Trance: the beat!

Publication: Woman's Era (2004)

‘Trance: It is a state of mind where a person who is unconscious, or seems to be asleep, is able to see or do strange things.’

This is the simplest definition of the word ‘Trance’, and the simplest way of describing the new-age music called ‘Trance’. Some people call Trance a form of meditation, or a way of releasing oneself. They use drugs, yoga, meditation, music or therapy etc, for the feeling of trance, or the state of mind where they could be in a state of trance. People who want to take off at a higher level with the help of music hear Trance music. This type of music does not require a perfect state of mind, and it does not require for a person to be in a mood.

Trance is new-age music filled with intensity, and has evolved from, progressive house to techno. It is hypnotic in rhythm, cyclic, repetitive and takes the listener to an inner journey.

Trance to me, is more industrial and requires a different type of creativity. It involves a mix of different beats in a way that they synchronize with each other. When you listen to trance very carefully, you will be able to associate most of the beats, (and in some cases all of them) to the working of machines in a factory. The machines working together to create another product, in perfect harmony, and in the case of trance music, the creation of mechanical sound, which does not sound mechanical.

So, who listens to Trance and most importantly where do you hear Trance?

Spiritual and haunting, Trance has emerged as one of the most popular form of dance music. It was born in the underground raves and has moved towards mega clubs where it is played in full swing today. Trance has therefore covered all streams of music that fall under the category of electronically generated beat-driven dance music. It is obvious that Trance did not emerge from thin air; it has a base of some existing dance beats that were initially modified electronically to create a unique sound.

Hard Trance, Acid Trance, Trance Core (a mixture of Trance and Hardcore) and eventually - Goa Trance/Psychedelic Trance and Progressive Trance, are some of the inventions since Trance type of music came into picture.

The first question that comes to the mind of those who have heard trance is what to I do with it? Well quite simple, you do nothing, you just move with the beat, and let the music take control. The best way to understand it is to dance to the music and let it take control of your body, and then you just listen to it and let the music take control of your senses.

Pure Trance is not outrageous, or loud for that matter, it is full of beats that grow on you instead of starting and ending abruptly. It picks up and goes down slowly blending into each beat, resulting in creating a level of ecstasy. It builds energy as it proceeds, climaxing repeatedly, taking you higher each time the beat changes. It has a healthy mix of, Doppler effects, sequencer riffs, driving bass and energetic percussion. Using the drug ‘Ecstasy’ in Europe further enhanced the effect of Trance music, as a result of which, a new wave ‘Acid Music’ was born in the U.K. Those who are addicted to Trance, and those who listen and know Trance, claim to say that you do not need to take drugs to be taken on such a journey.

Trance evolved under three influences: the psychedelic music of the seventies, the electronic techno disco of Detroit and the late 80’s electronic new wave/industrial music.

Two of the most basic forms of Trance that we know of are Goa Trance and Progressive Trance. It’s very difficult to distinguish both forms of Trance, but they have been categorized in order to roughly define the genre and understand the overall feeling of the music.

Progressive Trance is more adventurous of the two, because of the fact that it actually tries to combine two or three very different and unrelated sounds to create something phenomenally different. The funny thing is that it actually works. It works by modifying already existing genres of music and ethnic sounds, to create a style called PROGRESSIVE. For example combining the drums, bass and ambient under the banner of calling it Progressive Drum & Bass. Progressive Trance is a softer version of Trance, basically because it combines hard sounds with softer instruments or human voices, to make it sound smoother.

Goa Trance on the other hand consists of very steady 4/4 beats, and lots of very psychedelic sounding wobbly noises, and acidy sounds. It has a lot going on noise wise, with a lot of wobbly noises on top of each other and less imaginative rhythms. It is not a must, but most of Goa trance is quite traditional in the fact that they have at least one tune or sample track sound from a 50’s sci-fi movie. The tracks are monotonous and can go on and on for ages. Goa Trance evolved in 1988 with TB 303 straight beat dance music, has an amazing effect on people dancing to it. It has a hard bass line and is definitely faster than other house music. Though it has recurring beats, it is certainly enjoyable.

You will find a lot of research done and a lot of theories that have been derived, in order to distinguish and understand various genres of Music. There is no denying though, about how Trance was created, and it was created by a blend of contemporary cultural trends, drugs and basic music, all combined to form Trance. Its evolution and popularity attests to its strength as a genre, and its ability to carry a crowd dancing into a euphoric communal state will carry it onward and upward to its next incarnation.

Copyright © 2004 Puja Goyal