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what makes a good, complete, trance album?

Hi guys,

just wondering what you all think makes a good, solid, complete trance album. What are people expecting these days from a trance album? Also, can anyone recommend an album they think is a good example, i would like to check it out.

cheers,

The same thing people always look for in a good album - good songs that are well-produced and flow together??? I guess I don't understand the question.

what i expect from a trance album is first of all quality (obvious) some artist just make 3-4 very good tracks and the rest of the album is just fillers.

-Different genres, sometimes my favourite track from a trance album is the chill out track, or the housier clubby track, some variety, in trance is classic to have some vocal tracks, some uplifting, some tech, some progressive, pumping and groovy tracks, melodic and relaxing tracks.... variety.

-The feeling that all it's made surrounding the same idea, this is actually the hardest thing, tracks should be different but have some common links, although this is not really important imagine it's a mix, usually people will listen to track 2 and then to track 3 so if 2 is a very relaxing track and 3 is a full on trance track... people will get out of their "State of trance", a good album should take you to a journey, you remind you pressed play once and suddenly the album has just stopped, 80 minutes have passed and you didn't notice but you feel great.

-Finally an album should involve some top notch collaborations, ideally with similar artists so you can improve the outcome of the track (and learning new techniques which is important for the future) or with different genre producers, to create something fresh.

If you want a recent good album try Leon Bolier - Phantasma , it's first album i buy in a lot of years.

Re: Re: what makes a good, complete, trance album?

quote:

Originally posted by Senator Clay Davis dont forget analog sidechain.

This thread would not have been complete without this sage advice.

Seriously, what the fuck is going on around here at the moment?

The power of the noob has been extreme in recent threads.

Re: what makes a good, complete, trance album?

quote:

Originally posted by madmuso Hi guys, just wondering what you all think makes a good, solid, complete trance album. What are people expecting these days from a trance album? Also, can anyone recommend an album they think is a good example, i would like to check it out. cheers,

If you can't make a good track, don't bother trying to make 15.

The album should be well produced/mixed/mastered and it should have a nice flow like you're listening to a Storyteller.

Gareth Emery - Northern Lights is a pretty good Trance album.

But yeah, since a Trance mix compilation consists of music made by probably 30-50 people, its kinda hard to be one guy making a whole album.

quote:

Originally posted by Storyteller The album should be well produced/mixed/mastered and it should have a nice flow like you're listening to a Storyteller.

I personally would like to see some type of pace variation throughout albums. Not everything has to be banging all the time.

quote:

Originally posted by Subtle But yeah, since a Trance mix compilation consists of music made by probably 30-50 people, its kinda hard to be one guy making a whole album.

I guess we should clarify whether madmuso means a mix compilation or an artist album.

If we are talking about albums - my favourite albums are those where every song is well written (i.e. no filler). As other people have said, you also need to consider the overall flow of the album - you want to take the listener on a larger journey. It'll get boring if all the songs are too similar in style, but won't flow if they're too dissimilar. Some artists use the same kick sound throughout an album to achieve some consistency.

It's a fair bit of work and is probably best done over a set timeframe - say, take a few months off work and focus on your album. If done over too long a timeframe it can be harder to achieve the same overall "album feel" for each of the songs.

quote:

Originally posted by derail I guess we should clarify whether madmuso means a mix compilation or an artist album.

Im pretty sure he meant artist album, and that has to compete against a mix compilation which is where Trance is consumed the most.

I can probably count on one hand the amount of Trance artist albums that is as listenable as a good compilation.

Usually there is 3-4 tracks that really stands out and the rest are mere fillers.

quote:

Originally posted by Subtle Im pretty sure he meant artist album, and that has to compete against a mix compilation which is where Trance is consumed the most. I can probably count on one hand the amount of Trance artist albums that is as listenable as a good compilation. Usually there is 3-4 tracks that really stands out and the rest are mere fillers.

Every single album that has ever existed has filler on it.

Albums shouldn't be a license for dumping your untested experimental tracks onto your fans.

quote:

Originally posted by Subtle Usually there is 3-4 tracks that really stands out and the rest are mere fillers.

quote:

Originally posted by Beatflux Every single album that has ever existed has filler on it.

I don't mind fillers. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Others may find those fillers to be gems.

If your even talking about fillers it means there's a change of pace or intensity which is good, when executed well and on time of course.

And I also agree that an album shouldn't be a place to dump unreleased unplaceable material on. But I doubt many do so anyway. An album usually is a symbol of personal growth/experience/life/emotion/feelings and thus treated with care.

quote:

Originally posted by Storyteller If your even talking about fillers it means there's a change of pace or intensity which is good, when executed well and on time of course. And I also agree that an album shouldn't be a place to dump unreleased unplaceable material on. But I doubt many do so anyway. An album usually is a symbol of personal growth/experience/life/emotion/feelings and thus treated with care.

The album cliche is that you "venture off" into whatever stereotypical opposite of whatever your genre of choice is.

So if trance is your genre of choice, then the album opposite would be trancy ambient. Hard rock? Acoustic. Etc.

If it took you an album to break out of your mold, you could probably call yourself a producer rather than an artist.

How many artists out there that are masters of two distinct genres? If the two genres in question both end in "step" its out of the realm of possibility.

quote:

Originally posted by Storyteller I don't mind fillers. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Others may find those fillers to be gems.

That's kind of the point, everyone has their own tastes and an album is there to sell you crap you don't want via a "bundle."

Well then every producer meets the stereotype. I disagree with your point of view though.

the mold is usually cast by the expectations of the audience, not so much the artist. A lot of times the artist does way more than what the general public gets to hear.

I've done tons of fun tryouts which have never seen the light of day as a commercial release. And no, they won't be put on an album.

yeah, im talking about a single artists album, not compilation albums with different artists.

The main reason I have asked this is because I have set a goal to have an album done by (hopefully) the end of the year and so far I have about 5 or 6 songs which are very "anthemy". They all have decent hooks as the main line but i am beginning to think that maybe having an entire album with pounding beats and anthems is maybe a little too much? Im starting to think that maybe having a bit of variety should be implemented, I was thinking of writing a few more relaxed songs to give the album/listener some relief.

The reason I asked if anyone could recommend a good example is because I was hoping that the same album would be mentioned or agreed upon by a few of you, to em that would indicate that the album has something worth checking out in that respect.

i don't mind experiments, a dubstep track in a trance album is not what i expect, but if it is a bit trancy and i like it probably i'd thumbs up for the try on a wildly different genre.

I'd like to establish my own label to release my weird stuff :P part of the crysis of trance is that labels only sign cookie cutter stuff, and sometimes the experimental tracks are ace, some of my fav.tracks are unreleased.

And to release an album first of all you need:

-A permanent label contract, or a reputation behind your name, a good album without marketing is a bad album.

-The ability to produce hits, if you can't make some mindblowing tracks you shouldn't adventure here.

I find very unlikely that a label signs a full album unless they've been in touch with you for years, if you are in the top 100 djmag then you can send it to a label and they most probably be pleased to sign it despite most tracks suck.

quote:

Originally posted by Rodri Santos I'd like to establish my own label to release my weird stuff :P part of the crysis of trance is that labels only sign cookie cutter stuff, and sometimes the experimental tracks are ace, some of my fav.tracks are unreleased.

Link?

quote:

Originally posted by madmuso The reason I asked if anyone could recommend a good example is because I was hoping that the same album would be mentioned or agreed upon by a few of you, to em that would indicate that the album has something worth checking out in that respect.

A few great trance albums, new and old (in chronological order):

Timewave - Solar System
Solar Fields - Earth Shine
Vibrasphere - Archipelago
Blue Planet Corporation - Blue Planet
Paul Van Dyk - Seven Ways
Chicane - Far From The Maddening Crowds
Spicelab - A Day On Our Planet

Not all of these are 100% trance, but I wouldn't just be influenced by strict trance albums when making your album - play through your favourite albums in every genre and consider what makes you like them so much. The same with your favourite DJ mixes and compilations.

The most important part of a great album is that it's made to be listened to all the way through in one listen. Every individual track comes together to form a bigger picture. Although most trance albums are bad, trance as a genre is actually quite well suited, because the music is stereotypically all about "taking you on a journey" and any good album is a journey through music.

I'd recommend coming up with a controlling idea for your album. Whether it's a structure, a mood or atmosphere, an emotional journey or whatever. Write music to fit the idea, don't just compose 12 tracks and throw them together. A lot of great albums have tracks that might sound weak on their own, but work perfectly in the larger context.

A few basic tips:

1. Have a strong opening. If your album begins with a DOOF-DOOF-DOOF-DOOF percussive DJ intro, I will hunt you down and spear you. In fact, fuck DJ-friendly intros/outros altogether. If you just want to release 12 choons for clubs, put out three EPs or something. But have a great intro. That doesn't just mean some pointless three-minute ambient wank before your first bosh anthem, either.

2. Have a great second track. This is important, because it sets up a flow. If your first track is amazing but then it's three tracks of filler, people will start skipping and they'll never play the thing all the way through. And if they aren't doing that, you've already failed to make a great album.

3. Have a strong ending. If an album runs out of steam halfway through, I'm not going to play it all the way through. If it has an amazing ending I'll want to reach the end. The basic idea is to space out your big moments.

4. Don't write half-assed downtempo tracks, genre experiments or other filler just because it's an album. So many trance producers just can't resist doing some shitty "serious home listening music" MOR downtempo material halfway through an album because they think they're supposed to. Club music can work fine on the headphones if its good enough and contextualised correctly.

(That doesn't mean you aren't allowed to do downtempo moments, or experiment with genres, but only do it if it actually benefits the listening experience. Chicane's album is a great example of how to mix up chilled out material and longer trance excursions.)

5. There has never been a good trance album with the artist's face on the cover and there never will be.

quote:

Originally posted by Beatflux Link?

Take this 2 for example:





(This can only be found if you get the full album)



Endless examples, and actually this are rejected remixes mostly, but the bootlegs are usually great, take the last Hans Zimmer - Time (Orkidea Remix) , not to mention mashups, at the end of the day half of the music i listen isn't signed to a label.

That's an awesome picture of Jesus.

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J 5. There has never been a good trance album with the artist's face on the cover and there never will be.

Wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J 5. There has never been a good trance album with the artist's face on the cover and there never will be.

Other than that, I agree with all your points. However, it sounds like the OP is already on the wrong track having so far made five anthem tracks, it sounds as though his approach is to make a bunch of singles until he has enough to put them together and call it an album.

I think having to ask what makes a good album in the first place means he's probably doomed to failure. You may as well ask what makes a good piece of music.

And I wouldn't personally call In My Memory a good album. It had its moments, but I've never played it all the way through. It was also the beginning of the end for Tiesto. Putting your face on the cover is for pop stars and rappers.

quote:

Originally posted by Rodri Santos If you want a recent good album try Leon Bolier - Phantasma , it's first album i buy in a lot of years.

I'm glad you pointed me in this direction. Too bad it's mastered too loud like almost everything else out there...

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