So, I used to primarily listen to Armin van Buuren, Markus Schulz, AB&B, Gareth Emery, and I love all of the classics. I have heard tons of great trance over the years, and it was a state of mind. It was the most evoking music that could possibly be heard to me at the time. Full body tingles. No other music could ever do that, not in this way, because it would be in my leg and in my head at the same time. Crazy stuff.
I have always had a place in my heart for techno and house because along with Gareth Emery's Trance Nation in 99, I also got 2BadMice at exactly the same time, along with a DJ Dan CD and a DJ Micro CD. I basically listened to them constantly, then eventually I discovered MP3.com stuff like the Cynic Project, Aura:The Source of Trance, and Skyline in my opinion is actually one of the greatest trance tunes of all time. The melody is pretty timeless in my opinion. I'm fortunate to have started listening to it then, because that is when trance started maturing, more people were making it (and well). Ronski Speed, Ron Van den Buuken, Blank & Jones, I mean, I can't even begin to imagine how many classic trance songs there are that are just wonderful. Anyway, so yeah I loved it a lot.
When I would produce, it was always trancey, or my attempt at trance. It took me a good 5 solid years to develop my fundamental skill set with production, and 3 more years before that to start developing my own sense of melody, including chord progressions and harmonies. I was always having fun. So over time I would continue to listen to trance, but when I went to Mexico (1 hr drive) to see Andy Moor and then AVB (3-4 years ago), I met some friends and one of them was a DJ who at the time was just starting to get really popular and well respected in the local scene, and routinely opened for every big act that came through. Popov, Chris Lawrence, virtually every big act comes through Juarez, it's a massive hub of electronic dance music. So my exposure was then altered, as I was introduced to superb DJs who were playing progressive, techno, tech-house, minimal, and trance.
So ideally I would have wanted to be creating trance for festivals, parties, stuff like that. I never sat down and looked up in a pragmatic and technical way, how to mix down, use effects properly, or build a track. I would just toke up, and have fun. Over time, I developed an S curve up for a pension to be technically savvy. The years of having fun and being creative, especially melodically, I think has paid dividends now that I have an entirely well-rounded approach. Anyway, over time I began listening to these mixes from Juarez, and they were mostly tech house, progressive tech, and the part of me that loved house/techno since I was around 11 was reinvigorated and slowly over time, I have completely ceased listening to any form of trance. Even if I wanted to, I don't think I could make a proper trance tune. It would veer into house. I have always wanted to, but I have finally admitted to myself that I was just not meant to make trance, even though it's what ignited my passion for music.
Now since there is some background I can position the question, as I have described, my personal taste in listening changed over time, and it has taken me 7-9 years of producing to get something to the dance floor that can really kill it (I'm 23, so not too heart broken about how long it's taken). Have any of your listening habits affected what you desire to achieve when you produce or create music, stylistically? Are they related? If so, how? Do you generally listen, recreationally, to what you intend to create for the dance floor?
downski
quote:
i started opening my mind to classical, jazz, opera, scores etc etc & found myself listening to everything BUT edm.
I've recently been trying to do the same thing as I find myself sitting down to write some sort of a melody and come up with the same one I either came up with yesterday or heard on a track previously. Anyone else get this? :conf: Finding it really hard to get out of that kind of 'unconscious' habit and write a really unique melody.
Richard Butler
quote:
Originally posted by Evolve140
I was around 11 was reinvigorated and slowly over time, I have completely ceased listening to any form of trance. Even if I wanted to, I don't think I could make a proper trance tune.
Blimey, that was something I could have written.
Trance was everything to me but then gradualy I found myself turning to tech house and techno until now I find that's where my soul lays. I can stray into house too, but I never properly finnished a full on trancer as I always grew bored of it - that relentless wall of sound seemed to over time become burdensome and irratating.
It's not that trance is irratating per see, it's just how my brain process's that full on sound.
My earliest passion for electronica came from hearing Kraftwerk and I think for me this is possibly why I find such a home in the more techy and less cluttered soundscapes.
It's also something to do with subtlety. In techno there is lots of room and for me a lot of mystery and magic is conjoured by those evolving wierd dark sounds which I just do not get from trance. Again I am not knocking trance, it's just that it somehow doesn't connect with me now. I can still enjoy a trancer but not on as deep a level.
Rythm is THE most important element in music for me. If a piece lacks a very subtle and cool syncopation then it will never be able to engage me fully. The possibilities are limitless although I get why some would not see this and would tend to find the rythm side limited and 1 dimensional.
I recently have realised just how deep and skillful some techno is. Little slight variations in amplitude on a bass or repeating tech hit can make a huge difference in groove and somehow some of the better techno guys are masters in this dark and subtle art - it drives me crazy with the feeling they get.
My top track just now is from Alan Fitzpatrick who is a rapidly rising techno star.
Here it is - many of you will HATE;
Beatflux
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Butler
Blimey, that was something I could have written.
Trance was everything to me but then gradualy I found myself turning to tech house and techno until now I find that's where my soul lays. I can stray into house too, but I never properly finnished a full on trancer as I always grew bored of it - that relentless wall of sound seemed to over time become burdensome and irratating.
It's not that trance is irratating per see, it's just how my brain process's that full on sound.
My earliest passion for electronica came from hearing Kraftwerk and I think for me this is possibly why I find such a home in the more techy and less cluttered soundscapes.
It's also something to do with subtlety. In techno there is lots of room and for me a lot of mystery and magic is conjoured by those evolving wierd dark sounds which I just do not get from trance. Again I am not knocking trance, it's just that it somehow doesn't connect with me now. I can still enjoy a trancer but not on as deep a level.
Rythm is THE most important element in music for me. If a piece lacks a very subtle and cool syncopation then it will never be able to engage me fully. The possibilities are limitless although I get why some would not see this and would tend to find the rythm side limited and 1 dimensional.
I recently have realised just how deep and skillful some techno is. Little slight variations in amplitude on a bass or repeating tech hit can make a huge difference in groove and somehow some of the better techno guys are masters in this dark and subtle art - it drives me crazy with the feeling they get.
My top track just now is from Alan Fitzpatrick who is a rapidly rising techno star.
Here it is - many of you will HATE;
Decent song. This song is completely disposable like just about every other techno song out there. Anytime you make a track without any melodies or lyrics, the chances of it being remember for more than the time its being played fall to zero.
Evolve140
Yeah I get what you're saying about the wall of sound. Trance is way more cerebral to me, meaning I listen with my head. Tech and house I listen with my body, but I like cerebral elements in tech and house too Just about balance.. Gradually my taste went from my head to my body, and at parties I love to dance, but won't force myself to if the song isn't doing its job. I mean, I don't think I can dance to trance. I can jump up and down and pump my first, though. Just like you, it eventually became all about the groove. I can dig that techno track, but I certainly wouldn't play it out. I'm not a huge fan of droney techno, but I know that in the right mood and under the influence of alcohol or something I would be way more into it, though it wouldn't do for me what a groove tastic house track would do. Cal, glad you had the music to help you through that. I know it's all I really have in certain ways.
If I had to choose a song to play at a party that I would want to hear, it would be
Oh fuk - that second track draws into perspective just how high the bar is, damn that's so good and original - the way it changes and morphs shows great imagination and flair.
Track 1 - that would be time to go to the bar for a drink - way late 90's London house - too handbag for me.
evo8
quote:
Originally posted by Beatflux
Anytime you make a track without any melodies or lyrics, the chances of it being remember for more than the time its being played fall to zero.
emmmmmm........... you might wanna rethink that sentence
Beatflux
quote:
Originally posted by evo8
emmmmmm........... you might wanna rethink that sentence
9/10 of the top ten beatport tunes have lyrics, and the last one has melodies.
It's just like pop music, everyone likes melodies and lyrics.
Evolve140
Well, 9/10 tracks on BeatPort suck. Plus, people who like dance music don't care as much about lyrics so what you're saying is irrelevant. I'm not making music for who listen to the radio.
edit: Of course, certain tracks like Colours by Chris Lake & Nelski, are the way they are because of vocals and lyrics. But does everything have to have it? No. I don't understand the generalization going on here, like every dance track would be better with lyrics. Obviously melody is probably necessary 99.5% of the time and I don't really listen to music without melodies. But as much as I love a great track with awesome vocals (I'm a sucker for them, actually), there will be the time where I hear another track with no vocals or lyrics and it does its job just as well.
edit edit: edit: But yeah, the topic is not "Lyrical content in dance music", so let's try.
Evolve140
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Butler
Oh fuk - that second track draws into perspective just how high the bar is, damn that's so good and original - the way it changes and morphs shows great imagination and flair.
Track 1 - that would be time to go to the bar for a drink - way late 90's London house - too handbag for me.
Well I guess we disagree then, because I absolutely love this track. :) I wasn't in London in the late 90s, so maybe that's why I love it. I have different partying moods. The Adam K stuff is really really epic though. I will post a couple other tracks later, to show some of the diversity in my listening at the moment.
edit: One of my favs right now, production value is through the roof:
http://youtu.be/ziU0rc3-yU4?hd=1
Would be fun to make some stuff like this, too!
skyhunter
quote:
Originally posted by Richard Butler
*a lot of text and a kick ass song*
Thank you good sir! Love discovering new artists.
Normie
Well FWIW, I only started 'producing' a little more than a year ago and came to the EDM world after being bored to tears with what Heavy Metal (my longtime music of choice) has become. Since I'm an older dude I got to experience the 80s in my prime (did I mention my near-geriatric status ;). It was 'fun' it was 'cheezy' and it had a metric ton of actual talent along with a zillion one hit wonder-types.
For me Trance/EDM was an 'all new' and wonderous experience that I really feel I missed out on in what many of you call the glory years of the 90s. But like I feel about modern metal, where every other band sounds the same with the more gutteral than thou growling and scale runs at mach 5 (and I'm a big Steve Vai fan BTW), many of you feel the same about Trance/EDM and the stagnation.
What influences me about this genre and how it informs what I want to do is that unlike my prior home, the nature of Trance/EDM is like a blank sheet of paper whit unlimited options for creativity and nothing (and this is all my opinion mind you) like the rigidity of Metal.
In metal lately, it's all hard all the time with 99% of the bands relying on 3 things - the pentatonic scale, screaming their lead singer's guts out and enough distortion to completely wash out anything resembling definition.
Here, anything goes. I feel like a kid in a candy shop because there are so many creative directions I can go off in and so many varied tools to get the job done. In a lot of metal, a keyboard is verboten. Sampling is frowned upon. etc, etc, etc.
Maybe it's just that I'm new to it that it doesn't have the baggage for me that it does from the vets. If the roles were reversed, a new convert to metal might say the same things I'm saying here.
But to sum it up, it just seems to me to be a very unrestricted/anything goes environment where the only limits are self-inflicted. And that alone makes me want to take advantage of that to create something truly different and eventually something truly great.
