Weekend Picks 2026: Trance Week 15 — Hypnotic trance and psy take center stage
Beatport's weekly selection lands with 59 tracks charting the current state of trance across its most introspective and physical dimensions. Weekend Picks 2026: Trance Week 15 steers clear of lowest-common-denominator commercial fare, aiming squarely at late-night clubs, festival sound systems, and those hours where BPM and darkness merge into something larger than the sum of their parts.
Raw / Deep / Hypnotic Block: JOOF and the liturgy of 136 BPM
The selection's backbone opens with John 00 Fleming in dominant form. 400 Billion Suns alongside Ovnimoon (JOOF Recordings, 9:19, 136 BPM, Ab Major) is a hypnotic trance odyssey that builds layers with near-meditative patience. Fleming returns with Rest Now My Love (10:30, 133 BPM, E Minor), a track that takes ten minutes without owing anyone an explanation. His collaboration with Astral Projection on Transient Symbiosis (JOOF Recordings, 130 BPM, F Major) completes the week's JOOF triangle with a nod to the Israeli psychedelic roots of the 90s.
Veteran Oliver Lieb under his L.S.G. alias delivers Transmutation 1 (Superstition Records, 139 BPM, A Minor), reminding us there is a direct line between Frankfurt trance of the 90s and today's hypnotic sound. Enlusion contributes a remix of Exotek's Daystar (Forescape Digital, 134 BPM, G Minor) that elevates the source material into more ethereal and progressive territory.
- Highlight: Rest Now My Love – John 00 Fleming (JOOF Recordings)
- Highlight: Transmutation 1 – Oliver Lieb, L.S.G. (Superstition Records)
- Highlight: Transient Symbiosis – Astral Projection, John 00 Fleming (JOOF Recordings)
Psy-Trance: from ceremonial downtempo to 148 BPM full-on
The psychedelic block is the selection's most extensive and diverse, with labels like Nano Records, Digital Om, Dacru Records and Iono Music staking their ground. The remastered reissue ResoDance (Remastered 2026) by DoctorSpook, Mou5ZyZZ and Hyperversus (Ovnimoon Records, 101 BPM) is a downtempo psy exercise that contrasts sharply with the full-on assault of Funky Spirit (FowlOwl Remix) by Mergel and Spatial Plants (Blacklite Records, 148 BPM). Tristan, Avalon, Spinal Fusion and Killerwatts with Dickster's remix on Hilltopia (Nano Records, 145 BPM) represent the British psy elite at their finest. Experience Clarity by Transpose (CA) (Iono Music, 141 BPM, Bb Major) brings the melodic and uplifting side of the genre to the fore.
- Highlight: Hilltopia (Dickster Remix) – Tristan, Avalon, Spinal Fusion, Killerwatts (Nano Records)
- Highlight: Experience Clarity – Transpose CA (Iono Music)
- Highlight: Rise Again – DigiCult, West Galaxy (Dacru Records)
Main Floor Trance: returning legends and fresh voices
The main floor segment intelligently blends reissues with new material. Paul Oakenfold and Sneijder revisit Bullet In The Gun (Perfecto Fluoro/Armada, 140 BPM), a classic that in extended form recovers all its urgency. Lange and Skye with Dan Harrison's remix of Drifting Away (Who's Afraid Of 138?!, 145 BPM, E Minor) is vocal trance emotion in its purest form. RAM offers the irreverent Adagio For Strings (Adagio On Acid Mix) (Nocturnal Knights Music, 142 BPM), a cheeky reinterpretation of Barber's classic that works perfectly in a floor context. Amy Wiles remixes Jurgen Vries' The Theme for A State of Trance (143 BPM), updating an anthem with contemporary production. Alex M.O.R.P.H. with Cheryl Barnes on Embrace Me (FSOE, 138 BPM, F Minor) and Nikolauss with Moments Before Dawn (FSOE, 140 BPM) confirm the consistent quality of Ferry Corsten's label catalogue.
- Highlight: Drifting Away (Dan Harrison Remix) – Lange, Skye (Who's Afraid Of 138?!)
- Highlight: Bullet In The Gun – Paul Oakenfold, Sneijder (Perfecto Fluoro)
- Highlight: Adagio For Strings (Adagio On Acid Mix) – RAM (Nocturnal Knights Music)
Verdict
Week 15 stands as one of the year's richest editions in terms of stylistic diversity within the trance universe. John 00 Fleming commands attention from JOOF with three top-tier cuts, the psy block delivers a comprehensive panorama from ceremonial to full-on, and the main floor section balances nostalgia and currency with editorial judgement. An essential selection for DJs and collectors who understand trance as more than a genre: as a state of consciousness.
