New to Trance?
Check out a couple of my recs below to grow acquainted with the genre:
(All links keep you within this webpage)
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1. Beautiful, Energizing, & Repetitive: Angel (Eteson&Nicky Dub)
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2. Uplifting Symphonic Trance (Hard, Repetitive-yet-Beautiful) Everlasting (Original Mix) [Skips intro (Skips first 2:32)] Everlasting (Original
Mix) [Don't Skip Intro (long version)]
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3. Uplifting Symphonic: Amnesia (SoundLift Remix)
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4. Video of a Concert (Song is an Electro-y Hard Electronica Anthem): Elements of Life
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5. Yet More Anthem Trance:
5a. Old-School Soothing-yet -Energizing Anthem: Airwave
5b. Frenzied Euphoric Fast Old-School (1990s) Intense Uplifting Anthem: Walhalla
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6. Uplifting Vocal Trance: Just Be (Antillas Mix)
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7. Balearic Vocal Trance (Sad/Reaffirming) Lost (Original Chill Mix)
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8. Progressive Trance (Harder, Multi-tempo Chill-Out): Fake Awake (Blizzard Remix)
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9. Uplifting Trance (Electro-y & Latin-y): Sounds Rushing (David West Remix)
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10. Vocal Progressive Trance (Laid-Back): Punta Del Este (Beach Mix)
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11. Vocal Trance (Midtempo Melancholy): Miracle
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12. Vocal Trance (Harder):
Falling Everything (Cosmic Gate Remix) Concert Video
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13. Progressive (fast & uplifting) :
(Wonderful Video of Penguins) Make This Your Day (Gareth Emery Dub Rmx)
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14. Vocal Anthem: Nothing But You
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15. Brief Transitions:
Blossom (Lounge Mix) In the Past
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16. Chill-Out Balearic Trance:
Sunny Tales (Original)
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17. Trance Downtempo God Surrounds Us
What is Latin Trance / Chillout / Balearic Trance?
Balearic Trance, Balearic Beat, Balearic House, and Ibiza Trance are all closely related genres that developed for the
single specific purpose of being music for people to listen to as they sit on the beach watching the sunset.
Key to the development of these genres was the bar Cafe del Mar located on the Balearic party & vacation island of Ibiza.
(Ibiza
belongs to Spain, but like Barcelona is a Catalan culture, with the official name in Catalan (Eivissa), not in Spanish.
Probably the most influential work in shaping these genres is the Cafe del Mar series of albums (Volumes 1-16, Dreams
1-4, Chillhouse 1-5, etc), released by the bar itself. The series is so popular that when I was in Uruguay for a Latin
America Forum we organized at work hosted by their central bank, the central bank played Cafe del Mar as the background
music for the reception & lunch.
Unlike uplifting trance and progressive, the original Balearic genre was meant as dance music, and so would
not have
made good
exercise music.
It originally was a genre designed to be background music, chillout, or downtempo.
In the past few years, however, danceable Balearic trance has blossomed. Sunlounger and some others
now release two
versions of all their songs: a chill-out version and a dance version. (Sometimes an acoustic version is also
released.) Given that Balearic trance is based in Spain, it is not suprising that it usually exudes a latin
feel. Therefore, although others don't yet, I will call uptempo Balearic Trance "Latin Trance" instead.
The specific sub-genre of
Balearic Trance particular is shaped
by the radio show Magic Island: Music for a Balearic People, which plays harder uplifting trance and progressive in the
first house and chill-out balearic trance and soft progressive in the second hour. Like all trance, the
Balearic flavor is built around melodies (although often more subdued) and has a bpm in the usual trance
range of 125-145, although usually around 130.
The left & below links show 4 trance genres:
- Uplifting/Anthem Tr.
- Progressive Trance - Vocal Trance - Balearic Trance
(Within these, trance producers
often merge trance with house,
jazz, ambient, classical, indie,
electro, psy-trance, pop, hip-
hop, techno, alt., Euro/HiNRG,
Latin, chill-out, or downtempo.)
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In case you like a couple of my recommendations at left, below (random order), are
more of
my all-time favorites:
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Concert Video: Classical-Based Distorted-Sounds Anthem:
Adagio For Strings