The only trance genre that can get away with being uplifting and emotional. While most Epic Trance falls short of being good with its cutesy melodies and sugar coated pop appearance, Ibiza Trance not only gets away with uplifting features (Ibiza Trance was actually one of Epic's predocessors) but it works so well that for me it the best sub genre of trance. Its success is mainly dur to the use of the Mediterranian sounds used (like waves lapping at the beach, birds singing, spanish guitar's) that make it sound real and classy opposed to Epic's very unclassy, forced and down right commercial sound. Chuck in influences from Ibiza's original Balearic Beat and the whole "Cafe Del Mar" ambient side of Ibiza (which everyone seems to forget becasue they think of huge superclubs when Ibiza is mentioned) and you have an uplifting, yet still totally entrancing piece of muisc. You cant help but picture sitting on the beach, or palm tree lined walkways along a harbour when you listen to this.
Related Listening:
Offshore - Chicane
Saltwater - Chicane
In fact pretty much all of Chicane's older works could fall (loosely) in to Ibiza Trance.
Seven Cities - Solar Stone
Beachball - Nalin & Kane
9pm (Till I Come) - ATB
The most commercial Ibiza Trance track and it shows....nothing too enspiring here but it was mega popular everywhere so I thought I would put it on
Cafe Del Mar (Three 'n' One Original Mix) - Energy 52
THE Ibiza Anthem (arguably). Ironically it was only this mix in 1998 that made the track huge. It had originally been released in 1993 as a Classic Trance track but had come and gone without too many raising an eyelid due to Trance still having a small market.
On The Beach (CRW Mix) - York
Another relitively commercial track but this one gets away with it. The Original was a nice little Ambient Trancer but the CRW Mix gave it club playability and made it huge in 2000.
Dutch Trance
.....and at the opposite side of the spectrum we have Dutch Trance. The complete opposite of the beautiful, fresh & natural sounding Ibiza Trance, Dutch is abrasive, loud, and takes the all ready over the top Anthem Trance so far further over the top that ultimately it falls off and fails. Its a classic case of "less is more". That said this would be all right in VERY small doses if it was not for the complete grandure of the songs. Songs are stupidly mis-named like "God Music" (by Dumonde).....God music...really....you actually think that God listens to huge supersaws reverberating away up there do you??? Understand this now: YOU CANNOT PULL OFF SYMPHONIC/ LONG NOTES USING SUPERSAWS, IT JUST DOESN'T WORK AND YOU END UP WITH THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE OF SYMPHONIC. Listen to "Symphony" by Hybrid....thats is how you make trance sound like an orchestra is playing it....not using supersaws.
Like I was saying, some of this could be all right but the breakdowns in Dutch just take it beyond repair. Some Dutch Trance tracks have breakdowns that push past the three minute mark which is basically half the songs length. If Anthem Trance abused the breakdown formula, then Dutch Trance beats up, rapes and then murders the breakdown formula. All tension in a song is lost when the breakdown is that long so that when the end of the breakdown comes insted of it being bitter sweet as it is in Anthem it is just bitter.
The people to blame for this monstrocity.....Rank 1 and thier track "Airwave". Credit must be given to them for trying to do something original but ultimately they gave birth to a mutated form of trance that seeped all over the genre tainting it so that when it was finally cleaned up from trance the genre was never quite the same as it had once been.
Just a quick note....when listening note how many elements like the harder sound and snare role of Anthem make thier way into Dutch.
Related Listening:
Airwave - Rank 1
God Music - Dumonde
Exhale - Armin Van Buuren Feat. System F
Will I - Ian Van Dahl
Devotion - The Mystery
Release Me - Factor 9
Superstring (Rank 1 Remix) - Cygnus X
I guess Rank 1 can be claim the title of "Top" Dutch Trance producers. Thats not something to brag about though....its like winning first prize at an ugly contest!
Amnesia (Marc Dawn Pres. Green Court Mix) - Alex Bartlett
I dont know why im putting so many tracks down....you really dont want them!
