Back in to good ol’ days of year 2000 – 2001 I drifted into the wonderful world of trance music. My first ever trance album was Pal Van Dyk’s Out There And Back which I bought somewhere in 2000. I also had some compilation cd’s like trance 2000 and Trance 2000 vol 2. At that time I wasn’t fallen into this genre yet – I listened and digged it, but it was just a nice dance music to my ears.
But then, it happened: somwhere in the early ‘01, trance really hit me hard! I bought a compilation CD called Trancefloor.net (2001) and included were some very uplifting and melodic tracks such as Airfire feat. Talla 2XLC – No Signs Of Life, Svensson – Clubbin On Sunshine, System F – Cry (Oliver Llieb Remix), Traveler – Bright Sun… so much energy, drive and emotion! I got goosebumps all over and I WAS SOLD! 
It was a golden era of trance and also a starting point for my music hobby.
Unfortenately, that era is long gone now…
…and electro house seem to rule.. 
Electro house has taken over all the dance music and IMO it’s the reason that SOUL has disappeared from modern trance. It has killed the traditional trance. Trance sounds more and more like electro house. Sure, there are tons of brilliantly produced trance songs which have cool elements, basslines, rhythms and wacky effects, but where’s the sensation, uplift, drive and memorable melodies? All I here is slow electro house style drumloops, blips and blops everywhere without anykind of emotion or memorable theme… And most of the songs sounds like they’ve come from the same procuder. Everything’s sounding the same. Everyone’s using same drumkits, loops, fx, sidechain compression pumping, etc. There’s no variation in production techniques.
Seriously, it seems electro house has taken over the whole EDM scene. It has infiltrated into every dance music genre, not only trance. Just listen. But most dramatically into trance. Modern trance sounds like 30% trance and rest is electro house: bleeps, blops, wacky fx’s, weird noises, pumping sidechain compression, no melody and if there is it builds up only into first breakdown and then…. nothing… it doesn’t develope anywhere from there, just more bleeps, blops, snap-crackle-and-pops-with-pumping-bass-and-fx and then all the way to outro. Plain boring, I say! No doubt it’ll work on a dance floor, but when “trance DJ’s” play it in their “trance radio shows” it gives me just YAWNS and definetely none of these songs won’t ever stick to my head and most definetely I ain’t gonna listen ‘em again or buy a cd or MP3.
Why’s electro house infiltrated everywhere? Because it’s so freakin’ popular! DJ’s play it, people like to dance to it and there’s some money to be made with it. Of course every producer want’s his music to be popular (and I don’t blame them, I wan’t that too), so add a little electro house elements to your music and you have a hit!
Sometimes I wonder maybe the reason why everything’s electro house these days is because producers have run out of ideas? Maybe all the melodies has been used already so all there is left is just electro house style blips, blops, clicks, fx and drums?
Nah, I don’t think so. It’s just so uber-POP! 
I don’t say all electro house is bad; even I like some of the catchier tunes from this genre. It’s just I hate because it has been infiltrated everywhere. Too much is too much. And most sadest thing is it seemed to have killed traditional uplifting trance. No one doesn’t seem to produce good trance anymore and I miss those good ol’ days of hard energy emotional tunes..
Or maybe I’m just getting old and hankering back to the good ol’ days when everything seemed to be better
If you’re a fan of electro house, don’t be offended what I wrote here, this is just my opinion and my taste of music!
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I totally feel you here.
I dj and produce music in the Industrial/EBM scene, and Electro House has even taken over that!
The Goth/Industrial clubs are now playing songs that sound just like Benny Benassi with more distortion and growly vocals over it.
I love Electro bass lines, but it seriously seems like all EDM is just becoming a variation of Electro.
DJ PsyOP(Quote)
yeap,
I’m waiting a time when electro-house isn’t so popular anymore, and producers and dj’s start to create something original again
Petri Suhonen(Quote)
I feel ur pain with snap-crackle-pop music! I too miss the melodic patterns.
The new electro stuff sounds like it’s packed full of gimicks and FXs at the cost of quality sounds. Yes it’s easier listening to it when you’re wasted at the club – NOT :/
On the other hand, thanx to mind numbing amounts of electro everywhere, the general audienc is getting a bit tired of it. That said, it has broaden their view to different genres such as deep and tech house/detroit/techno/indie and so on. If you step into a club, thats not floating in the main stream, you may find that dj’s are starting to play tracks with more simple and straightforward structures. Almost like back to old school club style music where songs have a story to tell. Maybe not a lifestory, but an honest one… Kilstorm(Quote)
Kilstorm,
That’s interesting to hear! Maybe the new golden era of old school is rising faster than we think
Can’t wait!
Petri Suhonen(Quote)
I only discovered trance in July of 2009 so can you give me names of the biggest hits of earlier trance so I can compare modern and older and see the differences? Alex(Quote)
Alex,
I recommend you to take listen on these (You can find most of them on youtube). Not all of them became big hits, but still, great trance! Most of them are from the years 2000-2001:
- Airfire feat Talla 2XCL – No Signs Of Life (Original Mix)
- Airwave – Lightspeed (Original Mix)
- Apotygma Berzerk – Kathy’s Song (Ferry Corsten Remix)
- Bedrock – Heaven Scent (Original Mix)
- Paul Van Dyk – For An Angel (Original Mix)
- BT – Mercury And Solace (Original Mix)
- Coast 2 Coast – Home (Original Mix)
- Traveller – Bright Sun (Original Mix)
- System F – Cry (Olive Llieb Remix)
- Cygnus X – Superstring (Rank 1 Remix)
- Delerium feat Sarah McLahlan – Silence (Dj Tiesto In Search Of Sunrise Remix)
- Dj Natron & Reverb pres Flutlicht – Mutterkorn (Original Mix)
- Dumonde – Never Look Back (Dumonde Full On Vocal Mix)
- Future Breeze – Mind In Motion (Vintage Mix)
- George Acosta – Emotions (Dj Marc La Cruz Remix)
- Solar Stone – Seven Cities (Katcha Remix)
- Gouryella – Tenshi (Original Extended Mix)
- James Holdern – Horizons (Original Mix)
- Kamaya Painters – Far From Over (Original Mix)
- Kid Vicious – Re-form (Dj Tiesto Mix)
- Slusnik Luna – Sun (Original Mix)
- Madonna – What It Feels Like For A Girl (Above & Beyond Remix)
- Rank 1 – Awakening (Ferry Corsten Remix)
- Push – Universal Nation
- Svenson – Clubbin’ On Sunshine (Dj Mellow-D vs Pulsedriver Rmx)
- Svenson & Gielen – The Beauty Of Silence (Original Mix)
- Tastexperience – Tantrix (Original Mix)
- Ultravibe – Choose Freedom (Original Mix)
- Vincent De Moor – Sunflowers (Original Mix)
- Faithless – God Is A Dj (Original Mix)
- Moogwai – Viola (Armin Van Buuren Remix)
- Pulser – Cloudwalking (Original Mix)
- Ralphie B – Massive (Original Mix)
- VDM – No Hesitation (Original Mix)
- Sureal – You Take My Breathe Away (Dj Tiesto Remix)
Oops… the list got a bit long
anyway, have fun listening!
Petri Suhonen(Quote)
I think I went through same thing, but when I think back maybe electro house is what I was looking for. I use to listen to trance greatly, but I was always looking for a different trance artist with a different or more unique sound. Until that faithful day while looking on the internet I ran into electro house, and immediately embrace it. IT also inspired me to make my own, but its just maintstream, just as disco. I give it about 2 more years(more/less)and it well be in the history books. Nick(Quote)
Nick,
I must say there ARE some pretty clever tracks in electro-house genre or one of it’s subgenres, no doubt. It’s just that tradtional uplifting trance has been the “thing” for me where it all started so I guess I’m sort of hankering back to the good ‘ol days (or I’m just getting old) lol
Petri Suhonen(Quote)
Heres hoping Trance Music gets better in 2011 Luther Morla(Quote)
Same here! Petri Suhonen(Quote)
Have any of you guys heard of Above & Beyond? Those guys know how to make REAL trance IMO. Google them and check them out. Elijah(Quote)
Yep! They’re amazing! I have several of their songs in my computer and I can say they’re one of my early influences. Petri Suhonen(Quote)
Woo!! I’m not alone
some other good artists in my opinion are Oliver smith and Daniel Kandi. Do you know of any other artists who have a style similar of that to above and beyond? Elijah(Quote)
Yep, you’re certainly not alone here
A&B are one of the biggest names in the whole trance-scene. They also have their own weekly radio show called “Trance Around The World” and they do a lot of DJ:ing all around the world. Busy guys!
I recommend you to check out music from Super 8 & Dj TAB; they have very similar style to Above&Beyond. Also, P.O.S is recommended. That’s Paavo Siljanmäki’s own project. Petri Suhonen(Quote)