Ten days ago was my second time visiting Minsk, Belarus: about 8 h ride by bus one way, just to experience this small event, where you feel like… home. It became very precious and important to me in December of last year, when I attended the previous edition and I knew almost nobody from there. This time, it was even better.

Life is made of small moments like these. In this case, those small moments are the three and a half months ahead that separate us from the release of the next Above and Beyond album, which will be titled “Common Ground”.

Despite we don’t have lots of information about the next record and we don’t have an official tracklist to look forward to yet, we already know the cover art and at least three tracks that will certainly make it to the final cut.

Right after the magnificent celebration of ABGT 250 in the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington, USA, Above and Beyond has left us shaking, full of emotions and craving for more. Since the beginning of August we have known that there’s an upcoming A&B album ready to be released, but now the rumours and news have turned into a fact.

Markus Schulz still sounds as one of the most popular and talented DJs and producers that Trance scene has had. His Open-To-Close (OTC) sets have been on high demand for a couple of years now, and many people have been praising them for long. I’m not a huge fan of Markus Schulz, but I’ve heard so much about his these sets, so as a real Trance music fan I simply couldn’t miss it when I got a chance!

Music is above all, a source of joy. I personally can’t conceive my life without music, and in the last 10 years I have been listening mostly to trance. To some extent, trance music has become a part of me.

Usually music has the power to pull back memories from the depths of our minds. Memories that have to do with situations, smells, feelings, even physical sensations. To be honest, music is one of the few things that connects me with my emotions, and trance is one of the many genres that can bring me to tears like a child.

Is from this connection with my emotions that I realized that one, as a part of the trance family, builds a history along with trance. It becomes a part of us because it has some special features, and generates situations that can only be understood by people who have been in a trance festival or event, but also those who like me, from home as well, have listened to this wonderful style for years.

Last weekend I was supposed to attend Married To The Rave (MTTR) festival in Orlando, with 3 different stages and one of them was the Trance stage. Some of my friends were going to be play there, so I decided to go and support them, even if the drive took me more than 6 hours. But before the day of event I didn’t know that it will turn into the most chaotical event I’ve ever experienced, even if the final result was not as bad.

I still can’t believe it’s already a week ago I was in the beautiful city of Zürich, Switzerland, taking part in the best party in the world! Street Parade 2017!I’m sure there are plenty of amazing parties around the world but… not like this one. And by this, I mean: a free entrance party happening all around Zürich with love mobiles spreading high vibes and people dancing to electronic beats all day long! What about that? Yes, a parade with mobiles isn’t exclusive of carnival, think back when the Love Parade – by the neighbours in Berlin, Germany – was the most famous street electronic party in the world.

“We feel, we love, we care”

While most of us, the trance family, have the chance to enjoy life and feel the music; there are people in this world who can’t really manage to get to enjoy their lives. Sometimes it’s because of hunger, sometimes is because of the cold or the lack of a helping hand to assist them to pull through their difficult lives.

Almost every raver had to make the choice about where to go next at least once in his life, because time and money are limited. Some music lovers love to go to large festivals, to enjoy craziness with thousands of people, but some prefer small club nights with other passionate music lovers. Both kinds of events have their advantages and disadvantages, so let’s have a look on them:

Throughout the years, Armin van Buuren has remained one of the most relevant trance DJs. He has promoted trance around the world and has introduced many people to this genre. However, in the most recent years, his personal style has been shifting: some say that he’s following commercial profits, some others may defend it as a personal creative path. Whichever is the case, it seems that Armin is coming out of his State of Trance and going towards A State of Something Else.

Last week, we heard the first of many yet-to-come A State of Trance takeovers by friend DJs. The pick for the first one was Ferry Corsten, which in my opinion was a great decision, but at the same time is has risen many questions: if A State of Trance sounds as good without Armin, is Armin expendable? Is he replaceable?