The Tentative Beginnings of my Greatest Trance Tracks List
- Please read the author's comments section before you reply, or better, before you read the rest of this list.
- Hallucinogen - LSD (Goa)
- Etnica - Starship 101 (Goa)
- Dance 2 Trance - We Came in Peace (Classic)
- Artistically, it may not be as good as other tracks on this list, but for its time, it was supremely innovative, released way back in 1990, which is why it merits such a high place.
- Koxbox - Doktor Mesmer (Goa/Psy)
- Sound Pollution - Where (Goa)
- There are some tracks, rare as they are, that are such masterpieces that when you listen to them, you are completely absorbed in thier nuances, and lost to the world. Doktor Mesmer and Where are two such tracks. Listening to Where after Doktor Mesmer is one of the great auditory experiences you can have.
- Blue Planet Corporation - Crystal (Melodic Goa)
- Pleiadians - Maia (Goa)
- Astral Projection - Mahadeva (Goa)
- Solar Quest - Acid Air Raid (Hard Acid)
- This is the hard acid trance track for me. A total acid blaster with a bassline to boot!! What more could you want?
- Doof - Double Dragons (Goa)
- Man With No Name - Teleport (Goa)
- Sasha - Xpander (Progressive)
- Ziki vs Sesto Sento - Trance 'N' Roll (Morning Psy)
- Yeah its weird to put a psy track from 2007 in a top trance tracks list, but somehow this track combines psy, with a classic trance-ish atmosphere, to give you the perfect morning vibe.
- Message From God - Project Genesis (Dark Goa)
- Juno Reactor - Pistolero (MWNN mix) (Goa/Classic)
- Space Manoeuvres - The Seventh Planet (Leama & Moor Mix) (Ambient)
- Shakta - Spiritual Beings in Physical Bodies (Goa)
- Underhead - Orojuna (Goa)
- Blue Planet Corporation - Overbloody Flood (Goa)
- Chi-A.D. - Astral Warrior (Goa)
- Shpongle - Dorset Perception (Ambient Goa/Psy)
- Rabbit in the Moon - Out of Body Experience
- Hybrid - Finished Symphony (Symphonic Break Trance)
- Break trance doesn't get better than this.
- Astral Projection - Solid Electronics (Goa)
- Cosmosis - Gift of the Gods (Hard Acid Goa)
- Cydonia - Animals (Dark Goa)
- Future Sound of London - Dead Cities (Dark Trance atleast thats what it sounds like to me)
- A great track with this mysterious, dark vibe.
- Jaïa - Mai Mai (Morning Goa)
- Orbital - Remind (Acid)
- Quench - Dreams (Acid/Classic)
- Shakta - Loopmutant (Goa)
- Nathan Fake - The Sky was Pink (James Holden Mix) (Progressive)
- Etnica - Trip Tonite (Goa)
- Growling Mad Scientists - Juice (Live Mix) - (Full-on Psy)
- This is possibly the most famous psy track ever, replete with the twerps and squeals that exemplify full-on goodness ^_^
- The KLF - What Time is Love? (Classic)
- Charm - Brain Structure (Goa)
- Aphex Twin - Digeridoo (Jungle-ish Trance)
- Space Tribe vs Electric Universe - Rabbit Hole (Full-on Psy)
- All right, this is it. This is the track that shows you what full-on can do. A total, acid-blasting TRIP .
- Resistance D - Cosmic Love (Classic)
- Aril Brikha - Winter
- Holden & Thompson - Nothing (93 Returning Mix)
- Beautifully modulated vocals make this a nice, floating ambient track.
- Lost Tribe - Gamemaster (Acid)
- Unconscious Collective - Fluorostani Trancedance (Goa)
- The Infinity Project - The Answer (Ambient Goa)
- Message From God - On Mars (Dark Goa)
- Boris Blenn - Jeboa-Electrogarden (Morning/Melodic Goa)
- The Light - Dusk (Original Mix) (Goa)
- Analog Pussy - Solipse Technology (Goa)
- Balil - Parasight (Symphonic Acid)
- Hardfloor - Acperience 1 (Hard Acid)
- California Sunshine - Rain (Morning Goa)
- Asia 2001 - Rakshas (Goa)
- Genetic - Transmission (Goa)
- Juno Reactor - Ice Cube (Goa)
- Royksoop - A Beautiful Day Without You (Progressive Vocal)
- A great example of vocal trance imo.
- Brainchild - Symmetry (C-Mix) (Classic)
- Yahel - Waves of Sound (Psy)
- The Light - Panfried (Original Mind over Matter Mix)
- Jam & Spoon - Stella (Classic)
- This track would have been higher up if it wasn't for those 2 highly irritating female samples =|
- Orbital - Belfast
- Psychobabble - Inverted Forces
- Very hard track to get hold off, its here
- Union Jack - Red Herring
- Most people rate this track higher, but I find it a little repetitive, with not that much happening.
- Underworld - Thing in Book
- Rabbit in the Moon - Deeper
- Emmanual Top - Acid Phase
- Three Drives - Greece 2000 (Classic)
- 4Voice - Eternal Spirit (Northern Mix)
- Robert Miles - Children (Dream Version)
- Gabriel & Dresden - Lament (Satoshi Mix)
- I found this track very dreamy. If it didn't take half the track before something happens, it would have had a higher place.
- Levitation - Out of Time
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- Tracks deemed not good enough, "not good enough" does not mean they are bad tracks, it means they do not cut it.
- Age of Love - Age of Love - this one sounds more like house to me
- Bedrock - Heaven Scent
- Humate and Rabbit In The Moon - East (Opium Den Mix)
- Bedrock - Heaven Scent (Original Mix) - uses the formulaic reverbatory piano echoes
- Gabriel & Dresden - Arcadia
- Legend B - Lost in Love (Red Jerry's Mix) - uses the "1-2" formula
- L.S.G. - Netherworld - I've tried a few different mixes, its a fair track, but not better than any of the above. If you know of a good mix, lemme know.
- L.S.G. - Blueprint
- Mike Koglin - Enjoy the Silence (Tekara Mix)
- Push - Strange World (2000 Remake) - not bad
- Push - Universal Nation
- Robert Armani - Circus Bells - didn't sound like trance to me, more like acid techno
- Roland Klinkenberg - Inner Laugh (James Holden Mix)
- Solar Plexus - Crystal Forest
- Y-Traxx - Mystery Land (Sickboy Courtyard mix)
- Tiesto/PVD/Armin and other good friends of ours - no comments
- Any other "good" track that I have missed out - Probably haven't heard it.
This is the beginning of my greatest trance tracks list, it will be sometime in the making, there is lots of stuff to add and ordering to do. ATM this list is very incomplete, so feel free to leave suggestions on anything I may have missed out. I like goa/acid/classic trance. Its a good idea to not use words such as "Tiesto", "Paul", "Armin", "ASOT" in your suggestions =P
Your first question on reading this list will be "Is this a Goa list or a Trance list?". Rest assured this is a Trance list, its just that I like Goa sooo much! Note the genres listed after the tracks mayn't be actual genres, for example "Hard Acid Goa" or "Dark Goa" are not genres, but I've inserted "Dark" so you know what kind of Goa Trance the track in question is. If there is no genre listed, then I'm not sure of the genre.
So what does go into picking these tracks. Well...
1. What kind of feeling does each track give me on a careful listen? A good acid trance track makes me feel like I'm flying into a star o_0
2. How formulaic is it? It may give me that "feeling" but if it uses formulaic elements its a goner or will get a lower place. How do I figure the "formulas" out? Well if certain melodies and rhythms get repeated in tracks, they come to my notice and become "Formulaic". If you have no idea what I mean then try this . It will hopefully give you some idea of what constitutes a formula.
3. When was the track produced? Tracks produces in the late 80s or early 90s get more credit for innovation than do track produced later. What Time is Love? and We Came in Peace benefited from this.
4. I'm not a big fan of ambient music, because ambient music generally has less layers, less going on, and has much more symphonic content which in my experience is relative easier to compose/produce than say a lead synth melody. Symphonic always sounds good, you don't even have to vary the pitch much or anything.
Lastly, any criticism is fine. If you have this Tiesto track which is really close to your heart, well you could post it if you really must.
Underworld - Thing in a Book...what an obscure pick! I was an Underworld fan for nearly 5 years before I was able to find that track, but maaaaan, the only reason it wasn't on one of their studio albums is because it was too long! It's seriously amazing, definitely solidifying my position that UW is the best in the biz...
I found that track interesting, lots stuff coming together to form that track. For me, the longer the track the better =D To be honest, I got that track off xruntime's list.
Otherwise, I haven't really explored Underworld that much, maybe because I didn't like their most famous track - Born Slippy.
It's kind of a fluke, there really aren't any other tracks in the UW catalog like that one. It's pretty simplistic and a nice banging track but "Thing in a Book" is much more representative of their style. I would suggest giving the dubnobasswithmyheadman a try, it's one of my favorites, and is mostly deep and emotional.
I'll give it a listen :)
Nice list, though my waning interest in trance means I haven't really got much to say on it. I like the fact a lot of it is different from other trance lists.
Ever thought of getting into Minimal or Techno? My minimal list (and darktremor's) and sljiva's techno list are good starting places. To me, they just seem to have infinitely more depth than trance now. I think sometime in the future I'll check out all this goa though, as it is a better sub genre (akin to acid or classic) than most from what I've heard.
You're right, I've been focusing on Goa too much. Minimal trance doesn't appeal to me all that much, I prefer more variation. Techno sounds good. Anyhow all the new psy is blurring the line between trance and techno.
I'm fairly certain now that goa will be my #1 forever. Btw goa has a lot of depth too, try Blue Planet Corporation or Etnica for depth!
If you do think up some recommendations, I'd like to hear them :)
Nah stick to what you like, I wasn't bashing your opinions sorry if it came across that way. I will definitely get Etnica soon, as soon as I'm back in England.
:)
No! It didn't come across like that, I was just stating my opinion. I do want to check out techno, but I still have gigabytes of goa to be listened to first! =]
karan, you have wonderful taste in trance! I wish I'd of found your list sooner. I am an avid fan of goa trance, but classic is where I always find myself back into.
If you don't already know it, might I recommend Ayla-Ayla (original vinyl mix) if you can get ahold of it (Most of the recordings I've found that call themselves "original" are actually DJ Taucher.) It's absolutely breathtaking and mesmerizing.
Thanks :D This listen is still nascent even though its been on for long because I haven't had enough motivation to fully explore classic trance despite the excellent lists on here, so all recommendations are doubly welcome :)
I think I got the original mix. Its nice, makes you float away, but don't you feel it relied on the symphonic sounds a little too much? Doing what Airwave did? Ofcourse its nowhere as cheesy but I'll need to give it a few more listens before before I consider it for this list.
Have you tried "Artificial Intelligence II" from Warp Records? Its an IDM release from '94 and to be honest, I do find some of it very trancey. For example, Balil's Parasight is actually on that compilation.
I agree with you fully on the sound of the original mix; I much prefer the Taucher remix. Though, I have a soft spot for the symphonic approach.
I will most definitely take a look into "Artificial Intelligence II". I'm very happy to check out new recommendations!
I must admit, I was very excited to see all of the goa trance on your list!