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About Trance
First of all when you listen to Trance you have
to know what you are really after. I find that people who truly
love trance don’t have any trouble listening to the steady changing
rhythm of progressive. A large majority of trance lovers are into
progressive uplifting trance. Put simply, progressive trance gives
u a feeling of being refreshed and it's beat is usually very simple
and definite. Uplifting trance makes u feel energetic and ready
to do something stupid.
Everything about the electronica (otherwise known
as techno) genre is very personalised. A lot of the articles and
information you’re going to read are based on personal opinions.
I guess this one is no exception. I find that if you spend enough
time listening to a particular type of genre your going to start
liking it. Different people have different tastes.
Commercial/Underground
Thanks to a lot of commercial albums such as the
Ministry of Sound, and Gatecrasher, things in the non-progressive
scene have been mixed up trance with other genres. Music in such
albums are often known as brands. The most popular brands don't
really have a set genre. The fans of these brands usually prefer
relatively short, high-energy soundtracks. A lot of these brands
release CDs such as, 'Trance Nation 2003' or 'Ministry
of Sound: Trance Nation Deeper', where a lot of tracks
are actually house. You either like them, or you hate them. Based
on personal experience, I find that the majority of people who listen
to commercial usually like house or Hard Trance. A few of them are
just trying to be cool.
The Trance genre is constantly changing. Artists
are creating more new sounds and beats. Often, the best examples
are produced by mistakes. However, a majority of sounds and special
effects are recycled, so generally it is very easy to tell roughly
when a track was made. DJs tend to be very careful when it comes
to trying new and experimental stuff. The appeals of older trance
tracks can be very much different to newer tracks. The beats and
effects are simple, but in many cases, more melodic.
Tiesto
Right now, my favourite DJ has to be Tiesto. There
is no substitute for experience and forty-year-old trancemeister,
Tiesto, is living proof. Tiesto is forty years of age, and has also
been voted the top DJ in the world two years running. This vote
is out of the entire electronica genre (www.djmag.com).
Tiesto’s style of Trance is Progressive Uplifting
Tek-trance. However, he doesn’t restrict himself to this genre.
Much of the other styles of trance he does is very popular. 'Magik,
Vol. 2: Story of the Fall' is one of his oldest, most successful,
and most basic albums. If your interested in learning how the genre
has changed over these years, you might be interested in hearing
it. Tiesto has released many albums in the Magik series.
If you're more of a chill-out person, you will
find his Search for Sunrise Series very popular also. The best in
the Search for Sunriseseries is 'Vol. 1-In Search of Sunrise'
I. It’s been suggested that this album brings out the unique qualities
of Tiesto that make him the best. One of his latest releases 'Nyana'
has a large variety of the latest styles and trance groups.
My favourite of all of Tiesto’s albums has to be
'Magik, Vol. 6: Live in Amsterdam'. It’s great
to dance to. Very hard, pumping music, with beautiful euphoric bits
in between. The best track here is probably Wasteland, by Kamaya
Painters, and coming in a close second is Sixty Nine Ways. A lot
I've only heard half of this album, only once, and I'm thinking
of buying it. The first track in this album is one of the best I've
ever heard. I can’t mention Tiesto without mentioning Summerbreeze.
The first track in this album is one of the best I’ve ever heard.
It’s actually a remix of the music at Greece’s Olympic ceremonies
for 2004.
Armin Van Buuren
Armin Van Buuren is another popular DJ. He is very
good at selecting the right tracks to play, and keeping audiences
entertained. A lot of his own tracks still stick very much to the
old style of Progressive Trance. An example of this is in his Album:
'76'. I love the track called "A Song For
The Ocean". His most popular tracks have been Communication,
and Blue Fear. If you’re a Newbie to trance try his latest album
or maybe Paul Van Dyk's latest album.
Paul Van Dyk
Paul Van Dyk is another Popular Artist. He hasn’t
released much music recently. Personally, I find his music a little
too repetitive, but that's great for dance. His latest album: 'Reflections'
has been a disappointment for some people. It took me a while to
get used to, but after a few listens, I really started liking it.
I find PvD's (that's short for Paul Van Dyk) style in it's own class.
It is very different to many other trance artists. If you get sick
of the style of trance you normally listen to, this guy's probably
the way to go.
OTHER GOOD DJs
I can't talk about progressive trance without mentioning
some other DJs, especially George Acosta. Acosta has released one
of the best trance tracks of all times: Lange, I believe. I've heard
that his latest album: 'Next Level' is awesome,
and so is one of his older ones: 'Awake'. Check
out Paul Oakenfold as well. Oakenfold does soul and groove cuts,
but not so much trance. I have no idea why, because his trance is
good. Check out his album: 'Tranceport'.
Sasha, and John Digweed are other renowned trance
artists. The music by DJ Sasha in particular goes back a long way.
Check out their latest albums: 'Northern Exposure, Vol.
1', 'Northern Exposure II: East Coast',
'Northern Exposure II: West Coast'. The trance
in these albums are a lot more progressive than a lot of the other
albums mentioned in this guide. The first album is a nice chillout
album. I think the tracks are well mixed. They have the right sounds,
at the right volume, with the right effects. This is something that
I think is a weakness of Tiesto's..
If your after singles, some of Matt Darey's, and
Ian Van Dahl's tracks are excellent. If you’re a big fan of vocal
trance you'll probably love 4 strings. One popular track by 4 strings
is probably Let it Rain.
A State Of Trance
The idea of the music is to get a feeling for it.
A lot of newbie’s find this stuff too repetitive. But the thing
is: the best way to enjoy the music is to listen to what is happening
RIGHT NOW, in the present, not what was there before. You take it
easy, in a state of relaxation. Don't think about the music. That's
why it's so good to dance to as well. There is active listening,
and then there is passive listening. I find with most types of music,
like rap, or rock, I listen to the music actively. With trance,
I notice that I listen to it passively. The music is somewhere in
the back of my mind. For newbie’s I would recommend groups like
Faithless. Yeah, it's not really trance, but songs by them such
as "insomnia", and "God is a DJ" are great.
You’ll soon get used to some of the repetitiveness. Believe me.
The way I see it, electronica music is the most
effective way of getting music across than any other. With groups
or bands that make live music, you often have a situation of conflicting
interest. A lot of the time these groups spend with their music
is in learning to play their instruments, constantly practicing
and rehearsals with one another, and arguing over their different
tastes. The great thing about electronica is that all you need is
a man, a machine, and an idea (checkout
Dejan’s article about techno). You don’t have to organise different
people to get together and perform in unison. You don’t have to
learn how to play different musical instruments and learn how to
put them together. All you need to do is learn how to use the machine.
Once you manage to do that, everything that comes into your mind
is easy to create.
I got into trance when I was studying and trying
to find some music to listen to. I couldn't find a good radio station.
I gave up, and listen to the one that bothered me least. It played
only trance. I didn't like it at the start. But I couldn't be bothered
turning the radio off. Within 2 or 3 hours I loved the music. Maybe
that’s why I did so bad in high-school?
Abhay
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