Reaching Altitude

Reaching Altitude was founded in 2014 by Australian-Dutch DJ-producer MaRLo as a focused outlet for the harder, more festival-leaning side of contemporary uplifting trance. Distributed through Armada Music, the imprint sits in the artist-run wing of the Armada family — adjacent to AVA Recordings, Vandit, and Flashover in editorial spirit, with the explicit intent of championing the 138+ BPM uplifting and tech-trance crossover that mainstage festival sets favour. The label's catalogue is built primarily around MaRLo's own productions, supplemented by curated material from peers in the tech-uplifting register — Roxanne Emery (his frequent vocal collaborator), Standerwick, Mark Sixma, and other artists working in the harder mainstream uplifting space. The Reaching Altitude compilation series functions as the label's editorial document, and the Reaching Altitude-branded events at festivals including ASOT, Untold, and EDC have built a global audience for MaRLo's high-energy uplifting sound. Reaching Altitude is one of the most visible artist-run trance labels operating under the Armada distribution umbrella in the late-2010s and 2020s era.