Trance did a very promising start in the early nineties (1990's) in Europe , and is currently one of the most promising and influential music genres on the music scene. Trance itself is very wide-scoped, it occupies a lot of territory with a lot of space and brings its influence deeply outside and well beyond its own bounds, that seem to be quite obscure. At the time, many of the currently popular groups, artists, titles of mainstream music are starting to incorporate trance sound into their recordings. Initially trance was mostly non-commercial, but trance is getting more and more publicity now, on TV channels such as Viva and MTV, and in the press. Trance becomes more popularized, thanks to talented trance music DJ's and producers, trance music labels, and even large recording companies. Pop and rock stars are starting to collaborate with or even outsource their recordings to trance music composers and producers. An excellent example, Madonna with their mature, high-quality, semi-trance album Ray Of Light (1998), almost half tracks of which have explicitly clear trance sounding.
- Building Blocks
- History and Evolution
- Euro Trance
- Goa Trance
- Psychedelic Trance
- Progressive Trance
- Trance Labels, DJ's and Producers
Characteristics Perhaps the most ambiguous genre of dance music, trance could be described as a melodic, more or less freeform style of music, partially derived from house . While there is no strict definition for trance, songs of this genre are usually characterized as being accessible and having anthemic and epic and rifting and psychedelic qualities. Using that as a starting point, a basic trance track could then be described as being comprised of a particular melodic or vocal hook which is given presence over a bassline, a drum pattern, which often includes snare or kick drum rolls to mark important moments, and perhaps one or two other semi-quantified aural elements to provide texture and enhance the rhythm. However, not all trance fits that profile, and often times a song's classification as trance has just as much to do with who is playing it as what it sounds like.
The best way to generally describe the trance genre is that of dance music based around rifts and anthems , which can be either highly energetic or very chilled out. Trance tracks often intermix major and minor chords to create "epic" sounding, similar to classical organ music. Most trance is built around the 4/4 beat, and a lot of trance can be very uplifting. Uptempo, uplifting and often euphoric energetic synthesized sounds pumped by a beat and massive hooks, often with long breakdowns building slowly to create a tension and expectancy on the dance floor. Often with driving off-the-beat basslines and utilizing major and minor chords in sequence, trance tracks can take a central epic form of commercial trance or the form of one of several sub-genres including Euro (Epic) Trance, Goa (Psychedelic, Psy) trance, Hard Trance, and Progressive Trance.
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