In terms of dance music genres, trance was my first love. While over the past decade or so I’ve been drawn more towards my more enduring love of progressive, there’s the odd DJ like Markus Schultz or Gareth Emery who appeals a little more to my sensibilities, with a deeper understanding of the range trance has to offer. So when the words ‘progressive’ and ‘trance’ crop up together, I usually dive in, all arms swinging, like the ugly bridesmaid trying desperately to catch the bouquet! So there I was, leaping at the chance to get my hands on the first of a new series of compilations from one of trance’s most enduring and sophisticated figures Lange.

On my first listen to Intercity Summer 2009, I almost had a cardiac arrest. With most compilations, the slower mix precedes the faster one and I thought I was listening to the slower mix! Once I realised that they were in fact craftily reversed, I managed to get my heart rate back under control and I settled down to listen properly. The first disc is an up-tempo, euphoric trance mix that pulls no punches. There’s no mucking around as it gets into its stride from the get-go, with luscious trance melodies courtesy of the aptly named Ronski Speed and the inevitable female vocal to welcome us to the party. So no slow build up, no suspense, no journey, just in-your-face trance right from the start!

Whilst there is no slow build on this disc, on the other hand there are build-ups a plenty – enough to keep even the most demanding euphoric trance fan happy. This brings with it its own frustrations though, with virtually every track following the same formula of build-up, breakdown and build-up again with monotonous regularity. If I listened to it too closely I got frustrated; however If I just left the music playing and focussed on something else, I found myself captivated going into a complete trance – surely the point of the entire genre, yeah? Sometimes boys and girls, you have far more fun if you stop analysing things and just go with the flow. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact “thing” about the music that’s so captivating, but maybe it’s because, despite all the obvious euphoria, there’s also an underlying darkness to the music that makes it interesting. Reach for the lasers? Don’t mind if I do!

If the first disc is all about euphoric beauty, the second disc is a different animal altogether. Despite the first track feeling like a continuation of the first disc, from then on Lange slows things down somewhat and starts to play with a chunky, chugging version of trance that to my ears, is a lot more interesting than the first mix.

“More interesting” is certainly one way to describe the flow between Kismets’ Endorphine and Ben Preston’s The Choice Is Yours. Up-tempo chugging that flies into hyper space, and then heads back to the chugging once more. If this was a Hollywood script it would read, “two men go for a run and discuss the consistency of mud – but bored with this discussion, they fly off in a space craft, only to decide five minutes later that they’re better suited to discussions about mud.” I don’t know about you, but it didn’t make a lot of sense to me! You get the impression that Lange desperately wanted to slot the middle track U Got 2 Know into the mix at all costs, but really didn’t know how to do it properly.

This one minor hiccup aside, the second mix builds nicely in intensity throughout, providing the listener with some really surprising moments where you feel the anticipation of a build up, only for the music to take a different direction – and you along with it. The music is still full of driving energy, spine-tingling basslines and wonderful melodies that ensure you grin from ear to ear; it’s just that Lange seems to be in a deeper, more thoughtful mood here. In many ways it reminds me of the sort of trance that Seb Fontaine used to champion a decade ago. Driving progressive basslines, but played at a much quicker pace than progressive would normally be played.

Lange has pulled off quite an impressive feat with this mix. He’s managed to get an avowed fan of progressive, as I am, back to enjoying trance, without half an hour of deep build up to start things off. If you like trance, then you’ll love this! And one other final thing – if you listen to music whilst working out at the gym, I hope you’re ready. Because once you press play, you won’t want to stop running until the final track has finished. This is seriously infectious. You have been warned!