Progressive trance emerged in the late 1990s as a sophisticated evolution of trance music, stripping away the genre's more euphoric and anthem-driven elements in favor of deeper, more hypnotic journeys. Unlike the soaring vocal melodies and hands-in-the-air breakdowns that define vocal trance, progressive trance builds its drama through patient, meticulously crafted soundscapes—layering subtle acid lines, evolving pad textures, and driving basslines that unfold over extended arrangements, often exceeding eight minutes. The tempo typically sits between 128-136 BPM, bridging the gap between progressive house's groove-oriented sensibility and traditional trance's psychedelic intensity, yet maintaining a darker, more cerebral atmosphere than either parent genre.
What distinguishes progressive trance from its dance floor cousins is its commitment to narrative arc over immediate gratification. Where standard trance seeks peak moments, progressive trance favors sustained tension and release, with tracks that breathe and mutate like living organisms. Pioneers like BT and Underworld laid the groundwork by incorporating breakbeat influences and cinematic scope, while artists such as Above & Beyond and Markus Schulz refined the sound into marathon DJ sets that function as continuous sonic experiences rather than collections of peak-time anthems.
For listeners seeking music that rewards deep attention and works equally well on headphones as in sprawling festival tents, progressive trance offers electronic music's most compelling balance of emotional depth and technical sophistication—a genre where patience becomes transcendence.
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List updated:
| #73 | ByUnderworld | Released:1994-01-24 | |||
| #76 | ByUnderworld | Released:1996-03-04 | |||
| #50 | ByJuno Reactor | Released:1997-06-18 | |||
| #35 | ByBT | Released:1997-09-08 | |||
| #53 | ByChicane | Released:1998 | |||
| #61 | ByBinary Finary | Released:1999-02-08 | |||
| #28 | ByUnderworld | Released:1999-02-20 | |||
| #78 | ByUnderworld | Released:1999-03-01 | electronicprogressive trance | ||
| #77 | ByAntiloop | Released:2000-04 | electronicaprogressive trance | ||
| #59 | ByPaul van Dyk | Released:2000-06-05 | |||
| #19 | ByJames Holden | Released:2000-11-13 | houseprogressive trance | ||
| #49 | ByJames Holden | Released:2002-03-00 | |||
| #44 | ByCosmic Gate | Released:2002-07-08 | progressive trance | ||
| #67 | BySasha | Released:2002-08-05 | |||
| #37 | ByAbove & Beyond | Released:2002-10-10 | |||
| #9 | ByOceanlab | Released:2003-01-01 | |||
| #86 | ByDJ Dean | Released:2003-02-01 | |||
| #40 | By4 Strings | Released:2003-04-15 | |||
| #21 | ByArmin van Buuren | Released:2003-06-30 | |||
| #80 | ByPaul van Dyk | Released:2003-10-07 | |||
| #100 | ByTiësto | Released:2003 | |||
| #17 | ByOceanlab | Released:2004-02-02 | |||
| #33 | BySmith & Pledger | Released:2004-04-03 | tranceprogressive trance | ||
| #43 | ByTiësto | Released:2004-04-06 | |||
| #87 | BySon Kite | Released:2004-04-13 | progressive trancepsytrance | ||
| #20 | ByRon van den Beuken | Released:2004-04 | |||
| #23 | BySuper8 | Released:2004-07-03 | progressive trance | ||
| #65 | ByTiësto | Released:2004-07-04 | |||
| #98 | ByDT8 Project | Released:2004-08-02 | |||
| #48 | ByInfected Mushroom | Released:2004-09-10 | |||
| #99 | ByAstral Projection | Released:2004-09-13 | |||
| #18 | ByAbove & Beyond | Released:2004 | |||
| #93 | ByRon van den Beuken | Released:2004 | |||
| #25 | ByGabriel & Dresden | Released:2005-03-01 | |||
| #10 | ByArmin van Buuren | Released:2005-04-11 | |||
| #81 | ByLucas & Beltram | Released:2005-06-24 | progressive trance | ||
| #85 | ByThe Prodigy | Released:2005-10-17 | |||
| #89 | ByTicon | Released:2005-10-21 | |||
| #5 | ByAbove & Beyond | Released:2006-03-06 | |||
| #8 | ByUnderworld | Released:2006-05-16 | |||
| #46 | ByFerry Corsten | Released:2006-05-26 | |||
| #11 | ByLuminary | Released:2006-06-02 | |||
| #2 | ByArmin van Buuren | Released:2006-06-13 | |||
| #96 | ByKuba | Released:2006-06-24 | |||
| #97 | ByLeama & Moor | Released:2006-10-26 | progressive houseprogressive trance | ||
| #74 | ByArmin van Buuren | Released:2006-11-11 | |||
| #30 | ByAril Brikha | Released:2007-02-12 | |||
| #38 | ByTiësto | Released:2007-04-06 | |||
| #29 | ByVibrasphere | Released:2007-06-01 | |||
| #45 | ByPaul van Dyk | Released:2007-08-14 | |||
| #71 | ByJonas Steur | Released:2007-09-17 | |||
| #22 | BySolar Fields | Released:2007-11-28 | |||
| #55 | ByCascada | Released:2007-12-03 | |||
| #66 | ByTiësto | Released:2007-12-07 | |||
| #32 | ByCarl B. | Released:2007 | tranceprogressive trance | ||
| #82 | ByTicon | Released:2008-03-11 | |||
| #36 | ByOceanlab | Released:2008-04-07 | |||
| #91 | ByOceanlab | Released:2008-04-17 | |||
| #6 | ByArmin van Buuren | Released:2008-04-18 | |||
| #34 | ByIlya Soloviev & Paul Miller | Released:2008-12-08 | progressive trance | ||
| #83 | ByVibrasphere | Released:2008-12-22 | |||
| #54 | ByDakota | Released:2009-04-21 | |||
| #13 | ByRichard Durand | Released:2009-05-18 | |||
| #42 | ByChicane | Released:2009-07-27 | progressive trance | ||
| #31 | ByGaia | Released:2009-11-02 | |||
| #63 | ByThe Thrillseekers | Released:2009-12-21 | |||
| #56 | ByBT | Released:2010-01-31 | |||
| #90 | ByAbakus | Released:2010-02-02 | progressive trance | ||
| #24 | ByChristopher Lawrence | Released:2010-06-21 | progressive trance | ||
| #3 | ByAlpha 9 | Released:2010-07-06 | progressive trance | ||
| #47 | ByArmin van Buuren | Released:2010-09-08 | |||
| #62 | ByGareth Emery | Released:2010-09-17 | |||
| #75 | ByCosmic Gate | Released:2011-01-17 | |||
| #12 | ByAbove & Beyond | Released:2011-06-06 | |||
| #68 | ByOliver Smith | Released:2011-08-08 | progressive trance | ||
| #95 | BytyDi | Released:2011-08-12 | |||
| #72 | ByShogun | Released:2011-08-15 | progressive trancetrance | ||
| #94 | ByCosmic Gate | Released:2011-10-24 | |||
| #51 | ByMarcel Woods | Released:2011-11-28 | progressive trance | ||
| #69 | ByOrjan Nilsen | Released:2012-04-09 | progressive trancetrance | ||
| #41 | BySolar Fields | Released:2012-04-27 | |||
| #7 | ByArmin van Buuren | Released:2012-05-09 | |||
| #92 | ByAbove & Beyond | Released:2012-09-15 | progressive trancetrance | ||
| #52 | ByVelvetine | Released:2012-09-24 | |||
| #39 | ByW&W | Released:2012-12-03 | |||
| #15 | ByArmin van Buuren | Released:2013-05-03 | |||
| #14 | ByW&W | Released:2013-05-20 | |||
| #79 | ByOrjan Nilsen | Released:2013-07-08 | progressive trance | ||
| #4 | ByArmin van Buuren | Released:2014-03-24 | |||
| #16 | ByAlpha 9 | Released:2017-02-03 | progressive trance | ||
| #58 | ByAlpha 9 | Released:2017-05-12 | progressive trance | ||
| #84 | ByAlpha 9 | Released:2017-07-07 | progressive trance | ||
| #88 | ByRichard Durand | Released:2017-07-10 | |||
| #64 | ByAlpha 9 | Released:2017-10-06 | progressive trance | ||
| #70 | ByAlpha 9 | Released:2017-10-20 | progressive trance | ||
| #26 | ByAlpha 9 | Released:2018-04-20 | progressive trance | ||
| #1 | ByArmin van Buuren | Released:2019-10-25 | |||
| #60 | BySasha | Released:2022-05-20 | |||
| #27 | ByNaked Flames | Released:2022-07-29 | |||
| #57 | ByOrjan Nilsen | Released:2023-06-23 | progressive trance |