Where trance comes from
Trance developed in Germany in the early 1990s, especially around Frankfurt, then grew huge in the Netherlands and the UK through DJs such as Paul van Dyk, Tiësto and Armin van Buuren.
What makes a track sound like trance
- Off-beat rolling bass
- Long emotional breakdowns
- Big reverb and delay on leads
- Euphoric climaxes
Typical structure
Intro, groove section, long breakdown with the main melody, build, climax, outro. Typically 6 to 8 minutes in club form.
Vocals in trance
Vocal trance pairs a soaring female lead with the breakdown, often with heavy reverb and delay. Ask for "an ethereal vocal over the breakdown that returns with the climax".
Prompting tips
Say "uplifting trance" for euphoric, "progressive trance" for slower-building and deeper, or "psytrance" for fast and psychedelic.
Without a long breakdown, trance sounds like EDM. Ask for "a 32-bar breakdown".
Prompts to start from
Uplifting trance at 138 BPM, rolling bass, a 32-bar emotional breakdown with piano, and a soaring supersaw climax
Progressive trance with hypnotic plucks, deep bass and slow-building pads, for a sunrise drone shot
Psytrance at 142 BPM, galloping bass, twisting acid leads and spacey effects