Scratching the Surface

At the turn of the century, trance music enjoyed an unchallenged reign in the nation's clubs -- not to mention every tricked-out Acura in LoDo. Thanks to Kimball Collins, there was simply no escaping it. Collins launched his DJ career in 1987, just as rave culture began to sprout roots around the globe. The DJ's home base of Orlando, Florida, quickly became a trance mecca, with Collins as its centerpiece. Since then, he's enjoyed world renown, spinning all over the U.K. and Europe, as well as holding down residencies all over the U.S. With sets that mix progressive house and trance, Collins (due at Vinyl on Saturday, May 7) has managed to remain relevant -- despite the fact that these days, even uttering the word "trance" is equivalent to hurling an F-bomb in church.