It's been four years since the last Portals feature (what kind of Portal is that?!). As a quick reminder, this series serves as my way to highlight a specific concept or deep dive into an aspect of music I enjoy, no matter the style. We've had Power Ambient, New New Age, Music For Sleeping, a reinterpretation of the KLF's Chill Out, and Classic Trance Loops amongst others.

For this next episode, we're going back into the world of Trance music again. Maybe our latest Trance-infused release with Mikkel Rev was the inspiration to get another Portals going after that 4-year absence...

Throughout the 1990s, the Trancemaster compilation series documented that evolution of the genre in real time. Across sprawling multi-disc releases, it brought together records from the emerging edges of trance, techno and progressive music (even some random nu-wave track I found), tracks that were often difficult to find outside specialist record shops and European clubs at the time, placing them into a shared world.

Before trance became a global industry, it was a sound still figuring out what it wanted to be. For many listeners, Trancemaster was a map of an evolving landscape that despite being called Trance, still shifted through variations of ambient, chill downtempo and techno, through its early themed compilations such as 'The Goa Gap, 'Tribal Chill Out' and 'Aural Brainfood' to name just a few. which soon dissolved into general Trancemaster compilations as the genre continued to find its sound.

Follow the names buried in these compilations and you could disappear into entire labels, scenes, cities and new strains of electronic music. Across the decades, the series captured Trance as it moved from something darker, stranger and more experimental into the soaring melodies and enormous emotional architecture that would eventually fill clubs around the world in the early 00's, with the label behind the compilation "Vision Soundcarriers" eventually calling it a day on the series in 2012 (citing piracy no less).

The result of this series is a catalog of hundreds of tracks, that became a definitive blueprint of the genre. Unknown gems and deep digs feature alongside many of the biggest classic hits you can think of (BBE, Three Drives, Lustral, Gouryella , Tiesto, etc all sit alongside the many unknowns).

For this edition of Portals, I've dug through the entire Trancemaster compilations through the early years of 1992–1999 (numbers 01 to 23 to be exact - the best years, dare I say?). Seven years of records that helped define a genre, and a reminder of just how wide, weird, and beautiful Trance once was. This true excavation led me into many different places, and it was interesting to see how the sound evolved over the years (especially when compared to the compilations post year 2000).

The Chill Out Room vibe was still apparent, and tracks were being spun by José Padilla (I remember the Max 404 track appearing after an ad break in José’s 1993 Essential Mix). Acid house was still a massive influence, with Choice, Josh Wink and many more creating head-buzzing anthems of the time. And the Goa Trance sound was still gloriously shifting BPMs to keep everyone guessing as to what went down in those far-away hedonistic times.

Dolphins, didgeridoos, that distinct bird sound from FSOL (!), chanted mantras and German spoken-word — Trancemaster has all the wonderful excess of a scene discovering just how far it could go, with little sense of the impact it would have. Beneath those unmistakable fingerprints of the era lies an extraordinary run of music: strange, euphoric, hypnotic and, at its best, remarkably timeless. Here are a few gems and personal favorites that capture just how broad Trance could be at the time, from ambient and downtempo, to techno, acid, progressive and the more euphoric sound that would eventually come to define it.

astrangelyisolatedplace · ASIP - Portals Episode 13: Trancemaster 1992-1999

Download MP3, listen on Soundcloud, the ASIP Podcast or the 9128.live iOS and Android app.

Tracklist:

01. Gaia – Primitive (Intro) – Trancemaster 04
02. TM 02 – Intro (Whales In Space) – Trancemaster 02
03. (Outro) – Conditions Of Mental Abstraction – Trancemaster 09
04. Max 404 – Quiddity (Last Visit) – Trancemaster 11
05. Komakino – Frogs In Space (Trance Mix) – Trancemaster 01
06. Sleepwalker – The Pink Zone – Trancemaster 10
07. Bas Molendyk – Just Married – Trancemaster 09
08. Frank De Wulf – Afrika's Rhyme – Trancemaster 01
09. Pentaura – Ulma Gets To Linger (Pentatonik Mix) – Trancemaster 11
10. Ravebusters – Rave Bangin' (Atmos' Mix) – Trancemaster 10
11. The Irresistible Force – Space Is The Place (Intergalactic Ambient Mix) – Trancemaster 01
12. Space Cube – Dolphins – Trancemaster 01
13. Gary D. – E-Mojonal: Make E Move – Trancemaster 02
14. E-Mojonal – Silence Of Water – Trancemaster 03
15. FUSE – UVA – Trancemaster 10
16. Redeye – Acid Etch – Trancemaster 07
17. Traumatic – Tribal Symphony – Trancemaster 08
18. Delegate – Crying Over Faith (98 Remix) – Trancemaster 17
19. Microwave Prince – Eternal Light – Trancemaster 11
20. Loophole – Fakeland – Trancemaster 13
21. Sterac – Asphyx – Trancemaster 11
22. Choice – Acid Eiffel – Trancemaster 04
23. Keyload – Unknown Quantities – Trancemaster 13
24. Yum Yum – 3 Minute Warning (Scope Mix) – Trancemaster 08
25. Me & Jack – Viva House (Secret Cinema Mix) – Trancemaster 12
26. Station Rose – Public Brain Session – Trancemaster 01
27. Perry & Rhodan – The Beat Goes Straight On And On (Intro) – Trancemaster 06

Trancemaster on Discogs
Trancemaster on Bandcamp
Trancemaster.de

     

In the 17 years since Singer Vehicle Design was founded, the California-based company has become one of the most recognizable names in the world of restomods, restoring and modifying classic Porsche 911s through what it calls “reimagining.” At Monterey Car Week 2026, Singer took that approach somewhere new, revealing its first collaboration with Louis Vuitton.

The partnership produced two distinctly different cars. The Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer – Classic combines Louis Vuitton’s saffron, cobalt blue, and yellow with the fashion house’s long history of travel, luggage, and watchmaking. Its counterpart, the Porsche 911 Reimagined by Singer – Classic Turbo, was conceived with Louis Vuitton Artistic Director of Women’s Collections Nicolas Ghesquière and takes a more unexpected nautical turn.

According to Singer’s founder and executive chairman Rob Dickinson, the twin 911s were years in the making, with teams traveling between Paris, California, and England throughout the process.

“We were constantly exchanging ideas, with an enormous volume of renderings, digital design data, paint, and leather samples, and then photographs of the cars as they evolved,” he says. “Our two houses brought different expertise to the project, but we share the same standards and the same ambition. Every major decision was made together.”

What became an unusually comprehensive collaboration began with something much smaller: a Singer client wanted a Louis Vuitton clock installed in their car. Louis Vuitton approached Singer about creating it, and Singer chief strategy officer Mazen Fawaz says the conversation quickly expanded until “the collaboration was extended to encompass every element of the car.”

Word of the project also traveled within Louis Vuitton, eventually reaching Ghesquière. “This in turn led to a collaboration on a second car, which became the turbocharged cabriolet,” Fawaz explains.

The original coupe shows just how far the project moved beyond a dashboard accessory. La Fabrique du Temps, Louis Vuitton’s watchmaking workshop in Switzerland, developed a removable mechanical clock inspired by the house’s signature Tambour watch, but integrating it convincingly meant Singer couldn’t simply drop the timepiece into the existing dashboard. The surrounding speedometer, tachometer, and gauges were ultimately redesigned to speak the same visual language, turning what began as one new component into a roughly year-long exercise in rethinking the instrument panel.

That same level of attention extends throughout the cabin. Natural-toned leather references the cowhide associated with Louis Vuitton luggage, with yellow stitching and diamond embossing adding subtler connections to the house’s leatherwork. Even the hardware received attention: Plastic components that might normally go unnoticed gave way to metal switches, locks, vents, and controls, finished with techniques borrowed from watchmaking.

Outside, the saffron bodywork is paired with cobalt blue accents and a specially designed roof rack that can carry luggage, skis, or a surfboard. That emphasis on packing for the road reaches surprisingly far back into Louis Vuitton’s history, as the house began making automobile-specific trunks in the late 19th century.

The drop-top Classic Turbo takes the collaboration in an entirely different direction. Conceived with Ghesquière, the Calcaire Lutétien white cabriolet looks to classic motorboats for many of its cues. Wood becomes a defining material, appearing on the bumpers and throughout the storage areas, including a rear luggage deck whose varnished finish recalls the deck of a runabout. Even the lightweight white roof contributes to the nautical character, its stretched form evoking a sail.

The clock is also handled differently, with the timepiece positioned in the center console. Gold-toned gauges and natural leather continue the material palette, while the varnished wood compartment behind the seats has been shaped around both the car’s luggage and removable roof. One of the more playful references appears at the gearshift, where a leather drawstring borrows the familiar closure of Louis Vuitton’s Noé bag.

Both cars are accompanied by bespoke capsule collections that carry their individual design languages beyond the vehicles themselves. Clothing, helmets, driving accessories, and luggage were developed around each car, with some pieces designed specifically around how they would be transported. For the coupe, that means a Louis Vuitton surfboard and a pair of skis that can ride on the roof rack.

“Witnessing the absolute confidence of an organization like Louis Vuitton at the peak of its powers, and channeling that focus through Singer’s own unique lens was pretty thrilling and also challenging,” Dickinson says. “This was an incredible joint effort from the team, which I think highlights the celebration not just of cars but of the human element—the craftsmanship, art, and engineering that lies at the heart of both companies.”

The two cars mark the first collaboration between Singer and Louis Vuitton, but perhaps not the last. “If the opportunity arose to work with the team at Louis Vuitton again,” Fawaz says, “we’d be up for the challenge.”

For now, the brands are planning to take the cars—and elements of their accompanying collections—to additional locations around the world in the coming months.

Michael Kalus posted a photo:

Michael Kalus posted a photo:

Michael Kalus posted a photo:

On Thursday, Trump signed an executive order demanding Lake Ontario be renamed to Lake America. At the signing of the order, he sat next to a big poster board map of the Great Lakes, with a big red arrow labeling Lake Ontario as "Lake America," with the words "Making the Great Lakes Even Greater." 

The Canadian province of Ontario borders the north, west, and southwest sides of the lake, with New York State on the south and east.