Some collaborations feel logical on paper. Others feel like a genuine moment for the scene. “Separate Ways” belongs firmly in the second category. Richard Durand, Ciaran McAuley and JES unite three distinct but highly compatible trance identities, delivering a vocal record that knows exactly how to balance emotional weight with peak-time energy.
At 138 BPM, “Separate Ways” carries the forward motion expected from Durand and McAuley: driving percussion, urgent bass movement and a synth-led arrangement that aims straight for the biggest room in the festival. Yet this is not simply a technical exercise in hands-in-the-air uplift. The production makes space for JES, whose instantly recognisable vocal presence gives the track its emotional centre.
Her delivery feels direct and human rather than overly polished, allowing the song’s sense of distance, longing and release to land naturally. Around it, Durand and McAuley build a widescreen trance framework: melodic tension gathers through the breakdown, before the track returns with a powerful, euphoric payoff designed for those late-set moments when a crowd wants both feeling and momentum.
Richard Durand has spent years operating at the sharper, high-energy edge of trance, from major festival performances and acclaimed artist albums to his long-running association with the iconic In Search Of Sunrise series. Ciaran McAuley, meanwhile, has become one of Ireland’s defining modern trance exports, recognised for his melodic instincts and ability to give uplifting trance a contemporary punch. Bringing JES into that equation is a masterstroke. Few vocalists have shaped the emotional language of electronic music as consistently as the New York singer-songwriter, whose catalogue includes landmark collaborations across the genre.
“Separate Ways” does not chase novelty for novelty’s sake. Instead, it leans into the things vocal trance does best: a memorable voice, a properly developed melody, meaningful tension and a drop that feels earned rather than automatic. It is polished, emotive and unapologetically trance — the kind of record that can work just as well through headphones as it can in a sunrise set.
⭐️ Rating: 9 / 10
🎧 Perfect for:
- Peak-time vocal trance moments
- Festival sunsets and open-air summer sets
- Driving with the volume turned all the way up
- Anyone missing the emotional pull of classic vocal trance
For fans of melodic emotion with real 138-BPM intent, this is a collaboration that more than lives up to its names.
Artist: Richard Durand, Ciaran McAuley, JES
Track: Separate Ways
Label: Magik Muzik
Release Date: June 26th, 2026
Get your copy here: https://magikmuzik.lnk.to/SeparateWays
Connect with Richard Durand:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djricharddurand
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djricharddurand
X: https://www.twitter.com/Richard_Durand
Connect with Ciaran McAuley:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ciaranmcauleyofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciaranmcauley
X: https://www.twitter.com/djciaranmcauley
Connect with JES:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jespage
X: https://www.twitter.com/official_jes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialjes/
Connect with Magik Muzik:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Magik-Muzik/112419362104389
X: https://www.twitter.com/magikmuzik
Connect with Black Hole Recordings:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackholerecordings
X: https://www.twitter.com/blackholerec
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackholerecordings/
Take a listen to Richard Durand, Ciaran McAuley & JES – Separate Ways here:
