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“They sound like Kraftwerk, but they’re from Greece.” That’s how the once-influential-now inactive-MTV introduced In Trance 95 back in 1988. Thirty-eight years later, the duo that defined the minimal synth and coldwave sound in Greece is still present. On Sunday, February 22, tune in to the Onassis Channel on YouTube at 21:00 for an atmospheric live set from Universe Multivenue, directed by Christos Sarris.
While most were listening to guitars, garage, and punk, In Trance 95 were composing music with synthesizers and drum machines. Active since 1988, the duo formed by Alex Machairas and Nikos Veliotis in Athens is considered among the first Greek acts to consciously explore minimal synth and coldwave. Four decades later, their unmistakable sound will resonate once again on Sunday, February 22, via the Onassis Channel on YouTube.
With the signature coolness of the ’80s and landmark tracks such as “Desire to Desire” and “Brazilia,” In Trance 95 approach electronic music as a system of precision and austerity, where strict form coexists with an underlying human tension. Structure, repetition, and analog synthesis serve as essential tools of expression, not to create distance, but to condense emotion.
“We grew up within post-punk and new wave, where electronic music, from synth pop to experimental forms was an organic part of our aesthetic. We were the only purely electronic band,” they note.
The band’s name stems from two different sources of inspiration: “95” refers to the basement studio at 95 Lykourgou Street in Kallithea, where the first recordings took place, while “In Trance” references a science fiction book in which special chambers allowed access to a trance state either to future or past experiences.
Their first historic appearance took place on January 3, 1989, at An Club, while as early as 1988 they had already created a music video a rare practice for Greek standards at the time.
In the early 1990s, the band entered a more fluid phase. Nikos Veliotis temporarily departed to pursue his personal path, collaborating with Giannis Aggelakas and MMMD (alongside ILIOS and Coti K). Machairas continued In Trance 95 until 1997 with Giorgos Geranios and occasional support from Coti K.
Nearly twenty years later, in 2010, the duo officially reunited. In Trance 95 collaborated with Minimal Wave, the legendary New York-based label founded by Veronica Vasicka, which reissued earlier material and released new recordings, creatively bridging past and present. This period saw the release of the albums “Cities of Steel & Neon” (2011) and “Shapes In A New Geometry” (2012), while their track “Presidente” was included in the compilation “Minimal Wave Tapes Vol. 2,” one of the genre’s most emblematic collections.
In 2025, In Trance 95 performed their first live shows in the United States and Canada and released the EP “The Move.” That same year, they completed new material set for release in 2026, alongside the announcement of a full reissue of their catalogue featuring extensive archival material.
Their appearance on the Onassis Channel on YouTube offers a rare opportunity to revisit their sound as it was born: live and raw, yet marked by subtle shifts and tensions that emerge when archival material is reactivated in the present.
Universe Multivenue
Universe Multivenue is a contemporary, multi-dimensional cultural and live events space in Athens, designed to host experiences that move beyond the established limits of concert and artistic production. With architectural flexibility, advanced technical infrastructure, and a clear aesthetic orientation, Universe was created to fill the gap between very large venues and smaller, limited stages, offering a new field of freedom for artists, producers, and audiences.
The space unfolds across multiple venues of varying capacities, capable of supporting everything from intimate live performances and theatrical productions to large-scale concerts, events, and hybrid cultural projects. Universe’s philosophy is rooted in minimalism, functionality, and absolute adaptability. With a strong focus on music, art, and culture, Universe operates as a platform for creation, encounter, and expression, aspiring to establish itself as a reference point for high-quality productions in Greece and the broader European landscape.
Credits
Concept & Curatorship: Christos Sarris
Audiovisual Producer: Elena Choremi
Audiovisual Line Producer: Antzy Avgeri
Production: Onassis Stegi
IN TRANCE 95
Music & Lyrics: Nikos Veliotis, Alex Machairas
Alex Machairas: Vocals, Yamaha CS01 synth, Korg MS20
Nikos Veliotis: Dreadbox NYX, Dreadbox Erebus, Moog Minitaur, CS01 synth, rhythm programming & vocals
UNIVERSE MULTIVENUE
Giannis Nikolakopoulos: Director, Universe Multivenue, Project Manager
Stavros Nikolakopoulos: Live Sound Engineer
Sofia Trantela: Sound Technician
Dimitris Tegousis: Lighting Technician
Dimitris Ziakos: Lighting Technician
FILMING
Direction: Christos Sarris
Assistant Director: Dimitris Zivopoulos
Director of Photography: Filippos Zamidis
Camera: Koralia Dogani, Filippos Zamidis, Dimitris Zivopoulos, Giorgos Kolios, Andreas Markou
DIT: Giorgos Kolios
Gaffer: Vasilis Charatzoglou
Audiovisual Equipment: DK Rental House, Rent Photo Video
Lighting Design: Vangelis Mountrichas, Alex Hills
Lighting Operator: Alex Hills
Sound Recording & Mixing: Jacopo Fokas
Editing: Tryfonas Karatzinas
Color Grading: Manthos G. Sardis – A10 Post Productions
Photography: Pinelopi Gerasimou
A few words about In Trance 95
In Trance 95 is an electronic music duo formed in Athens in 1988 by Alex Machairas and Nikos Veliotis. Emerging from the Greek underground scene at a time of extremely limited access to electronic equipment, they developed a distinctive sound rooted in minimal synth, balancing the structure and melodic sensibility of synthpop with experimental approaches drawing from proto-EBM, cold wave, and subtle industrial textures.
Their work stands among the earliest Greek attempts to approach electronic music within a strictly minimalist yet structurally refined framework. Significant early recordings include the single “Desire to Desire / Brazilia,” the album “Code of Obsession” (1990), and the track “Presidente,” recorded in 1989 for a second single that was never released. “Presidente” was eventually issued years later by Minimal Wave Records on the compilation “Minimal Wave Tapes Vol. 2,” now considered a key archival document of the band’s early period.
In the late 2000s, international interest in In Trance 95 was rekindled through Minimal Wave Records and its founder Veronica Vasicka, with the archival collection “Cities of Steel & Neon” (2011). This reissue led to new live performances and the album “Shapes in a New Geometry.”
In 2025, In Trance 95 performed their first live shows in the United States and Canada and released the EP “The Move.” The same year, they completed new material scheduled for release in 2026 and announced the complete reissue of their catalogue with extensive archival material. Today, In Trance 95 are considered a reference point in the history of minimal wave and electronic music.
STAGES A/LIVE
STAGES A/LIVE is an initiative of the Onassis Foundation, launched in response to the closed stages during the first lockdown, aiming to actively support music venues, musicians, and those working behind the scenes during a difficult period of inactivity. For stages emptied of artists, technicians, audiences – of life – the Onassis Foundation inaugurated a digital music stage, affirming that culture remains an inseparable part of our existence and that music shapes (and reshapes) us.
The independent music scene of Athens, Thessaloniki, and other cities came back to life through unique concerts. STAGES A/LIVE premiered on the Onassis Foundation’s YouTube channel in January 2021.
Since 2022, STAGES A/LIVE celebrates music and musicians with unexpected live performances from unexpected spaces on the Onassis Foundation’s YouTube channel.
Onassis Channel on YouTube
The Onassis Foundation’s YouTube Channel broadcasts from Athens and New York to audiences worldwide. The Foundation shares moments, images, discussions, sounds, and emotions – performances, concerts, podcasts, talks, exhibitions, educational programs, virtual premieres, and online classes. Its digital stage builds a “Stegi” in every home, in a place that doesn’t exist on the map – entertaining, educating, connecting, and opening conversations.
