the journey. Showcasing the early years of trance is not an easy feat after all this time as a multitude of compilations feature the classics of the era. The classics are here (Love Comes Again, Circa Forever, Southern Sun, and Burned with Desire) but the mix showcases some of the B-side hits by artists like Gouryella, Cern, Kamaya Painters, and Vincent de Moor.

Permeating energy is palpable throughout, representing beautifully how the vibe of the millennium switch offered fresh perspectives and hope for the next 1,000 years. The zeitgeist of moment peers beyond the curtain and infects today. Aptly titled as Moments the mix fixates the listener into the hope of a genre blossoming with big-name talents before VIP table culture took over the nightclubs. It solidifies the desire to dance and let your worries escape over its hour-plus duration.

As our journey continues into mix two, the vibe ebbs towards the magic which occurred as the trance became a worldwide phenomenon. The solidified world legends like BT and Tiesto anchor this mix, while new talents starting their own journey roll out. Here some more familiar modern talents appear like John OCallaghan, Bryan Kearney, Aly & Fila, and Arctic Moon.

Each offers a solid slab of their style of trance sometimes darker or techier than before but still laden with the characteristic energy of trance. Along the way, RAMs shift to Armada Music takes place as Dash Berlin, Jorn van Deynhoven, and The Doppler Effect round out the mix with his own massive hit RAMsterdam.

RAMs third mix offers fans a peek behind the doors as he wraps our ears into sonic bliss. The continued evolution of trance shines brightly throughout this mix. Percolating upwards is the older styles of trance in Funabashis Daylight and Steve Forte Rios A New Dawn. Muddle deeper flavors with trances big room milestones like Ferry Corsten ft. Betsie Larkins Made of Love and Solarstone and Clare Staggs The Spell.

Mix three get us lost with wide-open emotional spaces too; examples range from Robert Nicksons 2016 remix of Out There by Masters & Nickson ft. Justine Suissa and Signums remix of Roger Shahs Healesville Sanctuary. For those introduced to trance during the rise of the biggest festivals in the world, this mix is where your journey begins!

As we gaze into the final mix we find how deeply RAM loves what he does. Opening with Ferry Corsten presents Gouryella Anahera quickly captures the here and now of trance music. The Noble Six cries for the ears attention with Black Star (which playfully recalls instrumentation of Robert Miles Children).

Elsewhere the stunning Sailing Airwaves plays in sonic bliss, and falling deeper we find Andy Bluemans remix of GAIAs Tuvan with its slight Arabic sounding strings whisking us away to new horizons. Mix four clearly showcases how passionate RAM is about his ove for the genre hes called home for the past 25 years, and its a master-craft in sonic beauty.

There is no argument over the legacy behind RAM. As a talent his touch remains imprinted on dance musics culture even when focused on pure styles of trance which tend to push him towards an underground appeal when compared to his peers. Having survived the ups and downs of an industry which sees all sorts of strangeness the explosion of the internet, the barrier to music production falling, and the phenomenon of globetrotting performances RAMs not content to stop expressing his art yet.

The new label (Nocturnal Animals) offers him a platform to support emerging talents and established names who want to experiment. Unfortunately, the world tour to celebrate his 25th year in the business is on hold with COVID-19 quarantine but we hope that he can get back at it soon. In the interim, picking up a copy of Essence of Trance (25 Years of RAM) is an easy recommendation for tunes to get lost in. In the world today, we need a bit of an escape, so thank you to RAM for providing it!

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RAM Celebrates 25 Years with the 'Essence of Trance' [Review] - EDM Identity