The state of trance

[BenRW]

I reckon its gone downhill. I still love trance and the new stuff coming out but i dont think that there are that many new tracks that are coming out that are instantly recognisable and will remain a classic for years like "System F - Out of the Blue" or practically ne other tune from that era.

 

Back in '99 when i first got into trance there were so many tracks out that were timeless classics. I recently bought 2 trance albums and apart from the timeless classics on there (albeit remixed) all the tunes sound so similar and i cant really identify with ne of them. They're all trying to produce the most euphoric breakdown they can whilst forgetting that what the clubbers really want is something they can instantly bond with and dance to.

 

The latest "classics" as i wud put them are actually the tracks that are doing something a bit different hence why "Tomcraft - Loneliness" did so well imo.

 

I'm not sure whether ne1 else feels this way about trance but i just wish things were back to '99 when the tunes were hardly ever similar and u cud identify a unique sound to that tune which i dont think u can do ne more as so much stuff just sounds similar to the rest of the stuff available right now.

[CreamyC]

Who rated this post a 1 ? Its actually a good post.

[Sparky]

I rated this post one star for the simple reason that its tiresome to compare 1999 to 2003 in terms of producing "classics", when there hasn't been an adequate passage of time for us to judge 2003.

 

I personally think 2003 has been an awesome year for trance and in a couple of years time we will be going on and on about the numerous trance classics in the making that we have enjoyed in 2003.

 

2004 will be Ferry Corsten's year...

[CreamyC]

Sparky said:

I rated this post one star for the simple reason that its tiresome to compare 1999 to 2003 in terms of producing "classics", when there hasn't been an adequate passage of time for us to judge 2003.

 

I personally think 2003 has been an awesome year for trance and in a couple of years time we will be going on and on about the numerous trance classics in the making that we have enjoyed in 2003.

 

2004 will be Ferry Corsten's year...

 

To be honest, I fall into this [censored] category of constantly comparing 1999-2000 Trance to that of today, its wrong I know but I do put this down purely to the fact of it was that time I got into it. Its the memories I guess.

[James]

Sparky said:

there hasn't been an adequate passage of time for us to judge 2003.

 

 

2004 will be Ferry Corsten's year...

 

 

-----

 

Personally I think Trance is getting better and better, due to the excellent new sounds/effects/synths coming out etc.. also the fact that more and more people are now able to make professional music from home, people who have always had the talent but not £1000s to put into gear/studios etc... I can see some seriously good tunage coming out in the next few years and even more uplifting sounds being created. Of course the danger is the market can get flooded with a load of shite but since Corsten/Burren/Van Dyke are already around / have effectively set the benchmarked I dont think so much shite will get through as it does in other genres. What I admire most about the Trance genre is the fact that the artists are always seeking new sounds and opt for building tunes from the very bottom up.

[Daredevil Tony]

Trance is so much better than boring Hard House!

 

Draws a much better class of clubber too!

[BenRW]

found the word i've been looking for. Distinctive. There are so few new tracks now that are distintive leading to them being classics. Back in '99, i cud tell which tracks wud stand the test of time and remain in every1s hearts (who can honestly say they didnt think that Children was a classic when u 1st heard it). Most of these were very distinctive.

 

The point i'm trying to say is that nowadays there lacks the distinctiveness that makes classic tracks.

 

Whilst the current sound is amazing (im not trying to slur it at all) the proportion of distinctive (bound to be remembered) tracks to normal tracks is far too low.

[Guest]

I think alot of the whole "99 was so much better" phrase is brought about because it was when the majoruty of us got into that sound. So therefore is has such a good stigma attached as it holds so many good memories. "The 1st time I saw Corsten/Van Dyk/etc etc" "The 1st time I went to Passion/Gods/Crasher etc etc".

Now, most have been in the scene for a few years and the "Novelty" (for want of a better word) wears off. You still have that love for trance but the honeymoon period as such has passed.

The trance scene still seems really fresh to me as Ive not totally ingulfed myself in it. Ive moved onto hrder stuff, then techno and house etc. Now Ive started back into listening to it properly, it sounds just as good (in my opinion better)

 

As I said in a recent post about trance, I think the scene has matured hell of alot, and more complex/subtle tunes are everywhere. I prefer tracks that dont just slap you in the face like "out of the blue" did.

[Adam]

Agree with most on this post. I think there are several tunes that will stand the passage of time from 2003. 'Rock Your Body' and 'Traffic' to name but two.

 

2003 wasn't as such a bad year for dance as people are making out, the simple truth is that marketing for dance was poor last year. Especially chart music.

 

I agree, Ferry's time has certainly come, especially in terms of production, just got his latest on order.

 

Who else will be big in 2004? My vote goes for Dogzilla.

[Sparky]

addy2hotty said:

My vote goes for Dogzilla.

 

 

Definitely, Simon Patterson will blow up big time this year.

[LiquidEyes]

Very much agreed with James and Liam.

 

Benrostwood, why does trance have to revolve around "classics"? Obviously in any genre, it gets harder and harder to write a new classic as time goes on and that genre matures. A lot of the supposed classics are not much cop in my opinion, I mean "Out of the Blue" for example was a very energetic, memorable tune, but a bit too blatant and lacking in depth for me.

 

I actually think trance has really picked up again. I reckon the worst period was around 2000 onwards, where loads of artists jumped on the "big riff" / super-duper-epic trance bandwagon, and it got a bit stale.

 

I think it's got a lot better since then, with trance crossing over with techno and electro a lot more, and much cleverer / subtler tunes, better-produced percussion, cooler basslines etc, instead of big unsubtle riffs and samey basslines.

 

Ben, maybe you're just buying the wrong compilations, or going to the wrong nights. Serious and Passion have been the benchmark trance nights for me. And admittedly, good, non-cash-in trance compilations are hard to find. I must say I enjoyed the recent Godskitchen compilation.

[Sparky]

Lots of sensible posts since the original post, I no longer vote this thread one star! (Can't change my vote alas)

 

I don't own a copy, but Gatecrasher Resident Transmission 2 was a decent compilation that I've heard a few times recently... and Serious rules for guaranteed quality trance at the best venue in London.

[Daredevil Tony]

2003 was the best year for Trance since 1999!

[Ian Cashman]

personally i dont wanna hear another 1000 out of the blue clones....

 

its what killed the 98/99 trance explosion, along with ian van dahl and his kind...

 

move on with the scene..

 

 

2003 was a [censored] ace year for trance

[LiquidEyes]