German DJ and producer Roger Shah has been slowly carving a name out for himself in the world of trance over the past few years, hooking up with Armin van Buuren’s Armada label for the release of his Magic Island series of mixes. While I’m not exactly sure what you have to be or do to qualify as a ‘Balearic person’ (other than be from Ibiza, Majorca, or any of the other islands), these mixes are all about Shah trying to capture the summertime essence of Ibiza, as he sees it, with uplifting, fluffy, melodic trance the order of the day. If you’re familiar with the other two volumes, you’ll recognise many of the names on here, with Shah (under various guises) throwing in a fair bit of his own material as well.

The first disc explores the more melodic, vocal end of trance, with plenty of alluring female voices wrapped around layers of building synths. Shah hasn’t attempted to reinvent the wheel on here, so for some the whole thing may be a little predictable, but as a complete listening experience, this mix works a treat. The guitar-driven Third Person from Nando provides a suitably epic and surging introduction, which flows elegantly into the first vocal cut, with Jennifer Hershman lending her seductive voice to Unarmored Love from Danny Cullen’s Tucandeo project. The subtle guitar riff adds a nice touch to the impassioned vocals on Turning from Dulac & Dubois, while Dimension’s delicate Opposing Worlds is simply sublime.

A trio of vocal numbers slowly tip the mix into slightly darker territory, Sectr 24’s surging and atmospheric Say Goodbye a particular highlight. By the time we reach Nuera’s Nostalgic, things are powering along solidly, and then Shah engages a higher gear by dropping two of his own rather tasty tracks, the frenetic instrumental Ocean Spray and the gorgeous vocal workout Found. The rolling synths on Dennis Nygren’s Kata Sea Breeze are epic, as are the widescreen textures of Walsh & McAuley’s Aestas.

Disc two essentially acts as a platform for Shah to showcase several of his own productions, with a few other acts thrown in for good measure. It moves harder and faster than the first disc, although the uplifting and euphoric moments are still present. It’s a different beast, but just as exciting, and in fact, depending on what kind of mood you’re in, may even trump the first mix.

Early highlights include the majestic collaboration between Shah and Ralph Fritsch on Discovery, which introduces proceedings in a fantastically grandiose manner, and the eerie charm of Pedro Del Mar’s Tears of the Dragon, which recalls Madonna circa Ray of Light (i.e. when she was good). The juxtaposition of surging beats and subdued acoustic guitar in Serafim’s Terra Incognita is just perfect, as is the fusion of throbbing bass and ethereal vocals on Crystal Sky, the second contribution from Danny Cullen.

Shah then takes complete control, laying down four successive solo and collaborative production efforts, all impressively dramatic, the pick of which has to be the beautiful re-work of Over & Over. As the disc draws to a close, everything gets bigger, bolder and brasher, and if there’s one criticism, the huge layers of synths and massive breakdowns sound a little clichéd, particularly on Ronny K’s Change, although I’ll take the hands-in-the-air vibes of Shah’s Guaba Beach. Shah’s collaboration with Signum on Ancient World is simply epic, as you’d expect, and provides a fitting close to the mix.

If you like your trance uplifting and full of emotional warmth, then you’ll find lots to enjoy on here. Admittedly, the whole thing doesn’t do anything revolutionary for trance, but then I think that’s kind of missing the point to expect it to. Both mixes are a pleasure to listen to, and they’ll have you going back for repeated listens. There are some really fine moments throughout this, and Shah seems to be at the top of his game.

Magic Island: Music for Balearic People Vol. 3 is out now on Armada Music.