First State: Biography, Discography and More | EDM Encyclopedia

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Introduction

First State is a trance electronic music artist from Great Britain. Active from 2014 to the present, the project has released three full-length albums and five extended plays. The first release arrived in 2014, with the most recent confirmed output dating to 2023.

The artist emerged during a period when trance music continued to shift within the broader electronic music landscape. Operating from Great Britain, First State contributed to a scene with longstanding connections to trance and progressive electronic music. The project has not announced a hiatus or conclusion, maintaining an active status across nearly a decade of recorded output.

First State’s production timeline reveals distinct phases. The initial phase, spanning 2014 through 2016, consisted exclusively of extended plays. A transitional phase began in 2017, when the artist issued both an extended play and a debut album in the same year. From 2020 onward, the catalog contains only full-length albums, suggesting a permanent shift toward longer formats.

The project’s name functions as an artistic moniker within the electronic music for djs context. The artist has maintained a relatively low public profile compared to some contemporaries in the trance genre, letting the recorded output serve as the primary point of contact with listeners.

With releases spread across nine years, First State has demonstrated a sustained commitment to music production. The three-year gap between the second and third albums represents the longest interval between releases in the catalog. The years 2015 and 2017 each saw two releases, indicating periods of heightened creative output. No releases are confirmed for 2018 or 2019, marking the only gap years in the project’s timeline.

Genre and Style

First State operates within the trance electronic music genre. The project’s approach emphasizes melodic progression, atmospheric textures, and structured builds. This musical direction incorporates elements common to British electronic music traditions while maintaining a focus on dancefloor functionality and rhythmic drive.

The trance Sound

The artist’s extended plays explore individual musical ideas in focused formats. These shorter releases allow for concentrated work within the trance framework, often highlighting specific rhythmic patterns or melodic motifs. The transition to album-length releases beginning in 2017 provided opportunity for extended thematic development, enabling the artist to construct longer arcs across multiple new EDM tracks rather than presenting isolated ideas.

First State’s production style fits within the broader trance spectrum without adhering rigidly to a single subgenre categorization. The music incorporates synthesized instrumentation, programmed percussion, and the extended track structures the artist favors. The catalog does not indicate collaborations with vocalists or featured artists on the confirmed releases, suggesting a primarily instrumental approach throughout the project’s existence.

The production techniques employed across First State’s catalog align with contemporary trance music production methods. This includes digital audio workstations, software synthesizers, and mixing approaches suited to electronic dance music. The absence of live instrumentation credits on confirmed releases points toward a fully electronic production methodology.

The project’s placement within the British electronic music scene provides cultural context for its musical direction. Great Britain has historically served as a significant center for trance music development, hosting numerous events and labels dedicated to the genre. First State’s output contributes to this ongoing tradition, engaging with established genre conventions while operating within recognizable parameters of trance production.

Key Releases

First State’s confirmed discography consists of five extended plays and three studio albums, issued between 2014 and 2023. Each release is listed below with its year of issue.

  • Lacking Lights
  • Tactic Systems
  • Clockwork EP
  • Shanty EP
  • If I Could

Discography Highlights

Extended Plays:

Lacking Lights (2014): First State’s debut release introduced the project to listeners. As the first confirmed output, it established the artist’s presence within the trance music landscape and set the foundation for subsequent releases.

Tactic Systems (2015): The first of two extended plays released in 2015, arriving one year after the debut. Its title suggests a focus on structured, systematic approaches to rhythm and composition.

Clockwork EP (2015): The second release of 2015, making this year the first with multiple entries in the catalog. The title implies precision and mechanical regularity in the production approach.

Shanty EP (2016): Continued the annual release pattern with a single extended play. This release arrived after the two EPs from the previous year and preceded the artist’s transition to album-length works.

If I Could (2017): The fifth and final confirmed extended play, released in the same year as the debut album. This dual release year marked the conclusion of the EP-focused phase of the EDM artist‘s catalog.

Studio Albums:

Versus (2017): First State’s first full-length album. Its release alongside the final extended play represents a clear transition point from shorter to longer format releases. The title suggests opposition or contrast, possibly reflecting the shift in the artist’s creative approach.

My Own Private Island (2020): The second album arrived three years after the debut, after a period without confirmed releases in 2018 and 2019. The title evokes isolation and personal space, themes that relate to the introspective qualities often present in trance music.

Between These Moments (2023): The third and most recent album, released three years after its predecessor. This stands as the latest confirmed release in the First State catalog. The title suggests a focus on transitional states and the intervals between defined dj events.

Complete chronological release sequence: Lacking Lights (2014), Tactic Systems (2015), Clockwork EP (2015), Shanty EP (2016), If I Could (2017), Versus (2017), My Own Private Island (2020), Between These Moments (2023).

Famous Tracks

First State, a Dutch trance act formed in 2005, spent nearly a decade refining their production approach before their first documented release. Lacking Lights arrived in 2014, initiating a concentrated run of EP output. The year delivered two separate releases: Tactic Systems and the Clockwork EP. Releasing two EPs within a single calendar year points to either a backlog of completed studio material or a focused writing period that outpaced standard release schedules.

The Shanty EP continued the annual pattern in 2016. By the time If I Could appeared in 2017, the project had issued five EPs across four years. This concentration of shorter-form releases established a clear presence before any full-length statement emerged. Each EP functioned independently while contributing to a growing catalog that built audience expectations for what a debut album might deliver.

Live Performances

Trance acts based in the Netherlands during the mid-2000s operated within a live ecosystem shaped by club residencies, festival stages, and radio platforms. First State entered a scene where labels like Armada and Black Hole built artist profiles through consistent release schedules paired with international DJ dates. The Netherlands served as a hub for trance, providing local venues, industry infrastructure, and promotional networks that supported touring careers across Europe and beyond.

Notable Shows

The project’s documented release activity from 2014 onward coincided with significant shifts in electronic music’s live economy. Streaming platforms began replacing physical sales and downloads, altering revenue models for touring DJs. Social media created direct channels to audiences that previously required label support or radio play to access. trance producers adapted by combining traditional club appearances with curated online sets, podcast formats, and digital engagement strategies.

For an act releasing material steadily between 2014 and 2023, these industry changes directly influenced how live appearances were structured. The transition from frequent EP drops to spaced-out album releases typically corresponds with shifts in touring strategy, as full-length projects provide promotional anchors for extended runs of dates rather than standalone single shows.

Why They Matter

First State’s 2017 debut album Versus marked a clear transition from EP-based output to full-length projects. My Own Private Island arrived three years later in 2020, followed by Between These Moments in 2023. Three albums released across six years represent a measured pace that allows each project space to reach listeners without competing against the next release.

Impact on trance

The contrast between their EP era and album era reveals shifting priorities. Five EPs landed across four years (2014-2017), prioritizing regular visibility. Three albums followed across six years (2017-2023), prioritizing scale and intention. This shift suggests an artist who evolved from building awareness through frequency to making larger creative statements with each release.

Formation in 2005 places the project within a generation of trance producers who navigated the genre’s fragmentation into competing substyles. Continuing to release trance through the 2010s and into the 2020s required sustained commitment to a sound that cycled in and out of broader electronic music trends. A catalog totaling three albums and five EPs stands as tangible evidence of that persistence across changing circumstances.

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