Cosmic Gate

Cosmic Gate is trance royalty, full stop. The German duo of Claus “Nic Chagall” Terhoeven and Stefan “Bossi” Bossems linked up in Krefeld back in 1999, and for nearly three decades they were one of the most consistent, trusted names in the genre.

They broke through in the UK with “Fire Wire” in 2001, and built a discography that reads like a trance history lesson: Rhythm & Drums, No More Sleep, Earth Mover, Sign of the Times, Materia Chapter One. Their sound shifted over the years too, moving from harder-edged trance into the more melodic, progressive style that became their signature after Earth Mover landed in 2006. Along the way, they racked up serious remix credits for Tiësto, Ferry Corsten, and Blank & Jones, and in 2018 became the first trance act ever nominated for a Grammy, up for Best Remixed Recording alongside Gabriel & Dresden.

Cosmic Gate didn’t just make records — they built infrastructure for the whole scene. Their Wake Your Mind imprint and long-running radio show gave a platform to a new generation of trance producers, and their name became a fixture at festivals like Tomorrowland, Ultra, EDC, and A State of Trance year after year. Eleven studio albums, countless singles, and a reputation for never phoning it in — that’s the Cosmic Gate résumé.

In February 2026, the duo announced they’re parting ways after 27 years together. Bossi is stepping back from touring and the project altogether, citing the physical and mental toll of life on the road. In a joint statement, they called the decision one made “with deep respect, gratitude, and friendship,” and reflected on what they built as “something truly rare and beautiful.” Claus is continuing to carry the Cosmic Gate name forward, but the split closes the book on one of trance’s defining partnerships.

Whether you caught them in a packed warehouse in the early 2000s or on a festival main stage decades later, Cosmic Gate’s catalog holds up. Few acts in dance music can claim this kind of longevity — or this kind of consistency.