Trance music is known for its steady beats and almost mesmerizing groove. Those who listen to Trance music on a regular basis can often be said to exhibit a 'trance" like state of mind. Whether this state of mind is caused by the elevated heart beat style foundations or the synthetic undertones and melodies is hard to tell, but one thing is certain, Trance Music can be a psychedelic experience and thus was born the genre of Psychedelic Trance.
Psychedelic Trance was first recognized in the mid 1990's in the United Kingdom. A derivative of Goa Trance, Psychedelic Trance is thought to alter the state of mind of the listener into an almost floating way. Over the years, the definition of Psychedelic Trance expanded to include more of the Trance style music selections being practiced in clubs. These styles are characterized by varying mood, tempo and style.
Goa Trance, the father of Psychedelic Trance, was rooted in analog synthesizers. The analog synthesizer creates a sound that was recorded and used as the basis of many pieces of music. But, as the world became more virtual, the analog synthesizer gave way to a more digital wave. Digital synthesizers are at the heart of Psychedelic Trance, though you may find some "old school" based Goa / Psychedelic Trance with a few analog bits to this day.
Psychedelic Trance is based on one speeding beat. This beat will be heard from the beginning of the piece until the end of the piece. The length of the track, usually 8 to 12 minutes, provides the Psychedelic Trance music the ability to tell a story of sorts. With the bass line hopping along at anywhere from 120 to 150 beats per minute, the overlayed synthesizers and melodies slowly grow and thrive until the apex or climax of the song. Once the climax is reached, the song calms down a bit and rebuilds to tell another story.
Out of the Psychedelic Trance style came the birth of one of the darkest forms of Trance in clubs today. Dark psytrance, killer psytrance, darkpsy, horrortrance and dark are just a few of the names for this almost scary fast form of Psychedelic Trance. With beats steady between 145 and 165 BPM, the massive pulsating tones can be felt in the deepest parts of the chest.
Dark Psychedelic Trance of this sort rarely uses vocals, though sound and voice clips taken from movies and other sources, most often horror in nature, are used frequently throughout the music. As the music evolves, South African influence is changing Dark Psychedelic Trance into a more melodic form of music.
Psychedelic Trance is more of an experience than a style of music. From the first few bars of the piece, well into the 8 to 12 minutes, your body will feel as though it is hovering right along with the bass line. The experience of Trance in general, would not be the same without the fast, droning style of Psychedelic Trance.
More information about Trance Music: http://www.tranceonline.net/
