The Difference Between Trance Music and Hard Trance Music
A fast beat music style created in the 1980’s, Trance is more commonly referred to as techno or house music, though this terminology is not 100% correct. At the heart of trance is a steady, fast drum beat that leaves the listener feeling as though they are mentally drifting, or in a trance, thus the name of the music. There are various different forms of Trance music, including the popular Hard Trance.
Trance music, in general, offers some set characteristics. Almost as if riding a roller coaster of sound, the electronica that makes up the Trance style is a building, peaking and declining form of song / beat integration. The basis for many of the club and dance hits of today, the club music is more well known to the crowds that frequent night clubs than any other sector of the population.
Hard Trance is a spin off of the base style of Trance music. Originating in Germany in the early 1990’s, hard trance is a combination of traditional Trance music and hard, trance – like rock. The acid undertones of the beats and synthesized sounds are what make Hard Trance different from other forms of Trance.
Hard Trance music can be differentiated from traditional Trance music by the use of common sounds and effects. The “hoover” sound, vaguely resembling a vacuum cleaner, is a droning sound that is common in many forms of Hard Trance. Hard Trance utilizes dark themes, snapping snare beats, off set bass lines and synthesizer riffs of epic proportion.
With the popularity of Hard Trance in Europe, a spin off of hard Trance was created in hardstyle or European Hard Trance. This style of Hard Trance follows a slower beat line than others forms of Hard Trance (140 to 145 beats per minute) and exhibits dark tones and themes. Very heavy on the synthetic side, European Hard Trance is popular in The Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland and Germany.
The Hard Trance, or hardstyle, category can be split into three sub – categories. Dutch Hardstyle, Italian Hardstyle, and Nu-Style.
- Dutch Hardstyle or Hard Trance is one of the darkest and hardest forms of Hard Trance. The base lines are immense and the kicks, wicked.
- Italian Hardstyle or Hard Trance offers a bit more on the melodic side of Hard Trance. The themes and lyrics tend to follow a “gangsta” theme.
- Nu-Style Hardstyle or Hard Trance is the newest and least traditional form of Hard Trance. The use of reverb falls short in Nu-Style with a concentration on a more grungy base line. Many Djs are reverting to the Nu-Style form of Hard Trance.
Trance music is something that is here to stay. Just like all other forms of expression, the style of Trance versus Hard Trance will move, ebb and flow with the beats of the snare and the line of the bass. When all is said and done, Trance music, and especially Hard Trance, is what drives the night life of many countries. Night club beats make the body want to move and Hard Trance is the cornerstone of those beats.
Tags: Hard Trance, Trance
