[divider]Notable Subgenres[/divider]
Anthem/Epic Trance – Definitely one of, if not the most popular form of trance these days. It is exactly what it sounds like: trance with anthemic or epic qualities. This often translates to symphonic elements, and lots of reverb to give that cathedral-like ambiance. Older groups, like Hybrid, produced dance tracks with heavy orchestration and were certainly influential in the development of epic trance. This style, heavily favored by Armada and Armin Van Buuren, is perhaps best exemplified with the rising star, Andrew Rayel. Take a listen to EIFORYA for a collaborative track by the label heavyweights.
Balearic/Ibiza Trance – Think trance with a splash of tropical breeze. It combines the laidback, island vibes you get from reggae and dub with some really chilled out trance. Roger Shah aka Sunlounger is without a doubt the king of this market. Check out Glitter and Gold featuring famous trance vocalist, JES.
Dream Trance – While not overwhelmingly popular, dream trance has an interesting history, originating in the mid-90s of Italy. Because of the raucous nature of raves, combined with their faraway hidden locations, deaths amongst party-goers driving home from events was extraordinarily high. As a response, Robert Miles wrote the song Children as a tribute and an example of a new type of track that could be played at the end of sets to wean ravers off the fast-paced, high energy songs before driving home. This style had some popularity from 1995 to 1998 but had lasting impressions on psychedelic and progressive trance.
Electro-Trance – This is the commercial sound of trance. A fusion of electro-house and trance played by the world’s biggest DJs – Hardwell, Gareth Emery, Tiesto, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, etc. It sounds more like electro-house, but has trance elements such as a soft breakdown and driving melodies that are reminiscent of trance. There are usually two or three drops. We really like Hardwell’s remix of Mark Knight & Funkagenda’s remake of Laurent Garnier’s Man With The Red Face.
Goa Trance – Goa, India had traditions in psychedelic music since the late 60s and early 70s and was known as a hotspot for hippies, drugs, and yoga (sounds like a good time, right!?). As electronic dance music came into being, Goa developed its own interpretation of the sound – eventually becoming known as Goa trance. The sound is intended to be hypnotic and driving. This is achieved in part by the use of the “acid” sound, which is not unique to trance, though certainly common. It refers specifically to the sound produced by the Roland TB-303 synthesizer.
https://soundcloud.com/alpharisc/roland-tb303-clean
Truly, a whole article could be written on Goa and Goa trance. For now, here’s a good Top 10 video for Goa’s best.
Hard Trance – Beginning and peaking in the mid-90s, this subgenre adopted the faster rhythms of Goa trance but removed the psychedelic effects. Still going strong today, trance in the 135+ BPMs, with a decidedly harder or darker sound is considered hard trance. We are big fans of XGenic for this type of sound, and his track Collision should give you a good idea of why.
https://soundcloud.com/perfecto-records-fluoro/xgenic-collision-original-mix
Progressive Trance – Emerging around the mid-90s alongside hard trance, the progressive side of things slowed (tempo wise) down the genre. It is born from the structure of deep house and the musical elements of trance. What this means is a steady, constant progression throughout the track rather than repeated breakdowns and buildups. That’s not to say the breakdown/buildup is always missing from progressive tunes, but it is certainly more subtle than its harder counterparts. It is important to note that the line between progressive house and progressive trance is thin. We would even push you to think of progressive as a genre unto itself – blurring the lines between house and trance. For a modern example, check out Cirrus by Thomas Hayes.
Psychedelic Trance – As Goa trance gained popularity, it evolved into a darker, more progressive style with more melodic elements. As it changed shape, it did so in name as well, becoming termed as psychedelic trance, or psytrance. Psytrance has a massive worldwide following and specific festivals are known for playing predominantly or entirely this type of music. Two popular examples are Rainbow Serpent in Australia and BOOM in Portugal. Check out 1200 Microgram’s LSD for a classic.
Or, Yahel & Infected Mushroom’s Electro Panic (Yahel & Funk Trunk Remix) for the more modern, progressive side of psytrance.
Tech Trance – As it sounds, it is a combination of techno and trance. Vocal and “real instrument” sounds while popular in other forms of Trance, are nearly missing from Tech Trance. Instead, we have a wide variety of interesting synthesized effects. Back near its inception ,tech trance was a splinter of hard trance, pumping out guys like Guyver, with this stunning 2003 track, Differences.
Nowadays, we have Mark Sherry really helping to push this subgenre into its glory days. Check out Trailblazer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGuVeVsKHq4
Uplifting Trance – One of the most popular subgenres, uplifting trance is closely associated with the euphoric rush some people get when listening to trance. It is generally 135-140 BPM, consists of long ambient sections, major (happy) chords and often has some sort of angelic vocals – either as a main component of the song or purely in the background. Some tracks don’t have a driving beat, and tend towards the progressive side, while other go all out and combine a ton of energy with the happy happy trance-y tunes. True Romance by Arctic Moon gives us that bliss.
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