Trance music

Lore & Background

Producers such as Pete Namlook, Oliver Lieb, and Rolf Ellmer created noteworthy tracks including 'Eternal Spirit' by 4Voice, 'Hearts' by L.S.G., and 'We Came in Peace' by Dance 2 Trance. Much of the development of trance can be traced to Sven Väth, who was heavily influenced by his experiences traveling to Goa where DJs were using psychedelic rock and other sounds to induce a trance state at beach parties. Another influential label of progressive trance was Hooj Choons. In Germany, a harder sub-genre of trance emerged, with Bonzai Records as a notable label. By the late 1990s, uplifting took over the scene, and in the early 2000s, pop-style vocals began being added. Trance was arguably at its commercial peak in the second part of the 1990s and early 2000s.

Reader's Guide

Trance music's significance lies in its development as a distinct genre of electronic dance music that spread from Frankfurt across Europe and globally. It influenced numerous subgenres including Goa trance, psytrance, hard trance, progressive trance, vocal trance, epic trance, and uplifting trance. The genre's characteristic structure—with builds, breakdowns, and drops—became a template for later EDM. Key labels such as Eye Q, Harthouse, MFS Records, Platipus, Hooj Choons, and Bonzai Records shaped its sound. Artists like Sven Väth, Paul van Dyk, and DJ Dag Lerner were central to its early development. The genre's commercial peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s saw widespread popularity, and from the late 2000s to the mid 2010s, providers such as Armin van Buuren's A State of Trance, Paul van Dyk, and Above & Beyond remained popular. The genre's legacy includes its influence on later electronic music styles and its enduring presence in club and festival culture.

Did You Know?

• DJ Dag Lerner has stated that he was the first to call his music trance and 'gave the child his name.'
• In Australia, Quench's 'Dreams' sold over a million copies worldwide by October 2000.