Unpopular trance/electronic music opinions

Archon

Gagi
TranceFix Crew
Jun 27, 2020
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Yeah. Relatively great was what I meant to say. Not 2004-great.
 
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dmgtz96

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Jul 13, 2020
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The US did not "kill trance."
It's not like US promoters/managers actively threatened the careers of trance musicians from Europe. Trance was just never that big in the US. Americans were probably more concerned with acts like Daft Punk, Eminem, and genres like house or rap. If you want to blame anyone for the "death of trance," blame the producers who wanted to make a quick buck off of the American market.
 
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Redrot

Senior Member
Jan 11, 2022
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Northern California
This ought to be a good one on here: Matt Darey, Push, Lieb, and Airwave are overrated. And while Ferry Corsten made some cheeseball anthems back in the day and "killed trance" as Ishkur puts it, he was also one of the only big-name DJs who consistently was trying new, different things (within the range of still commercially-viable sounds). That's still somewhat true today as far as more mainstream artists go.

(I still like to love the above artists, but some purists go on about them like they're the 2nd coming of trance jesus)
 

dmgtz96

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Jul 13, 2020
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This ought to be a good one on here: Matt Darey, Push, Lieb, and Airwave are overrated. And while Ferry Corsten made some cheeseball anthems back in the day and "killed trance" as Ishkur puts it, he was also one of the only big-name DJs who consistently was trying new, different things (within the range of still commercially-viable sounds). That's still somewhat true today as far as more mainstream artists go.

(I still like to love the above artists, but some purists go on about them like they're the 2nd coming of trance jesus)
Lieb was phenomenal up until ~2006ish when he joined the minimal techno bandwagon

Airwave in general had great production quality, and O is arguably one of the greatest trance tracks ever made. I will say that his more popular, progressive work on this forum (ex. Angelica, Atlas Winds) is overrated compared to his more commercial, uplifting work (Fire & Ice project), but overall he was consistently good up until ~2015 when he started making boring progressive music full-time.

I consider Strange World (2000 remake) as one of the top 10 best trance tracks ever, so I'm going to have to disagree with respect to Push. I'm not a fanboy of him or anything, and I don't listen to much of his work, but the few tracks I've enjoyed from him (Totally Fascinated M.I.K.E.'s Totally Mix, Massive Motion, Pound) are brilliant.

I agree with you on Matt Darey. Point Zero and Gamemaster are the only tracks I've liked from him. He just isn't my taste in trance.
 
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Daysleeper

Lost in Trancelation
Jul 13, 2020
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Sweden
This ought to be a good one on here: Matt Darey, Push, Lieb, and Airwave are overrated. And while Ferry Corsten made some cheeseball anthems back in the day and "killed trance" as Ishkur puts it, he was also one of the only big-name DJs who consistently was trying new, different things (within the range of still commercially-viable sounds). That's still somewhat true today as far as more mainstream artists go.

(I still like to love the above artists, but some purists go on about them like they're the 2nd coming of trance jesus)
Says the one who reguarly praises cold blue , atkinson, noble six etc. Good attempt at trying to be "different". And im not a fanboy of any of those names btw.
 
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Redrot

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Jan 11, 2022
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Northern California
Lol, guilty as charged, at least with Atkinson. I'm not sure saying CB or TNS making competent uplifting in 2020 beyond is really praise on that level, and honestly I wouldn't hold them up to any of the above names (well, maybe Darey, I never really got the hype for him).

Just remember, "overrated" is not the same as "not good" ;) Wouldn't be an "unpopular thread" opinion if it was all full of popular opinions.
 

dmgtz96

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Jul 13, 2020
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Darude - Label This! [2007] is an interesting, high-quality trance album that time forgot and that few people will take seriously due to the meme status of Sandstorm
 
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Archon

Gagi
TranceFix Crew
Jun 27, 2020
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Trance, as a genre, will die out slowly but surely, over the next 10-15 years.
 
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dmgtz96

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Trance, as a genre, will die out slowly but surely, over the next 10-15 years.
Depends on what the major labels decide to do.
If Anjuna, ASOT, Black Hole, FSOE, Pure Trance, JOOF slowly move away from trance and more into ~120-124 bpm house/electronica, that will be the death of the genre.
Trance already isn't popular in NL, which is crazy to think about given that we're literally in an NL forum. Never mind in the rest of the world.
 

Quethas

Member
Jul 15, 2020
170 Posts
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Finland
Trance, as a genre, will die out slowly but surely, over the next 10-15 years.
Trance has been in decline in popularity for 20 years or so. I don't think that is going to change. Electronic music and especially club music is a small market and trance is a niche and aging market even in that perspective.

My unpopular opinion is continuation of the same thought. There won't be a resurrection of trance and it won't become popular anymore. At least not from the current trance scene. If something, we may get some updated and different version of trance from some retro trend where other genres fuses some ideas from the old trance. Or then "another round" may start from the more melodic side of techno. But whatever it is, the change will spark elsewhere (if it ever does).

Darude - Label This! [2007] is an interesting, high-quality trance album that time forgot and that few people will take seriously due to the meme status of Sandstorm
I actually... somewhat agree with you. I am not sure if it is truly interesting but it is surprisingly high quality stuff even though first tracks give a nod to the more commercial side of things. I also think Rush is a fine trance album.
 

Nerio

Member
Aug 2, 2020
140 Posts
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Opinions, opinions, opinions.... But for someone to write exactly why one is better and the other worse (musically) no one write that.
Not only in terms of song structure.
Try look on 10 hour lecture about music from Christian Berdahl Distraction Dilemma (yes christian i know) but if you only focus on the topic of music, he presented some interesting facts.
 

dmgtz96

Elite Member
Jul 13, 2020
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Opinions, opinions, opinions.... But for someone to write exactly why one is better and the other worse (musically) no one write that.
Not only in terms of song structure.
Try look on 10 hour lecture about music from Christian Berdahl Distraction Dilemma (yes christian i know) but if you only focus on the topic of music, he presented some interesting facts.
I mean, you nailed it. This thread is about opinions; you don't need an explanation to justify them. Otherwise this would be the unpopular trance / electronic music facts thread.
 

IXM

Senior Member
Oct 18, 2021
397 Posts
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POLAND
Trance has been in decline in popularity for 20 years or so. I don't think that is going to change. Electronic music and especially club music is a small market and trance is a niche and aging market even in that perspective.

My unpopular opinion is continuation of the same thought. There won't be a resurrection of trance and it won't become popular anymore. At least not from the current trance scene. If something, we may get some updated and different version of trance from some retro trend where other genres fuses some ideas from the old trance. Or then "another round" may start from the more melodic side of techno. But whatever it is, the change will spark elsewhere (if it ever does).


I actually... somewhat agree with you. I am not sure if it is truly interesting but it is surprisingly high quality stuff even though first tracks give a nod to the more commercial side of things. I also think Rush is a fine trance album.

one track and everything will change
 

dmgtz96

Elite Member
Jul 13, 2020
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I actually... somewhat agree with you. I am not sure if it is truly interesting but it is surprisingly high quality stuff even though first tracks give a nod to the more commercial side of things. I also think Rush is a fine trance album.
Yeah, it's commercial trance but executed so well. Very few producers integrated well guitars/rock in non-psytrance, yet Darude pulled it off.
Album highlights:
  • My Game
  • Tell Me
  • Good Grooves (feels like a sci fi game OST with trance on top)
  • Bad. Tech-trance that is simultaneously great electro-trance
  • Label This
  • For Those I Love. Like a better version of Lost. Great use of the Sandstorm sound withour it being a Sandstorm rip-off.

Rush was also good. Album highlights:
  • Serendipity (tech trance)
  • Healing (tech-trance... holy shit that acid)
  • Ranta (not trance)
  • Music (original)
  • Next to You (origina)
 

Jetflag

Elite Member
Jul 17, 2020
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Trance as a genre is already immortal.

it cannot die. Exact same thing happened with Hardcore after its rise and fall from popularity. The only way for trance to die is by means of say a massive gamma ray burst of meteorite impact kindly wiping out half the planet and the whole internet and every relevant library, ushering in a nuclear winter and century decay of trivial (art) knowledge in favor of basic survival skills.

other then that there will always be some corner or back alley where trance or some form thereof will be found.


^ I don't know if that counts as an unpopular opinion by the way but hey you can suck it up and like it non the less.
 
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dmgtz96

Elite Member
Jul 13, 2020
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Trance as a genre is already immortal.

it cannot die. Exact same thing happened with Hardcore after its rise and fall from popularity. The only way for trance to die is by means of say a massive gamma ray burst of meteorite impact kindly wiping out half the planet and the whole internet and every relevant library, ushering in a nuclear winter and century decay of trivial (art) knowledge in favor of basic survival skills.

other then that there will always be some corner or back alley where trance or some form thereof will be found.


^ I don't know if that counts as an unpopular opinion by the way but hey you can suck it up and like it non the less.
Depends on how you interpret "the death of trance." I think the organized trance scene (ASOT, FSOE, Pure Trance) will eventually die, and the genre will be maintained only by amateur/extremely underground producers (like Enigma State).
Once the big guys are gone, so will the trance festivals that are the last bastion/proof there still is a trance scene. After that, the genre will be on its last legs, which could (in theory) remain that way forever.
 
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