A State Of Trance

Posted: 16 August 2008

I recall when I was quite young, I loved to listen to dance hall and Euro-pop: you know, like Aqua and Eiffel 65. I still remember when I used to almost get high hearing Eiffel 65’s Move Your Body and The Riddle by Gigi D’Agostinho. I used to sing them everywhere: in school, playtime, in the bathroom; everywhere. As years passed I gradually outgrew these “bubblegum” genres and moved on to a type of sound that would mesmerize and transfix, captivate and uplift. And it still has the same effect even today.

Trance-fixed

The music is called trance because of the repetitive rhythms and melodies that feature in most pure trance tracks. The first trance single I listened to was Hold You by ATB back in 2001. Those were the years trance music had gained immense popularity, especially in Europe. I guess I was in the 7th standard. I think the reason I liked trance then was because I liked to dance when I was a kid. There was no real connection with the music: it just had a good rhythm and a steady progressive buildup.

Later on, I developed a fondness for ambient music, also known as Avantgarde or New Age. Ambient music is virtually an unknown sub-genre of electronic music that has very low mainstream popularity. The word ambient means diverting attention away from itself. But that was far from what effect it had on me. I was particularly addicted to the German (again) music project Enigma. Epic tracks like Gravity Of Love, Sadeness (Part 1), Push The Limits and Morphing Thru Time blew my mind again and again. I immediately fell for the dark ambiance, minimal vocals and the almost spiritual mood of the tracks. If you want a taste of ambient music but don’t know where to begin, these tracks are unmissable.

When I entered college, I began to wonder whether there could exist a mixture of two of my favorite music types: trance and ambient. How I wished that Enigma would somehow come out with trance songs, or something like trance. I happened to check out Wikipedia and I found that there indeed was such a genre: ambient trance! I immediately looked for pioneering artists and went through the names: Oliver Lieb, Chicane, etc. I particularly enjoyed Chicane, most of his early albums are now collector’s items and are considered as the front runners of ambient trance. Songs of noteworthy mention by Chicane are Saltwater, Lost You Somewhere and Sunstroke (Disco Citizens Remix). Even some of ATB’s newest tracks can be loosely placed in this category (Beautiful Worlds).

House Is Where The Heart Is

Recently, during the 2008 Carnival in Goa, I attended a UB40 tribute concert (Yes reggae: my musical taste is varied, you see). The opening act was a British DJ (don’t even know his name) who played some wicked tribal house tracks (couldn’t recognize those either). I have been worshiping house music since then. House music is probably the most acclaimed electronic music form out there (no nightclub does without it, atleast in Goa, or so I’ve heard). Characterized by the relentless pounding of the kickdrum sometimes referred to as “four-on-the-floor” (the part I love the most). It was made popular by resident DJ Frankie Knuckles in the warehouses of Chicago in the 1970s and 80s as a derivative of disco, synthpop and new age. I fell in love with a sub-genre of house music called French house. It has a “clean” sound, somewhat like its is filtered. Some artists I enjoy are Mylo, Eric Prydz and Daft Punk. My favorite house tracks as of now are Stardust’s Music Sounds Better With You, Flawless by The Ones and The Sound Of Violence (Narcotic Thrust Remix) by Cassius.

So there you have it: my favorite musical genres as of today, ambient trance and French house. Let me know if you find other tracks of worthy mention... Peace.

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