New releases last eight weeks: Trance

Review: Chicane's 1997 album Far From The Maddening Crowds not only reappropriated a famous Thomas Hardy literary title, it also helped lay the groundwork for a new form of breaks-driven trance music. Now on Modena comes a brand new version of the album, its Symphonic Rehearsals version: a full rerub consisting of total string versions of each track, with brand new string compositions written and performed by Joe Duddell (whose extant performance credits also include James, Elbow and Daughter). The new versions are utter tearjerkers, and not merely for the nostalgia value either; all build on the originally subtle apogees of the original LP, and remind us of why it was so well-received as a landmark release in the first place.

Review: By the time they released Raumgleiter in 1998, Der Dritte Raum were already legends of the German techno-trance scene. This all-time classic album from the breakthrough years of the sound also saw the project move to a major label - Virgin - but now it's being brought back home to Harthouse, the iconic Frankfurt imprint which first nurtured the sound. The scope of the album is wide and playful, teasing ear catching synth lines which keep the mood fun and freaky, not least on the likes of 'Bedruck', while there's an epic tone to standout trance monster 'Hale Bopp' thanks to the cascading arps and relentless forwards thrust. Of its time but wholly relevant in the current zeitgeist, this is the kind of 90s techno reissue that makes perfect sense.

Review: Reissued on vinyl for the first time, here comes Juno Reactor's 1997 LP Bible of Dreams, also newly remastered and available on double black vinyl. Juno Reactor's fourth album, Bible Of Dreams came with a staunchly different sound compared to the group's previous albums, and moved away from the traditional dance beats by implementing tribal influences. The band collaborated with Amampondo, a traditional South African percussion act, on the single 'Conga Fury'. Watkins and Amampondo went on a five-week tour of the US, opening for Moby. With many of its tracks appearing in acclaimed pop culture soundtracks - the likes of The Matrix Reloaded, Animatrix, Mortal Kombat Annihilation and Beowulf - its composer, producer, musician and performer Ben Watkins has gone on to become an essential innovator of modern electronic music and a pioneer of trance.