Trance music: A global rave, spiritual, and cultural music phenomenon

GEO2426: Pop Music and Culture Final project by: Carly Soucy December 1, 2011

Trance music is a genre of electronic music characterized by intensely emotional buildups and breakdowns, a 4-on-the-floor beat, a persistent or repeating melody utilizing harmonies, and a bpm around 130 (though it can vary from 120 to 150 depending on the subgenre). It is above all an expressive and emotive genre of electronic music designed to make the listener feel the essence of the track. Trance music relies heavily on synthesizers, rather than samplers (as in techno, house, industrial, and other EDM genres). Often used is the Supersaw waveform to create atmospheric harmonies.

This subgenre is exemplified by its positive, uplifting sound (hence the name). It is also the largest genre of trance, and the one that brought trance to great popularity during the Golden Era of trance, considered to stretch from the mid nineties (~1997) to the early 00s (~2003). The tempo is usually about 130 bpm. This subgenre, more than all others, is designed to create swells of emotion and euphoria in the listener. It is heavily melody driven and often includes vocals of the chanting female variety or including uplifting lyrics. Essential Artists: Early Paul van Dyk, early Tisto, ATB, Markus Schulz

Progressive trance is a bit more oriented towards building upon long progressions and weaving a cohesive and emotive sound than the other subgenres. The bpm tends to stay in the 128 to 135 range. It is not melody driven like most of the other subgenres of trance, but rather focused on building an emotion or vibe. Essential Artists: Above and Beyond, early Armin van Buuren, Robert Miles

This subgenre is set apart from all the others by its faster, driving rhythms, typically set at about 140 to 150 bpm. Associated with all night moonlit beach parties, hippies, and psychedelia, it tends to be much less commercial than the other forms of trance (but also less popular outside of Goa itself and certain other destinations like Israel). This subgenre incorporates more samples and varied synthesizers than progressive and uplifting trance, which tend to follow trends in synths that are popular at the time moreso than Goa trance. It can often take on a darker, less euphoric tone than other trance but it remains emotive and expressive like all trance. Historical note Goa trance was arguably the first type of trance music, however now it is all but extinct outside of the extremely underground, outdoor party scene. Essential artists: Hallucinogen, Infected Mushroom, Goa Gil

A much more recent development than the other subgenres discussed, tech trance blends elements of techno with the progression and mood of trance music. It tends to sound more arpeggiated and repetitive than most trance, and also tends to have less supersaw, atmospheric type synths. It is considered more trendy and danceable than progressive trance and uplifting trance. The bpm is usually 125 to 135. Essential Artists: Recent Tisto, Oliver Lieb, Sander van Doorn

A portmanteau of Trance and House, this subgenre is the recent but very popular melding of trances euphoria and melody driven songs with the craziness, danceability and club appeal of house, electro, and progressive house. It makes for a harder hitting and more party-suitable version of trance, that has massive appeal to festivalgoers and weekend warriors of today. Many of the most popular trance DJs (such as Tisto, Armin, and more) have incorporated at least some trouse into their sets to give their euphoric trance a boost in energy and a bit more of a fun factor. The bpm is around that of standard house music, 128 to 135. Of importance to pop culture, trouse is a crossover genre, achieving radio play for trance music (something it hasnt seen since 2001, or thereabouts). Essential listening: Recent Tisto, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia

Trance, as it is recognized today, can be traced back to Western Europe as early as 1990. The most important breeding grounds for the trance sound were Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands. Acts such as Dance 2 Trance, Humate, and Future Sound of London took the popular, but more rigid and harsh sounds found in house, acid, and techno records played at the all night rave parties and manipulated them to make slower, spacey, melodic and ethereal productions that would inspire a trance like state in those who danced to the music.

Early Trance music had more in common with techno of the day than house, although in more recent times trance and house have become tightly knit sibling genres which are often mixed together in DJ sets in nightclubs.

At the same time the sounds associated with contemporary trance were being developed in Germany, England, and the Spanish island of Ibiza, a different kind of more psychedelic, faster, but still melodic and trancelike music was being developed in the all night beach parties in Goa, India and in Israel. The DJs at these parties would speed up and modify house and techno records, along with adding their own loops, to eventually birth the Goa Trance and Psychedelic Trance subgenres.

Klaus Schulze (Born August 4, 1947, Germany) is often cited as the grandfather of trance music. He has produced over 60 albums since the 1970s, all in his spacey, ambient, hypnotic, and experimental signature sound. Schulze, unlike many EDM and Trance pioneers, was not a DJ or producer for the rave scene. He was more interested in tinkering with synthesizers and making rich, pioneering tracks for listening to in a concert setting or listening to at home.
Image: http://zero1magazine.com/2009/07/klaus-schulze/

Part of Schulzes strong connection to the origins of trance is due to his role in naming the genre. His 1981 album, Trancefer, is one of the first known uses of the name Trance to describe this budding genre of electronic music. However, one major difference between the music produced by Schulze and modern Trance is the danceability factor; songs on his albums Trancefer and En=Trance would never be played in a nightclub alongside the much faster and more structured trance produced today. Schulze didnt aim to produce this sort of music, however he participated in and started avant garde electronic bands (such as Ash Ra Tempel and Tangerine Dreams) and aimed to push the boundaries of what synthesizers and sequencers could do. However, his spacey and atmospheric electronic listening music, when combined with the more popular electronic dance music varieties found in clubs and raves at the time, had an unmistakable influence on the direction of trance.

Images: http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=7636 http://www.klaus-schulze.com/covers/1881en1.jpg

Dance 2 Trance, also hailing from Germany, was a duo of Jam El Mar and DJ Dag that began producing music in 1990, when they released the seminal Trance classic We Came in Peace. Utilizing huge, atmospheric synths in a time where samplers were more in vogue for producing EDM set them apart from other producers on the club scene. The bpm was on the slower side, allowing clubbers to enjoy a more full bodied and expressive form of dance than the popular breakbeat, techno, and house of that era. Tying trance to the spacey, psychedelic elements considered crucial to the genre today also started with this track, which uses a loop of the quote inscribed on the Apollo 11 lunar module We came in peace for all mankind. Although their pairing was short lived, their groundbreaking contributions to defining trance music and exposing it through popular productions like Power of American Natives and Take a Free Fall have solidified their legacy. These early songs, especially We Came in Peace, are often considered the first true Trance productions. The groups name also helped to solidify trance as the name for this new genre of music as they brought their distinctive sound to clubbers in Germany they knew the unique music played by the duo as Trance music.

One of the most important and influential recordings from the early years of Trance music is one-off project Age of Loves self titled track, Age of Love ( released 1990), specifically the Jam & Spoon mix. (Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT9pH9C7Oew) Regarded as the first massively popular trance track to receive a global release, its influence is undeniable. Especially important is the use of soaring, euphoric female vocals, which would carve out a whole subgenre of Trance eventually (Vocal Trance). The early emphasis on inducing a trance in listeners is very evident in this early example from the genre due to its masterful build ups and break downs.

After Age of Love reached explosive success all over the globe, the commercial viability of Trance music became apparent. Experimental electronica/ambient rock groups such as Future Sound of London toyed with the sound, producing their most well known track Papua New Guinea (1991). Merging their more ambient sound with a repetitive, melodic hook and manipulated female chanting vocals guaranteed a financial success for the group, even though they admit that they would have rather been working on concept albums similar to the great studio feats of Pink Floyd and The Beatles, just with synthesizers and sequencers rather than an instrumental band.
Image: http://www.808state.com/discogs/propages/profutur/profutur2.htm

The idea behind [putting clubbers in a trance-like state] was nothing new; tribal shamans had been doing the same thing for many years, using natural hallucinogenic herbs and rhythms pounded out on log drums to induce the tribes people into trancelike states. Rick Snoman The idea behind trance music was at the time irresistable to clubbers, on drugs or not; A music that is specifically engineered to allow one to get completely lost in the ecstatic joy of dancing is a hard to refuse proposition in clubland. After all, the whole point of raving, especially in the heyday of MDMAs quality and availability, was to dance all night!

A primer: 3-4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or Ecstasy, was already widespread in Europe when trance started appearing due to their second Summer of Love in 88. The reasons for its popularity were (and are) the extremely benign nature of the drug compared to LSD, psilocybin mushrooms and other club drugs available before it which carry the risk of a difficult trip, the cheapness of one roll compared to a bar tab for the night, the stimulants ability to keep a raver dancing from sundown to sunrise, and most of all the blissful match of MDMAs rolling effect with the amplified rhythms at raves. The rave scene and MDMA are inextricably linked, a serendipitous case of the right chemistry at the right time.

Photo: http://electronicbytes.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/mdma-electronic-bytes.jpeg

After a couple years of the piano house and acid house sounds, clubbers began to seek music that would lift them even higher enter trance music in 1990, just two years after the first boom in electronic musics popularity which began with acid house. It would be foolish to say that the explosive popularity of E was not a direct factor in the instant adoption of trance music by clubbers in Europe and by the late 90s, when the USA was seeing millions of its citizens trying E and going to massive raves every weekend, Trance would reach its peak renaissance period. Even those who did not consume E say that trance music, with its soaring buildups and euphoric melodies, can cause them to feel chills all over, great releases of energy during epic points in the song, and other effects on their mood that put them in a surprisingly similar trance as that experienced by someone who is rolling. Trance music, essentially, brought the feeling of rolling to those who did not indulge, and enhanced the peaks of the experience for those who did, putting the crowds at clubs and raves all on the same wavelength.

As with any music scene, the trance scene began to see the emergence of unique dance styles. Most common was liquid dancing. It is completely contrasted with Jacking, the common dance at raves where house is featured (basically pushing your body forward and backwards to the strong beats of house music). Smooth movements involving the full body, especially the hands and arms, often involving caressing type movements or wiggling, are common. It is not a jump up and down type of dance or a dance for couples, but it is intended to let the trance music flow through the dancer and create an engrossing, trancendental experience for him or her. Often glowsticks are held in the hands to outline the movements the dancer is making and the silky smoothness of their style.

Wide legged pants with suspenders, as seen to the left, greatly enhanced the movements of Liquid dancers, causing the appearance that they are floating back and forth due to their smooth foot sliding moves. The large pockets also proved useful for holding water, a wallet, and any other essentials safely at raves. These types of pants can still be seen today, especially in the goth and hip hop communities (with variations in color, of course.) A comfortable and colorful tank top or t shirt which allowed unrestricted movement was also a trancer fashion essential. A glowstick and pacifier enhance the experience of users of MDMA, and were an extremely common sight at trance shows.
Image: http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa249/marihanadeftona/Raver.jpg

At first, the rave scene in the United States was limited to large, metropolitan cities that had a significant number of expats who brought the hedonism of the UK and European rave phenomenon back with them to cities such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, etc. Before these parties, house music and electronic music in general was mainly seen as a music for homosexual clubbers in scenes like Chicago, where minorities and gay people would come to listen to remixed and sampled disco which defined the early house scene in clubs like the Warehouse in the late 80s.

As trance really began to hit the shores of the United States, starting around the mid to late 90s, it reached a surprising level of popularity given the publics previous trepidation about electronic music. The stigma of electronic music for young Americans at large was washed away by the commercially popular forms of trance (uplifting, anthem and vocal) hitting the US shores during this explosive era. Perhaps the amount of time that distanced trances big boom in the US from the disco era allowed the connection to that stale trend to be forgotten in the new generation of clubbers minds. Or perhaps it was the huge amounts of MDMA being produced and imported during an era where controls on homeland security and precursor chemicals for synthesis of the drug were nowhere near as tight as they are in the post 9-11 world.

During the Golden Era of trance in the united states, about 1997 to 2002, trance and techno could be heard on the radio, at raves in every county, and at music festivals where djs from all over the world disseminated the hottest songs. Raves and trance music caused quite a bit of moral panic for the conservative United States mostly centered around ecstasy use by young people, along with staying out all night. However, trancers and ravers did not cause much disturbance for law enforcement, due to the nature of the events violence and disrespect was not tolerated by the trance community, much different from the moshing and fights that broke out at alt rock concers commonly in the 1990s.

Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect, or PLUR, became the ravers calling card here in the US. It seemed that the feelings induced by trance music could be captured by this simple acronym that informed everyone who heard it of the standard of behavior at the trance raves, even if they were a total newcomer. The loving and peaceful vibe at the trance parties (which could sometimes have tens of thousands of attendees try keeping the peace at a rock event of similar size!) enhanced the musical experience for all attendees. They did not have to fear letting go, dancing how they wanted, and entering a trance as the dj spun their euphoric trance records the crowd would not bother or harm someone who was getting lost in the music.

Image: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/zsqQtsSZmd4/TbppJXDd_JI/AAAAAAAAAA8/vjldRUQdjZE/s1600/450p

Trance music was truly an import from overseas at first. The events where trance could be heard were usually quite large, to offset the high cost of hiring a dj from overseas, paying for accomodations and flight, etc. The large events served to further enhance the spiritual experience of trance seeing a large room full of other revellers getting lost in dance and the music led many to express how much they felt connected to their fellow man at events like this. Along with the proliferation of Ecstasy, which in and of itself produces a feeling of connection and empathy, these large trance concerts became a spiritual experience for a large number of people.

Trance music, in other words, was a source of positive cultural impact in many ways instead of focusing on all of the dirty, depressing, and anguishing aspects of life, as was popular in the Gangster rap and alternative rock during the same time period, trance encouraged listeners to feel what they wanted. The lack of lyrics in most songs allowed listeners to get lost in their own trance, and think about the things that they were actively feeling, instead of having a message thrust upon them by aggressive music.

Paul van Dyk (Born December 16, 1971, East Germany) rose from poverty and control in the Soviet controlled East Germany to be perhaps the forefront prophet of trances golden era to Europe and the world with his productions and masterful deejaying. It's not just about playing the hits. That's too easy. I try to create atmosphere. van Dyk says of his ethos on deejaying. Around since the early days of trance, his remixes of foundational trance songs like Humates Love Stimulation (1993) got him noticed by the mega clubs in Europe and beyond. His style of deejaying, with a heavy emphasis on reading the crowd and manipulating their mood through the mix, propelled him to a godlikestatus in the scene.

Image: http://cdn1.ticketsinventory.com/images/last_photos/concert/P/paul-van-dyk/paul-van-dyk_2011_13033337230762.png

Paul Oakenfold (Born August 30, 1963) was certainly one of the most diverse DJs during the most popular era for trance music. Drawing from his pioneering days in bringing acid house to Britain from Ibiza, Spain in 1987, his connection to Goa/Psychedelic Trance from India, and collaborating with pop music artists such as Nelly Furtado and Ice Cube stateside to record his platinum Bunkka album in the early 2000s, Paul Oakenfold capured the attention of a captive audience on the tail end of the golden era for trance. He also brought a more commercial element to trance and electronic music as a whole through his collaborations and remixes of popular bands (such as U2) which often charted higher than the original production by the band itself!
Image : http://www.armadamusic.com/wp-content/uploads/df-post-thumbnail/8y7c7.jpg

Probably the biggest DJ ever, Tistos rise to fame was a rapid one. Hailing from the Netherlands, Tisto reached unprecedented global acclaim in three years of hard work in the studio and touring, releasing mix CDs, and playing his signature anthemic trance sound for the masses. His remix of Sarah McLaughlins Silence, an 11 minute and change epic anthem, often makes #1 on lists of the best trance songs ever and for good reason. However, his very existence is now a source of controversy for ravers, who believe he took the community vibe of raves and music festivals and turned it more towards a passive, concert-like experience, focused on a larger than life DJ rather than the rave experience as a whole. Love or hate him, his influence on trance is huge and undeniable. Although he plays more house than trance now, he still strives for the larger than life, hyper euphoric sound he pioneered in the late 90s.

Image: http://www.tiestoblog.com/discography/video-albums/tiesto-in-concert-2004/

Up until Tisto, brand image of a DJ was hardly even considered, much less slaved over and tweaked to perfection the way this Dutch DJ did. Most EDM djs and producers tended to pride themselves on their technical skills, not fashion, production, or image. As a result, to reach global popularity, around a decade of working your way up the ladder of promotions, djing in small clubs and raves, then bigger ones, then learning to make your own compositions, etc could take up to a decade, as was the case with Paul van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, and other giants in the 90s trance scene who had been working hard since its inception. However, it is arguable that Tistos rapid ascention on the global trance scene compared to his peers was a potent reminder of the effect that branding and image have on a musician, even in the relatively less commercialized rave scene as compared to pop music as a whole.

Image: http://tiestoclublife.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/dj-tiesto-with-club-life-show.jpeg

Trance DJs, more than their antecedents in other EDM genres, seem to have a problem with ego. Like metal in the 80s, trance DJs seek to attain massive popularity, have the next greatest stage production and laser light shows, play to packed stadiums, and generally be the focus of a captive crowd. Compared with the early days of Electronic Dance Music and raving, where a DJ was judged on his skills scratching and manipulating records, but the focus of patrons was more on the experience of the party and the other clubbers around them, trance in the late nineties became a competition for the biggest display of showmanship. DJs such as Paul van Dyk and Tiesto displayed impressive levels of egotism and desire to reach a godlike status, and ravers responded, flocking to the larger than life shows in large numbers around the world in the early 2000s and late 90s.

In some ways, this enhanced the spiritual aspect of trance. Anticipation would build up in attendees of these larger than life shows in the months leading up to them, causing the vibes at the event to be thick with excitement, happiness, and almost gratefulness to be having the experience of seeing a godlike dj. Also, the enhanced production of these large concerts compared to the more underground rave atmosphere of earlier trance shows provided an even greater and more immersive sensory experience for revellers. However, in other ways, the commercialization of trance made it less conducive to exploring the mind and soul the popular DJs sets became formulaic in some ways, since they would have to plan what songs to play ahead of time to match pyrotechnic shows and videos played on massive screens - losing the special spark, spontaneity, and connection to the dj that many trancers appreciated from the early days. Also, the simplifying and mass market reformulation of trance by these djs whose egos caused them to lose touch with the true scene alienated a lot of trancers who missed the creativity and depth of earlier trance. Basically, to many, these mega DJ shows were more of a concert than a no holds barred rave, removing the element of spirituality that many trancers used to feel was present in the music.

Trances surprising ascension to popularity in the USA was a pioneering event for the countrys music scene in one very important way patrons in the U.S. for the first time were demanding performances from non-English speaking artists in never before seen numbers. The most popular artists were in fact almost always from Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands! Given that most trance featured the melody over vocals and lyrics, unlike earlier popular music genres, the language barrier for foreign artists performing in the US went from insurmountable to exotic and exciting.
Image: http://coop.deadsquid.com/images/1189854479_abtatw.jpg

A common complaint about trance after its superstar popularity fizzled out in the mid 2000s is that it is too cheesy and commercialized sounding. Overly epic and melodramatic productions, along with saturation of the genre in the mainstream (even Madonna tried her had at it with Ray of Light) this commercialization, along with the god-complex of huge DJs and the explosion of the rave scene (and subsequent influx of new ravers who did not understand the scene and how to behave) lead to disenfranchisement of fans of early trance, who jumped ship for more underground genres in droves in the beginning of the new millenium.

Trance Music never really lost popularity in Europe but in the United States, a disconnect between audiences and Trance music began to form as it was perceived as stale and played out. Many pioneering DJs such as Tiesto and Paul van Dyk cast trance aside, saying that they did not want to be associated with the overindulgence, cheesiness, or other negative factors affecting the scene after it exploded with popularity. Thanks to innovations in technology, such as webcasts and podcasts, trance music is experiencing a new boom in popularity globally.

Due to the move from hardware synthesizers to software for trance Djing and production, more varied influences have revitalized the trance scene. Anyone with a computer can create and mix trance, adding their own style, and broadcast it to the world on a podcast, social media, or video streaming sites.

Virtual DJ Mixing Software, Image:http://4.bp.blogspot.com/vqRkiy8IUTI/Tb_JZWxLMuI/AAAAAAAAAK8/n UWL40epfKQ/s1600/dj-2.jpg

Russian DJ Arty, who began spinning and producing for large audiences in 2009 at the tender age of 19, is widely regarded as the future of trance. Bringing absolutely massive Trance tracks influenced by Techno, minimal, and progressive house sounds to clubbers all over the world, his sound is revitalizing and edgy, but still retains the euphoria and catchy hooks of classic trance.
Image: http://beatobsession.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/arty.jpg

Aly and Fila, a duo from Egypt, are regarded as one of the only Djing groups in the game today protecting the original euphoric trance sounds, without straying towards trouse a derogatory term used to describe the club scenes tendency to houseify trance music with more danceable beats and major chords, losing the euphoric vibe in the process. Their style incorporates psychedelic and euphoric trance that is commonly heard in Egypt and the surrounding nations, and they are exposing this fresh sound through their Future Sound of Egypt podcast and music festival appearances globally. Image: http://www.trancemusic.lv/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Aly-and-Fila.png

Trance music is experiencing a huge resurgence at the moment, especially in the pop music realm. Artists such as David Guetta and Avicii have blatant trance influences in their billboard topping progressive house/trouse dance music productions. Avicii especially is a student of the epic buildups and breaks that made classic trance so renowned for its euphoric qualities, bringing the emotional roller coaster that is trance to a wider audience than ever.

Trance is also experiencing wide exposure in the mega music festivals popping up in every continent over the past few years. Just as multiple genres intermingled and reached popularity through 90s alternative festivals like Lollapallooza, Woodstock, and others, the same is happening as a new generation of revellers discovers trance through the big European trance DJs playing at all the best festivals.

Arguably the most influential trance artist of the last decade, Armin is a producer, DJ, and record label owner reaching massive heights of success. Originally going to school to become a lawyer, with a side interest in Djing and production throughout the Golden Era of trance, he was voted #1 DJ for more years in a row than any other DJ in the history of the poll. After the smashing success of his early songs Blue Fear and Communication, as well as massively successful collaborations with other trance producers like Tisto, he quit his day job (so to speak) to pursue music full time. Remaining possibly the worlds best known trance DJ, he is leading the way in trance today. Armins sound is distinctly trance, however he does mix in progressive house and even techno on occasion. Despite this, he has not abandoned trance like other DJs who have been around since the golden age he is just redefining its boundaries, but staying true to its roots in euphoric and atmospheric sounds at the same time, above all else. Image: http://www.mycitybynight.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/armin_van_buuren4443.jpg

Perhaps the most important advantage Armin has is his great understanding of the legal and business side of djing and production. By pushing his record label and imprints to become the most well known and respected in the trance game, he disseminates his name and reputation farther than someone who is just making their own productions and sets and relying on them as publicity. He also insures a long lasting impact and influence in the trance scene through the work of his understudies. Van Buurens background in law allowed him to take the route of establishing a private label, and all of the artistic freedom that accompanies that, following in the footsteps of other respected greats in the hip hop and rock scenes, and establishing a profound legacy.

Following a trajectory similar to Armin van Buuren, Above and Beyond is a British trio established during the tail end of the Golden Age (2000) which is still making lasting impacts on the trance genre today, especially through their large Anjunabeats record label. Like van Buurens imprint, Anjunabeats was critically successful from the beginning, solidifying the beginning of a great opportunity for the group to remain relevant through signing young, fresh artists and spreading their name and legacy through them. Also like Armin, the trio broadcasts through web and radio a weekly trance show that receives wide acclaim and keeps their names fresh in the minds of clubbers all over the world.

The importance of commercial savvy and keeping ones name fresh and relevant has become a deciding factor in the Trance scene today more than ever, unlike the old days where just having raw skill would be enough to get you noticed since the scene was much smaller and more willing to take risks on new performers. Since almost anyone with a personal computer and an interest in trance can make their own halfway decent productions and sets, this touch of business sense sets the largest djs apart and keeps them relevant.

Trance. http://www.moodbook.com/music/trance.html Klause Schulze: Biography. Jason Ankeny. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/klaus-schulze-p2768/biography MFS Berlin Trance Documentary. Directed by Ben Hardyment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0V_fghizcM Classic Tracks: The Future Sound of London Papua new Guinea. Richard Buskin. shttp://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov06/articles/classictracks_1106. htm Trance Music. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trance_music

Paul van Dyk Biography. Timothy Borden. http://www.musicianguide.com/biographies/1608003161/PaulVan-Dyk.html Paul Oakenfold. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Oakenfold

DJ Tisto: Biography. Rob Evanoff. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p291972/biography

Dance Music Manual: Tools, Toys, and Techiques. P.p. 251-253. Rick Snoman. http://books.google.com/books?id=NzfaPAjipe8C&pg=PA251& dq=trance+music&hl=en&ei=2gzWTrKSI4boggfJoKGzAQ&sa=X &oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CGIQ6AEwBQ#v= onepage&q=trance%20music&f=false

Understanding Trance Music. http://www.tranceproduction.com/gettingsta rted/trancemusic.html