Shall We Trance?
ISSUE #281
Trance is one of the cheesiest genres in the world, which makes it one of the very best. Contrary to the name, it is not conventionally relaxing, though I find strange comfort when awash in it. It usually starts with a kick drum, then a tide of synthesizers, then arpeggios that dart and echo like a bee trapped in a concert hall.
If you don’t know anything about electronic music and its labyrinth of subgenres, what you hear when you imagine techno is likely actually trance music. It started in Germany in the early 90s, around the same time as the European Union, and those utopian sensibilities are reflected in its unabashed sincerity. It is a distinctly European tradition—the Wall fell, technology surged, and social norms spilled all over the floor as everyone flocked to experience the trance.
The whole thing’s less about dancing and more about feeling. It can last anywhere from 7 to 13 minutes. It puts you in a trance! It is simplicity incarnate—and I happen to have 3 hours and 28 minutes of it right here at our fingertips.
Trance is one of the cheesiest genres in the world, which makes it one of the very best. Contrary to the name, it is not conventionally relaxing, though I find strange comfort when awash in it. It usually starts with a kick drum, then a tide of synthesizers, then arpeggios that dart and echo like a bee trapped in a concert hall.