HI-LO maps April with a chart that bridges trance, techno and raw emotion
Oliver Heldens, operating under his HI-LO alias, drops his Essentials April Chart — a twenty-track selection that reads as a precise map of his current sonic universe: dark, fast-paced, yet punctuated by moments of genuine emotion that cut through the industrial density of contemporary techno. The chart is distributed almost entirely through his own imprint HILOMATIK, making it as much a curatorial showcase as a monthly digest.
The centrepiece: trance with a capital T
Opening with Adagio For Strings (Extended Mix) alongside Brennan Heart and Project Zeitgeist sets the emotional bar immediately. At 150 BPM in Bb minor, this rework of Samuel Barber's immortal piece is not nostalgic wallowing — it's main-floor trance built for 2024 systems. On the other end, The Darkside by Anna Reusch closes the atmospheric arc at nearly seven minutes, 138 BPM in Db major, on Electric Ballroom.
The techno backbone
The bulk of the chart lives in peak-time techno territory. Key cuts include:
- Rave Generator – Markus Schulz (135 BPM, F minor): industrial groove with classic European techno DNA.
- Mind Patterns / Static Vision – YellowHeads: a double presence confirming the Spanish duo as a peak-time benchmark right now.
- Shooting 'Em Down – Jochem Hamerling (128 BPM, 6:31 runtime): the longest track and one of the most hypnotic, giving the dance floor room to breathe.
- Coming In Heavy – Pan-Pot & Eli Brown (138 BPM): a heavyweight collaboration between the Berlin duo and the British producer, out on Arcane Music.
- Another Pill – Sian & Sam WOLFE (Octopus Recordings): narrative-driven techno, true to Truncate's label ethos.
Unexpected turns and melodic nods
Pacific Dance by Pan-Pot and State Of House stands out for its declared 69 BPM — likely half-time — in G major via Second State Audio. Like A Child, the Armin van Buuren, Argy and Marlo Rex collaboration on Armada Music, brings vocal melodic house & techno into the mix. The Lazer Beams remix by Adam Beyer & Massano on Drumcode is arguably the chart's most prestigious cameo.
Verdict
HI-LO's Essentials April Chart is not a random playlist — it is a coherent roadmap between main-floor trance and dark-room techno, with HI-LO acting as an exacting curator. Essential listening for DJs looking to move between genres without losing intensity.
