Who is Rank 1? Rank 1 Songs, Music, Discography & Artists Like Rank 1
4D4M has a deep reverence for the trance acts that built the foundation of what electronic dance music looks like today, and Rank 1 sits right at the top. There is something about a duo that locks into a sonic identity so completely you recognize their records within the first four bars. Two Dutch producers who spent decades crafting a sound that belongs to no one else.
Adam discovered Rank 1 the same way most trance heads did: through Airwave. If you are not familiar with it yet, that changes today.
Who Is Rank 1?
Rank 1’s Sound Explained
Rank 1 operates in uplifting trance, euphoric trance, and Dutch anthem trance territory. The connective tissue across those styles is emotional escalation: tracks that build deliberately, break down completely, and release in a way that feels involuntary. You do not decide to feel a Rank 1 track. It just happens.
What separates their production from most trance is the melodic construction. Piet and Benno write chords and lead lines that feel composed rather than assembled. There is a classical influence underneath everything they do, audible in extended mixes where arrangements breathe. The Roland JP-8000, central to their early work, gives their leads that warm slightly analog quality.
The tempo sits around 138 to 142 BPM, the classic trance pocket. Breakdowns are long and emotionally loaded, carrying a full melodic theme before the drop. Everything serves the feeling. That discipline is what makes them consistent across decades, whether they were making tech trance in 2005 or euphoric anthems in 2024.
Top 15 Rank 1 Tracks
- Airwave (Radio Vocal Edit): The track that launched everything. A melody that reached the UK top 10 in 1999 and has never left the conversation. Voted the greatest trance classic of all time in 2011.
- Awakening (Radio Edit): The lead single from Symsonic. Cinematic from the first note, with a breakdown that earns every second of its runtime.
- Breathing (Airwave) Radio Edit: The 2003 vocal rework featuring Aino Laos. Adds a new emotional layer without losing what made the original essential.
- Superstring (RANK 1’s Radio Edit): Their rework of the Cygnus X classic. Brings Rank 1’s uplifting trance architecture to a record that was already legendary.
- Destination (A State of Trance 2024 Anthem): Alongside Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, and Ruben de Ronde, this became the ASOT anthem for 2024. A full-circle moment for a duo that helped define that event.
- Airwave (Rank 1 vs Dutch Force Radio Edit): The Dutch Force collaboration gives the classic a harder edge while keeping the iconic lead melody intact.
- Airwave (Giuseppe Ottaviani Remix): Ottaviani brings layered energy to the track in a remix that reads as a respectful conversation between trance generations.
- Airwave (Original Mix): The full eight-minute original. This is the version that plays at the close of the night. Every second earns its place.
- Lytherion: A deeper, more introspective track showing a different side of the duo’s range. Less anthem, more atmosphere, and essential for understanding the full scope of what they do.
- Airwave (Album Cut): Strips back the club elements and lets the composition breathe. Essential listening beyond the dancefloor version.
- Such Is Life: One of their most beloved records, written as a tribute and chosen as the Sensation 2001 anthem. Shanokee’s vocals make it unforgettable.
- L.E.D. There Be Light: A 2013 release that proved Rank 1 still had it. Massive euphoric breakdown and a melody that sticks after a single listen.
- This World Is Watching Me: Sits in the emotional middle ground between uplifting trance and introspective. Always works in a set.
- Symfo: Pure Dutch trance energy. No frills, just a bassline and a lead that do exactly what they need to do.
- Wild And Perfect Day: A lighter, more optimistic track showing how Rank 1 can shift the emotional register without breaking the fundamental formula.
Why 4D4M Vibes With Rank 1
Production built around emotional impact rather than technical showmanship. That is the 4D4M approach, and Rank 1 has been doing it since 1999. Rank 1, alongside Push and Ferry Corsten, built the Dutch anthem trance blueprint still referenced in EDM production conversations. Studying their arrangements teaches more about tension and release than most textbooks on synthesis ever will.
Rank 1 Discography
| Year | Release | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Airwave (single) | Tsunami |
| 2001 | Such Is Life (single) | ID&T |
| 2002 | Awakening (single) | Tsunami |
| 2002 | Symsonic (album) | Tsunami |
| 2003 | Breathing (Airwave 2003) (single) | Tsunami |
| 2003 | The Anthem 2003 (single) | ID&T |
| 2003 | It’s Up To You (single) | Tsunami |
| 2004 | Beats At Rank-1 Dotcom (EP) | Tsunami |
| 2013 | L.E.D. There Be Light (single) | Armada Music |
| 2014 | Airwave 2014 (single) | Armada Music |
| 2015 | Lytherion (single) | Armada Music |
| 2016 | Superstring 2016 (single) | Armada Music |
| 2024 | Destination (ASOT 2024 Anthem) (single) | Armada Music |
Live and Touring
Rank 1 has been a fixture on the international trance circuit for over two decades. Piet and Benno have performed at some of the biggest festivals the genre has produced, including multiple appearances at Trance Energy and Sensation. At Sensation, they did not just appear on the lineup. They wrote the anthems. They created the Sensation White anthem in 2001 and again in 2003, a rare distinction.
Recent years have seen them return to prominent stages at A State of Trance milestone events. The 2024 ASOT anthem collaboration proved their crowd pull has not diminished. When Rank 1 plays, the room fills with people who grew up on Airwave and people who just discovered it last week.
Rank 1 FAQ
Who are the members of Rank 1?
Rank 1 is a duo consisting of Piet Bervoets and Benno de Goeij, Dutch producers who began collaborating in 1997 before launching the Rank 1 project in 1999. Their debut single Airwave reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart and set the template for everything that followed. The duo has remained active throughout their career, continuing to release music and perform into the 2020s.
Where is Rank 1 from?
Rank 1 is from the Netherlands. The Dutch trance scene of the late 1990s produced some of the most enduring records in the genre’s history, and Rank 1 was central to that. Piet Bervoets and Benno de Goeij helped define what Dutch Anthem Trance sounded like at a time when the Netherlands was the most important territory in trance music globally.
What genre is Rank 1?
Rank 1 makes trance music, specifically uplifting trance and Dutch anthem trance. These subgenres are characterized by elevated BPM, sweeping melodic breakdowns, and emotionally charged drops. Rank 1 is widely credited as one of the originators of the Dutch Anthem Trance sound. Their verified genre tags include trance, electronic, uplifting trance, anthem trance, and euphoric trance.
What is Rank 1’s most famous track?
Airwave is Rank 1’s most iconic track. Released in 1999, it reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart. In 2011, it was voted the number one Trance Classic of all time in the Trance Top 1000 poll. In the 2024 A State of Trance Top 1000, it ranked at number 12, proving its significance has not faded in twenty-five years.
Is Rank 1 still active?
Yes, Rank 1 is still active. In 2024, they collaborated with Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, and Ruben de Ronde on Destination, the official A State of Trance 2024 Anthem. That track appeared in the ASOT Top 1000 for that year, confirming their connection to the trance community remains strong. They continue to perform and release music into their third decade together.
What label is Rank 1 on?
Rank 1 has released music through multiple labels. Early classic records including Airwave and Such Is Life came out through Tsunami Records and the ID&T label in the Netherlands. More recently, they have released through Armada Music, the Amsterdam-based label founded by Armin van Buuren and one of the most significant homes for trance music globally.
What makes Rank 1 different from other trance acts?
The combination of classical compositional instincts and dancefloor-ready production sets Rank 1 apart. Most trance producers start with the club function and work outward. Piet and Benno start with the feeling and work inward. That inversion shows in how their breakdowns are structured and why their melodies hold up for decades. They never chased trends, which gave their catalog a consistency rare in electronic music.
Listen to Rank 1 on Spotify
Rank 1 on SoundCloud
Rank 1 Online
| Platform | Link |
|---|---|
| Official Website | rank-1.com |
| Spotify | Listen on Spotify |
| SoundCloud | rank1official on SoundCloud |
| Beatport | Rank 1 on Beatport |
| Discogs | Rank 1 on Discogs |
