Way, way, way too many from all corners of music. But several uplifting, tech, and progressive artists (roughly in order of favorites): Paul Moelands (Octagen, Re:Locate); Finne Jager (Phynn); Bart Van Wissen (as himself and Fictivision); Laurent Véronnez (Airwave, Cape Town); Ferry Corsten; Thomas Bronzwaer; Ronald Hagen & Pascal Minnaard (Signum); Darren Tate; Above & Beyond; Andrew Perring (Pulser); Simon Patterson; Perry Van De Vrede (Perry O'Neil); Richard John Mowatt (Solarstone); Jean Frank Cochois (The Timewriter); Magnus Birgersson (Solar Fields); Krzysztof Pretkiewicz (Nitrous Oxide); Miika Eloranta & Janne Mansnerus (Super8 & Tab); Alan Nimmo & Andrew Bayer (Signalrunners); Dan Stone; Tiësto
Some non EDM-related musical influences: Cannibal Ox, Common, Depeche Mode, Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson, Nas, The Offspring, Peter Gabriel, Tangerine Dream, Tears For Fears, Tchaikovsky, and many more.
Several of my all-time favorite EDM songs:
Fictivision vs. C-Quence - Symbols: Symbols has one of the most spine-tingling buildups and breakdowns I've ever heard. I get shivers hearing all the different, intricate melodies, especially beginning at 1:36! If trance had any chance of being fairly compared to classical, this would be the ticket. Symbols is so important, I had to make it the first video of this list. =] Absolute classic.
Fictivision vs. Phynn - Escape (Phynn Mix): Phynn's version of Escape has grown to become my favorite trance song of all-time. It sounds so sharp and intense, it really makes your heart race. Stirring chords, a fierce bassline, and an aggressive breakdown make this one of the best of 2004.
Audioholics - External Key: This is progressive trance from 2004, which you could say was the golden year for trance music of this variety. I get serious goosebumps when I hear those haunting vocals fade in with the main riff during the song's breakdown 3 minutes into the song.
A-Force - Continental Chaos: Israeli trance producer Amir Afargan launched this sleeper in 2003, and honestly, I don't think it ever saw the amount of credit or praise it actually deserved. I'll admit, it took me some time to get into as well, but the breakdown has such an intense energy to it, it leaves me wondering why more of today's trance productions don't offer that same suspense or release of tension. The build-up and release are brilliant, and it's the ideal night driving tune in the city.
Envio - For You (The Blizzard Remix): Wow. Off the bat, let me say that when I first heard this back in Feburary 2008, I listened to this one non-stop (literally, as soon as I came back from class, I listened to this on loop for the longest time.) I love that the song has this great energy at first, then the breakdown comes and the acoustic guitar just lulls you for a couple minutes, then the beat comes back in and the song just takes you away from there.
Sounds Like
Uplifting trance/uplifting tech-trance (mostly with driving, energetic basslines, edgy melodic elements, and tribal percussive elements), but breaking into deep tribal progressive trance, progressive house, tech house, and deep house as well. I'm obsessed with trance music from the 2002-2004 era, so some might say that I gravitate towards that period when creating sounds. OK, all this is a pretty generic description, but my hope is that, when you listen, you don't just know what it "sounds like", but also what kinds of images crawl into your mind. I want people to free their imaginations as they listen: maybe they see a deep ocean, a lush rainforest, solitude in a snowed out pine forest far in the north, an abandoned world, a city at night bustling with life, being with a significant other, etc. That's when music becomes more than just another sound and becomes life. Electronic music is mistaken for being cold and emotionless. Actually, next to classical, I don't think any other music can compare to electronic music in terms of the emotion it creates. There are some very organic sounds to be heard in this area. Hell, just listen to Solar Fields' or Hybrid's stuff. Just my personal opinion!
Hey all, my real name is Kevin Berger, but when I'm in the musical mode, I don the alias "Green Octopus." I started producing in the summer of 2008. My focus is on producing trance and, since 2009, house music. Although I've spent a fair amount of time on melodic trance, the heart and soul of my producing, I am also looking to branch out into many different areas. Eventually, I want to try my hand at producing hip-hop instrumentals, breakbeat, and downtempo. I pull inspiration from all sorts of non-electronic music genres, mainly alternative rock, "classic" rock from the 1960s and 1970s, 1980s synthpop, hip-hop, and pretty much everything else in modern music. Even a little bit of top 40 can be inspiring if you know where to look.
I discovered the joys of trance music in the early 2000s, at first in dribs and drabs, and then in mass quantities. I was especially taken when I heard Schiller - Das Glockenspiel (DJ Tïesto Remix) from the video game "Fifa 2002" on Nintendo Gamecube back in 2001. I was so enamored by the song, I would sometimes turn on the game only so I could hear the song. Around this same time, I discovered Tiesto's remix of Paul Oakenfold's track Southern Sun and also the massive house bomb Zero 7 - Destiny (Photek Remix.) My curiosity accelerated when I began to investigate internet radio on iTunes, which opened me up to a treasure trove of electronic dance music. For the most part, I tuned in to Afterhoursdjs.org radio. One night in January 2004, a DJ from Chicago played, to this day, the most inspiring trance mix I ever heard. A local radio station based in Washington, DC, then called WHFS, also played trance music on Saturday nights after midnight. In 2003 and 2004, I would occasionally tune in. As I sank into my deep slumbers, I let my curiosity and imagination wonder as the music swept me away. These memories remain the ones I yearn for and embrace the most.
Music is essential to my life. I cannot imagine a day without hearing at least one song, because music is one form of communication that I can fully understand. I decided to start producing purely out of the love for this music. To me, trance is the most powerful way to express thoughts and emotions. A single track can bring out euphoria, melancholy, mystery, or fear all at once. I would say a lot of melodic trance music gravitates towards the euphoric and melancholy, while flirting with other rich emotions in subtle ways. You can feel the energy beneath you, and the suspense is completely natural to trance music's structure. This is why most trance songs can last anywhere from 6 minutes to 13 minutes. Yes, music such as techno, trance, and house do require some open-mindedness. I can understand music that doesn't need words, because it is a form of music that speaks to me purely through beautiful melodies, atmosphere, and energy. It's about building up tension, playing with suspense, and then releasing. With house music, it's totally different. It's not as epic sounding like a lot of trance music, and is great for when you need something more relaxed that you can groove to.
Currently, I am a student at the University of Maryland, where I study tirelessly, day in and day out, to earn a degree in civil engineering. I'm about done with schooling, after which point the world is my oyster. As my finances become favorable, I want to expand my arsenal of hardware and software. In the times that wait before me, I hope to become even more active in the music community.
History of My Work
Flagrant (This Mix) and Flagrant (That Mix) :: November/December 2009 [Uplifting Trance/Tech Trance] (WIP)
Fictivision vs. C-Quence - Symbols (Green Octopus Chillout Mix) :: November 2009 [Downtempo/Progressive Trance/Tribal] (WIP)
New Jersey:: September 2009 [Progressive House/Deep House] (WIP)
Fever Pitch:: September 2009 [Trance] (WIP)
Stymie:: July 2009 [Trance] (WIP)
Anomaly:: March 2009 [Minimal Tech House]
Flashpoint:: March 2009 [Trance]
Latitude:: December 2008 [Trance]
Words of the Wise
"No artist is pleased...
There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction; a blessed unrest that keeps us marching
and makes us more alive than the others."
~Martha Graham
"Dance music is based on repetition — and if you are repeating something, you've got to make sure it's something that's not just likeable. You want to have something that gives you goosebumps, that raises the hairs on the back of your neck."
