Many of you have been to Ishkur’s Guide to Electronic Music. For those who haven’t, it is a well-known online guide to EDM (electronic dance music). However, it’s extremely biased. He even says so himself in the disclaimer– that it’s meant to entertain first, not inform. A lot of people online may believe what he has to say, or at least are confused about what he’s saying since it may clash with their own ideas.

First, let’s take a look at where he stands in general. Ishkur has been with the EDM scene for a while, and he knows trance has changed, but he refuses to accept the newer approach it took in 1998-1999 when Paul Oakenfold and Ferry Corsten promoted and popularized it. To him and to any elitist who is a follower of him, this newer approach is “mainstream trance.” If you see someone who says “Ferry Corsten killed trance” as Ishkur does, or “1998 was the death of trance”, you can safely know that this person is at least fairly elitist in terms of trance.

Trance indeed took a turn in 1998 and 1999. It became less passive and ambient. Anthems and exciting melodies were created. A “template” for this more melodic trance was developed– it was “breakdown, build, anthem” as we know it today. Oakenfold was the DJ leading the movement, and likewise, Ferry was the producer leading the age of epic/anthem trance, responsible for System F - Out of the Blue and Gouryella - Gouryella. Paul van Dyk also greatly contributed to the movement with Paul van Dyk - For An Angel.

Ishkur did not like how a new form of trance had become popular relative to the older style of trance. That explains his bias.

Now, let’s go back to the guide. In the trance section, we have the Dutch Trance bubble, which was once called “Not Trance” in an earlier version. In the present version, he lists “Fake Trance” as one of its nicknames. This is trance. It’s of a different style than that of original trance, but it’s still trance. Trance has evolved, and Ishkur and other elitists do not accept this. He may not like that particular style, but it’s trance.

Epic trance does not necessarily mean cheesy, commercial trance. You can look to DJ Sammy for that, which would be music made for the mainstream, for pop culture. Take an old song and add a big supersaw on top of it. Recycle. That’s commercial trance. Epic/anthem trance borderlines this, because you can turn epic trance into something fake and mainstream (ie: Ian van Dahl). If a melodic trance song is produced with true appreciation for trance and not specifically for money, it’s not commercial. It’s that simple.

From Ishkur’s view, trance was already morphed into something he didn’t accept in 1998 and 1999, so his vision is blurred when he tries to distinguish the anthems of Ferry Corsten and Ayla with Ian van Dahl or other even more commercial artists. If you, the reader, likes commercial trance by Ian van Dahl or DJ Sammy, then so be it. You can like their music, but realize that their music was not made with the same appreciation for trance as Paul van Dyk or others. For those who like epic/anthem and uplifting trance, don’t be misled by what Ishkur has to say. Again, he states his own bias– his word is not fact. Don’t be afraid to form your own opinion on things, based on what you observe.

Have a nice day. =)