Commonly dubbed “the biggest trance event of the year” (not without reason), the yearly ASOT celebrations in February feature a stacked lineup of trance artists, spanning the progressive, bigroom, uplifting and psy spectrum.

If you’re one of the lucky few who managed to get a ticket and will be at ASOT 900 live, I envy you. If not, don’t worry, because there’ll be livestreams to keep your trance cravings satisfied.

This year, the event boasts 36 different acts across 5 stages. The usual video livestream of the mainstage and audio livestream of the other stages continue, but this year, Armin and his team are treating us to a videostream of the Who’s Afraid of 138! stage too. It’s going to be hard to pick and choose which artists you’re going to be listening to, but hopefully this guide will help you do so.

The video and audio streams will be broadcast on asot.tv.

Here are my 8 picks for the acts you should consider listening to this Saturday:

#8 Rodg

This progressive icon is gearing up for an album, having already released singles like The Coaster and Cinnamon. Expect some more unreleased cuts off the album (titled Fate). I’m somewhat upset that he’s not doing a b2b with longtime collaborator Ruben de Ronde this year, but that’s likely because both have an album to tease – so make sure to check out Ruben’s set too.

#7 Avao

Rising Dutch duo Avao will be closing out the Road to 1000 stage, in a set likely to be filled with hard-hitting bass drops, and tons of original music. They’ve been teasing a Clara Yates collaboration, which you might just hear them play. More likely than not, you’ll also hear their new remix of the Lifting You Higher ASOT 900 anthem, which was released today. It’s somewhat ironic that Avao and their mentor MaRLo are performing at the same time from 4-5am, both showcasing similar sounds.

#6 Ferry Tayle b2b Dan Stone

Often times, the blissful uplifting styles of trance get snubbed in festivals, in favor of the more energetic bigroom trance and trouse styles. The co-owners of FSOE’s uplifting sublabel Fables are here to change that, with a back 2 back which will exemplify the evocative side of trance. Neither Ferry Tayle nor Dan Stone are novices when it comes to uplifting, having released multiple tunes each which will leave you in tears. Taking turns to host their radioshow, also titled Fables, they’ve done their fair share of curating excellent music. While they are sure to have a few IDs (and maybe even a collaborative unreleased tune) to share in their hour-long set, their picks of already-released tunes will definitely be apt for the mega occasion.

#5 – Giuseppe Ottaviani

Giuseppe takes the meaning of the phrase ‘live set’ to another level with his Live 2.0 setup. Filled with fancy apparatus, he manages to craft melodies on the spot, and literally create songs from scratch. Make sure to catch the master working on his art at the WAO138?! stage, which will be broadcast on video too!

#4 – Luke Bond

Since his emphatic comeback to trance in 2018, Luke Bond has stunned all trance listeners with his addictive, high-energy, uplifting sound, as seen in his psy-oriented singles U and Clockwork, as well as his most recent vocal offering – Right Now (w/ Sara Skinner) – which was my Tune of the Week when it was released. He’s been busy in his studio preparing what he likes to call ‘cheeky bangers’ for his ASOT900 set in the Road to 1000 stage, which is why I expect his set to be primarily unreleased music. He confirmed my suspicions, saying he has 7 unreleased tracks that he’ll be playing.

#3 – Davey Asprey

This artist has seen a meteoric rise to stardom through his wildly successful singles such as Fallout, Moments and Alone in the Wilderness. Throughout his recent music, any trance fan will be able to recollect ‘the Davey Asprey’ sound. He’s also part of the Next Generation management team, which aims to bring unsung talent to the forefront of the dance scene.

According to Davey, his hour long set, which will open the WAO138 stage, will consist of more than 45 minutes of IDs, which means that although you might not be able to sing along to all the songs played, you’ll definitely hear his distinctive sound. Also expect him to play his newest single, Aftermath, which is out Friday!

#2 – Above & Beyond

It’s been a while since ASOT has seen Above & Beyond at one of their headlining events, and in fact, this trio were the first artist to be announced on the line-up close to half a year ago. It’s also been half a year since A&B’s last livestreamed performance at ABGT300, which means that they’ve had some time in the studio to produce some more insane music. While I only expect a couple of single premiers, you can be sure that their set will flow like silk, and their hour and a half at the mainstage will be over before you know it.

#1 – FutureCode (Ben Gold x Omnia)

A new project from two big names in the trance scene sees its debut performance at ASOT 900, closing out the mainstage. Both Ben Gold and Omnia have been responsible for some of the most captivating trance singles in recent times. They both charted in the ASOT Top 50 of 2018 rankings with Ben Gold’s There Will Be Angels (w/ Audrey Gallagher) and Omnia’s Cyberpunk. 2018 saw Ben Gold release his mini-album – Sound Advice Chapter 1 – while Omnia delivered collaborations with names like Alex Sonata, DRYM, Dankya Nadeau, and, of course, his second tune with Ben Gold (The Conquest).

Obviously, the creative workflow between these two producers has been synergistic enough to prompt the launch of a new moniker, which both have spent the latter part of 2018 and early 2019 developing. They played out a preview of their upcoming music as FutureCode in the most recent ASOT episode – 902 (see below). The opening track from this preview is quite likely a collaboration with Roxanne Emery tentatively called In The Rain, which is easily a contender for TOTY 2019. As for their mainstage set this Saturday, I expect them to play bunch of brand new IDs, with perhaps some classics sprinkled in between (maybe even the ASOT 750 anthem).

Get yourself in the mood for Saturday with a special 3-hour long ASOT902.

