Astral Projection

Based in Israel, distant from Europe's dance epicenter, the psychedelic trance group Astral Projection earned acclaim and commercial success among the genre's elite. The project grew out of a production alliance between childhood friends Avi Nissim and Lior Perlmutter, both active as DJs in Israel's dance and industrial underground during the late '80s, before they launched their production work in 1989. The following year, the track "Monster Mania," issued under the name SFX on Belgium's Music Man label, achieved club success. The pair spent a period based in New York operating their own X-Rave before relocating back to Israel in 1994. They established the label Outmosphere, which evolved into Trust in Trance by 1995.

At first the imprint concentrated on compilations; also in 1995 the duo launched the initial installment of the continuing Trust in Trance: Psychedelic Vibes series, which included several of their own productions, among them the earliest release credited to Astral Projection. The second volume performed strongly on Israeli charts, whereas the third extended their reach across Europe and received a reissue through the British trance label TIP, appearing there as the single-artist album Trust in Trance as Astral Projection. Nissim and Perlmutter soon abandoned the compilation format and delivered Dancing Galaxy, their first proper Astral Projection album, which became one of the best-selling trance albums ever upon its 1997 release. Another World appeared in 1999, followed by Astral Scene the next year. The duo also reissued their early SFX material as The Unreleased Tracks 89-94 and issued the DJ collection In the Mix.