On behalf of the BuzzJack presents... team, we wish to thank everyone for their support and valuable contributions in 2024 to help make some incredible collections of music that our community can enjoy for years to come.

Here is a look back at what we have released this year with your help;



This in in addition to the two releases we presented to you at the tail end of 2023;



Here is a snippet of what's to come in 2025;

1982
1999 Dance
BuzzJack Podium 2024
Soft Rock
Trance

Plus much more with the help of willing volunteers from the BuzzJack community!

Once again, on behalf of myself, Colm and gooddelta, thank you all for being part of this journey with us!

:wave:

2024 Disc 1 is the disc I'm claiming :cheeseblock:

 

 

 

Welcome to our first BuzzJack Presents compilation of 2025...a look back at all of the songs that finished top three in the song contests held across the forum during 2024 (excluding one song that wasn't available on Spotify - Kate Gengo's Tell Me).

 

It's a real grab bag of genres ranging form electronic and dance through pop, musicals, Britpop and so much more. Kicking off with the first and biggest BJSC winner of the year, King Of The Slugs by Fat Dog, the rest of Disc 1 brings together some of the other alternative, electronic and dance winners and hits of the year, while Disc 2 focuses on the year's biggest pop, Disc 3 showcases many of the rock and alternative numbers, and Disc 4 mops up everything else in an eclectic year on the Podium. We hope you enjoy!

Edited January 28Jan 28 by gooddelta

Thank you Rich!

 

Great to be able to have an entry of my own feature somewhere in this collection! I wonder if the same will be said this time next year. :lol:

 

But it will be good to take another listen through all these discoveries and enjoy some fab entries from members in 2024!

Phoenix opening Disc 3 *.* I know that's the rock / alternative disc and its win was from a pop-themed contest, but the winner of PFSC: Best Pop Of 2023 is on there too, so it's in good company!

 

Thanks for compiling this, look forward to listening through it all!

Edited January 29Jan 29 by jimwatts

Strange YVA Medley Mix. :o

I'd forgotten Aquarian was last year, seems like much longer ago that UP contest.

Phoenix opening Disc 3 *.* I know that's the rock / alternative disc and its win was from a pop-themed contest, but the winner of PFSC: Best Pop Of 2023 is on there too, so it's in good company!

 

Thanks for compiling this, look forward to listening through it all!

 

Oh yes, true, although Bop Idol features quite a lot of indie/alternative/rock songs despite its pop-leaning name. 1901 seemed to fit well on this particular disc anyway and felt like a fitting opening track, to represent one of the forum's newest contests in 2024, and your first victory.

 

I probably should have tried to open Disc 2 with a winner from a different contest too but it definitely felt like the biggest pop track sent to a BuzzJack contest last year.

 

Maybe next year, Good Luck, Babe! will kick off the pop disc after its victory last week :lol:

Request: Please do a 1960s one soon. :wub:

We'll consider that, although may need to call on a 60s expert.

 

We have a dance release coming next!

Edited February 19Feb 19 by gooddelta

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Edited February 19Feb 19 by Colm

Commencing the Buzzjack presents series on the updated website with a dance genre close to my heart, we have the first volume of Trance! As the entire history of trance couldn't possibly be neatly fit onto a 3CD for this compilation we will focus solely on the classic era, that is tunes from the 90s and 00s.

Disc One:

Arguably no trance synth riff is more iconic than that from Faithless' signature hit 'Insomnia' which commences proceedings. To follow that up it could only be the equally unforgettable 'Sandstorm' which thanks to its resurgence in 2010s meme culture is the all-time most-streamed trance hit. Other huge energetic trance instrumentals of the era came from ATB and Zombie Nation (with some assistance from remixers) which are place at the top end of the disc alongside some of the biggest vocal anthems of the turn of the century from Fragma, Ian van Dahl, 4 Strings and Tomcraft. We can't forget that some singers of the time better known for other genres of music managed to hop on board and we get our first double dose of this in the middle of the disc with Dannii Minogue and Charlotte Church (credited to her initials to further distinguish from her usual output). Dance music loves a remake, although there were surprisingly few for the genre mostly concerned with producing original material, we did get DJ Quicksilver wearing an alias to re-do the theme from 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence' and Mauro Picotto sampling Deep Forest 'Sweet Lullaby'. Serial UK #2 hitters Sash! could've had a number of their big hits here although suiting the compilation theme the most was 'Stay', the third chart runner-up of theirs. Tailing the disc are some legends of electronic music in BT and Ferry Corsten (as System F) before a brief space theme with Cosmic Gate and PPK.

Disc Two:

To follow the anthems theme of Disc One we have a more chilled and reflective vibe for Disc Two. Of course there'd be no better way to start such proceedings than with the iconic 'Children' which brought mellow trance to the mainstream. We follow that with another trance veteran in Chicane, who easily could've had a good few tracks fit in here (including a UK #1 hit) though I have limited it to just his very best in 'Saltwater'. Other big commercial hits of the time; York is here with his re-do of a Chris Rea hit and Rui Da Silva became one of the very best one-hit wonders in 'Touch Me'. A good few other instrumental efforts made waves from the likes of BBE, Paul van Dyk and Rank 1 - in between all these we have the much-covered 'Need To Feel Loved' from Reflekt along with Lange's most remembered hit 'Follow Me', one of a few on the compilation that placed prominently in the "Kevin & Perry" film based in Ibiza at the height of the genre's popularity. We end with some names that would continue to be big into the 2010s and beyond, Tiësto who remixed 'Southern Sun' for Paul Oakenfold followed by Armin van Buuren and Above & Beyond (on this occasion under their Oceanlab alias).

Disc Three:

Back to the anthems with a few lesser-sung tracks for the third disc, though we do start with some big ones. The classical piece 'Adagio For Strings' became an unlikely one of choice to be much-reworked in a dance setting. Two versions were particularly huge but we only have room for Ferry Corsten who had the idea first, remixing the ambient William Orbit rendition. Melanie C unexpectedly took to the genre to produce one of her biggest hits, bringing on Hex Hector to remix her album track 'I Turn To You' to turn it into a #1 hit, whilst Sarah McLachlan also unknowingly had a hand in one of the biggest trance anthems when working with new-age electronic outfit Delerium with the much-remixed 'Silence'. The instrumental efforts here also include the compilation's most recent track, 'RAMsterdam' which came out in 2009 and whilst not a chart hit of any description is widely regarded a classic with trance fans. The set ends with a few tracks that wouldn't quite fit anywhere else being a mix of a few dance sub-genres but do have a certain trance feel, ending with the earliest-released track from 1992 'The Age Of Love' which set the pace for what trance music would become.

Take a listen through the following Spotify links below with thanks to Colm for providing the cover art.

Full Playlist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Disc 3

Absolutely essential guide to one of my favorite genres. I lived through this period of music. The summer of 1999 was the peak of clubbing for me. The excitement of knowing that the dj was going to play a dozen or more of these tunes is one of the most precious things.

Amazing job, Dan.

Edited March 1Mar 1 by Colm

This looks like a great collection of tunes. I like a bit of trance so I will give the playlist a listen. Here's a few that I would have liked to have been included:

SuReal - You Take My Breath Away

Chakra - Home

Lucid - I Can't Help Myself

Space Brothers - Shine

there’s certainly enough material for a volume two so those could very well be there if I make one!

DANG!

(great compilation)

Amazing work Dan, thanks so much for putting together such an excellent compilation and informative write-up.

When trance is at its best - as it is on so many of the songs here - it’s my favourite genre.

Looks and sounds like a nice (re-)introduction to Trance.

And I guess I need to check the thread (and some others) more often as subtitles in threads have been removed (boooo).

Edited March 2Mar 2 by AllStarBySmashMouth

It's the one from my least favourite music genres, so many songs from this compilation were included in "worst" lists.

Could one of you update the opening post when you have some time? My classic synthpop collection still isn't on there. Thanks.