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Just what is djmag's issue with trance?

My 'top 100 djs of 2011' issue of djmag arrived today. And what a strange issue it is.

Immediately after lasts years top 100 edition, they folowed it up with a 'trance free' edition (despite maintaining the trance record review section). Then throughout the year there are snidey comments deriding the scene, its popularity, its 'lowest common denominator status' and various other disparaging notes.

This year, introducing the top 100 poll section, dj mag proclaim 'house has finally taken over'. They then wax lyrical in the second paragraph with statements like:-

'it could be argued that its (poll) dominance by trance djs is declining'

'...that trance djs are broadening their palettes', citing Tiesto and Armin.

'many trance djs seem to be describing their sound as melodic dance these days'

It cites 'falls down the chart' for PVD, Emery, Ferry and ATB. Then pisses on its own arguement by citing the climb of W&W, Dada Life, D Block and the debuts of Orjan, Tritonal and Tenishia.

All of the above maybe true, but the tone it is written in smacks of a smugness that a house dj is top of the pile. How odd when you consider dj mag used to really campaign for the underground, yet it celebrates Guetta being number 1 like all their Christmases have come at once. Even stranger when you hear the second cd of Guetta's new album and find it is doiminated by commercial Euro trance.

The whole tone undermines the scene. I suggest reading it because Im not doing the article the disservice that it deserves here.

Earlier in the mag a nice review of the Jam and Spoon remix of Age of Love then ends with a parting shot that 'trance, meanwhile, is apparently still around'.

The magazine over the years seems to take great pride hammering and taking subtle pot shots at the genre that it does not afford to other genres.

house is the new trance

Anything to sell more copies.

Printed media is dead. Long live TA250.

1. How, exactly, is trance undermined by DJ Mag? There are probably numerous causes for the popularity of trance being in decline and it may not necessarily be a "bad" thing.

2. When was the last time DJ Mag did anything all that great for trance? The more they promoted it, I suspect, the more stylistically homogenized/diluted it became.


I'm just not convinced that DJ Mag shifting its focus to another genre isn't actually doing trance a favor.

Trance was derided in mags as far back as the late 90s, when the clubby Sash! sound was quite popular. Really, as soon as trance stole euro-dance's glory as 'the gateway genre', it forever became EDM's whipping boy.

quote:

Originally posted by EddieZilker 1. How, exactly, is trance undermined by DJ Mag? There are probably numerous causes for the popularity of trance being in decline and it may not necessarily be a "bad" thing. 2. When was the last time DJ Mag did anything all that great for trance? The more they promoted it, I suspect, the more stylistically homogenized/diluted it became. I'm just not convinced that DJ Mag shifting its focus to another genre isn't actually doing trance a favor.

Re. 1. Read the above. And as I say, its the tone of the article (their most important of the year) and Im not doing the article the disservice to trance it deserves so I suggest you give it a read if you are sufficiently interested to respond to this thread.

Re. 2. You suspect? They have promoted it, in every edition. However they snipe at it like they do no other edm genre. And I wonder why?

DJ mag shiting focus - it shifts all the time. They do cover every edm genre, albeit to different extents. A move to the printed media underground may do trance a power of good as I think you suggest.

quote:

Originally posted by Sykonee Trance was derided in mags as far back as the late 90s, when the clubby Sash! sound was quite popular. Really, as soon as trance stole euro-dance's glory as 'the gateway genre', it forever became EDM's whipping boy.

Oh, I totally agree and accept that. Trance has always been the printed media's edm whipping boy. But there is something different in the article I refer to, a real undercurrent of sniveling, excitement and enjoyment about what they seem to think could signal the demise of the genre they appear to hate.

to clarify perhaps they should have said

'it could be argued that its (poll) dominance by bad (unicorn) trance djs is declining'

that being the case I say hallelujah.

quote:

Originally posted by Lotherton Hall Re. 1. Read the above. And as I say, its the tone of the article (their most important of the year) and Im not doing the article the disservice to trance it deserves so I suggest you give it a read if you are sufficiently interested to respond to this thread. Re. 2. You suspect? They have promoted it, in every edition. However they snipe at it like they do no other edm genre. And I wonder why? DJ mag shiting focus - it shifts all the time. They do cover every edm genre, albeit to different extents. A move to the printed media underground may do trance a power of good as I think you suggest.

If I'm going to respond in the thread? You've got to be kidding, mate. I'm pretty sure that even if I read the article or had a better than dilettante understanding of DJ Mag's editorial history, I'd stop well short of these grim inferences regarding the jeopardy to trance you seem to think it poses.





Get a hold of yourself, Henny Penny!

quote:

Originally posted by Lotherton Hall Oh, I totally agree and accept that. Trance has always been the printed media's edm whipping boy. But there is something different in the article I refer to, a real undercurrent of sniveling, excitement and enjoyment about what they seem to think could signal the demise of the genre they appear to hate.

They've had to pay lip service to euro-trance DJs for nearly a decade, since the genre's jocks have dominated their precious popularity poll for the same amount of time. All the while, DJs with far more actual technical skill and musical ingenuity gained in prominence in nearly every other respected EDM outlet, leaving DJMag's cred in the dust.

Now that trance is on the apparent decline among their voters, methinks it's simply them enjoying the opportunity to finally vent.

quote:

Originally posted by Sykonee They've had to pay lip service to euro-trance DJs for nearly a decade, since the genre's jocks have dominated their precious popularity poll for the same amount of time. All the while, DJs with far more actual technical skill and musical ingenuity gained in prominence in nearly every other respected EDM outlet, leaving DJMag's cred in the dust. Now that trance is on the apparent decline among their voters, methinks it's simply them enjoying the opportunity to finally vent.

It depends what you class as euro trance I guess. As a flag bearer for the edm scene their attitude to the genre and continually undermining it appears strange.

quote:

Originally posted by EddieZilker If I'm going to respond in the thread? You've got to be kidding, mate. I'm pretty sure that even if I read the article or had a better than dilettante understanding of DJ Mag's editorial history, I'd stop well short of these grim inferences regarding the jeopardy to trance you seem to think it poses. Get a hold of yourself, Henny Penny!

Its merely a thread that exposes djmags dislike of the trance genre, though it didnt need much exposing. Im pretty certain the genre will survice in one form or another regardless of what the media say, however you cannot deny that the media are king taste maker leading to popularity.

Henny Penny?

DJ Mag is a fucking joke.

Surpassed only by mixmag, don't stress over it. I mean when the person on top of their charts is boo-ed at their own party and is basically a joke of a producer who rips off melodies from other tracks they have to try and justify it somehow don't they?

They'll be gone in a few years.

dont live your life according to what dj mag or mixmag have to say...
years ago they were respectable mag's now its all just i dont even know i stopped getting mixmag delivered to me once they started gettin very mainstream with the electro and crossover sound as well as starting to do articles about bands
once in a while tho they do put out good mix cd's

as for the top 100 list and trance...that list has very few actual "trance" dj's in it
guys like ferry,emery,atb,above and beyond,armin etc etc
arent trance...they are pop and their sets are predictable with vocals,mash-ups,euro trouse and their hit's

minus the top 10 (which is pretty much the same guys as dj mag top 10) the tranceaddict top 250 poll makes alot more sense and is more diverse

Trance was widely derided during its heyday and the mainstream dance press have been shitting on it for years now. Of course, they still have trance pages in the review sections covering the same terrible music they criticise, because they get paid by PR companies to cover those records. If these magazines had any journalistic integrity they would either not cover trance at all or support the trance music out there which is still good quality. They don't, because there's no money to be made in print journalism any more. Nobody will pay to read about music when you can go online and get the same information for free, so they have to pay the bills through marketing and PR revenue. That's why these magazines used to be quite informative and interesting, and now are just flimsy hype-mongers and product pushers.

The only music magazine I bother to read for electronic music is The Wire.

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J Trance was widely derided during its heyday and the mainstream dance press have been shitting on it for years now. Of course, they still have trance pages in the review sections covering the same terrible music they criticise, because they get paid by PR companies to cover those records. If these magazines had any journalistic integrity they would either not cover trance at all or support the trance music out there which is still good quality. They don't, because there's no money to be made in print journalism any more. Nobody will pay to read about music when you can go online and get the same information for free, so they have to pay the bills through marketing and PR revenue. That's why these magazines used to be quite informative and interesting, and now are just flimsy hype-mongers and product pushers. The only music magazine I bother to read for electronic music is The Wire.

http://de-bug.de/ is pretty good if you can look over some of the feuilletonistic bullshit regarding technology and culture, but it's in german.

quote:

Originally posted by Sykonee Trance was derided in mags as far back as the late 90s, when the clubby Sash! sound was quite popular. Really, as soon as trance stole euro-dance's glory as 'the gateway genre', it forever became EDM's whipping boy.

I'm glad you mentioned Sash!
I think he's a very undermined producer...shame his work hasn't done so well, save the occasional track here and there.

The way I see it, a lot of the more famous producers such as Tiesto, AvB, Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta etc are regarded by the "lay community" (aka noobs) as what trance music sounds like and oh boy, are they wrong. I read an article which called "Swagger Jagger" by Cher Lloyd a trance song, ffs. I think that's a lot of the reason trance is looked down upon, because a lot of mainstream producers which get labeled as trance well...they suck! Just my 2 cents.

Sash! hasn't done so well? He's sold 20,000,000 records...

how many people on here actually read dj mag (excluding the top 100 issue)?

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J Sash! hasn't done so well? He's sold 20,000,000 records...

Yes, but at what price to his credibility? At what price, I ask you.

quote:

Originally posted by Sykonee Yes, but at what price to his credibility? At what price, I ask you.

Probably same as Scooter: NOT GIVING A FUCK ABOUT THAT YEAHHHH

quote:

Originally posted by AY STAR dont live your life according to what dj mag or mixmag have to say... years ago they were respectable mag's now its all just i dont even know i stopped getting mixmag delivered to me once they started gettin very mainstream with the electro and crossover sound as well as starting to do articles about bands once in a while tho they do put out good mix cd's as for the top 100 list and trance...that list has very few actual "trance" dj's in it guys like ferry,emery,atb,above and beyond,armin etc etc arent trance...they are pop and their sets are predictable with vocals,mash-ups,euro trouse and their hit's minus the top 10 (which is pretty much the same guys as dj mag top 10) the tranceaddict top 250 poll makes alot more sense and is more diverse

I dont mate. But they remain the taste makers in the printed edm press, in the UK at least.

Agree with your take on the big names. Im desperate to hear some good, new hypnotic, melodic trance. Rex MUndi is the only thing that has come close for me lately, but his last tune was garbage too.

quote:

Originally posted by Sykonee Yes, but at what price to his credibility? At what price, I ask you.

I'm not sure he ever had that much of credibility in the underground scene. He catered to the mainstream audience from the very beginning starting with Encore un fois, Ecuador, Stay and co-working with other mainstream artists such as Dr Alban and Tina Cousins (hot ass).

quote:

Originally posted by Lotherton Hall But they remain the taste makers in the printed edm press, in the UK at least.

The importance of which you seem to be over-stating. You may as well be lamenting about how Volvo sold out for their latest product placement and cross-promotional contest relating to the new Twilight film. Taste-makers? I just don't recall any genre dying out from editorial neglect or abuse, for that matter.

quote:

Originally posted by EddieZilker The importance of which you seem to be over-stating. You may as well be lamenting about how Volvo sold out for their latest product placement and cross-promotional contest relating to the new Twilight film. Taste-makers? I just don't recall any genre dying out from editorial neglect or abuse, for that matter.

He isn't over-stating it at all. He's simply being unrealistic.

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