Fucking class work mate. Will have a lot of fun exploring through this.
Thanks!
Some questions. You call it a "classic trance database", but what is your definition of classic? There's no way in hell 10,000 classics, let alone 100,000. Classic to me means both old and gold, meaning they are seriously class tacks from the golden era. I showed my pal and he thinks classics is exclusively for tracks that were hits from the golden era, making them classics. I'm guessing you are just using it as a blanket term for anything released before 2008?
When it comes to the Classic Trance Database, the word classic just means tunes that were released in an era that is commonly referred to as the classic trance era, and which based on the consensus of most trance lovers, lasted from the early 90s till the mid-2000s. There is a specific artistic philosophy and a way of making music that was present throughout this era, but is pretty much absent when it comes to tracks produced later, and naturally, this differentiates these older tracks from the newer ones substantially, hence the different naming of them (classic vs. modern). But obviously, when we are not trying to separate one era of a genre from another using words like classic and such, the word classic in itself only refers to tracks that stood the test of time, have true artistic merit, and still sound great today. And that's where the Classic Trance Curated Database comes in.
Second question. You are curating the database, which Is a great idea. Part of the reason I keep returning to this forum is because the classic section is out of this world, and I am finding new music each month here, that youtube has no chance of serving me up randomly. To get a sense of your where you land musically, what are your top 10, 20, 50 tracks? I puts better weight on the curated version to know there is some good taste here.
I remember
writing about this in the Unpopular Trance Music Opinions thread. I recommend you to read through this comment of mine as it gives you a lot of insight into my thought process. I think trance may have peaked artistically in the early '90s (perhaps in '94/'95), but the most amount of high-quality tunes were produced in the late '90s and early 2000s. I believe my choices roughly reflect this.
Two of my favorite tracks are
Ace Da Brain - Magic Waters (2005) and
The Source Experience - The Source Experience (1993). Magic Waters feels like an abstract theatre stage play that is brought to life simply by melodies alone. It has a three-act structure, each focusing on different subjects, themes, and emotions (such as birth, growing up, facing obstacles, finding love, dealing with tragedy, and learning to let things go), while the essence of the music is telling a story about life itself. Andreas Schmidt's genius shines the brightest here. He is the master of audio-based storytelling. As for The Source Experience, well: I think it tells you a lot that in 1-2 years I listened to it 200-300 times and with each listening, I find more depth in it, I uncover more layers of it. It's a timeless masterwork.
There are also some tunes from the early '90s that I think sort of represent trance's artistic peak I previously mentioned, such as
Cosmic Baby - Fantasia (Celestial Harmonies) (1994),
Nostrum - Polaris (1995), and
Mystic Force - Mystic Force (1994) (this last one had a lot of uploads, including one with 1 million views, but somehow most got deleted from YT). Fantasia is probably the most beautiful and magical thing I've ever heard, I just got emotional again while listening to it. Polaris feels like a monumental journey through time and space, with one of the best uses of acid elements I've seen in this genre (Nostrum was the king of this acid-trance infusion though). And there's also Mystic Force, a brilliant example of early ambient-trance that completely entrances me with its hypnotic melodies.
I also have some favorites from the late '90s and early 2000s (when trance became more commercial).
Lange - Follow Me (Lange's Club Mix) (2000) is by far my favorite of those classic club anthems that everyone knows as I think it hits the highest emotional/euphoric highs for me. I also love
Malcolm McLaren's The Bell Song (Parks & Wilson Vs. Obscure Remembrance Mix) (1997), which shows you how to blend classical music elements with trance elements to create a long and satisfying journey.
Andromeda - Trip To Space (1993) is another gigantic favorite of mine because I love those early trance tunes that are infused with some rave/happy hardcore elements and I think it's the best example of them.
And, of course, how could I forget about some of the tracks created by The Sunday Club? There's
Healing Dream (1997), which could very well be the Mona Lisa of trance (I've seen it being called that multiple times), while
Paladian Dawn (1995) and their remix of
The Art Of Trance's Kaleidoscope (1997) are also incredible. I also like experimental records that show you how to play with the rules of trance without stepping out of its boundaries. A good example of this is
Set In Stone (1996) by Bedrock, which actually shows that not everything is set in stone.
Final thought. The 5 star rating system is awful for these things. There is not enough breadth to delineate between great tracks. I would assume all your curated list is 5 star music, how could it not be? Ok, so then how to make a distinction between those ones?
The Curated Database lists tracks rated at 4, 4.5, or 5 stars by me, not just tracks rated at 5 stars. Here's a rough rundown of what each of those ratings means.
5 stars mean the track is essentially immaculate. It perfectly achieves the artistic vision it sets out to create. Its central melody is powerful, long-lasting, and truly memorable. It also has an enjoyable build-up and deconstruction part that does not feel like an afterthought. 5-star tracks are also quite often deeply layered and rich melodically, opening up more (and becoming more rewarding) after multiple listening.
4.5-star tracks share many similarities with 5-star tracks - thus also having the potential to become 5-star ones - but I do not have enough experience with them yet to confidently call them flawless masterworks (deciding this requires many thorough listening sessions). In other cases, a 4.5-star rating could mean that while the given track achieves its vision perfectly, it fails to stand out as much and be as memorable as 5-star tracks. Finally, a track could achieve a 4.5-star rating if it's close to being perfect, but it has a few questionable parts that are not quite up to my quality standards (weaker transitions, short segments that do not fully complement the rest of the music, etc.).
Any track that achieves at least 4 stars is worth listening to on its own because it has such high quality. These are tracks that (similarly to 4.5-5 star ones) have a recognizable melody, and will more than likely stick with you. Furthermore, many of them are already considered to be a classic in the trance scene. However, they are not quite up to the quality level of some of trance's finest works (4.5-5-star tracks) for one reason or another (e.g., a memorable, but not truly outstanding melody, or a build-up and deconstruction part that feels a little tagged-on and doesn't really complement/support the melodic hook).
There is also a Secondary Sheet now in the database that lists a bunch of tracks that have some potential for mixes and DJ sets because they are generally solid, but do not leave such a lasting impression that they would be worth listening to on their own. These tracks are unrated but they are generally around 3-3.5 stars. In other cases, these are tracks that are really good but not trancey enough.
It would be interesting to see what Andy Weatheral said in that booklet.
