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Posted by progressiveMOJO on Jun-04-2007 12:50:

About Trance

I was looking through my library of compilations and what caught my eye for another listen is John Digweed's 3-disc Renaissance compilation, released right in the mid-90's. It made me have this thought:

What happened to Trance? This kind of music is definitely Trance, it is the pure essence of what everyone means when they talk about loving Trance music. Trance OWNED.

This is when Trance was still new enough to listen to still have house in the back of its mind, when the builds and breakdowns had a hundred times more class than now. When a raw sound was fine, when everything didn't have to be micro-edited. Where the lines originated that are copied so many times now, but lose their emotion in the process. Some of it is close to house, some of it is close to techno, all of it actually has emotions that don't require pills to understand.

At the risk of rambling, I would love to have a time machine and go back and live through that era, now that I'm old enough to be involved with it. I was in NYC at least twice a month for two years during Sasha & Digweed's Twilo residency, but I was 14 and hadn't heard of either one of them. The thought that I knew Manhattan up and down from having performed on all the great stages in it (with the NY Philharmonic and other similarly reputable groups), what that would have been like for me if I were in the scene.

So, at some point, Trance just stopped having the same sound and appeal. Nowadays, I can't stand listening to 90% of new trance, and I'm left wondering: where did all the talent go? I can halfway answer that question: a lot of the formerly good trance producers have become good house or techno producers.

Can someone who still keeps up with trance, and has watched it more closely in the past years, explain to me: What in hell happened? I used to love this music, now I can barely withstand listening to it.


Posted by jonas on Jun-04-2007 13:52:

Here's a thought.....

If it drives you that mad, don't listen to it. Although I don't like all of it, I still consider myself a trance head and see that there is still some great music and some up and coming talent. Sure, you have to dig a little more to find it (it seemed that every other track that was produced in the 90's was a hit, I know), but it's out there.

Here's the way I see it. EDM in general is ever increasingly moving towards a sound without boundaries. The labeling of genres seems to be something that is no longer as important as it once was.

I know what you are saying about waxing nostalgic on the grandest days of trance. But, people like O'callaghan, Tyes, Simon Patterson and so forth are pushing out tracks that still have that sound that some people say is lost, IMO.


Posted by Ph03n1x on Jun-04-2007 18:03:

quote:
I know what you are saying about waxing nostalgic on the grandest days of trance. But, people like O'callaghan, Tyes, Simon Patterson and so forth are pushing out tracks that still have that sound that some people say is lost, IMO.


I concur.


Posted by system9 on Jun-04-2007 19:56:

I guess its what happens in every genre, people see how successful it is and they feel like they have to jump on the bandwagon. The genre gets flooded with mediocre productions and you now have to dig to find quality tracks. I know trance has lost its original sound that defined trance as trance. It has now evolved into something totally different, 5 yrs from now we will hear a totally different sound. Each EDM genre feeds off another thus producing different waves of sounds for a brief period of time. Right now it seems like producers are appealing to a more mainstream audience, like I said you have to literally dig thru a bunch of shit to find quality tracks. Like I said in my thread my taste is evolving and it seems like everyone has their own niche. How many people here can actually say that they listen to 100% trance? My guess would be none, I would say I'm more inclined towards electro house than trance, don't get me wrong I listen to it everyday just not as much as I used too. Thanks to a certain person that introduced me into electro I have discovered another facet in the ever evolving EDM genre.


Posted by progressiveMOJO on Jun-04-2007 23:22:

I don't listen to it, and the fact that I can't really listen any longer is exactly what I'm complaining about. I'm sure there are gems out there, but the vast majority of trance (and even the vast majority of what people on this board consider to be good trance) is really unlistenable for me. And since there's sooo much good Techno especially, and also House, being made, I find myself not even bothering to listen to hours of trance in search of the 1 song in a hundred I actually like.


Posted by Carlos Pereira on Jun-04-2007 23:28:

I'm gonna write out a lengthy one later on this topic. My twat needs a wash and I need to call my boss for tomorrow's accounts. May have to drive to Austin in the morning damn it.


Posted by Aaron C. on Jun-05-2007 03:37:

I agree with Steve on the point that EDM is moving towards a boundary free state.I also agree with Lizandro that genres borrow and rub off on each other.

In my opinion alot of the stuff labeled trance that is very good nowadays is normally labeled Tech Trance or progressive trance.There are a few producers out now that go for an older trancie influenced sound.Some of the ones that are unofficially being reffered to as Nu Trance.But there is still plenty of good trance out there.


Posted by jonas on Jun-05-2007 03:57:

quote:
Originally posted by progressiveMOJO
I don't listen to it, and the fact that I can't really listen any longer is exactly what I'm complaining about. I'm sure there are gems out there, but the vast majority of trance (and even the vast majority of what people on this board consider to be good trance) is really unlistenable for me. And since there's sooo much good Techno especially, and also House, being made, I find myself not even bothering to listen to hours of trance in search of the 1 song in a hundred I actually like.


If you don't listen to it and have found a certain sound that you appreciate more, I don't understand the purpose of this post. Was it just to say you hate today's trance and that you don't share the same taste with those that like trance (even the vast majority of us that like what you don't consider good trance)?

I think this topic has been discussed once before (or maybe even twice. Can't really remember )


Posted by progressiveMOJO on Jun-05-2007 04:04:

The point of the topic was twofold:

1) I really wish producers would start writing tracks in the older style again, or at least go back to having the class and refinement of those days. I've moved on, yes, but just as much out of necessity as out of desire. Techno and house are great, but I still love the older trance sound and wish it was still going strong.

2) I was stoned, have significant nostalgia and love for a type of music that more or less died and got replaced with something that my ear just doesn't like very much, and wanted to complain about the loss.


Posted by Luminary on Jun-05-2007 04:10:

I think that, like all other forms of music, there is a definite evolution that occurs as time passes. I think thats where the expectation for artists to remain true to a particular genre that was the product of a certain musical environment and time frame is... well... a bit short sighted, especially where edm is concerned.


Posted by progressiveMOJO on Jun-05-2007 04:13:

Except, mid-90's trance and mid-2000's trance have nothing to do with each other, so it's not really evolution. One died, because of various historical reasons, many having to do with the rise of international "super-star" DJ's like Tiesto and AVB and others pushing a certain new sound, and the other was born and took its name.

which is to say: this isn't a question of "what the hell did it become," it's a question of "where the hell did it go/why did it die," because I refuse to acknowledge that modern trance has much to do with 90's trance. Hell, half of what was clearly trance then would be considered house now, that's how radical the shift is.

also, if anyone feels up to the challenge: recommend me some new tracks that still smack of that old trance sound


Posted by Carlos Pereira on Jun-05-2007 04:19:

quote:
Originally posted by Carlos Pereira
My twat REALLY needs a wash and a look at by the doc, and I need to call my boss for tomorrow's accounts.


[FIXED].


Posted by Aaron C. on Jun-05-2007 10:52:

quote:
Originally posted by progressiveMOJO
Except, mid-90's trance and mid-2000's trance have nothing to do with each other, so it's not really evolution. One died, because of various historical reasons, many having to do with the rise of international "super-star" DJ's like Tiesto and AVB and others pushing a certain new sound, and the other was born and took its name.

which is to say: this isn't a question of "what the hell did it become," it's a question of "where the hell did it go/why did it die," because I refuse to acknowledge that modern trance has much to do with 90's trance. Hell, half of what was clearly trance then would be considered house now, that's how radical the shift is.

also, if anyone feels up to the challenge: recommend me some new tracks that still smack of that old trance sound


Not normaly considered trance but has the old trance feel to it:

Ellen Allien: Jet(Paul Kalkbrenner remix)
Alfa - Sacrosanct
Robbie Rivera:Float away (Dubfire's casaplex remix)
Holden & Thompson � Come To Me (Last Version)and or (club mix)
M.A.N.D.Y. � Jah <<


Posted by jonas on Jun-05-2007 13:25:

quote:
Originally posted by progressiveMOJO
Except, mid-90's trance and mid-2000's trance have nothing to do with each other, so it's not really evolution. One died, because of various historical reasons, many having to do with the rise of international "super-star" DJ's like Tiesto and AVB and others pushing a certain new sound, and the other was born and took its name.

which is to say: this isn't a question of "what the hell did it become," it's a question of "where the hell did it go/why did it die," because I refuse to acknowledge that modern trance has much to do with 90's trance. Hell, half of what was clearly trance then would be considered house now, that's how radical the shift is.

also, if anyone feels up to the challenge: recommend me some new tracks that still smack of that old trance sound


Darude-Sandstorm

It's so hot right now.

Also, try Shiny Disco Balls. It's only out on promo right now. But it's awesom.


Posted by Zild on Jun-05-2007 14:03:

quote:
Originally posted by progressiveMOJO
I don't listen to it, and the fact that I can't really listen any longer is exactly what I'm complaining about. I'm sure there are gems out there, but the vast majority of trance (and even the vast majority of what people on this board consider to be good trance) is really unlistenable for me. And since there's sooo much good Techno especially, and also House, being made, I find myself not even bothering to listen to hours of trance in search of the 1 song in a hundred I actually like.


I feel the exact same way.


Posted by jonas on Jun-05-2007 14:20:

quote:
Originally posted by Surfmorworkless
Robbie Rivera:Float away (Dubfire's casaplex remix)


Have you listened to GU31 yet? I was never a fan of Dubfire, then I heard this. This is a sick ass mix


Posted by Carlos Pereira on Jun-05-2007 16:41:

quote:
Originally posted by djjonas
Darude-Sandstorm

It's so hot right now.


LMAO!

Dude I hate when like some rap club (HUSH, Roxy, Drink-Houston) will play that song, and since I'm the only trance head in the group, all my friends look at me and say "Look Carlos..it's your techno! Can you like..Dj this?"

God, that just lights me up. lol


Posted by Aaron C. on Jun-05-2007 18:28:

quote:
Originally posted by djjonas
Have you listened to GU31 yet? I was never a fan of Dubfire, then I heard this. This is a sick ass mix


Yeah i picked it up like two weeks ago.Wicked awesome mix!


Posted by Aaron C. on Jun-05-2007 18:29:

quote:
Originally posted by architect1803
LMAO!

Dude I hate when like some rap club (HUSH, Roxy, Drink-Houston) will play that song, and since I'm the only trance head in the group, all my friends look at me and say "Look Carlos..it's your techno! Can you like..Dj this?"

God, that just lights me up. lol


LOL!Yeah i get the same tipe of reaction from my friends.


Posted by Zeonfiend on Jun-05-2007 19:05:

My favorites are the ones that point at me when Madonna gets played, because it's "techno".

I liked Sharam's GU, but Dubfire's is fucking art!

I guess in the grand scheme of things, I have to agree that trance didn't "evolve" between the '90s and now, but rather it pulled a chameleon and just changed its appearance to blend itself with the prog/house trend that sort of percolated up when the '00s hit. We could play the finger-pointing game at Tiesto and ATB and Paul van Dyk and Oakenfold and the rest of the bunch that sort of shuffled their way onto the stage with trance that Sven Vath and Oliver Lieb pioneered, then kicked that sound to the curb when it had served its purpose, but none of them would have had the guts to do it if the masses hadn't consented to it by continuing to support them in spite of their later ill-treatment of the scene for their self-aggrandizing. Can you really blame them? They were being paid to do it! Progressive would have died on the wayside if people didn't pay for it; house, the same. Minimal, techno, D'n'B, *insert next catchy EDM fad nomenclature here* are in the same boat. It's the money that's talking to the environment in which EDM music is forged, and it's money that fertilizes the soil from which EDM sprouts. In the Big Game, trance wasn't cutting it on the profit margin race (too much revenue being dumped into Ecstasy, forced hippie rehab programs, and glowsticks, I guess), so it was obliged to settle into background noise to more successful genres of EDM. You won't be finding that sound again as a mass production, not in this age at least. But then, that sort of holds a novelty all its own, doesn't it? I mean, if only the hardcore tranceheads in their truest form, who remember the days of '90s trance being the in-thing, are the ones that not only long for it but collect it in spite of the current trends in EDM, then that kind of makes old school trance the new underground in EDM, doesn't it? Eat your hearts out, junglists; the new anthem for the Rebellion is The KLF - "What Time Is Love? (Pure Trance Original)".

Just remember it's a chameleon; from acid house to acid trance to progressive trance, all it's ever done is change its skin.


Posted by Aaron C. on Jun-05-2007 19:43:

I find it funny how we're on Trance addict and everyone is always bagging on trance.Or at least there is one of these threads every other week.There is still lots of good trance out there.


Posted by jonas on Jun-05-2007 19:56:

quote:
Originally posted by Surfmorworkless
I find it funny how we're on Trance addict and everyone is always bagging on trance.Or at least there is one of these threads every other week.There is still lots of good trance out there.


I, too, find that always amusing for the same reason. Seems like there is one person every week on here that says "hey, I think I will start a fresh debate on here. Let's talk about the lack of quality in recent trance music. Yea, that's what I'll do" and proceeds to rip into trance and talk about how their genre of choice is superior, mainly because they listen to it.

Orrrrrrrrrrr, you have the elitists (I won't say any names here) that think every DJ sucks unless it's either them or some DJ that noone has heard except for them. Now those people I find comical.....sad, but comical.


Posted by system9 on Jun-05-2007 19:57:

quote:
Originally posted by architect1803
LMAO!

Dude I hate when like some rap club (HUSH, Roxy, Drink-Houston) will play that song, and since I'm the only trance head in the group, all my friends look at me and say "Look Carlos..it's your techno! Can you like..Dj this?"

God, that just lights me up. lol


Id give them the taste of the backhand.


Posted by progressiveMOJO on Jun-06-2007 05:00:

Jonas, I'm not quite sure where in anything that I wrote it is that I said "my music is better than yours." I phrased everything in terms of my personal tastes, which yes, differ from many on this board, and certainly differ from mainstream opinion on this board. That doesn't mean that I ever said, implied, or hinted that it's empirically better. If you're going to be inflammatory, you might try being correct first.

Hell, if anything, I paid serious homage and compliment to the kind of music that I have always thought about when I think of Trance.

I don't really think of modern trance as my first reaction to the word, or at least I didn't until I realized that people would assume that saying "I like Trance" means I like ATB and Tiesto and Armin, when in reality it means I like Oliver Lieb and Sven Vath etc. It would solve things for me somewhat if Trance had stayed Trance and this new, unrelated style had picked a different name for itself.


Posted by Zild on Jun-06-2007 15:18:

Trance gives you teh AIDS


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