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Trance dead in the water (pg. 11)
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| Jimmy |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cobalt
I think that gives a decent idea of what I'm talking about. Tracks on the latter compilations are much more similar to each other and tend to be more formulaic in character and structure, as well as driven by very similar sounds. Also, the progression characteristic of the older compilations tends to be lost on the later ones. The 1996-99 albums are merely a sampling of the amazingly diverse quantity and quality of that time period, while I was hard pressed to even find what I did in 2002-03 of comparable value. |
Ok, thanks for the linking:). It clearer to me now. |
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| Taz |
| quote: | Originally posted by Ishkur
Remember when trance sets were about taking you on a journey? Tranceport is no journey. There's no tension or release in any of it. It's just a bunch of top10 hits. The amazing thing, however, is that this formula worked, and every Ibiza Trance Nation Tunnel Mission Force Club Anthems vol. 847 tried to rape the same formula (with varying degrees of success).
More people were coming into the scene than going out of it, and this hyper-inflated the status of the DJs and the value of the music to ridiculous proportions. Like the dot-com bubble, any trend this flimsy was bound to come crashing down like a house of cards, as soon as it reached its saturation point.
That critical mass came in 2001. Much of the genre's elite fled, going instead to house or progressive or other, low-key scenes. But the rest? Now this is interesting, and this explains exactly what the dutch trance scene is now all about : the rest decided to go for bigger, fuller, more euphoric anthems. Like a drug, the emotional effect of last month's hit anthem keeps wearing off, so each track they release has to up the dosage to maintain the high and to keep the few remaining stragglers clinging to it.
People's tolerance for anthem trance is now extraordinarily high, which is why the big, overblown "wall-of-sound" anthems have to keep getting bigger and more euphoric to maintain their interest. As you can guess, this simply cannot last, and the anthem trance producers are simply working on borrowed time. |
Harsh but well-put.
I usually don't do this, but I'll repeat what I posted in another thread:
This very topic's been on my mind a lot lately. In fact, I find it really hard to start a track these days, because the sounds I'm surrounded by (and have at my immediate disposal right now) are getting old fast.
As for sounds becoming more complex; electronic music in the late '90s used to be VERY detailed and textured; lots of bell-like sounds, organ-y sounds, string pads way in the back, serious filter action, weird little fake horns, synthy spanish guitars, pianos, fuzzy stuff, etc. Very colorful chords, sophisticated lines.
IMO the variety disappeared when everyone went for the jugular and competed for the biggeset and fattest this and that.
Big supersaws (note: always SAWS, not squares, not combination waveforms, but saws), big galloping basses, chirpy 909 hihats, simple Barney-esque melodies or chopped-up Beethoven or Vivaldi. A lot of what's been called trance the past couple of years seems more like Eurodance gone all heavy-handed and serious. And everyone seemed to do it the same way.
It was great for quite a while, but then there was more. And then there was more. And then there was more!! Same with other genres too, unfortunately.
So for the time being, I'm thinking about the aesthetic of trance at its roots; things like THIS, and THIS, and THIS, and even though it's not trance, THIS.
I'd hate to shop yet another typical melodic supersaw thumper. Bonzai might eat it up in a second if it's good enough, but I'm just helping to run the genre into the ground.
Original Thread Click Here |
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| Dj Odelpha |
| prog is the answer. |
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| Cobalt |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj Odelpha
prog is the answer. |
For you, perhaps. For others, it's not. Me included; I don't need help sleeping. |
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| Sand Leaper |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cobalt
For you, perhaps. For others, it's not. Me included; I don't need help sleeping. |
Techno and drum n bass for you then. :D |
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| Cobalt |
| quote: | Originally posted by Sand Leaper
Techno and drum n bass for you then. :D |
Every so often I'll listen to drum n bass, and I like it -- for about two hours. Techno, however, looks at least somewhat promising to me. Don't know if it can ever take the place of trance, but I'm looking into it. :) |
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| Sand Leaper |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cobalt
Every so often I'll listen to drum n bass, and I like it -- for about two hours. Techno, however, looks at least somewhat promising to me. Don't know if it can ever take the place of trance, but I'm looking into it. :) |
Seems like you have been exposed to too much techstep/darkstep, which isn't very listener friendly. Try these:
Artemis - Elysian Fields
LTJ Bukem - Music
Blame - Revival
High Contrast - Return Of Forever
Alley Cat & Tha Countamen - Iodine
Omni Trio - Who Are You?
Future Cut - Obsession
and everything from Moving Shadow and Good Looking Recs.
Also, here are some more "uplifting" techno tracks, that isn't of the usual loop techno-stuff that most ppl seem to think that techno is all about around here:
Clark - Christo
Samuel L Session - Velvet (Funk D'Void Mix)
Funk D'Void - Emotional Content
Christian Morgenstern - Hawaii Blue
Ronny Priest - Tracked Romance
Paul Kalkbrenner - Seaquest
Noise Ltd. - The Highest Evolution
See what you think :) |
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| Dj_Irish |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj Odelpha
prog is the answer. |
Although I can fully enjoy the prog sound I'm definetly getting the most kicks out of faster, high-energy tracks. Something prog can't seem to deliver (even though there is nothing in it's definition that prohibits it from going faster). If nothing else I definetly need the energy when I'm on the dancefloor...
Hence, I'm looking more into tech-influenced sounds in my trance these days.
However, I do agree with those of you who feel the melodic/uplifting trance sounds a bit too similar these days (that's somewhat of an understatement). Being an avid trance-listener since 1992/1993 the turning point for me came around 98/99. This was when the anthem/uplifting/euphoric trance exploded in the clubs of europe (together with mitsies it seems...any connection perhaps?).
Commercially, trance got bigger than ever and the cookie-cutter form was cut into stone (or what seems to be something more like adamantium really). Obviously this hampered creativity and todays harsh economic reality for the record labels are not exactly inspiring them to go out on a limb, if you get my drift.
Nowadays, every bedroom DJ spinns the same stuff (yes, I can also be accused of this from time to time) and it's the same tracks that get's hyped on all the boards on the net. This will not last and as Ishkur put it, producers/DJs following this formula is living on borrowed time. Eventually something has to give. Prog doesn't seem to be the answer (to me at least). Despite its highly louded "creativity" it to tends to shy away from diversity (in the broad sense of the word).
I have no idea what will come next but it will sure be interesting to watch :) |
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| starstarman |
How do you define progressive?
How do you define trance?
How do you define it's dead?
How do you define music?
How do you define sth being good or bad?
How do you define life?
Or do you actually think we're not dead now?
Nm what's above. Consider it as a spam. |
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| swe_Trancer |
| quote: | Originally posted by starstarman
How do you define progressive?
How do you define trance?
How do you define it's dead?
How do you define music?
How do you define sth being good or bad?
How do you define life?
Or do you actually think we're not dead now?
Nm what's above. Consider it as a spam. |
how do you define stfu?:D :p |
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| SYSTEM-J |
Let's consider trance's lifespan. Modern dance music went through three stages:
90-94 Rave- This was the time of rave, hardcore, acid house and various other old-skool stuff. The music was about the experience, the freedom and the drugs.
95-98 Big Beat- Dance music puts a suit on and sells itself to the general public. Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, latter-day Prodigy, you know the score.
99-? Trance- The 4/4 beat dominates the dancefloor. Trance, hardhouse and today's music styles emerge from many underground years and have so far proved unmoveable.
Put simply, how long has trance got left as the dominant music style? Hell trance has been around since 91 time when Jam & Spoon, Paul van Dyk et al invented it. Its lasted a hell of a lot longer than any other electronic music style. Where are the producers working on something new? Is it simply too easy to slap some vocals behind a cheesy synth line and some easy 4/4 beats and continue to sell in big numbers?
In 1999/2000 the trance scene divided. Before then all music was experimental, it wasn't the same as anything else because it was new. Then DJ Jurgen and co. introduced pop-trance to the charts, and the scene caved in.
Now there's the serious clubbing fraternity, who shun the chart and live in their self-maintained scene. They don't release albums because they don't care: their vinyls are doing the rounds and they are impressing the right people. This side doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks, because they won't break through to them.
Then there's the commercial side, which cannbalises the trance scene to sell to mindless teenage zombies. Back in the day there was no divide, and artists could make classic anthems and they would sell. I think the last instrumental to climb the chart in the UK was PPK at the end of 2001. Since then its been vocals all the way.
Is there an escape passage out of this, or shall we just burn trance and start afresh? I don't know and I don't care. This scene's too big to kill, too epic to ever get over-familiar with. There's always another round of block rockin beats to be discovered, always another fledgling artist to follow. Trance may have died, but its gonna take it a while to realise. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy it. |
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| Carona |
Is trance is going to die out, why worry about it? There's really not much you can do. Unless all of the TA producers come in here and read this thread.
Trying listening to different DJ's for a different dosage of trance.
I don't care where trance is headed because I know it can't live forever and following my musicical preferences, it changes every 5 years or so in 2 years i'll have moved onto something new. |
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