For more than two decades, In Search of Sunrise has been the portal through which dance music’s most immersive states of mind have been explored. A series that’s always thrived on the magic of transition, forever tuned to the shift between memory and motion.
With the 21st edition of the series, Markus Schulz has reimagined that legacy as a summer-spanning trilogy for a new generation of Dreamers, with each mix a chapter, forming part of its broader musical story.
Having already brought names like London Grammar, Sasha, Deep Dish, Hernan Cattaneo and Röyksopp to ‘ISOS’s fold for the first time, they’ve been joined by Paul Oakenfold, Ferry Corsten, Cosmic Gate, Estiva, Kyau & Albert and many, many other luminaries besides.
Where The Awakening cruised through sundown atmospheres and Nirvana surged with nighttime pulse, Nocturnal Voyage edges closer to the dawn, as 2025’s odyssey reaches its conclusion, and Markus lays down his first blueprint for its descent into the ‘ISOS’ netherworld.
“The Awakening opened the door, and Nirvana pulled us through, but Nocturnal Voyage is where ‘ISOS’ treads further than it’s dare venture before. It’s music for that liminal space, when night’s starting to become day, and the excursion becomes most personal still. It’s not about closing your eyes to the music. It’s about opening them even wider.” – Markus Schulz
Setting its tonal temperature, Markus switches on Dakota mode, as “Only the Dark Knows” and “What the Night Gave Me” light up the mix. Both tracks lean heavily into Schulz’s trademark technotic groove, which twists and fuses with more progressive house threads.
Early doors, the mix showcases new works from the likes of Drumcode’s Weska and Anjunadeep’s Dosem, while Barcelona’s Ioannis Kaeme brings Spanish flair to its techno current. At the midpoint, Monococ and Kaufmann DE pivot it towards a more strobelit, Berlinesque feel with the haunting minimalism of ‘Magic’ and the slyly titled ‘Have You Turned Off The Oven’. Further in, the likes of Max Styler, Pavlo Vicci, and Robert Nickson only increase ‘Nocturnal Journey’s coiled tension.
The ride concludes with PARAFRAME’s searing “Flaming June” (In F Minor)’ remix of BT’s classic anthem, which has been reimagined with 5am urgency, and Aeridan’s fittingly tagged “Final Transmission”.
With the Nocturnal Voyage, Markus Schulz completes the trilogy not as a DJ, but as a storyteller. Each mix is a chapter, but together they form a full cinematic arc — a summer-long odyssey from first light to the edge of dawn.
Sunrise 21 lands September 17, with “Nocturnal Voyage” available solo or as part of the full 3-disc set—offering collectors and dreamers the full summer odyssey in one seamless expedition. The deluxe vinyl edition of In Search of Sunrise 21 arrives in October. You can pre-order/bookmark In Search of Sunrise 21 – Nocturnal Voyage: For The Next Generation Of Dreamers here.
In Search of Sunrise 21 – Nocturnal Voyage: For The Next Generation Of Dreamers Tracklist:
- Markus Schulz presents Dakota – Only the Dark Knows
- Weska – Yeah
- Markus Schulz presents Dakota – What the Night Gave Me
- Ango Tamarin – No Escape
- Ioannis Kaeme – Photosynthesis
- Dosem – Ultrarave
- Monococ & Dianthe – Magic
- Kaufmann (DE) – Have You Turned Off the Oven
- Max Styler & Oscar L – Addiction
- Pavlo Vicci – She’s A Freak (In Search of Sunrise Rework)
- Markus Schulz – No Way Back
- STANDERWICK – Astrobiotic (In Search of Sunrise Rework)
- Nic Vegter & Raz Nitzan pres. Solid Globe – North Pole (BLR Remix)
- Markus Schulz x Frankyeffe – Monolith
- Robert Nickson – Nine Lives
- BT – Flaming June (PARAFRAME’s Flaming June in F Minor)
- Aeridan – Final Transmission for Now
