Hardcore, Trance & Bonzai
Through the mid-90s and 2000s the sound splintered and intensified — hardcore and gabber, the euphoric trance of Yves Deruyter and the Bonzai Records empire, the retro-house revivals. Belgium kept exporting dancefloor energy.
Part of The Belgian Sound
78 moments in this segment.
- — Outlander — "Vamp" (R&S). Outlander's "Vamp" on R&S is a defining Belgian rave anthem, all hoover and adrenaline.
- — Cubic 22 — “Night In Motion”. Cubic 22’s “Night In Motion” (1991) — the harder Belgian rave/hardcore end, pushing the hoover sound to its limits.
- — USA Import Records & the rave 12"s. Belgian rave ran on import 12"s and labels like USA Import — the hardcore and hoover records that powered Cherry Moon and La Rocca.
- — Praga Khan / Lords of Acid. Maurice Engelen’s Praga Khan and Lords of Acid pushed Belgian new beat and acid house into harder, sexier territory — a key bridge from new beat to the rave 90s.
- — Red Bull Elektropedia presents: Bonzai Records - The Story. From Bonzai, one of the temples of Belgian club culture — Red Bull Elektropedia presents: Bonzai Records - The Story. (c. 1992).
- — RETRO 1992 at Cherry Moon Lokeren (1992.00.00-00). A retro mix of Belgian club classics — RETRO 1992 at Cherry Moon Lokeren (1992.00.00-00). (1992)
- — Cherry Moon — Rave Explosion (1993). A Rave Explosion night at the Cherry Moon, the Lokeren temple of Belgian hard trance.
- — Cherry Moon — May 1993. A dated Cherry Moon recording from the Rave Explosion era in Lokeren.
- — Cherrymoon Trax — "The House of House" (Bonzai). Cherrymoon Trax's "The House of House" on Bonzai is one of the definitive Belgian hard-trance anthems, named for the Cherry Moon club.
- — 1993.08.15 | Cherry Moon | Bonzai Records The Hardcore Chapter | Unknown DJ. From Cherry Moon, one of the temples of Belgian club culture — Cherry Moon | Bonzai Records The Hardcore Chapter | Unknown DJ. (1993)
- — 1993.07.02 | Cherry Moon | The Rave Explosion | Yves Deruyter, The Fly. From Cherry Moon, one of the temples of Belgian club culture — Cherry Moon | The Rave Explosion | Yves Deruyter, The Fly. (1993)
- — 1993 06 04 Cherry Moon The Rave Explosion DJs Yves Deruyter Deg. From Cherry Moon, one of the temples of Belgian club culture — 06 04 Cherry Moon The Rave Explosion DJs Yves Deruyter Deg. (1993)
- — 1993 05 07 Cherry Moon The Rave Explosion DJs Yves Deruyter The Fly. From Cherry Moon, one of the temples of Belgian club culture — 05 07 Cherry Moon The Rave Explosion DJs Yves Deruyter The Fly. (1993)
- — Cherry Moon — Yves Deruyter night (1994). A Cherry Moon set from the Rave Explosion era, Yves Deruyter at the Lokeren hard-trance cathedral.
- — Belgian retro-house — the temple sound. A retro-house mix capturing the Cherry Moon / La Rocca / Carat dancefloor sound.
- — Cherry Moon — autumn 1994. Cherry Moon mid-90s, the hard-trance temple at full tilt.
- — Cherry Moon — 1995. The peak Cherry Moon sound: euphoric, hard, hoover-driven trance for a packed Lokeren floor.
- — Yves Deruyter — "The Rebel". Yves Deruyter, the Cherry Moon/Bonzai king, with one of his signature hard-trance anthems.
- — Cherry Moon tribute mix. A tribute mix to the Cherry Moon, the Lokeren hard-trance cathedral.
- — Belgian Retro Trance & House 90s mix1. A retro mix of Belgian club classics — Belgian Retro Trance & House 90s mix1. (1995)
- — Yves Deruyter - Yves day 1995 Hard Trance Belgium VIVA. From the Belgian electronic scene — Yves Deruyter - Yves day 1995 Hard Trance Belgium VIVA. (1995)
- — Belgian Retro Trance & House 90s Mix 02. A retro mix of Belgian club classics — Belgian Retro Trance & House 90s Mix 02. (1995)
- — 1995.04.21 | Cherry Moon | Yves Deruyter Birthday Party | Yves Deruyter, Franky Kloeck. From Cherry Moon, one of the temples of Belgian club culture — Cherry Moon | Yves Deruyter Birthday Party | Yves Deruyter, Franky Kloeck. (1995)
- — Bonzai Trance Progressive. Bonzai's trance sublabels pumped out the hard, euphoric sound that filled Cherry Moon and La Rocca.
- — A magazine made of flyers. Belgian rave was, above all, a culture of flyers — the graphic art of a thousand parties, the visual language of the scene month after month.
- — Fiocco — the trance anthem. Fiocco, one of the great Belgian trance acts.
- — Bonzai Records — the trance empire. Antwerp’s Bonzai Records built a hard-trance empire in the mid-90s — Yves Deruyter, M.I.K.E., Push — the euphoric, hoover-driven sound that filled La Rocca and Cherry Moon every weekend.
- — Franky Kloeck & the retro-house revival. Franky Kloeck became a custodian of the Belgian retro-house and trance sound, his sets reviving the Bonzai/Cherry Moon era.
- — Yves Deruyter — "Calling Earth". Yves Deruyter, the Cherry Moon/Bonzai hard-trance king, another anthem.
- — Cherry Moon — 1996. Cherry Moon at its mid-90s height, the temple that gave Cherrymoon Trax their name.
- — Cherrymoon Trax — Bonzai trance. The Bonzai/Cherry Moon hard-trance sound at its peak.
- — Yves Deruyter — "Music Non Stop". Yves Deruyter, the Bonzai/La Rocca hard-trance king, scored one of the era's biggest Belgian anthems with "Music Non Stop".
- — Yves Deruyter @ Cherry Moon - Dance Exhibition 24.05.1996 (part2) (With Video mix). From Cherry Moon, one of the temples of Belgian club culture — Yves Deruyter @ Cherry Moon - Dance Exhibition 24.05.1996 (part2) (With Video mix). (1996)
- — Retro House Music from Belgium (1996 -1999) (REMEMBER SESSION). A retro mix of Belgian club classics — Retro House Music from Belgium (1996 -1999) (REMEMBER SESSION). (1996)
- — M.I.K.E. — "The Dreamer". M.I.K.E. Push, Bonzai's most prolific trance producer.
- — Fiocco — "Anthem". Fiocco's "Anthem" is one of the great Belgian trance anthems of the late 90s.
- — Fiocco — "Anthem" (the trance classic). Fiocco's "Anthem", a defining Belgian trance record of the late 90s.
- — Cherry Moon — 1997. Late-90s Cherry Moon, the hard-trance era in full swing.
- — M.I.K.E. / Push — Bonzai's trance star. M.I.K.E. Dierickx — as Push and under many aliases — was Bonzai's most prolific producer, defining the label's euphoric trance sound.
- — Elof de Neve - Belgian House History 1997. From the Belgian electronic scene — Elof de Neve - Belgian House History 1997. (1997)
- — Marco Bailey — Belgian techno export. Marco Bailey became one of Belgium's most internationally-touring techno DJs and label bosses (MB Elektronics).
- — SlamGabba - We Want Hardcore (Now) // rare late 90's Belgian gabber. From the Belgian electronic scene — SlamGabba - We Want Hardcore (Now) // rare late 90's Belgian gabber. (c. 1998).
- — Cherry Moon — 1998. The Cherry Moon late-90s, hard trance for the Lokeren faithful.
- — Push — "Universal Nation" (1998). M.I.K.E. Push’s "Universal Nation" is the definitive Belgian trance anthem — a Bonzai classic that became a global trance touchstone.
- — Illusion — Lier trance (1998). The Illusion club in Lier, a key Belgian trance venue of the late 90s.
- — Push — "Strange World". Another M.I.K.E. Push trance classic from the Bonzai golden era.
- — Illusion (Lier) classics. Illusion Trance Classix Livestream with DJ Jan 100% Illusion Trance Classix! Enjoy the livestream of May 22nd... DJ Jan brings the most beautiful trance gems in a 2-hour mix. Enjoy from a to z, from alpha to omega... Illusion Style.
- — Elof de Neve - Belgian House History 1998. From the Belgian electronic scene — Elof de Neve - Belgian House History 1998. (1998)
- — Push — Strange World. M.I.K.E. Push's trance classic on Bonzai.
- — The nights and the ravers. The all-night Carat parties, the after-clubs, the dancefloors of a small country that punched far above its weight in rave.
- — Sven Van Hees — downtempo/house. Sven Van Hees brought a more eclectic house and downtempo sensibility to the Belgian scene.
- — Dj Wout @ Illusion Lier Belgium (06- 12 - 1999) (Retro Trance ). A retro mix of Belgian club classics — Dj Wout @ Illusion Lier Belgium (06- 12 - 1999) (Retro Trance ). (1999)
- — Elof de Neve - Belgian House History 1999. From the Belgian electronic scene — Elof de Neve - Belgian House History 1999. (1999)
- — Mario & DJ Phi Phi — the rave residents. A generation of Belgian club residents — Phi Phi, Mario, Franky Kloeck — drove the hard-trance and rave nights that filled the temples (2000).
- — Bonzai All Stars — the megamixes. Bonzai's All Stars megamixes packaged the label's anthems for a new decade.
- — Sven Väth-era Belgian club techno. The international techno circuit that Belgian clubs hosted around the millennium.
- — Elof de Neve - Belgian House History 2000. From the Belgian electronic scene — Elof de Neve - Belgian House History 2000. (2000)
- — Dj Yves Deruyter @ Cherry Moon Hardtrance Retro Celebration. A retro mix of Belgian club classics — Dj Yves Deruyter @ Cherry Moon Hardtrance Retro Celebration. (2004-03-20).
- — I Love Techno — Flanders Expo, Ghent. I Love Techno at Flanders Expo in Ghent grew into one of Europe's defining indoor techno festivals, a Belgian November institution for two decades.
- — Dj Yves (club x) - Bonzai Megamix. From Bonzai, one of the temples of Belgian club culture — Dj Yves (club x) - Bonzai Megamix. (2011)
- — mix retro 100% bonzai. A retro mix of Belgian club classics — mix retro 100% bonzai. (2013)
- — ★ Retro Tribute Mix to Bonzai Records ★. A retro mix of Belgian club classics — ★ Retro Tribute Mix to Bonzai Records ★. (2014)
- — Franky Kloeck from Cherry moon, barocci and bonzai liveset at retrohouse invasion the 15th rebirth. A retro mix of Belgian club classics — Franky Kloeck from Cherry moon, barocci and bonzai liveset at retrohouse invasion the 15th rebirth. (2015)
- — Bonzai Retro 2015 @ Waagnatie Antwerp Franky Kloeck full set. A retro mix of Belgian club classics — Bonzai Retro 2015 @ Waagnatie Antwerp Franky Kloeck full set. (2015)
- — Yves Deruyter Bonzai Mix At Retro House Invasion. A retro mix of Belgian club classics — Yves Deruyter Bonzai Mix At Retro House Invasion. (2015)
- — This is Bonzai Records (Part 1). From Bonzai, one of the temples of Belgian club culture — This is Bonzai Records (Part 1). (2016)
- — Franky Kloeck — the retro-house keeper. Franky Kloeck kept the Belgian retro-house/trance flame alive (2017).
- — Detroit & Belgian techno — the connection. The transatlantic dialogue between Detroit and Belgian techno.
- — Live At La Rocca Lier - 30-09-2017 'Illusion 30 Years'. From La Rocca, one of the temples of Belgian club culture — Live At La Rocca Lier - 30-09-2017 'Illusion 30 Years'. (2017)
- — Philip from illusion versus Jan vervloet from bonzai at retro house invasion. A retro mix of Belgian club classics — Philip from illusion versus Jan vervloet from bonzai at retro house invasion. (2017)
- — Cherrymoon Trax — "Acperience"-era trance. The Cherry Moon / Bonzai sound peaked mid-90s with euphoric hard trance that filled the Lokeren temple every weekend (2018).
- — Bonzai All Stars The Ultimate Megamix. From Bonzai, one of the temples of Belgian club culture — Bonzai All Stars The Ultimate Megamix. (2018)
- — Push - Universal Nation (Original Mix) [Bonzai Vinyl]. From Bonzai, one of the temples of Belgian club culture — Push - Universal Nation (Original Mix) [Bonzai Vinyl]. (2019)
- — Bonzai Megamix - Tribute 2 Bonzai Records - Belgium Retro Classics. A retro mix of Belgian club classics — Bonzai Megamix - Tribute 2 Bonzai Records - Belgium Retro Classics. (2020)
- — I Love Retro Classics - Illusion, La Rocca, Carat, Those Were The Days. A retro mix of Belgian club classics — I Love Retro Classics - Illusion, La Rocca, Carat, Those Were The Days. (2023)
- — Svenson & Gielen — Twisted. Belgian trance duo Svenson & Gielen (2024).
- — DJ Marko — the voice of La Rocca. DJ Marko's residencies defined La Rocca in Lier across the 90s and 2000s, one of the most beloved Belgian club DJs (2024).
- — Orb - 100% Vinyl Volume 118 - Belgian Afterclub Classix (Balmoral,Extreme,Carat,Illusion,LaBush). A retro mix of Belgian club classics — Orb - 100% Vinyl Volume 118 - Belgian Afterclub Classix (Balmoral,Extreme,Carat,Illusion,LaBush). (2026)
