What is Techno? What is Trance?

       

           It has long been debated on the issue of where trance music was originated from; many agree that it may have originated from Belgium, but there is no doubt on where it first got big in, and that’s in the United Kingdom, primarily in England. Trance is said to have taken elements out of techno, house, and regular “chill” music, or to be more exact, a “perfect mix”. Over the past two decades, trance music started to become a popular form of dance music throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Think about the following statement: “Trance culture is imbued with a fascination with various transcendental experiences- whether it is about going beyond the physical boundaries of the planet earth and exploring extra-terrestrial objects and creatures, or about going beyond the mental boundaries of known states of perception, cognition, and consciousness, with or without the use of psychotropic drugs” (Dr. Zohar Eitan). Throughout the years, many people have placed negative perception and associations towards “trance music”, but I believe otherwise. The genre of “trance” roots back to tribal music.

           
          Trance music and many other “electric sounds” don’t actually include vocals, at least not until recently. Trance music is not just a 3-minute audio file filled with “futuristic” sounds, but rather a way for DJ’s or artists to convey their message of peace. Armin Van Buuren, one of the world’s most famous Trance DJ once said, “The mind is making all sorts of hormones in your body, it makes you feel euphoric, cry, happy or feel that something is funny. It’s strange, what’s music? Music is trembling air...what sound can do to us is incredible”. It’s important for us to understand the difference between mainstream music and individual trance creations. Record labels, are owned by corporate giants that hope to generate sufficient cash to create more cash; but it discards the purpose of ‘music’. Trance music on the other hand, are usually solely owned by the artist themselves. If one ever has the opportunity to participate in a Trance festival, he/she would realize one fact: the crowd controls the mood of the concert. On the other hand, concerts hosted by, let’s say, Sony Music, would be performed with a pre-planned agenda.

            
          Expressionism is the sole explanation of all trance creations. Beneath the “sound”, lies the artist’s desire to evacuate from this materialistic world, or to be more exact, the DJ’s inherent message. Many feel that electronic music is simply a combination of computer-generated notes, but I believe otherwise. A manual control of a music software, gives you a more direct, more spontaneous, sometimes unprecise and therefore human influence on your sound than entering a controlvariation with the mouse. The theoretical art of electronic music, then becomes “alive”.

Now, back to the basics of trance music: trance is a build up of 4 to 8 layers of music. A song is usually 4 beats to a bar and is faster than house music but slower than rave music. Trance traditionally uses classical music as its base and then remixed it into a modern style. It is hard to understand it through words; in more practical terms, one must experience the music to fully acknowledge the basics of trance music.

           
            Therefore, stay tuned to a live Trance Music event this Friday (September 21, 2012), held at the University Café. Remember this: the above explanations of trance music are all theoretical assumptions; “trance music” will only be a dead genre, it won’t come “ alive” unless you hear it for yourself this Friday. 

Posted in: 音樂, Ben, Daniel, Henry, Jason, Sophie, Timothy, Tracy