Similar trance tracks & rip-offs

[Uplifted]

I think this thread might be really interesting as I love noticing the similarities in trance melodies & finding ripped-off tracks

Nowadays I keep recognizing the same & same similarities with older tracks and this keeps getting on my nerves. So many tracks are getting released without labels knowing that the tracks are stolen.

For example just few hours ago I was listening to a 2010 Liquid Soul production called "Be Free" and noticed that the sample is completely stolen from "Cass & Slide - Perception". Funny that I didn't find a single comment noticing it...

Despite this misunderstanding Liquid Soul is still one of my favourite progressive psy trance artists and a legend.

Also will attach some other tracks I've found out are too similar just to be a coincidence.

All of these were found only by myself but I've seen much more similarities found by other people. Might post them later in this thread.

Liquid Soul - Be Free (2010). (starting at 0:07)

Cass & Slide - Perception (2000) (starting at 0:00)

Another one comes from Saad Ayub (who has actually been exposed before).

I've discovered this similarity in November 2016 when my friend just sent me a cut of "Saad Ayub Feat. Francesca Genco - Solitude" (which was played earlier on ASOT radioshow) by saying that the part from 1:23 sounds like Armin van Buuren - Serenity. I agreed, it's pretty same, but in a moment i realized that THE WHOLE main melody is a total rip-off of another track, i just couldn't remember which one! I searched my entire trance collection till 2am that night and finally found it - the melody was completely stolen from "Fady & Mina - Overdrive", a track from 2011, which was released on FSOE.

Fady & Mina - Overdrive (2011) (starting at 2:20)

Saad Ayub feat. Francesca Genco - Solitude (2016). (starting at 3:19)

And now 2 (!!) tracks from Eximinds and Arctic Motion which have the similar melody to the famous Bobina - Invisible Touch (Ferry Corsten's Touch Mix).

There's also a track called tranzLift - Fall Of Icarus, but the creator himself said that he took the idea from "Invisible Touch".

Not sure if these 2 below are stolen or just a strange similarity.

Bobina - Invisible Touch (Ferry Corsten Touch) (2008). (starting at 3:14)

Eximinds - Phoenix (Original Mix) (2014). (starting at 2:33)

Arctic Motion - Aurora (Original Mix) (2014). (starting at 3:14)

Now an unknown producer called Alexander Balderas and a track called "Determined".

Anyone heard about a 2015 game called "Undertale"? I finished it and really enjoyed it - good story, great animation despite the fact that it's 8bit RPG, dreamy atmosphere and tense play (especially on pacifist lvl).

If you've played the game than you know that the term "determination" is deeply connected to the story background (e.g., when you die in game, the voice tells you "Chara, stay determined" and you respawn)..

So this mexican guy just stole one of the OST's - "toby fox - His Theme" or "toby fox - Memory" (the melody is same in both, just the performance is different) and didn't mention anywhere about it.

Toby Fox (the creator of 'Undertale') made ALL THE GAME BY HIMSELF - even the soundtracks. It took him almost 3 years to finish it (yeah, i've read interview with the game designer) and then just some producer takes his melody idea and re-writes it as his own.

toby Fox - His Theme (Undertale OST) (2015) (right from the start)

Alexander Balderas - Determined (Original Mix) (2016) (starting from 1:31)

P.S. Solarstone has been informed about this.

 

[Uplifted]

And another one stolen from a timeless 'Midway - Amazon'.

Midway - Amazon (Original Mix) (2003) (starting at 3:00)

Allan McLuhan - Seduction (Original Mix) (2013) (starting at 1:16)
https://soundcloud.com/allanmcluhan%2Fallan-mcluhan-seduction
Now smth similar to 'Sebastian Brandt - Paragon'.

Not stolen I guess but really similar.

Sebastian Brandt - Paragon (Original Mix) (2013) (starting at 2:55)

James Dymond - Helios (Original Mix) (2014) 3:01

And the last for now - similar tune to Robert Nickson - Spiral.

Robert Nickson - Spiral (Original Mix) (2004) (starting from 3:16)

The Thrillseekers - Find You (Ferry Tayle Remix) (2014) (notice the harmony at 3:11 to 3:25)

And maaaaany more to follow xD

 

[dmgtz96]

Similarities of plucked melodies in trance music (classic video from 2010):
There were many lazy trance producers in the early 2010s.

"The biggest Trance-ripoff ever?"
I'd beg to differ, but this one was funny. Three different producers used the same sample loop from some DAW and passed it off as their own.

Liquid Soul - Sweet Things [2008] is a direct copy of Synergy - Hello Strings [2005].

Scooter - Trance-Atlantic [2004] is too similar to Active Sight - Out of Our Lives [2003], at least the part without melody. I understand that some producers might sample beats from another track, but Trance-Atlantic basically uses the same track as Out of Our Lives with a slightly changed bassline and melody. Scooter in general were really bad about sampling other producers' tracks.

Will Atkinson - Isolator [2014] is oddly similar to Simon Patterson - We'll See [2007]. It's not a direct rip-off (calling Isolator a rip-off would be a stretch), but the similarities are there. The same goes for Numb the Pain and Push - Strange World.

 

[Uplifted]

Similarities of plucked melodies in trance music (classic video from 2010):

Yeah I wanted to attach this video as well. Also I remember Jorn van Deynhoven copycat, but it's deleted now from YouTube..

 

[dansal]

Here's a rip-off of Cern - The Message

And we can speak of Estiva who has been called out by Eric Prydz for his really really big "inspirations" of his music :

Rip-off of Pryda - Shadows:

Rip-off of Eric Prydz - Som Sas:

Apart from Estiva I can add this rip-off of Pryda - Snaz also:

 

[Uplifted]

And we can speak of Estiva who has been called out by Eric Prydz for his really really big "inspirations" of his music :

Ah yes, also there's Eric Prydz - Pjanoo rip-off

Sylvermay - Ushuaia

 

[Uplifted]

2 Askew tracks which have the borrowed ideas:

DJ Choose pres Chop Shop - Chop Shop (Joe E remix) (2009)

John Askew - Chop Salad (Original Mix) (2016) (whole track is like a rework)

AMbassador - The Fade (Fade Mix) (1999) (starting at 1:55)

John O'Callaghan - Stresstest (John Askew Remix) (2012) (starting around 3:25)

 

[Muzikxpress]

From 2007 (released in January 2008)

Released in October 2009

 

[Uplifted]

Speaking of JvD, he had a release on Trancemaster 4003 compilation with a "From Russia With Love" track with the idea stolen from Airbase.....

I wish that "Jorn van Deynhoven copycat" video was somewhere in the internet xD

Unknown Source - Nadjanema (Airbase Remix) (2003) (starting from 3:43)

JvD - From Russia with Love (Original Mix) (2004) (starting from 2:22)

 

[dmgtz96]

2 Askew tracks which have the borrowed ideas:

I had completely forgotten about the Ambassador track and Stresstest. That was pretty obvious, and Stresstest itself was underwhelming even though it had this massive breakdown.

 

[Toadcop]

tbh who cares i mean the people who want to know will know it at the end, but for 95% it's just not relevant for many many reasons. and the truth is "everyone steals" just depending how blunt.

for example


and for me One Of These Days is much much better) even i know what the melody is stolen/"remaked"
should i blame/expose AMbassador i don't really think so he used it well and built upon it.
it's also like with one of my favourite tiesto tracks



same story it's stolen but in my opinion "used" much better. so to point out some part of the track doesn't really make sense. it's all about the whole composition.


for example with RAMsterdam, Anticipation is just better) i don't care what he stole the synth/melody he used it worse and i wont listen to it. but maybe someone will, because he likes the overall sound better it's more like proposals for different "tastes" in a way. but particularly the legal stuff should be decided by the court not by people "judging"

 

[Magdelayna]

The JvD remix of RAMsterdam is an incredible track - i dont care if its a rip-off...they made it better. It made Armin cry and thats good enough for me. It has one of the greatest chord changes in Trance history,just uplifting as it gets.

Look how many tracks rip-off Shamu/Strange World and no one ever complains haha.

 

[dmgtz96]

tbh who cares i mean the people who want to know will know it at the end, but for 95% it's just not relevant for many many reasons. and the truth is "everyone steals" just depending how blunt.

same story it's stolen but in my opinion "used" much better. so to point out some part of the track doesn't really make sense. it's all about the whole composition.

That's not a good mentality to have, since that opens up mediocrity and plagiarism.
In the hip hop and trip hop world, it is common to sample tracks from past producers, which is why many of those tracks have 10+ producers on the credits.
Heck, the classic Papua New Guinea is basically a bunch of tracks thrown together, but Future Sound of London did it in a way that it sounds original.

In electronic dance music, it is very easy to pass off others' work as your own.

The Liquid Soul copy of Hello Strings is not okay. There is no indication that any part of Sweet Things is lifted off Hello Strings, even though it's essentially a carbon copy. The Stresstest remix is also not okay, as the original Ambassador - No Fade is never mentioned.
I don't have a problem with producers drawing inspiration from or even imitating previous productions to update them for a new audience. I do not think it's okay to pass them off as original productions, which is the focus of this thread. That's why they are rip offs.
Just because those productions sound better to you or more modern, that doesn't mean what they did is ethically correct.

Look how many tracks rip-off Shamu/Strange World and no one ever complains haha.

Actually, that's one of the best examples of ripping off in trance. Strange World was much better executed than Shamu, though, which is why it was remembered as one of the best trance tracks ever. The same goes for Tiesto - Suburban Train and Kid Vicious - Reform.

 

[Magdelayna]

Strange World was much better executed than Shamu

Same with the JvD remix of RAMsterdam - anyone who thinks Anticipation is better is deluded - theyre just offended it got copied. Its an incredible piece of Uplifting Trance. And theres been many great rip-offs of Strange World/Shamu which took it on another vibe. Like...Numb The Pain.

 

[Toadcop]

Actually, that's one of the best examples of ripping off in trance. Strange World was much better executed than Shamu, though, which is why it was remembered as one of the best trance tracks ever. The same goes for Tiesto - Suburban Train and Kid Vicious - Reform.

i don't see any problem you listen to what you like. the rest is legal stuff and not "your concern" (it's the concern of labels/artists/owners w/e)

Same with the JvD remix of RAMsterdam - anyone who thinks Anticipation is better is deluded - theyre just offended it got copied.

not true, i like anticipation just because of how it sounds as a whole and don't care how much anyone have copied it, if someone would do it better (in my opinion) i would listen to it. and btw i can even point out what makes for me anticipation much better/interesting it's the breakdown at 2:52 the sound effects/synth and most importantly the bass and it's balance in mix.

 

[dansal]

Of course the legal stuff should be decided by the court but do not forget that the public pays the artists for the tracks, the liveshows, the events and festivals. I do not think your boss will be happy to know that you're copying someone's stuff, why should he pay you if another one can do the job?

Personally I do not have any problem with being inspired by another artist job, but at least be honest with your fans and give the credits where they are due.

The job of an A&R today must be really complicated with the mass of productions, helped with the simplicity offered by the DAWs, the templates, presets, etc... Some people are really lazy that they simply take a template, change some stuff and voila it's ready to be sent to labels (some many tracks slip through the net and are signed by big labels)

In my opinion this bullshit really makes me wanting to go away from following the trance scene, it's very difficult to find great quality and genuine artist sound signature in nowadays trance music compared to the 2000s and I don't even talk about ghostproductions...

 

[chreddy]

I've known about this for years - in fact since the very first time I heard Anodyne on ASOT back in 2011. The melodies in these are simply too similar to be a coincidence.

James Poulton - Anodyne (starts at 3:02)

Special D - You (listen from the start)

 

[dmgtz96]

Of course the legal stuff should be decided by the court but do not forget that the public pays the artists for the tracks, the liveshows, the events and festivals. I do not think your boss will be happy to know that you're copying someone's stuff, why should he pay you if another one can do the job?

Personally I do not have any problem with being inspired by another artist job, but at least be honest with your fans and give the credits where they are due.

The job of an A&R today must be really complicated with the mass of productions, helped with the simplicity offered by the DAWs, the templates, presets, etc... Some people are really lazy that they simply take a template, change some stuff and voila it's ready to be sent to labels (some many tracks slip through the net and are signed by big labels)

In my opinion this bullshit really makes me wanting to go away from following the trance scene, it's very difficult to find great quality and genuine artist sound signature in nowadays trance music compared to the 2000s and I don't even talk about ghostproductions...

Yeah, I think it'd be best if we stopped calling them "rip-offs" and just called them out for what they are: plagiarism
It's great when people try to justify two tracks that clearly sound alike are different because their chord progressions are not the same. Like, bruh, if I copied an essay online and changed a few words around it's still not my original work. If I wrote a 10-page paper, but one paragraph was entirely lifted off somewhere else and I never reference the original work that is still plagiarism. You gotta paraphrase that.

 

[chreddy]

Scooter - Trance-Atlantic [2004] is too similar to Active Sight - Out of Our Lives [2003], at least the part without melody. I understand that some producers might sample beats from another track, but Trance-Atlantic basically uses the same track as Out of Our Lives with a slightly changed bassline and melody. Scooter in general were really bad about sampling other producers' tracks.

If Scooters numerous samples counts as well, there's probably way too many tracks to be mentioned in this thread But lets stick with the trance ones here. I can come up with these:

L.A. STYLE - James Brown Is Dead (starts at 0:03)

Scooter - Call Me Manana (starts at 0:57)

Then there's this one as well, which everyone might already know about:

Push - Strange World (2000 Remake) (starts at 1:37)

Scooter - Weekend (starts at 0:04 - oh and btw. NSFW warning)

And this final one (at least for now):

The KLF - What Time Is Love? (starts at 0:12)

Scooter - Posse (I Need You On The Floor) (starts at 0:03)

Interestingly, they even sampled the very same track a bunch of years later in Behind The Cow (starts at 0:14)

 

[Uplifted]

Not sure if Scooter should be even mentioned as he openly admitted that he samples the ideas from the famous tracks.

But anyway it's fun so here are some other trance examples he borrowed xD

Fly Away

Scooter - I'm Lonely (starts at 0:34)

Vincent De Moor - Fly Away (starts at 2:02)

Madagascar

Scooter - Main Floor (starts at 2:04)

Art Of Trance - Madagascar (Ferry Corsten Remix) (starts at 2:48)

Language (Santiago Nino Dub Tech Mix)

Scooter - Love Is An Ocean (starts at 2:06)

Hammer & Bennett - Language (Santiago Nino Dub Tech Mix) (starts at 4:40)

The Morning After (Thrillseekers Remix)

Scooter - Privileged To Witness (Walking On The Moon) (starts at 0:28)

8 Wonders - The Morning After (Thrillseekers Remix) (starts at 1:50)