Are we seeing the death of progressive trance?

Recharge

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Let me start at the begging.

Everybody noticed how one of the major trance labels - Anjunabeats started slowly going further from what I'd like to call electro and progressive trance (examples of artists and typical sounds I have in mind are Super8 & Tab, Andrew Bayer, Cosmic Gate even if they are not a part of Anjunabeats). Now Anjuna has been moving towards progressive house and melodic house & techno for years, but lately it has been started to be more noticeable especially with their anniversary compilations compared to their new releases.

I've noticed a lot of trance artists have been getting their feet 'wet' in deeper progressive sounds lately. Don't get me wrong I actually like deep progressive sounds, but on the other hand I don't want to see progressive trance gone. One of the reasons in my opinion is Covid forcing clubs closed so artists are going for more casual music rather than more club oriented one. I read in a few forums how people are moving towards listening more relaxing sounds rather than club style music which they listen occasionally.

On the other hand on the upper bpm <130+ progressive have been slowly been taken over edm-y and big room-y sounds for a very long time. Even in them I find some good music, but still lately it feels like we can kiss goodbye progressive trance.

Now I have hopes that once/when/if this finally blows away and clubs reopen will see progressive trance returning. But another part of me thinks that it might be too late.

I've actually split my main show into 3 parts because I noticed myself that I have been favouring progressive house and melodic house & techno rather than progressive trance. I spend the better part of my search for new music every week trying to find typical progressive trance sounds lately. But even then it has been a real struggle to find good new progressive trance tracks.

I know on the other hand that deep progressive sounds are the new hype and a lot of artists want to try it, so that is another take on the current situation.

I tried to keep it short and simple because I want to hear what other fans think.

What's your opinion?
 

dmgtz96

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Can you post some examples of the progressive trance that you claim is dying?

I'm always skeptical of "is trance dying" posts, because trance has been dying for two decades already and posts like it come up every once in a while. Prog house has been more popular than prog trance since the days of the Mau5. Right now everyone wants to produce the specific style of prog house you mentioned because it's in demand, as evidenced by Avoure - Aura's 28 million views in two years. I cannot think of much "progressive trance" with that same level of popularity (the more popular modern trance tracks are all basically 138+ psytech, like Armin - Bla Bla).
 
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Archon

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Yeah I was thinking maybe...but then I saw this week's TOTW from VillaNaranjos and I'm like naaah. House is more in demand, sure, but the sub-genre ain't dying yet. It's just less in demand.
 

Recharge

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Yeah I was thinking maybe...but then I saw this week's TOTW from VillaNaranjos and I'm like naaah. House is more in demand, sure, but the sub-genre ain't dying yet. It's just less in demand.
Well that my point a style of music starts 'dying' when it became out of favor/demand. We are not talikng about trance dying, but a substyle.

Can you post some examples of the progressive trance that you claim is dying?

I'm always skeptical of "is trance dying" posts, because trance has been dying for two decades already and posts like it come up every once in a while. Prog house has been more popular than prog trance since the days of the Mau5. Right now everyone wants to produce the specific style of prog house you mentioned because it's in demand, as evidenced by Avoure - Aura's 28 million views in two years. I cannot think of much "progressive trance" with that same level of popularity (the more popular modern trance tracks are all basically 138+ psytech, like Armin - Bla Bla).
Best example is Anjunabeats new release calendar. Mostly progressive house and melodic house & techno from one of the major trance labels. On the other hand their is a handful of artists from east Europe who make good progressive trance, a bit edm-y occasionally but still good. They haven't been very active lately. Enhanced is another good example for many years now.
 
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Recharge

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Are you referring to trouse ala 2010 as progressive?
I guess to some degree yes and also no. The so called trouse is long gone and already house. I am talking about the last few progressive trance sounds like Cosmic Gate for example from a few years ago. Also the truly progressive trance closer to anthemic/uplifting pre 2010 is also long gone. I guess we are in a cycle about every 10 years progressive trance evolves(devolves) depending on your view.

I am more interesting in other fans opinion. I have already made my mind. That's why I wanted to roll an discussion.

Edit: The thing about what a lot of people called trouse is that at least it had trance elements inside and we are slowly going from progressive trance and ok lets call it trouse to progressive house/melodic house & techno and in the higher bpm edm/big room. Basically progressive trance has been loosing it's identity for a very long time. But I saw the end of 2020 as the culmination point where its hard to find a few good progressive trance tracks.
 
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Propeller

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what I'd like to call electro and progressive trance (examples of artists and typical sounds I have in mind are Super8 & Tab, Andrew Bayer, Cosmic Gate
I'd never call any of these artists progressive trance nor has Anjunabeats ever been a prog trance label. Progressive trance is what artists like Tilt, Breeder, Nalin and Kane, Way Out West, Sasha, James Holden, Roland Klinkenberg, Salt Tank, etc. produced in the mid - late 90s and early 00s.

Nowadays Airwave is the king of prog trance and his productions are top notch. Plus there are many newer and emerging artists who produce quality music like Scanfix, Jamie Baggotts, Allende, Coredata, Basil O'Glue, Eli Spiral and Township Rebellion, for example. So, no, I would say far from it and you've got your definitions mixed up.
 

Recharge

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I'd never call any of these artists progressive trance nor has Anjunabeats ever been a prog trance label. Progressive trance is what artists like Tilt, Breeder, Nalin and Kane, Way Out West, Sasha, James Holden, Roland Klinkenberg, Salt Tank, etc. produced in the mid - late 90s and early 00s.

Nowadays Airwave is the king of prog trance and his productions are top notch. Plus there are many newer and emerging artists who produce quality music like Scanfix, Jamie Baggotts, Allende, Coredata, Basil O'Glue, Eli Spiral and Township Rebellion, for example. So, no, I would say far from it and you've got your definitions mixed up.
You might be right, but I think Airwave is a bad example he just released an remix album reimagining his song as prog house and progressive techno. Now I never have been good with genres and I might be very wrong. I would say from before Agneli and Nelson were typical progressive trance artist for me, but back then bpm was much higher nad it was closer to anthem trance. Also Cosmic Gate were always between tech and progressive trance. Cosmic Gate and Jes have made quite a few prog trance track together I believe around 2016. Anyways I am always willing to learn more, as I said I am not the best when it comes to sub genres.
 
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Propeller

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You might be right, but I think Airwave is a bad example he just released an remix album reimagining his song as prog house and progressive techno. Now I never have been good with genres and I might be very wrong. I would say from before Agneli and Nelson were typical progressive trance artist for me, but back then bpm was much higher nad it was closer to anthem trance. Also Cosmic Gate were always between tech and progressive trance. Cosmic Gate and Jes have made quite a few prog trance track together I believe around 2016. Anyways I am always willing to learn more, as I said I am not the best when it comes to sub genres.
Nah, you're wrong on pretty much everything. Airwave is currently the best example possible of prog trance, listen to most of his stuff from the last 10 years. True, he experiments sometimes but his signature sound is prog trance.
Cosmic Gate started off as hard trance with a commercial feel. They've never veered much from that style from what I've heard. Agnelli and Nelson were anthemic trance, not prog.

Listen to Tilt - Butterfly, Breeder - Twilo Thunder, Maria Nayler - Angry Skies (Terrestrial Vox mix 1), Tilt - My Spirit (Pink Bomb remix), Tilt - Rendezvous (Quadraphonic mix), James Holden - Horizons, Oliver Klein - Rheinkraf, Lolo - Laia's Daydream, Airwave & Phi Phi - Today is made of yesterdays. That will give you an idea of what prog trance is.
 
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Recharge

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Nah, you're wrong on pretty much everything. Airwave is currently the best example possible of prog trance, listen to most of his stuff from the last 10 years. True, he experiments sometimes but his signature sound is prog trance.
Cosmic Gate started off as hard trance with a commercial feel. They've never veered much from that style from what I've heard. Agnelli and Nelson were anthemic trance, not prog.

Listen to Tilt - Butterfly, Breeder - Twilo Thunder, Maria Nayler - Angry Skies (Terrestrial Vox mix 1), Tilt - My Spirit (Pink Bomb remix), Tilt - Rendezvous (Quadraphonic mix), James Holden - Horizons, Oliver Klein - Rheinkraf, Lolo - Laia's Daydream, Airwave & Phi Phi - Today is made of yesterdays. That will give you an idea of what prog trance is.
I feel like you are trying but confusing me more with examples like Airwave & Phi Phi - Today is made of yesterdays - it is classified as progressive house, sounds like prog house and Bonzai progressive is mostly prog house label. I know they used to be prog trance label before, they have a gazillion sub labels some of which prog trance ones.

There is a label I have in mind people say its the best prog one atm, but for the love of everything I can't remember the name. I just finished 4 hour mix and brain is like mush I remember the stuff from it sounded too tech-y for some reason. I always though prog trance sounds a bit more tech-y, but different from tech trance.

Example: Lets say Sander van Doorn and Marco V, I know the Marco is/was more tech trance, while Sander is bit of mystery for me when it comes to what styles he is.
 

dmgtz96

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... while Sander is bit of mystery for me when it comes to what styles he is.
He started off with 140 BPM tech-trance, switched to ~128-132 BPM tech-trance, then finally evolved to big-room/EDM
Never did "progressive trance." Even his more forward-thinking Purple Haze productions were still tech-trance, just a different flavor of it.

Historically, Cosmic Gate were hard-trance then kinda went the tech-trance/big-room way. Super 8 & Tab started out with uplifting trance.

Progressive trance is what artists like Tilt, Breeder, Nalin and Kane, Way Out West, Sasha, James Holden, Roland Klinkenberg, Salt Tank, etc. produced in the mid - late 90s and early 00s.
I agree, but it's not the full definition. It's just one era of "progressive trance." The 2004-era Markus Schulz side-chained "McProg" was also progressive trance. Some Anjunabeats/Anjunadeep productions from the early 2010s were also progressive trance.
 
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Propeller

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Airwave & Phi Phi - Today is made of yesterdays - it is classified as progressive house, sounds like prog house and Bonzai progressive is mostly prog house label
No it's not, dude. It is a melodic record with plenty of melodies, subtle though they are. It even has a piano melody after the breakdown.
Prog House is something different, it's stuff played by DJs like Hernan Cattaneo and John Digweed. It has different kind of rhythms and is more driven by basslines and other housey sounds. Maybe you need to learn what house music sounds like as that will help you distinguish between house and trance.
Bonzai progressive is mostly prog house label.
No, they're not and never have been. They release mostly subtle trance of prog variety.

Example: Lets say Sander van Doorn and Marco V
Again, no. As has been said above they never have produced prog trance. SvD was tech trance from the beginning,don't know what he does now. Marco V was also tech trance / hard trance.

I agree that genre definitions are somewhat blurry and can be subjective but for me it's relatively easy to categorise a record by listening to the overall feel and flavour.
 
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Sleepy Robot

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I think Progressive House and Progressive Trance have merged in recent years and all gets the progressive house label now. Look at most releases on JOOF label today. I think it's one of the reasons John changed the name of his show too.
Another label that imo still releases progressive trance is Forescape Digital. The line between the two genres is very thin. I still don't understand why one tracks gets labeled as prog house while another similar sounding track gets the (prog) trance label.

When it comes to listening at home, progressive trance/house is indeed more relaxed then the fast paced club stuff but still can also be listened to at the gym for example.
 

Recharge

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There is a label I have in mind people say its the best prog one atm, but for the love of everything I can't remember the name. I just finished 4 hour mix and brain is like mush I remember the stuff from it sounded too tech-y for some reason. I always though prog trance sounds a bit more tech-y, but different from tech trance.
I think Progressive House and Progressive Trance have merged in recent years and all gets the progressive house label now. Look at most releases on JOOF label today. I think it's one of the reasons John changed the name of his show too.
Another label that imo still releases progressive trance is Forescape Digital. The line between the two genres is very thin. I still don't understand why one tracks gets labeled as prog house while another similar sounding track gets the (prog) trance label.

When it comes to listening at home, progressive trance/house is indeed more relaxed then the fast paced club stuff but still can also be listened to at the gym for example.
I think you are right JOOF was what I was thinking about last night. Can we agree that a lifetime away a lot progressive house was also around 128 bpm and we have today a mostly merged version and and people just put trance or prog house label on a whim or trying to reach different crowds . In a sence that deep progressive sounds are a 'child' from their union.

I guess a lot of the major podcast like WYM, Alexander Popov Interplay Radioshow and DIM3NSION Selection bring a bit of confusion when it comes to what is prog trance too.

Also I get a lot of people hate the style that they call trouse (always hated that name and one of the few reason I never got active on any forums is the negativity surrounding certain styles), but its definitely closer to prog trance than tech or uplifting although some is quite anthem sounding just at slower speed. So unless you want to put it as as a separate style it is progressive.

I've also made experiments playing some around 2010 prog house at 128 to 138 naturally sped with master/key lock off (don't know how I missed to write 'off') and they basically sounded uplifting which goes to show how there is not so much difference between the styles.
 
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