As the summer draws ever closer, no doubt we will be blessed with the barrage of TV commercials for the usual culprits under the same misinterpreted guise of ‘Trance Anthems’ or ‘Ministry of Sound Club Hits’. For the trance purists, these are usually followed with a muttering of derogatory terms at the TV and a change of channel. However, it is pretty much guaranteed, that at least one sound clip from the advert will feature a classic Lange track or remix – that faint glimmer of hope that may save you from reaching for your remote. The ‘Golden Era’ of trance in the late nineties saw Lange appearing in the charts, after his remix of ‘Lost Witness – Happiness Happening’ was signed to Positiva. This merely opened the door to more solo productions and remixes.

His mainstream position took a wise change in direction when trance faltered and the quality productions slipped underground. Nowadays Lange is a name synonymous with the deeper, more progressive trance sound. Subtle chord changes and superb use of powerful yet understated sounds combine to form an exceptional emotive power. Lange’s debut album ‘Better Late Than Never’ follows the recent (past few years) arrival of artist albums to the trance scene.

Opening with ‘Nearly Home’, the perfect track to commence an album of such anticipation. Many will agree, Lange has a unique talent of producing such emotional string accompaniments, and this is the perfect showcase. Combined with a laidback broken break-beat, ‘Nearly Home’ excites the listener for what is to come...

The intro to ‘Songless’ drifts through the speakers perfectly, only the second track on the album and already immersed in deep euphoric pads. Co-written with the vocalist Jennifer Karr, ‘Songless’ is one of those tracks that will catch everyone’s attention. Jennifer’s vocals are the complete opposite end of the spectrum to the 'screamy' vocals of the late nineties mainstream. And Lange continues this dedication to depth, as the electro-esque progressive bass line reverberates the bass frequencies.

The third track on the album, ‘Angel Falls’ experienced huge success throughout 2007. Showing Lange’s production abilities at their finest, ‘Angel Falls’ is perfect for the dj when warming up a crowd, but equally as effective when cruising down that motorway late at night - A driving progressive trance track that oozes melody.

‘Frozen Beach’ is a perfect example of chill out that lets you drift gently into thought. The first time I heard this track I was taken miles away, the gentle melody and beautiful strings offering a perfect slice of ambience.

Many would pass ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ by, with its commercial tendency, and female vocals. However, for me personally, the only aspect that lets it down is the rather uninspiring bass line. A good track to pick the listener up and get them moving after ‘Frozen Beach’.

‘Wind Farm’ is a track that offers a rest bite to the often monotony of anthemic trance sounds. Intelligently produced and aptly titled, this track has a strong electro edge and uses some very interesting sounds, creating elements not usually associated with trance producers.

The b-side to ‘Angel Falls’ is ‘Red October’. A heart-wrenching strings part never ceases to draw upon the emotions of the listener. Often overlooked after the success of ‘Angel Falls’, the minimal electro backing gives way at the latter stages to an epic strings break - A talented production by Lange.

‘Out of The Sky’ was championed by Armin Van Buuren on his radio show ‘A State of Trance’. Despite its’ critics, this track is as perfectly uplifting as it is original. The amount of times I personally have sat there staring into the sky, dreaming of people important in my life, of far off places and of good times to come. The rather haunting and darker strings are balanced impressively by the vocals of Sarah Howells. As the track progresses it rises to a blissful chorus featuring a rather euphoric acoustic guitar! This track is superb to prove that trance doesn’t have to be all ‘hands in the air’ to be of the highest quality.

Drifting almost silently through the speakers, the start of ‘Late Night Self Indulgence’ commences a 3 minute 2 second moment of ambience, with soothing strings that will take seconds to whisk you away from reality.

Possibly the furthest you can get from Lange’s early days of production, ‘Dial Me Up’ features a sound similar to the old school 56k dial up modems we all spent years swearing at! Having not really grown on me to this day, it’s a track I often find myself skipping. I was annoyed by the sound of my modem enough during the days before we were blessed with broadband, I would rather not have to hear it again. Even if that bass line is infectious!

‘Remember You’ is a great example of how male vocals can work in trance. As many of our trance fore-fathers have advised, use with caution! Few pull it off, but I feel Lange has in this instance. Aided impressively by his trademark strong strings and 'floaty' melody. Interestingly, Andy Perris aka Pulser provides the vocals for ‘Remember You’.

‘Home’ is one of my personal favourite tracks of the album. Break-beat once again providing the basis of a great drifting, searching piece of downtempo electronica. Filled with trance optimism, a track with this level of uplifting sound is provocative of thoughts miles from that train carriage, far from that traffic jam, and the perfect distraction whilst sitting at that office desk. Let it into your life and dream...

The bonus tracks available with the Itunes release of ‘Better Late Than Never’ feature some of Lange’ classic remixes as well as some of his newer remix material. Highlights include ‘LNG – Intercity’, with a remix that is will always for me be one of the great examples of powerful instrumental trance, and the far more commercial ‘Sureal – You Take My Breath Away (Lange Remix), which had me reminiscing on good times almost 8 years ago!