Best trance music of 2004
Submitted by darktremor on Sun, 01/23/2005 - 02:32
- The follow-up to best trance music of 2003. For an explanation of what trance is, go to my lists menu, here: Darktremor's list of lists, and select one of the other trance lists. Disclaimer: Don't bother posting on the subject of "trance and techno are the same thing". They are not. I give reasons why not on all of my other lists, and it is a very large difference. If you are going to post something like that, please don't post at all.
- Anyhoo...on to the list:
- Petter - These Days (prog)
- Nathan Fake - Outhouse (prog)
- PQM - You Are Sleeping (Luke Chable Vocal mix) (prog)
- The MFA - The Difference it Makes (prog)
- Above & Beyond - No One on Earth (Gabriel & Dresden mix) (semi-prog)
- Filterheadz - Yimanya
- Tilt - The World Doesn't Know (prog)
- White Room - White Room
- Robert Gitelman - Things 2 Say (Push mix)
- Reflekt ft Deline Bass - Need to Feel Loved (semi-prog)
- White Room - Someday
- Tim Deluxe - Choose Something like a Star (prog)
- Tranquility Base - Surrender
- Nathan Fake - The Sky is Pink (prog)
- Petter - All Together (prog)
- Space Manoeuvres - Quadrant 4 (prog)
- Quivver - Space Manoevres part 3 (prog)
- Commander Tom - Attention!
- Rank 1 - Beats @ Rank 1 dot com
- A Matsumoto and DJ Yoshi - Dreamer (Luke Chable Remix) (prog)
- Super8 - Alba
- Solid Globe - Sahara
- Fictivision Vs. Phynn - Escape
- Sander Kleinenberg - The Fruit (prog)
- Push - Electric Eclipse (prog?tek?)
- Gill Norris - Forme (prog)
- Rio Klein - Fearless (Push mix)
- Oceanlab - Satellite
- Adam White - Ballerina
- BT - Force of Gravity (Ferry Corsten mix)
- Way Out West - Killa (prog)
- Dextro - Do You Need Help? (MFA Help Help mix) (prog)
- Benny Bennassi - No Matter What You Do (elec)
- Katana - In Silence (Txitarro mix)
- Ridgewalkers ft. El - Find (Andy Moor mix) (prog)
- Nathan Fake - Bored of House (prog)
- James Holden - The Wheel (prog)
- Johan Kivi - Clouds
- Dogzilla - Your Eyes
- Joris Voorn - Incident (tek)
- Tilt - I Know You're Afraid (prog)
- Fascinated - Totally Fascinated (prog?tek?)
- Felix Da Housecat - Watching Cars Go By (prog)(elec)
- Mark Norman - Phantom Manor
- Hemstock & Jennings vs. Adam White - Reverence
- Benny Bennassi - Love is Gonna Save Us (elec)
- G & M Project - Sunday Afternoon (elec)
- Antiloop - Hello Strings
- Ernesto vs Bastian - Stop 9.5 (Phynn mix)
- Nufrequency - 808 (prog)
- Markus Schulz - Somewhere (Coldharbour mix) (prog)
- Nikola Gala - Blue Impulse (prog)
- The MFA - 2 Billion Year Journey (prog)
- Perry O'Neil - Wave Force (prog)
- Chris Lake & Rowan Blades - Filth (prog)
- Young Parisians featuring Ben Lost - Jump The Next Train (Solar Stone Remix)
- Avus - Real (prog?tek?) (I find that this track has to be slowed down to be really appreciated - it's supposed to sound really sinister, and without the slower sound, it's just too upbeat. That's probably why it sounds better on Balance 005 than the track does seperately)
- Tiesto - Ancient History (this is a VERY tribal track)
- Nathan Fake - Coheed (prog?tek?)
- Marco V - Automanual
- Re:Locate - Typhoon
- Signum - First Strike
- Stephen J Kroonz - Phantazmz
- Redanka - Waves (prog)
- Orbital - One Perfect Sunrise
- Michael Burns - The Ambience (prog)
- Smith & Pledger - Believe
- John Selway - Edge of Now (tek)
- Holden & Thompsen - Come to Me (prog)
- Vadim Zhukov - Exit
- Orbital - Pants (or maybe Acid pants, both are pretty good tracks)
- Taxi - Glistening (prog)
- Tiesto - Adagio for Strings
- Salt Lake - Sunset Highway
- Lightforce - Inner Warmth
- Alt-F4 - Alt F4
- Estuera - Tales from the South
- Signum - The Timelord
- Plummett - Cherish the Day (Antillas mix) (lowered by annoyingly stupid lyrics, although the words "sound good" - if you don't listen to how ridiculously cheesy what she's saying is. A "dub version" of this song would be excellent, or a remix with changed vocals.)
- Riva - Morning Dust
- Tiesto & BT - Love Comes Again
- Lightforce - Big Girls Don't Cry (Rock Ryders mix)
- If the track is "progressive trance," it will have a little (prog) stamp next to it. Electrotrance gets a little (elec) stamp. Tech-trance gets a little (tek) stamp. Dark/tek/proggy tracks get a little (prog?tek?) stamp.
- I dub 2004: the year of progressive. (note that almost half of the above tracks have that little (prog) stamp, and half of the best mixes are progressive.)
- Mixes of the year:
- 1. James Holden - Balance 005 (OK, the original release was 2003, but all the tracks on it got 2004 release, and it wasn't really famous until 2004, when everyone finally listened to it, and it entirely changed the way mix CDs are viewed, forever. Trust me, you want to get this one. It's ever worth actually buying. (CD1 is the stronger of the 2) )
- 2.Sander Kleinenberg - This is Everybody Too (I wasn't a massive fan of the first (although I liked it), but this mix is better in almost every way).
- 3.Tiesto - Live on TranceAirwaves (This isn't a CD - it's a liveset, and only available on MP3. Tiesto did a live show on the popular internet radio station TranceAirWaves, and it was probably his best mix of the year (ironically the only time he wasn't really trying...).)
- 4.Mauro Picotto - Meganite (This is actually a techno mix from an old trancemaster, but some trance is mixed in, as well as "futurepop" (gothic eurotrance) and tek-trance, while thankfully avoiding minimal techno. The mix is so good, and so energetic, that it merits a place here despite being the wrong genre.)
- 5.Orbital - The Blue Album (This is actually an album, not a mix, as you may have guessed from it's title. This is sadly Orbital's last album, and while it's not their best effort, it's a pretty good note for them to go out on. (For thsoe wondering, Orbital is of the very first trance acts. Besides having produced the first trance track (Chime, 1989 - a massive hit in Europe), they've had a such a number of megahits and classic albums since, that they are now regarded as legendary. Odds are good you've heard at least something by them, as they are favorites for commercial, movie, and TV soundtracks. Their biggest hit, Halcyon On & On was recently in "Mean Girls," (song in the end scene) and previously "Mortal Kombat," and "Hackers". They also did music for "The Saint", as well as the entire "Event Horizon" soundtrack and a few scores for "indie-flicks." Anyhoo...point being, you've heard them somewhere, this album is a big deal.)
- 6. Sasha - Involver (Very vocal mix by Sasha, but nonethelss good. Not much else to say.)
Ol' faithful strikes again! Thanks darktremor!
No prob. :)
Yeah, maybe add:
Way Out West - Killa
Signum - The Timelord
Ridgewalkers - Find
Fictivision vs. Phynn - Escape
Quivver - Space Manoeuvers Part 3
Perry O'Neil - Wave Force
(I was not impressed by 2004.)
I wasn't either.
Well, I was pretty impressed with progressive. Actually, VERY impressed with progressive - possibly the best year it's had since the genre was invented 14 years ago (A 14 year old, unchanging genre called "progressive." Yeah.). For anthem/epic trance, however, this was probably the weakest year it's ever had.
Anyhoo...on to the tracks.
Quivver - Space Manoevres 3
Why didn't I have this? I really love this track.
Fictivision Vs. Phynn - Escape
Odd - I thought this release was 2003 - on looking it up, it's May 2004. I had the track in 2003, so it must've been promo.
Ridgewalkers - Find
Yeah, this is worthy of the list. I'd say Ridgewalkers - Find (Andy Moor mix) though. Over-rated track though - certainly not top 10 worthy, like everyone else seems to think.
Signum - The Timelord
This is pretty good too. +adds
Way Out West - Killa
Why didn't I add this??????? It's such a great song. Although I wouldn't reccomend the whole album. "Just Like a Man" was totally abysmal.
Perry O'Neil - Wave Force
Awesome track! How could I have forgotten this??
Excellent suggestions - I'm actually adding every single one of them. I have no idea how I forgot some of these, especially since many were my extreme favorites this year. :D
Hello DarkTremor, as always an awesome list. I have some suggestions that you may want to add or check out if you have not. A few I was shocked weren't on your list, particularly Cyber X and Paffendorf. Cyber X is one of the nicest trance songs in the last few years. Paffendorf was just released end of 2004 in Germany and is by far their best song released, a very nice stadium trance! Also curious why Love Comes Again is not listed (only thing I can think of is that the song is 2003, but I could swear it is 2004). Anyway, check these out for possible add-ons:
**Cyber X Featuring Jody Watley - Waves Of Love (Svenson & Gielen Remix)
**DJ Tiesto Featuring B.T. - Love Comes Again
**Paffendorf - On And On
~Niels Van Gogh - One Way Out
~Niels Van Gogh - Don't Be Afraid Of Tomorrow
**Megara Vs. DJ Lee - Human Nature
**Lightforce - Big Girls Don't Cry
~Theory:Kaos! - Electronic Surgery (From Nature One Festival 2004)
**Pedro Del Mar Meets Sasha Da Link - The Key
**C.J. Stone - Shine
**Hemstock & Jennings - Crimson Soil 2004
~A.T.B. - Ecstasy (A. & T. Remix)
~DJ Dean - It's A Dream (DJ Manian Vs. Yanou Vocal Remix)
**Cosmic Gate - Ultra Curve
~Push - Electric Eclipse
~4 Strings - Turn It Around
~Artful DJ's - Your Melody
~A.T.B. - Here With Me (A. & T. Remix)
~Ayu - Depend
Cyber-X - Waves of Love (Svenson & Gielson remix) - I found this WAY too similar to their other work. Also, I hated the vocals. SO cliche and cheesy. Not a BAD song, but not great.
Tiesto ft BT - Love Comes Again - It's OK. Not incredible. I might put it on the bottom of the list. It found it highly over-rated though. The track has like 3 notes in it, and wouldn't really stand on it's own, without the vocals.
4 Strings - Turn it Around - I found it was just standard 4 Strings fare. And OK, but mostly forgettable track.
Megara vs. DJ Lee - Human Nature - I wasn't greatly impressed with their earlier song - Moonshine, so I didn't bother with this one. If it's better, I'll download it...
Cosmic Gate - Ultra Curve - I've never really been too amazed by Cosmic Gate. I like their song "Exploration of Space", and I liked "The Truth" for a while, but everything else just seemed like standard, boring hard trance fare.
ATB - Ecstacy - Another "not bad" song that...just...didn't make it.
Paffendorf - On & On - I actually haven't heard this one yet. I've been trying to download it, without success.
Niels Van Gogh - Haven't even heard of the guy, let alone the tracks. I'll be sure to download them. Thanks for the suggestion! :)
Lightforce - Big Girls Don't Cry - I'd say the Rock Ryders mix might merit a lower position on the list.
Push - Electic Eclipse - Why didn't I have this? Such an odd track, but really dark, techy, and excellent.
Hemstock & Jennigs - Crimson Soil 2004 - An OK remake. Little else. I mostly avoid re-releases, with the exception of that awesome "In Silence" track.
I haven't actually heard any of the rest of them (I've been a bit behind lately...). I'll be sure to download them! (especially Paffendorf - On and On, if it's really that amazing). Thanks for the suggestions! (and they truly were excellent).
Megara Vs. DJ Lee have some horrible remixes in their name and some bad releases. I don't even know what "Moonshine" is by them, but I am quite a follower of their music. They are one-fifth of "Future Trance United", so be sure to look into that supergroup. Also, the song "Human Nature" is by far their best song. It is not groundbreaking, but it is very nice German commercial trance. Reminds me much of Binary Finary style trance.
Cyber X, Waves Of Love - don't forget the best version is the instrumental, as the vocals are indeed hard to digest.
Cosmic Gate - Ultra Curve is some serious progressive hard trance. Nothing like their previous work.
Niels Van Gogh is about the same sound style as Commander Tom. I like Niels Van Gogh a lot more than Commander Tom, so you might check into this man. He began in 1998 with Pulverturm and the rest is history.
I also, based on the suggestion of others, listened to DJ Tiesto's "Walking On Clouds" off the Just Be album, and this song is very good!
A.T.B.'s new songs do get boring quick, but the A&T mixes are muuuuuucch better than the Clubb Mixes. He became big with 9PM and then shot up again with Let U Go/Hold You using his new style. Then he tried Marrakech and didn't do too well with it and immeadietly went back to the Let U Go/Hold You sound, BUT, that is with the Clubb Mixes in Ecstasy and Here With Me. The A&T mixes are much much better!
Good luck with Paffendorf, it is not street until this week, but has been playing for 2 months now. Very nice. It uses the sample from "Everybody Be Somebody" by Yello and also of Ruffneck. The sound itself is the mastering of the Dance Nation sound that never (in my opinion) really sounded good until Paffendorf took the sound and played with it.
A few other ones I thought you should check out:
~Future Trance United - Face To Face (Megara Vs. DJ Lee Remix)
~Future Trance United Presents Second Spring - Irresistable
~Beam - Amun
~DJ Tiesto - Walking On Clouds
~John 00 Fleming Vs M.I.K.E. - Dame Blance
Swayzak - Keep It Coming
and
Einmusik - Jittery Heritage
Progressive Electronic music, not easy to classify either song. However - The 2 best songs I have heard in 2 months. I think I keep listening to these 2 a lot more than the latest stuff from Tilt and White Room.
If those tracks are anything like Swayzak's earlier releases, then they're microhouse. An excellent genre, for sure. Relatively new. If you like those tracks, download the album "Clicks and Cuts 2" by Mille Plateaux (a record label).
It definitely isn't trance though, unless those artists REALLY changed direction, but considering how snobbish all progressive electronic music is, and how much most progressive electronic artists hate trance (with the exception of Kaito. Most progressive electronic fans hate trance too.), I highly doubt that.
I'll give them a listen though, for sure - I like earlier Swayzak quite a bit. Thanks for the recommendations!
Listened to both: Einmusik is a minimal techno/electrohouse crossover. Swayzak - Keep it coming is electrohouse, maybe a little synthpop too. Great tracks, just not trance...
Two weeks ago I heard it again and went: "Oh, yeah!"
* Marco V - Automanual
Yeah, this is a cool track. Worthy of the list.
Dj Shog - This Is My Sound (Cj Stone Mix)
2 more suggestions DarkTremor:
Yilmaz Altanhan - Eighties (Özgür Can Remix)
Roland Klinkenberg - Monday Groove (Perry O'Neil Remix)
These will be on your list when you hear them. 2 of the best!
-Starkid - Crayons 2004 (Leama & Moor In Memory Of Starkid Remix)
One of the best...
It's OK, but I'm not very fond of that sort of "update."
Sorry - haven't ahd time recently to get ahold of the last few recommendations. Will listen soon!
DarkTremor, I thank you for finding some of the best songs of my life.. because of your charts, but I must say that my reccomendations build on the music you have helped me find. So please find them and I promise you will be glad you did!!
I need help with some trance songs i heard on z1035, the dance radio station located around Toronto, Ontario. I have heard some really sick trance songs (not euro trance, more like an anthem or epic trance type i think.)im asking anyone who can help me on this. The times i heard these songs were usually on the "Drive at Five" show, more specifically when they are played as background music when the traffic reporter is on or the djs are on the air. I know im being very specific, but i really want to get these songs. PLEASE, someone help me. Thanks alot
.
I really haven't the slightest idea how to help you with this. All I can suggest, is try calling the station (If you're going to do this, I hope you can take a bit of mockery).
Oh ya, can anyone give me a few awesome trance songs that are similar to the ones that was on z1035. Thanks alot for the help.
Honestly, you're going to need more description than that - none of us here have heard z1035.
http://www.althacker.com/audiotrack/
can anyone please give me the title of this amazing trance song? located above is a sample of it. thanks alot!
YYo u have to hear tis amazing track bro i mixed adagio for strings-dj tiesto with this crazy song blood is pumping-voodoo & serano its amazing what u get bro trust me
Notice to everyone:
I won't really be here for a while. Until about early May (2006), I'm pretty much entirely tied down to the rest of my life: I'm going to have almost no time at all to respond or update here. I may make an occasional post, but don't expect anything regular (and don't take offense if I don't answer you for a very very long time).
Sorry to anyone who has posted and I can't respond to: I'm juggling university (a SCIENCE degree, in others words the nightmare of university existence - this is a complete time filler as it is), a (very serious - not in nature, in depth of relationship) girlfriend, two entirely seperate groups of friends, several plays, several clubs, and possibly soon a job. There really isn't time left to handle answering comments...
Goodbye for now everyone! (I'll be back again, eventually). It's been fun.
very nice lists, but i have one issue
it seems to me that u dont like or maybe hate DJ Tiesto, maybe im wrong but im just curious about it. and it not just him it seems like u dont like all the "pop" trance djs (PvD, Armin,...)
just wana know y
thnx
What? Where do I imply that?
There are some tracks by those artists on all of my trance lists.
late, but i thought i'd mention some:
viton and stel - wooden swordz (kosmas epsilon mix)
whirlpool - under the sun
probspot - foreplay
techno punk - energize (PVD edit)
mojado - naranja (dimitri andreas vision)
lostep - burma
woodshokk - tulips and chocolate
kuffdam and plant - summer dream
endre - kallocain (robert nickson mix)
endre - i kill for you (probspot remix)
robert nickson - spiral
mirco de govia - voller sterne (super 8 remix)
active sight - the search for freedom
brian eno - an ending (ascent) (leama and moor remix)
firewall - kilimanjaro
mono - rise
and i agree with an earlier poster, starkid - crayons (leama and moor mix) definitely deserves to be on there, at least at the bottom.
Dude you have awesome classics lists, but imo your yearly lists are abysmal..
You diss epic/anthem trance/pop trance in your classics lists and this list has a lot of that in it (Love Comes Again, Super8's work, dogzilla, ernesto vs. bastian)
I haven't worked on my "yearly" lists since the years they were made. My taste has greatly shifted since the lists were put up, which is why they are no longer made. I leave them up, because people new to trance still enjoy them. I no longer like those styles, but like many electronic listeners, I was introduced through really bad trance. So I agree, they're really abysmal. Note that the last yearly list was made 4 years ago.