Black Hole Recordings

Black Hole Recordings was founded in 1997 in Breda, Netherlands by Arny Bink and David Lewis — the latter of whom would later co-found Armada Music. The label was Tiësto's home for his most celebrated work, including the Magik mix series, Just Be (2004), and the early In Search of Sunrise compilations that defined the modern long-form trance set. Long after Tiësto departed for his own Musical Freedom imprint, Black Hole has remained one of trance's most enduring labels. The In Search of Sunrise series passed to Richard Durand and later to Solarstone, becoming a flagship through which Black Hole curates the deeper, more atmospheric end of progressive trance. The label has also been the home of BT, Cosmic Gate (early years), Markus Schulz (early years), Andy Moor, and dozens of other progressive and uplifting trance artists. In 2012 Solarstone launched the Pure Trance series under the Black Hole umbrella. After more than 25 years, the label remains a respected curator of the genre's more refined and patient material — a counterpoint to the more festival-oriented commercial mainstream.