Rank 1

Rank 1 is the Dutch production duo of Benno de Goeij and Piet Bervoets, formed in 1998. Their second single "Airwave" (1999) became one of the defining trance anthems of the era — a clean, plucked melodic build that influenced nearly every Dutch uplifting track that followed. They followed it with a string of similarly anthemic productions including "Awakening," "And Then," "Symsonic," and "L.E.D. There Be Light," the last of which Tiësto used as the opening track for his Olympics-spec Tour of Lights stage production. Closely associated with Tiësto's Black Hole Recordings and the early Magik Muzik catalogue, Rank 1 helped define the muscular, mainstage Dutch trance sound that dominated festivals through the mid-2000s. They continue to perform and release sporadically — usually around major Trance Energy / A State of Trance milestones — and remain a cornerstone reference for any conversation about Dutch trance history.