Ep 29: 90's Hard Dance According to DJ Darjis

We’re heading straight back to the late ’90s for a deep dive into one of the greatest periods in UK trance. When the scene was getting faster, tougher and increasingly psychedelic, labels like React were documenting it all through the legendary Reactivate series. This episode also looks at the rise of John ’00’ Fleming, from surviving cancer at just 20 years old to rebuilding his DJ career and becoming one of the defining selectors of this era. By the end of the decade, Fleming was behind mixes including Reactivate 13, Licensed to Thrill, Reactivate 14 and Sunnyside Up: Chapter 1 with Darren Pearce.Musically, we’re firmly in 1998 territory: huge trance records from Vincent De Moor, Plastic Boy, K90, The Digital Blonde, Terra Ferma, Moonman, Transa, X-Cabs, Junk Project, Nature One Allstars and more.

The Record Drop – This is 90's Rave: Extended 8 Hour Mix Eight hours. One continuous journey through the sound of 90's club and rave culture. This is 90's Rave: Extended 8 Hour Mix brings together the complete musical journey explored across Episodes 31–35 of The Record Drop, combining disco house, club house, hard house, hard techno, acid techno, tech trance, and classic trance into one massive extended DJ mix. Rather than treating the sounds of the era as isolated genres, this mix follows the progression of a long night out. It begins with the filtered disco loops, funky basslines, diva vocals, and crossover club records of late-90s house music before steadily increasing the pressure through tougher UK club house and into the pounding kick drums, hoovers, acid lines, and relentless energy of classic hard house. From there, the sound moves underground. London acid techno, hard techno, Stay Up Forever-style warehouse music, and the harder edge of UK rave culture take over before techno gradually collides with trance. The final stretch moves through the rolling percussion and hypnotic riffs of tech trance before eventually opening into the huge melodies and emotional records associated with the final hours of a rave. And then comes morning. The closing section is dedicated to sunrise trance. The records for that unmistakable moment when the darkness disappears, the sun finally breaks over the horizon, and an exhausted dancefloor realizes it has made it through another night. Faithless, Chicane, The Thrillseekers, Cygnus X, Gouryella, and Mea Culpa bring the eight-hour journey home. Featuring music and remixes from Robin S., Stardust, Modjo, Spiller, Faithless, BK, Tony De Vit, Andy Farley, Paul Glazby, D.A.V.E. The Drummer, Chris Liberator, Nick Sentience, Mauro Picotto, Oliver Lieb, Marco V, Chicane, The Thrillseekers, Gouryella and dozens more, this is less a greatest-hits collection than a recreation of the musical arc that made 90's club culture so special. House to hard house. Hard house to techno. Techno to tech trance. Tech trance to sunrise. No reset between genres. No skipping straight to the anthems. Just eight hours of the night getting progressively harder, darker, faster, and finally more euphoric. Featured Genres 90s Rave, 90s House Music, Disco House, Club House, Funky House, UK Hard House, Hard House, Hard NRG, Hard Dance, Acid Techno, London Acid Techno, UK Techno, Hard Techno, Tech Trance, Progressive Trance, Classic Trance, Sunrise Trance, Old School Rave, Underground Dance Music, UK Club Culture, Classic Club Anthems. Featured Artists Robin S., Kings of Tomorrow, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Spiller, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Mousse T, Barbara Tucker, Black Box, Modjo, Stardust, Gusto, Faithless, The Sharp Boys, Rachel Auburn, Andy Farley, BK, Tony De Vit, Paul Glazby, Jon the Dentist, Vinylgroover, Steve Thomas, James Lawson, Chris Liberator, D.A.V.E. The Drummer, Mark Tyler, Guy McAffer, Nick Sentience, Oliver Lieb, L.S.G., Commander Tom, Mauro Picotto, Mario Più, Marco V, Energy 52, Veracocha, Chicane, The Thrillseekers, Cygnus X, Rank 1, Gouryella and Mea Culpa. Tracklisting

The Record Drop – This is 90's Tech Trance The journey reaches sunrise. After travelling through disco house, club house, hard house, and hard techno, the final chapter of this extended series arrives at the sound that closed countless legendary nights across Europe. Tech Trance emerged by combining the relentless groove and hypnotic percussion of techno with the emotion, atmosphere, and soaring melodies of trance. It became the soundtrack to the final hours of marathon club nights and outdoor raves. Featuring legendary artists including Mauro Picotto, Oliver Lieb, Nick Sentience, Marco V, Faithless, Chicane, The Thrillseekers, Gouryella, Cygnus X, L.S.G., Commander Tom, Energy 52, and Moby, this mix captures one of electronic music's most exciting periods, when hard-edged club records slowly evolved into euphoric sunrise anthems. The final thirty minutes are dedicated entirely to the music that defined the end of a perfect rave — the first sunlight breaking over the horizon, exhausted smiles, arms around friends, and melodies that somehow sounded even bigger after an entire night on the dancefloor. Featured Genres Tech Trance, Classic Trance, Progressive Trance, Hard Trance, Techno, Underground Trance, Peak-Time Trance, Sunrise Trance, European Club Music, 90s Rave, UK Club Culture, Ibiza Classics. Featured Artists Mauro Picotto, Oliver Lieb, Nick Sentience, Marco V, Faithless, Chicane, The Thrillseekers, Gouryella, Cygnus X, L.S.G., Commander Tom, Energy 52, Moby, Timo Maas, Mario Più. Tracklisting

The Record Drop – This is 90's (Hard) Techno The evolution continues. After 90's hard house comes the darker, tougher, and more hypnotic sound that emerged from warehouses, underground clubs, and afterhours parties across the UK and Europe. This episode bridges the gap between UK hard house and tech trance, capturing the period when pounding kick drums, acid lines, industrial textures, and relentless grooves began replacing hoovers and vocal hooks. The result was a harder, more mechanical sound that would be heavily influencing the next generation of techno, hard dance, and tech trance producers. Featuring pioneers including D.A.V.E. The Drummer, Chris Liberator, Mark Tyler, Paul Glazby, Nick Sentience, Guy McAffer, Oliver Lieb plus others, this mix explores the raw energy of London's underground free party movement, Hydraulix, Stay Up Forever, acid techno, and the harder edge of late-90s club culture. While Episode 33 celebrated the explosive sound of UK hard house, this chapter strips away the excess and heads into darker territory. Hard techno became the missing link between hard house and the rolling, hypnotic sound of tech trance that would soon dominate dancefloors across Europe. Featured Genres Hard Techno, Acid Techno, UK Techno, Hard Dance, Tech Trance, Acid House, Underground Techno, London Free Party, Stay Up Forever, Peak-Time Techno, 90s Rave, UK Club Culture. Featured Artists D.A.V.E. The Drummer, Chris Liberator, Paul Glazby, Mark Tyler, Nick Sentience, Guy McAffer, Oliver Lieb, Ali Wilson, Tilt, Chakra, Cherry Moon Trax, Commander Tom, A+E Dept, Digital Destroyer. Tracklisting

The Record Drop – This is 90's (Hard) House The gloves are off. After exploring the funky, groove-driven side of UK club house in Episode 32, we arrive at the sound that completely took over Britain's biggest dancefloors at the turn of the millennium, 90's Hard House. This is the era of relentless kick drums, pounding basslines, hoover synths, razor-sharp riffs, and peak-time club energy. Built for legendary venues like Trade, Sundissential, Frantic, and the UK's underground hard dance scene! Featuring pioneers including Tony De Vit, BK, Andy Farley, Paul Glazby, Mark Kavanagh, Vinylgroover, Jon the Dentist, and Champion Burns, this mix captures one of the most influential periods in British hard dance history. From Trade anthems and Nukleuz classics to Tidy Trax favourites and underground club records, this is the sound that defined an entire generation of clubbers. If Episode 32 documented the bridge from house into harder club music, this is where that bridge ends. Welcome to full-blown UK hard house. Featured Genres Hard House, UK Hard House, Hard NRG, Peak-Time Club Music, Hard Dance, Trade, Tidy Trax, Nukleuz, Underground Club Music, 90s Rave, UK Club Culture. Featured Artists Tony De Vit, BK, Andy Farley, Paul Glazby, Jon the Dentist, Champion Burns, Vinylgroover, Mark Kavanagh, Shane Morris, DJ Roosta, Ollie Jaye, Wayne G, Steve Thomas, Dean Peters, James Lawson. Tracklisting