History Main / Trance

* LimitedLyricsSong: Combining EpicRocking with a heavier emphasis on instrumentals, and what results are lyrics on the simpler side. Uplifting will have emotional lyrics about subjects such as [[SillyLoveSong love, happiness, and other positive emotions]]; psy meanwhile will have samples or sentence-length lyrics [[StupidStatementDanceMix talking about strange topics]] (be it supernatural, paranormal, extraterrestrial, scientific, etc) to enhance the [[MindScrew psychedelic]] effect.

* StupidStatementDanceMix: Eurotrance, hard trance, and hands-up trance songs are usually this, with repeated samples of sung or rapped phrases about energy, dancing, or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs energetic dancing]] added in to reinforce the party vibe. Psytrance, Goa, and full-on songs, meanwhile, sample ominous foreign-language chants or spoken-word phrases about drugs, nature, spirituality, science or other odd topics.

* W&W

[[/index]]

** Notable artists include Music/MarkusSchulz, Tritonal, [=MaRLo=], Fisherman & Hawkins, NWYR, Arisen Flame, Mark Sixma, Ilan Bluestone and Bobina. Several progressive and uplifting trance artists such as Music/FerryCorsten and Orjan Nilsen have incorporated big room elements in their works as well.

* FromClonesToGenre: The so-called "138" movement in contemporary trance, so named after a RunningGag in the ''A State Of Trance'' radioshow where tracks from hard, psy, and tech trance producers, which typically had a tempo of 138 BPM or higher, would be played at the latter half of each episode as a reaction to slower progressive and big room trance tracks that were popular in the early 2010s. The faster and more powerful sound proved hugely popular among newer trance fans, and many artists began producing harder-tinged tracks at that tempo. By the latter part of the decade a new wave of artists producing trance at 138 BPM or higher has emerged, with labels such as Armada and Black Hole Recordings widely promoting the uptempo style, and dedicated labels such as Outburst and VII almost exclusively catering to the demand for 138 BPM or higher tracks.

* Adam Ellis

* Andrew Rayel

* Music/ArminVanBuuren

* A*S*Y*S

* Basshunter (mixed with hardstyle)

* Bjorn Akesson

* Bryan Kearney

* Christopher Lawrence

* Darren Porter

* Davey Asprey
* David Gravell

* Eric Prydz (mixed with progressive house, TropeMaker for the "Pryda Snare" sound used in many modern trance and EDM tracks)

* Gai Barone
* Giuseppe Ottaviani
* Gareth Emery
* Goa Gil (TropeCodifier for Goa trance)
* GMS

* Hilight Tribe
* Hiroyuki Oda (also known by his Music/{{Vocaloid}} producer alias HSP)

* Ilan Bluestone

* I've Sound (mixed with JapanesePopMusic)

* James Dymond

* John Askew
* John Digweed
* John '00' Fleming
* John O'Callaghan
* Jordan Suckley
* Jorn van Deynhoven

* Kai Tracid

* Music/KlausSchulze (the GenrePopularizer)
* Kors K

* Marcel Woods
* Maria Healy
* Mark Sherry
* Mark Sixma (mixed with ElectroHouse)
* Music/MarkusSchulz

* Martin Freeland (also known by his aliases Man With No Name and Positiv Noize)
* Matt Darey
* Mauro Picotto
* Menno de Jong
[[/index]]
* Mike Dierickx: [[IHaveManyNames Best known for his aliases M.I.K.E. Push, Solar Factor and Plastic Boy]].
[[index]]
* Mike Saint-Jules

* Nate Raubenheimer (known for his stage names Protoculture and Shadow Chronicles)

* Omnia
* Omiki

* Orkidea
* Outsiders
* Music/{{Pakito}}

* Paul Van Dyk: His 1993 remix of Humate's "Love Stimulation" is considered to be the groundwork for uplifting trance in general.

* Richard Durand

* Robert Miles: His 1995 composition "Children" may not be the first dream trance track, but it's almost certainly the TropeCodifier for that subgenre.
* Robert Nickson

* Roger Shah
* Roman Messer

* Sam Jones

* Music/SatoshiYaginuma (known for his musical {{supergroup}}s fripSide and ALTIMA)

* Sean Tyas

* Sied Van Riel

* Simon Patterson
[[/index]]
* Simon Posford: Known for his material as Hallucinogen and Shpongle (alongside Raja Ram). Considered the TropeCodifier for mainstream psytrance and its fusions.
[[index]]

* Music/TetsuyaKomuro (the TropeMaker for J-trance)
* Thomas Datt

* Tomas Heredia

* Will Atkinson
* Will Rees

* Yuzo Koshiro

** Notable artists include Tetsuya Komuro (credited as an early pioneer of the subgenre), Yuzo Koshiro, Yoji Biomehanika, Satoshi Yaginuma (known for his J-pop projects fripSide and ALTIMA), I've Sound, globe, savage genius, livetune, NAGO, Hiroyuki Oda (as well as his HSP alias), Nhato, and Plutian.

** Originating in Belgium, acid trance uses the "acid" sound created on the Roland TB-303, by playing a sequenced melody while altering the instrument's filter cutoff frequency, resonance, envelope modulation, and accent controls, resulting in soft, deep, bouncy basslines and piercing riffs. Shares many similarities with acid house, but can be distinguished from it by its slower approach to song progression and more melodic sound. Commonly, artists fuse acid with hard, psychedelic, or tech trance, resulting in a more abrasive sound than early acid trance tracks.
** Notable artists include Art of Trance, A*S*Y*S, Electric Skychurch, Hardfloor, Hennes & Cold, Kai Tracid, and Ultraform.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: [[invoked]] While the genre has its origins in Germany and surrounding countries and is popular all over the world, it's especially huge in the Netherlands, Japan, the United Kingdom, Egypt, and Australia.

* Snap!: Best remembered for "The Power" and "Rhythm Is A Dancer".

* Music/{{Underworld}}

* Jam & Spoon

* MohsScaleOfRockAndMetalHardness: Varies - some tracks can be very soft and calming, others are all about sounding massive and making the crowd dance like crazy, and even those can vary in atmosphere and what feeling they wish to evoke from the audience. Uplifting and progressive are around the lower end of the scale (mainly 3) while psytrance, particularly Infected Mushroom (known for using rock instruments and having some {{Industrial}} and [[DrumAndBass garage]] influences), lies in the middle range (4-5). Hard trance and some forms of tech trance can be a little higher on the scale, but as a whole, the genre doesn't go any higher than 8-9.

** Notable artists include Technikal, AlexMo, Dean Zone, Carl Nicholson, Lab4, NG Rezonance, Jody 6, and Criostasis

** Notable artists include Flutlicht, Cosmic Gate, Indecent Noise, Mauro Picotto, Renegade System, Sunburst, DJ Scot Project, System D, and Technikal.

** Notable artists include Oliver Lieb, Darude, Humate, Marco V, Indecent Noise, Simon Patterson, Heatbeat, Timo Maas and Genix.

* PopularityPolynomial: The genre began in [[TheNineties the early 90s]], and grew to popularity within the then-growing European club and party scene through the decade, splintering off to several different subgenres. Trance continued to maintain a very dedicated fandom that gradually grew more and more through the TurnOfTheMillennium all over the world, eventually peaking in popularity from 2002-2004 and still remaining big up until 2009, but at the same time it was being written off by house, hardstyle, DrumAndBass and techno fans as being [[{{Narm}} cheesy]] and [[{{Glurge}} sappy]], with numerous think-piece articles proclaiming trance had become a DeadHorseGenre. Then TheNewTens came in and an EDM explosion took over the world, starting with America, and while trance wasn't quite ''as'' commercially successful as ElectroHouse, TrapMusic and {{dubstep}}, it still benefited greatly from the exposure, and several [=DJs=], new and long-established acts alike, began experiencing [[NewbieBoom a major surge of new fans]]. The immediate selling-out of tickets for Insomniac's 2015 Dreamstate festival (which primarily featured smaller-name producers in its lineup) firmly silenced those calling the genre dead. The continued (and renewed) success of trance artists in large festivals such as Electric Daisy Carnival, Tomorrowland, Transmission and Ultra helped maintain the genre's relevance in the modern EDM scene, and many [=DJs=] and promoters have spoken glowingly of the genre's growth stateside. While progressive and uplifting trance are still the predominant styles in the mainstream, the harder styles such as acid, hard, psy, and tech are also growing in popularity thanks in part to better-quality production techniques and an increasing demand for "pure" trance sounds.

* SensoryAbuse: Full-on, hard trance and most festival/mainstage trance sets can come across as this, with performances focusing on creating a massive wall of sound synced to flashing lights, pyro, and hypnotic visuals in bright colors to further reinforce an "immersive" experience among concertgoers. In the increasingly competitive climate of the modern EDM scene, this is more or less an EnforcedTrope among [=DJs=] as they strive to entertain ever-younger crowds. There are occasional aversions to this, such as Gaia's debut performance at Ultra 2014, with subdued visuals and more atmospheric tracks.

-->'''Music/ArminVanBuuren'''

** Also known as "euphoric", "epic", "melodic", or "emotional" trance, Uplifting Trance is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, being much [[LighterAndSofter lighter in tone]] than the aforementioned psy, full-on and Goa. As a general rule of thumb, tempo lies in the 136-142 range. Tracks' chord progressions usually rest on a major chord, and the balance between major and minor chords in a progression will determine how "happy" or "sad" the progression sounds. Uplifting features longer major chord progressions in all elements (lead synth, bass, and treble), extended breakdowns, and relegation of arpeggiation (the melodic part of the song, usually consisting of sawtooth or square-wave synth sounds) to the background while bringing harmonic elements to the fore (the "background fill", usually consisting of wash effects, EchoingAcoustics, or synth choir/voice/string chord progressions). Occasionally, uplifting artists will employ harder sounds such as supersaws and powerful basslines to add energy to their tracks, but generally the style is characterized by an overall euphoric and flowing sound.

** Music/{{Tiesto}} co-founded Black Hole Recordings in 1997, then founded Musical Freedom in 2010.

** John Askew and Simon Patterson's VII was founded in 2016, originally with a fixed lineup of seven artists, but the label later went on to featur other artists as well.

** {{Music/FerryCorsten}} co-founded Tsunami in 1997, then founded Flashover Recordings in 2005.
** {{Music/Tiesto}} co-founded Black Hole Recordings in 1997, then founded Musical Freedom in 2010.

** Aly and Fila founded Future Sound of Egypt Recordings, after their radio show, in 2009.

** John Askew and Simon Patterson's VII was founded in 2016, originally with a fixed lineup of seven artists, but the label has recently featured other artists as well.

* DM Ashura

* Mark Sixma (mixed with big room)

** {{Music/ArminVanBuuren}} started the Armind imprint in 1999 on United Recordings, then later co-founded Armada Music and moved his Armind productions under the Armada umbrella.

** {{Music/MarkusSchulz}} founded Coldharbour Recordings in 2005, after the street in London where he had a studio.

** John Askew and Simon Patterson's VII was founded in 2016.

** Ferry Corsten co-founded Tsunami in 1997, then founded Flashover Recordings in 2005.
** Tiesto co-founded Black Hole Recordings in 1997, then founded Musical Freedom in 2010.
** Armin van Buuren started the Armind imprint in 1999 on United Recordings, then later co-founded Armada Music and moved his Armind productions under the Armada umbrella.

** Anjunabeats started in 2000 as both a record company and a production alias for Jono Grant and Paavo Siljamaki. They released only one track using Anjunabeats as a producer name before rebranding themselves Free State. (Tony McGuinness joined the duo to form Above & Beyond in 2002.)
** Markus Schulz founded Coldharbour Recordings in 2005, after the street in London where he had a studio.

* StartMyOwn: Many trance artists are known for having founded and maintaining their own record labels/imprints in addition to producing and playing music. The most well-known labels include Armin van Buuren's Armada (and his imprint Armind), Tiesto's Black Hole Recordings, Markus Schulz's Coldharbour Recordings, Above & Beyond's Anjunabeats, John Askew and Simon Patterson's VII, Paul Oakenfold's Perfecto Recordings, Andy Moor's AVA Recordings, and Paul van Dyk's Vandit.

* PopularityPolynomial: The genre began in [[TheNineties the early 90s]], and grew to popularity within the then-growing European club and party scene through the decade, splintering off to several different subgenres. Trance continued to maintain a very dedicated fandom that gradually grew more and more through the TurnOfTheMillennium all over the world, eventually peaking in popularity from 2002-2004 and still remaining big up until 2009, but at the same time it was being written off by house, hardstyle, DrumAndBass and techno fans as being [[{{Narm}} cheesy]] and [[{{Glurge}} sappy]], with numerous think-piece articles proclaiming trance had become a DeadHorseGenre. Then TheNewTens came in and an EDM explosion took over the world, starting with America, and while trance wasn't quite ''as'' commercially successful as ElectroHouse, TrapMusic and {{dubstep}}, it still benefited greatly from the exposure, and several [=DJs=], new and long-established acts alike, began experiencing [[NewbieBoom a major surge of new fans]]. The immediate selling-out of tickets for Insomniac's 2015 Dreamstate festival (which primarily featured smaller-name producers in its lineup) firmly silenced those calling the genre dead. The continued (and renewed) success of trance artists in large festivals such as Electric Daisy Carnival, Tomorrowland, Transmission and Ultra helped maintain the genre's relevance in the modern EDM scene, and many [=DJs=] and promoters have spoken glowingly of the genre's growth stateside. While some genres such as hard, acid, and J-trance didn't achieve as much commercial success and currently remain niche genres, uplifting, progressive, psy, tech, and full-on experienced a bigger resurgence than what the community expected.