A definition of Trance Music on the broadest of terms would be simply: not quite Techno, yet not quite House. The quicker tempos and rhythmic aspects of Trance and melodic aesthetics of House are contained within the Trance genre of electronic music. However, there are many other aspects that make Trance music unique and distinct from other electronic music genres, such as rifts, breakdowns, buildups, vocals and anthems to produce emotional, usually uplifting sounds.
The exact origins of Trance music are quite debatable.
Some say the first true trance singles came from Germany in 1990 and 1991 with Age of Love – “Age of Love” and Dag Lerner and Rolf Ellmer’s Dance 2 Trance – “We Came in Peace” respectively.
Others say that Trance originated earlier, in the form of Klaus Schulz’s mixes with names such as En=Trance (1987) and Transfer (1981).
Then there are those who say that Trance originated in the late 1960’s as pre form of Goa Trance with India, with its repetitive loops and ambient sounds. Dag Lerner and Rolf Ellmer.
Whatever the exact origins of Trance are, most agree that the popularity of Trance in dance and night clubs started in European dance clubs in the early 1990s, especially in Frankfurt, Germany.
Originally Trance songs, arguably derived from a combination of Techno and House, which were the two dominant electronic music styles playing in dance clubs at the time, were mainly instrumental, however more vocals were implemented soon. Early Trance music had very similar tempos and rhythms to techno music and many people saw it as an alternative to techno. It used the Roland TR-909 for most of its drum beats.
As trance developed, there were more anthemic melodies and distinct characteristics such as a break down where the beat stopped and the melody continued playing. Then the beat comes back with more energy and increased intensity. There is usually a main melodic hook in the track, which can be manipulated and looped, with crescendos, dimuendos and arpeggios throughout the track giving the track an uplifting and euphoric feeling.
By the mid 1990s, Trance had become very popular in the clubbing scene and was a dominant dance genre. It was smoother than drum n bass, edgier than house, and more accessible and easier to get into than techno. Progressive Trance was a very popular sub genre of trance. It had a softer, smoother timbre, with chord charges in the bass that created a feeling of dynamic harmonic progressions. Overall, progressive trance felt a niche slower and more laid back than the earlier trance style.
In 1996, the Trance music had spread around Europe and the UK was the core of the Trance Phenomenon. Trance had spread to the island of Ibiza, the island famous for being the host of many summer club parties attracting thousands and thousands of tourists.
At the eve of the new millennium, the late 1990s, Trance has evolved into maybe sub genres such as Hard trance, Progressive Trance, Ibiza, Euro trance, Ambient Trances, Acid Trance, Dark trance and Psy Trance to name a few. Each has their unique characteristics but they all share a distinctive Trance feel.
Since the late 1990s, the peak for Trance music, many of the original fans had become dissatisfied with what was becoming more of a commercialised and mainstream genre. Although Trance is not as popular as it was a decade ago, there are still many music festivals dedicated to Trance music, especially in Netherlands, such as Trance Energy, Sensation and Dance Valley festivals.
