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 Vocal Trance?
In general, vocal trance music refers to any trance music (of any trance genre) that has vocals.
Of the trance music I listen to, around 30% has vocals. Sometimes it is just vocal effects, without words, and
these would not qualify as vocal trance, especially if the effects do not occur in most of the piece. Sometimes,
the vocals are just a couple of words, either repeated, or occuring at key points. And often there are
lyrics.
Unlike in pop or rock music, in trance the vocals usually are not responsible for carrying the melody & so there is
unlimited freedom do to as much or as little, however the producer may want, with vocals. Also unlikely pop or rock music,
vocals usually are not tightly knit, and so can proceed slowly and often impart a relaxing, soothing, or other uniquely
emotional vibe. As one trance singer says, in response to the question "What makes a vocal a good vocal in your eyes?", "I
think that a good vocal can bring out the emotion of the song and can invoke
a certain feeling which makes the lyrics shine and enhances the melody."
The most typical arrangement for vocals in trance is that there will be slow, soothing vocals over hard and fast
instruments. Very rarely will one find the types of vocals common in techno, pop, or American dance music. To compare
genres, in those the accents, intonation, and beats of the vocals match with the beats of the instruments. But in trance,
instead of going with the instrumental beats, the vocals usually go over the instruments & over the beat, thus proceeding at
a much slower
pace. Also, unlike most other genres (like pop or rock or country), lyrics are not tightly knit.
Trance's expansive
vocals therefore are almost always female: the female voice more easily produces an angelic or soothingly
uplifting sound than the male voice. In my aspiring-DJ database of around 650 songs I've classified for my own
potential use, there are
five times more songs with female vocals than with male vocals (some have both).
An article about trance notes, "The pattern for vocals usually
took a course of being somewhat uplifting in nature, rather than addressing social issues or focusing on story
lines that tended to focus on negative emotional subjects, such as broken hearts."
People often get confused at the difference between many lyrical vocal trance songs and Eurodance. Wikipedia
explains, "Euro-Trance - Has a more open-ended structure compared to the tightly knit vocals and melodies of
"classic" Eurodance. Vocals sometimes vague or repetitive without verse/chorus structure, often with echo and
other effects. Often Euro-Trance has a strong synth line with ethereal chords and strong percussion."
Nowadays, the line between vocal trance and pop has blurred further. I would venture that the difference is just like that
between vocal trance and eurodance, with the addition that in a lot of pop the vocals are often edgier and more aggressive,
where in trance they tend to be more peaceful and calm, with the other main different difference being that pop vocals are
tightly knit and the structure is more open ended in trance.
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