Bezvýznamné plus Paula van Dyka

 

 Trance – žeru to a nenávidím zároveň. Van Dyk mě spíš už jen  sere. Ale musí se nechat, že někdy dávno do něj trochu něco bylo – minimálně do doby než si začal sám bez pomoci produkovat svoje věci tzn. do druhýho alba Seven Ways..

Nevím jestli to bylo jeho skrytým talentem nebo je to takovej sympaťák, že se s ním všichni rádi kamarádili, ale dostal se do vybraný společnosti lidí jako byl Cosmic Baby nebo Mijk Van Dijk okolo labelu MFS. Jeho vůbec první vydaná deska nebyla ani vlastní produkce ale DJ Mix X-Mix 1 – The MFS Trip, kde míchá tracky co na MFS vyšly.

To byl “první” díl legendární série X-Mix, což byly tenkrát velice inovativní videoprogramy, kde předchůdci dnešních VJs předváděli, jak se dá sladit video s hudbou. První díl píšu v uvozovkách, protože předtím vydalo Studio !K7 (co to mělo na svědomí a na X-mixech si vybudovalu svojí značku) ještě tři videa 3-LUX . 

Díky kouzlu internetu si je možný tenhle mix pustit na netu na následujících adresách – bohužel je tu prokletý youtubí limit 10 min, ale pro fajnšmekry se štěstím na seedy kvalitnější zdroje jsou. 

Na ukázku vkládám první část – všechny linky jsou zde: 1/7 2/7 3/7 4/7 5/7 6/7 7/7

Tracklist:

1	Gemini 6	Skysoaring
2	True Love	Breath Of Stars
3	Effective Force	Diamond Bullet
4	Cosmic Baby	Cosmikk Trigger 1
5	Cosmic Baby	Oh Supergirl
6	Microglobe	High On Hope
7	Voov	        Strobe Light
8	Futurhythm	Transmanic
9	Cosmic Baby	The Space Track
10	Humate        	Love Stimulation
11	Cosmic Baby	Heaven's Tears
12	Visions Of Shiva, The	How Much Can You Take?
13	Cosmic Baby	Sweet Dreams For Kaa
14	Loopzone	Natural High
15	Visions Of Shiva, The	Perfect Night

V jedný zajímavý diskuzi jsem se se setkal s názorem, že tohle je první mix, který odstartoval prakticky konec toho “dobrýho” trancu, který má dost lidí, včetně mě, ještě rádo. Možná na tom něco bude..  Každopádně celý ten příspěvek, kde se píše o smutným vývoji celýho toho stylu, mi přijde tak zajímavý, že ho (bez dovolení autora) pastnu i sem – jestli se člověku nechce koukat na to video, tak se to při poslechu tý přehlídky nefalšovaných německých emocí dobře čte:

 

Trance has a very interesting history. “oldschool trance” is my favorite style of electronic music, I’m not entirely sure why, but I feel it’s because the older stuff has a certain honesty and innocence, as producers were coming to grips with all the new technology, and harnessing it an emotional yet otherworldly way for the first time. 

MFS had to be the first outlet for this music. Cosmic Baby and Mijk van Dijk have to be credited for so much of what came later. Without them there would have been no Paul van Dyk, no Paul Oakenfold, no Sasha. They were the true innovators in a time when breakbeat and sample-based rave was king. Their simple yet elegant melodies changed dance music forever. We finally had chord progressions, and “movements” in the songs. Not just a mindless breakdown, movie sample, and hoover synth anymore. This was real brain music.

Then came Harthouse and Eye Q. Sven, the mastermind of German techno, realized what was happening around him in Dorian Gray and other areas and capitalized on it better than any person before or after him. Because of his tireless work, his 16 hour DJ sets and his complete love and dedication to this new sound, he helped catapult it into commercial success. He is not the only person to thank for those labels, though – do not forget Matthias Hoffman (Cygnus X / Brainchild), Ralf Hildenbeutel (Earth Nation / Odysee of Noises), and Heinz Roth (the real business mastermind who managed Sven’s first project O.F.F. – Organization For Fun). Together, with frequent contributors Oliver Bondzio (Hardfloor), Pascal Dardoufas (Pascal FEOS / Resistance D / Aural Float), and Steffan Britzke (Stevie B-Zet / Astral Pilot), Harthouse and Eye Q dominated the German party scene and quickly spread all throughout Europe, Russia, and the US. These men were able to create both incredibly intricate and detailed music yet with a certain honesty than only a “first expedition” can bring. 

Then we have to move onto the God of Trance, Oliver Lieb. I don’t know his whole history, but I have a feeling that during the early 90s when he saw what Sven and boys were doing, he was influenced a great deal by that sound and began an offshoot, which I would call “tech trance.” Instead of just pretty melody and big pads, he injected a decidedly “sci-fi” sound that involved darker elements and much more mechanical, techno-influenced percussion. It was his fascination with this concept that really made Superstition Records shine. Eventually, his sound shifted from the 15-minute epic ambient-trance productions into more dancefloor oriented, harder and progressive sounds, which must have influenced Paul van Dyk. 

Mentions must go out to Paul van Dyk, who was Cosmic Baby’s studio partner and student for some time. Thanks to Cosmic Baby’s knowledge of melody and orchestration, PvD was probably the one of the first “progressive trance” artists in the sense that the more atmospheric, ambient elements of his peers were discarded in favor of more powerful melody and percussion. In 1993, PvD released the now-seminal X-Mix 1 compilation which captured the sound of his MFS label mates. This mix, while not hugely successful in the commercial sense, was really the beginning of what was to become commercial trance. It signaled the beginning of the endless string of trance comps that would follow. While some people do not like this mix for all the pitch shifting going on, the tracklisting is flawless and really shows how early trance was becoming “bigger” and more progressive (Love Stimulation being a huge transitional song). I think after X-Mix 1, and all the preceeding Eye Q, MFS and Harthouse material, trance was bursting at the seams. 

Enter Paul Oakenfold, a dabbler in goa trance and rising star in London. He was no stranger to trance and I think alot of people today forget the fact that he organized several clubnights and parties to promote this sound and he was very active in importing and distributing this music. In in the mid 90s he released the now infamous The Goa Mix and A Voyage Into Trance, both capitalizing on the growing goa-trance sound from India and Israel. However, he really found his niche with that progressive, catchy trance that Germany was pumping out with Paul van Dyk at the helm. I think it was because of PvD that Oakenfold found his place in the music world. Oakenfold’s own music was not very good, but his mixing was considered quite good back then and he really pushed forward that progressive trance sound. Sasha, Digweed, and all the other familiar names came shortly after, but I think it was Oakie at the forefront in those times. No I really do not think he should be getting paid tens of thousands of dollars for a gig, and I think everything he has been associated with over the last decade has been weak. But don’t forget the older history he has. 

Robert Miles’ “Children” and other cheap, simplistic “epic trance” such as that from ATB, Darude, Chicane and so forth pushed the sound over the edge into pure club territory. Gone were the mindbending sounds, intricate effects and classical melodies. Instead, the cheap thrills of loud, strong and epic production took over and trance as we know it was dead. I would put this year somewhere around 1997. Because in 1996 you still had some fantastic music coming out from Oliver Lieb, Salt Tank, Juno Reactor, etc. But in 97 I really think the original innocence, passion and exploration of trance was lost, and never really to be discovered again. We can’t really blame one person, or one label… it was kind of inevitable, after the big guns like Oakie and PvD and Sasha started playing to stadium crowds and leaving the Eye Q records at home. I don’t hate any of them for it, but certainly, you cannot say that after 1996, trance got better. Anyone who thinks that just didn’t experience the earlier stuff, or still hasn’t discovered it. 

Today, there is pretty much nothing similar between “oldschool trance” and today’s trance, except for the same 4 on the floor beat and tempo. Gone are the playful melodies, the soft pads, the delicate production. Now replaced with huge breakdowns, unnecessary vocals, stolen sounds from electro-house records, synth presets, and a desire only to be mixed into the next record instead of standing on its own as a work of art. Trance has died a very ugly, and long death. Even the old stars like Cygnus X, Sven Vath, Cosmic Baby and Mijk van Dijk can’t bear to make music like that anymore. They moved on with everyone else, which is sad, because they were some of the best at stirring up emotions in us and bringing us on a journey that we would never forget. The cheap, loud trance of today doesn’t start a journey… it just beatmatches into the next track.

Well, we can always revisit the old days instead of being bitter about the new ones. That’s what the When Trance Was Good forum is all about, what my mixes are all about and why there are so many likeminded people on Discogs sharing music and memories.

 

 

 

~ od lopikoid na březen 8, 2009.