Gathered Thoughts

Armin van Buuren's "A State of Trance"

Details: Category: Music; Published on Wednesday, 22 August 2007 12:45; Written by Daniel Shin; Hits: 609

Armin van Buuren

Many people get their latest music from the radio, TV, or a friend, but I get mine exclusively from the Internet. Not that I go to peer-to-peer networks and download random songs, but instead I get it through radio shows that is broadcasted through the world wide web. Armin van Buuren is my favorite DJ, and this DJ from the Netherlands has a weekly radio show called "A State of Trance". As the title of the show suggests, the radio show plays a mix of Trance and Progressive genre music. Armin uses his DJ skills to blend in the tracks into a non-stop two hour show. The show is released through over 25 FM radio stations world-wide and streamed through the Internet by di.fm.

Unfortunately Trance is not a popular genre in the United States, so I listen "A State of Trance" exclusively through the Internet. I believe that the Internet was responsible for expanding the fan-base for Trance music throughout the years. I truly believe Trance music would not have gotten its popularity without the existence of the Internet.

Armin plays a wide range of different styles of Trance music in his show, so you can get a diverse scoop of the genre. Armin also does many world-wide tours in many clubs, so if you are interested in his radio show, then it might be a great idea to check out one of his live appearances.

Above and Beyond - Home

Details: Category: Music; Published on Monday, 04 June 2007 01:00; Written by Daniel Shin; Hits: 738

Above and Beyond did its magic again with the new track called "Home". Combining a gentle rift melody and soft vocals, the song sets another prime example of a perfect balance between synth elements and vocals. I was a bit worried with the vocal trance genre as not a lot of good female vocal tracks were released this year, but I am going to enjoy this new song for the coming weeks. The album version of the song is on Above and Beyond's album Tri-State, and the other trance version should be released by its own in the coming weeks. Take a quick sample listen of this song from last.fm!

Trance Around the World with Above and Beyond

Details: Category: Music; Published on Monday, 28 May 2007 23:55; Written by Daniel Shin; Hits: 640

I listen to a particular genre called Trance, and I get most of my music stream from various weekly radio shows by famous DJs (This genre works a little different than other ones). One of my favorite DJs is Above and Beyond, and they have one of the most popular Trance show called “Trance Around the World”. They play the latest tracks from their label Anjunabeats or from other releases. This weekly show last about two hours, and guest DJs are invited to spin in the later hour of the show. Listeners have the opportunity to pick their favorite track from Above and Beyond’s website, and the track gets featured on the show. Although I do not have the exact figures on the number of listeners, I am pretty confident that the show receives tens of thousands (or even hundreds of thousands!) of listeners around the world.

Endre - Kallocain

Details: Category: Music; Published on Thursday, 24 May 2007 15:53; Written by Daniel Shin; Hits: 531

If you are looking for a relaxing music with a little dance beat (which seems to be a bit contradictory together), then take a listen to Endre's Kallocain. This track was released on 2004, and it has been one of the popular music that year. I consider this music one of my top ten best Trance music all times. The music creates a harmonious combination of ambient bass backdrop, simple melodic strings, and elegant effects to bring a sophisticated quality from a simple theme. Endre's official website seems to be down, but take a sample listen of the Original mix and Robert Nickson mix at Audiojelly!

Luminary - Dark Eyes

Details: Category: Music; Published on Tuesday, 22 May 2007 22:38; Written by Daniel Shin; Hits: 548

Dark Eyes has a combination of an enchanting vocal and slow but stunning melody. There are a lot of electronic vocal tracks out there, but Dark Eyes stands out as one of the best produced vocal songs released by the Trance community. You could feel the infused emotion carried both through the melody and the lyrics. I highly recommend taking a listen to this music. I recommend the radio mix and the funabashi pres tom porcell mix (Click on the headphone icon to listen to a sample portion of the song).