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J00F comments the current state of trance

Taken from www.beatportal.com

�The meaning of trance has been trashed,� John 00 Fleming tells Beatportal. With a DJ career spanning 20 years, there are few people out there more qualified than him to comment on the current state of trance.

�In the UK trance has become a commercial commodity and magazines and clubs are guilty of turning it into pop music.�

Never one to shy away from speaking out, John 00 Fleming is likely to upset a few folk � but J00F thinks sod it, it�s about time someone stands their ground and says what needs to be said.

�When trance first emerged in 1990 it was pure,� says John.

�But now it�s very difficult to find real trance � there�s so much music out there now that is labeled as trance, but how anyone can call it trance I don�t know.�

According to the online dictionary answers.com the word trance means �the condition of being so lost in solitary thought as to be unaware of one�s surroundings�a hypnotic, cataleptic, or ecstatic state.�

The term trance first came into common usage in dance music as a way to describe the type of electronic music that was emerging in underground clubs in the early 1990s � it was so powerful that it actually induced a trance-like state.

As John 00 Fleming explains: �It got named trance because you got completely lost in a wonderland of music.

�People tranced out and got lost in musical bliss.

�That�s what trance used to mean, but now it means a cheesy vocal, an obvious breakdown and a rubbish video.�

Hippy ideals? Maybe, but the fact is unlike techno, drum & bass or house, trance creates a direct emotional response in the right environment.

In a dark club that has a highly charged atmosphere complete with dance music�s eternal friends � the obvious stimuli of light and sound � trance can make you feel lost.

It�s like the sun setting, except you can reach out and touch it.

But the odd British culture of bandwagon jumping has ruined the trance scene in the country.


�The way the media works in Britain is that they build something up by saying it�s really cool and the next big thing, and then they write it off as being unfashionable and uncool a few months later,� reckons John.

�They jump on whatever is new � and for a while trance was the coolest scene in youth culture.

�Now trance is just a commercial commodity � no longer an underground movement, but a way for corporations to make money.�

Speak to any trance fan and they will regrettably admit that a lot of trance music that is produced today is formulaic.

A big build up, an arpeggiated bassline, a melodic trance riff, a huge breakdown. That�s trance music.

�The problem is that there are few producers out there making music with their hearts,� reckons John 00 Fleming.

�Most producers today just want to become famous so they look at what has previously been a hit and try to recreate that obvious trance sound.

�In the old days, I don�t want to sound like an old fart, but people made trance music because they loved it not because they wanted to have a hit.

�Producers in dance music used to come up with different pseudonyms so that they didn�t become famous.

�I once made a crossover track that ended up in the UK Top 40 chart and I hated it.

�I didn�t want my music in the charts, I didn�t want to become a pop star, so I rebelled on my next release and made a totally underground track that I knew wouldn�t get played on the radio.

�I urge any producers out there to switch off their ears to whatever has come before and make what they love.�

There is one obvious reason why producers are desperate for a hit, it means more money.

Producers need to eat, and a hit guarantees a decent meal.

But John is quick to shoot down the statement.


�You�ll sell just as many records in the long run by doing what you love, as you would trying to make a hit.

�A hit is short-lived � you develop a big audience very quickly, but they soon move on.

�But if you consistently produce quality music from the heart, you�ll develop a core network of fans who respect you and your sound.�

Dutch DJ Sander van Doorn is one obvious example of a trance producer and DJ who has become successful by doing something from the heart.

He doesn�t copy anyone else and as a result he is unique.

�It would be great if more producers and DJs thought like Sander � outside of the box,� says John.

John 00 Fleming�s new CD �Unfold� for Dutch label Fektive (out now) showcases his approach to trance.

There are no cheesy vocals or obvious riffs.

It�s simply underground, thought provoking and unique.

Tracks by relative unknowns like Whirloop, Human Blue, Wizzy Noise and Koxbox show that John puts his money where his big mouth is.

�I always try to support new talent, like with my �White Label� compilation series,� he says.

�The problem is there aren�t enough new producers coming through that are doing something different.

�If anything, I want this interview to encourage producers to make music they love, from the heart.

�That is the key to the survival of trance music.�

loved it, I think one day if I decide to try to get my stuff released, I'll send it to j00f first.

Great Comments by J00F, Plus he mentions Koxbox so he is cooler than before hehe... :P

It's okay everyone, John is allowed to say these things because he only plays 'intelligent trance.' Oh yea, and a little bit of Psy!!1onetwobucklemyshoe

I've always liked what this guy has to say in regards to EDM.
Good read, thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Mikey Mike It's okay everyone, John is allowed to say these things because he only plays 'intelligent trance.' Oh yea, and a little bit of Psy!!1onetwobucklemyshoe

Agreed.

Why does he think he's an authority on all things EDM? What is wrong with having stuff in the Top 40? In principal, Top 40 is merely a question of popularity, not quality. I bought White Label Republic a while back and didn't find it particularly thrilling. Almost a very generic sound.

If you want quality EDM, look to Mr. Ulrich Schnauss. He doesn't preach or 'stand his ground' or take a stance and pass comments, but simply gets on with it.

quote:

Originally posted by dslim04 Great Comments by J00F, Plus he mentions Koxbox so he is cooler than before hehe... :P

Koxbox really IS the shit when it comes to underground trance.
There are very few acts that induce that raw energy like Koxbox music does. Their latest U-Turn is no exception!

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Mikey Mike It's okay everyone, John is allowed to say these things because he only plays 'intelligent trance.' Oh yea, and a little bit of Psy!!1onetwobucklemyshoe

What's "Intelligent Trance"... A New Groundbreaking Genre? Please If You Could Explain What This Is, I would love to check it out.

I agree with most of it - producers need to concentrate on making proper trancey melodies rather than following the 'safe' formula production which will get them on ASOT etc.

half of the tracks on those radio shows really bore me,as theres no melodies that stand out,yeah sure,the production quality is nearly perfect - but who cares about that..they dont have any feeling or emotion in them which is all that matters imo..

quote:

Originally posted by _Ocean_Drive_ If you want quality EDM, look to Mr. Ulrich Schnauss. He doesn't preach or 'stand his ground' or take a stance and pass comments, but simply gets on with it.

I must have missed the part where Ulrich Schnauss makes dance music.

quote:

Originally posted by adam_rodriguez I agree with most of it - producers need to concentrate on making proper trancey melodies rather than following the 'safe' formula production which will get them on ASOT etc. half of the tracks on those radio shows really bore me,as theres no melodies that stand out,yeah sure,the production quality is nearly perfect - but who cares about that..they dont have any feeling or emotion in them which is all that matters imo..

There are producers that produces trance trying to be famous and not with their heart as John says, and in that category i put you in along with alot of other producers. Why do you produce? You loves to do it of course but generally all these "trying to be famous" producers doesnt realize the situation, they all think they are contributing something good to the scene while they are trashtalking others for making shit.

quote:

Originally posted by trancedanne There are producers that produces trance trying to be famous and not with their heart as John says, and in that category i put you in along with alot of other producers. Why do you produce?

I produce as a hobby,as i love the genre of trance and want to make tracks in my own style - im an amateur producer and always will be - however,melody always comes first with me,i wont carry on a track unless the melody moves in some way (obviously its down to personal taste)
Great,if someone likes my track,then thats a bonus - but what im saying is that hear so many tracks on these 'popular radio shows with no melody whatsoever,but great production quality - which i dont agree with at all..

quote:

Originally posted by SMC I must have missed the part where Ulrich Schnauss makes dance music.

EM then (wise-ass)

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Mikey Mike It's okay everyone, John is allowed to say these things because he only plays 'intelligent trance.' Oh yea, and a little bit of Psy!!1onetwobucklemyshoe

the difference is mike, that john has been doing it firstly for a long time. He's earnt the respect he gets, and he doesn't come off as a jackass, just a normal guy. He's not afraid to ask people here for help on writing articles, and has the humble side that an awful lot of wannabe's would do well to heed. Plus you slag trance off these days in nearly all fronts, so you could choose to do so in an intelligent manner, or just keep on doing what ur doing now. John gives a lot of us who don't want to move onto house music or otherwise quality tunes & introduces new artists, some psy, some not, they're still good.

quote:

Originally posted by dslim04 What's "Intelligent Trance"... A New Groundbreaking Genre? Please If You Could Explain What This Is, I would love to check it out.

You'll have to ask J00F that I'm afraid. He's the one who who reckons he plays it - Hence the sarcasm in my post.

as true as it may be, this article may as well have been published 8 years ago

wtF is this an uprising? send in the muthafucking riot police, so when the smoke is clear. what are we to do?


Change the name "Trance" to something else?

quote:

Originally posted by isoterra as true as it may be, this article may as well have been published 8 years ago

It's not even particularly true. Trance no longer sells- when was the last Top 40 trance record? Producers looking to make cash now will either sample an 80s pop song and loop it or throw together an electro-house track. J00F's self-righteousness rings hollow because he would be unable to make a lot of cash from a trance "hit" even if he wanted to.

Hurray, he's said the same shit that's been said a million times before. How groundbreaking.

John's is a great DJ, producer and an inspiration to me but he's gotta move on. He's like that Gareth Emery 99% of trance is shite both of them like a particular side of trance, the side they only want to hear. Yet Gareth plays a lot of known to me before tracks and none of the shit he plays is really original so dogz bollocks. They've got the fame and the opportunity to make it better.
It gets on my tits when folk whine about how trance used to be better back in the 90s fucking get on with it this is today, yeah there's a lot of shite music out there but there're loads of quality trance as well. There will always be Benassi and there always be Tiesto.

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J It's not even particularly true. Trance no longer sells- when was the last Top 40 trance record? Producers looking to make cash now will either sample an 80s pop song and loop it or throw together an electro-house track. J00F's self-righteousness rings hollow because he would be unable to make a lot of cash from a trance "hit" even if he wanted to.

True,a good point,you couldnt. But i think he also means the producers who make safe formula tracks with generally no feeling just to get playlisted by Armin etc. every week aswell..

Repost. I agree with everything he said aside from the part about Sander, but it's still a repost.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Mikey Mike You'll have to ask J00F that I'm afraid. He's the one who who reckons he plays it - Hence the sarcasm in my post.

Yea...I caught it I just wanted to join in to be cool in TA.

I wanna be like Mikey Mike .

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