Muff's Modules & More

[rezzn8r]

thanks for the links. some very well written stuff there.
I've always been interested in the combination of dance with light and sound to achieve altered states. The references to ego destruction, and reprogramming with the rising of the sun hint at the magick contained.

(i know, go smoke another...)

[bonusplays]

I'm currently reading Deep Listeners: Music, Emotion, and Trancing by Judith Becker, which is a fantastic book on cognition, listening, music, and trance states (trancing), if you guys are interested in that sort of thing. Doesn't cover US-Euro electronic trance music per se, but gets to some of the ideas that Babaluma was talking about in his earlier post.

My friend Matt did a review of it here with a bunch of other cool recommendations of books on sound.

The Becker book is great and extremely thorough, but very readable and academic without being super dry or highly abstracted. I'd describe it further but I'm only on page 70 and it hasn't quite gotten going yet.

[suitandtieguy]

the first track in that mix really reminds of Banco De Gaia for some reason.

btw, this is a great thread. nice to see some discussion about trance back before the great Trance Apocalypse.

[Babaluma]

[Babaluma]

[Babaluma]

[Babaluma]

[suitandtieguy]

that's what i mean.

epic/anthem trance basically destroyed dance music.

all that's left now are some scattered psytrance parties, and psytrance has kind of turned into a genre where every track sounds almost exactly the same.

but then the hippies started doing E and listening to Ableton Live calisthenics.

it's fucking weird.

[Babaluma]

yeah, i loved the very early releases on Dragonfly and TIP Records, but after a couple of years things really started to fester (in my opinion). 95-96 were the halcyon years for me.

i also hate how digital and samey it all sounds now, but like you say, it's the ableton generation. those early releases sound very analogue.

god i sound like an old man!

another thing that never ceases to amaze me is just HOW FEW people in the current psy trance scene seem to be into modulars/on this forum. i mean if you want an acid/lead line with infinite modulation possibilities then the modular is where it's at!

[neandrewthal]

I wanna kill myself every time I hear snare____snare____snare____snare ____snare_snare_snare_snare_snare snaresnaresnaresnaresnaresnaresnare _CRASH

[plord]

Criminally poor drum programming killed a lot of trance for me, even the Goa/Psy stuff (cough Pleiadians cough). and once it devolved into "progressive" style beats with crazy 3d noises and no melody/development whatsoever, I tuned out. But I've still got a metric assload of the mid-90's stuff from TIP, Dragonfly, Transient, Matsuri, Phantasm, and Phonokol, plus a couple different iPod playlists sorted out. I can still put on Cosmosis Synergy or Nervasystem's The Mama Matrix Most Mysterious and not feel motivated to take them out until they're over. Good shit, that.

Oh, also: The Green Nuns of the Revolution's Rock Bitch Mafia should have its own special 303 abuse trophy in the Roland Hall of Fame. Just sayin'.

I *adored* Banco de Gaia all the way through Big Men Cry, particularly the live band he toured with for that release, but after that his material has been really shark-jumpy. I bought the last few hoping for a resurgence (hey, the "final" Orbital album wasn't bad, and the Orb are riding a huge hot streak since _the Dream_), but in the end I sold them all. There's nothing compelling there. I still listen to Maya, Last Train and BMC quite often, though. Especially the "Duck! Asteroid!" remix of Kincajou.

Why yes, I am reading back through a month of posts, why do you ask? Y'all talk a lot, you know that?

[Babaluma]

[suitandtieguy]

[plord]

[plord]

GAH! Babaluma I totally hit edit instead of quote. I am a dork.
My utter apologies.

Me <- dork. Also, tired from boxes. Sleeping now.

Gah.

[computer controlled]

AFAIC, Trance started with Age of Love. But i'll always like the Acid Trance of the early 90s.

Here's a mix i did a long time ago of a lot of the better Acid Trance of the time.

http://tweakcollective.com/mp3/new/computercontrolled/Music/Frantik%20 -%20My%20Definition%20Of%20Trance.mp3

[Babaluma]

hey plord no worries, all the interesting content is still there

yeah tip blue and yellow were great, still love "angelic particles" by hallucinogen. i really loved the dragonfly "order odonata" series as well. the "project 2 trance" earliest release was still kinda proto goa.

thanks for the banco de gaia and green nuns info, i'll definitely check out matthew coldrick.

computer controlled, downloading now! thanks!

"the age of love" was a brilliant track, i have the oroginal 12", but that style seemed to evolve into the more cheesy handbag hands in the air alcohol trance a la platipus records. eye q were the same, some great tracks, but verging on the severe cheese in places!

p.s. i still don't know why more modern psy producers aren't on this forum/using modulars?

[terrafractyl]

Interesting thread + links!
thanks Babaluma

I'm well immersed in the psytrance scene, (although increasingly writing less and focusing on other stuff) and have been since the mid 90's

Personally for me it was the hypnotic sounds and beats that grabbed me, but when I heard Simon posford, Total Eclipse and Later Infected mushroom start to make electronic music that also grabbed me emotionally I was totally sold.

'Angelic particles' was probnably my favourtite track for a few years!

Nowaday's I'm almost ashamed more than proud to say I write psytrance, when someone asks, as yeah 99% of it today is complete bollocks but I still think the music I write and call psytrance is interesting to listen to, conjures emotions and can have a pretty decent effect on a dance floor, so i'ma going to stick at it.
actually the lack of decent psy trance is one of the only things that keeps me writing it... Theres still just somthing about it i love.

I had a feeling that no-one on this forum would be into it at all but its nice to see it still has a place in the hearts of many

[Babaluma]

wow, that's great to hear! can we listen to some of your music?

i think i mentioned it before, but i was really impressed with a son kite live set i heard a few months ago (the set was from 2001 i think). however, even when i listen to a lot of the old stuff, it doesn't grab me like it used to, i just think my tastes have changed.

but your stick to your guns dude, it's the only way you'll ever grow and improve as an artist. i'm kinda trying to do the same thing, but in more of an ambient/drone style.

i think it's sad that you feel ashamed to say you write psy trance, but i can also understand it. there seems to be a lot of unjustified hate for it out there.

i've always imagined modulars to be the ultimate tools for writing trance music.

any tips for insane lead/acid lines?

i'd be happy to have a go at mastering one of your tracks too, if you are up for it?

[suitandtieguy]