Klubbstyle Media

There was a time when the place for trance mixes was right here at Klubbstyle. CD aficionados often deified the label and for good reason. They ed several top concepts - Welcome To The Club, Technics DJ Set, Mellomania, Deep Dance, and Techno Club - mixed by all-star DJ’s and released on double-cd sets. I have only invested time into three of the aforementioned serials: Mellomania, Technics, and Techno Club. All three were picked up by Klubbstyle at the label’s formation from other distributors and, despite all three being trance, had distinctive personalities. The Mellomania series by Pedro Del Mar (and DJ Shah) emphasized the Balearic and sensual side of trance, DJ Shog’s Technics DJ Set offered variety across the spectrum of the genre, and the famed Techno Club series presented by Talla 2XLC showcased uplifting and progressive from Talla plus guests.

‘Twas short lived, sadly. A decline in CD sales only a couple years after Klubbstyle’s formation led to a slow discontinuation of serials. It certainly did not help all three (and even Welcome To The Club) occupied space in the trance scene; so Klubbstyle’s own releases possibly cannibalized each other in the fight for CD market share. True or not, Technics DJ Set was nonetheless the first to go. Either to remove internal competition or a contract expiration with Technics, this series was gone after Vol. 20 in 2008. Mellomania saw the axe in 2011, also on Vol. 20, before reincarnation on Black Hole in 2012 (who subsequently killed the series permanently about a year later). In 2017, well after all other Klubbstyle CD’s were discontinued, Techno Club saw its last release on the label. Resilient as ever, it was transferred over to the controversial giant ZYX Music and still continues to this day cementing itself as one of the longest-running trance serials.

From 2005 through 2010, Klubbstyle was king. They were the pinnacle of CD releases with several every year to satisfy the most ravenous trance fanatics. The market, however, shows no mercy. All that remains is a superb back-catalogue and a glance down memory lane at what our world used to be.