Trance music is a genera of electronic music that became popular in the early 1990s. Originating in Germany as a form of dance music, it quickly became a major music scene that played in clubs across Europe. Trance has since become a worldwide music phenomena and the parent genera for several other sub forms of trance, such as progressive, goa, acid, psychedelic, ambient, Euro and hard trance.
Trance music has a tempo of between 130 and 160 beats per minute, with a bass line that derives from the spiritual, devotional music of Asia. Trance music has a 4/4 time signature, with melodic overlays that span 16 to 32 beats. Compositionally, a trance set has three major sections, the build, climax and breakdown. This is achieved by adding and subtracting beat samples to shift the mood of a set.
Trance music relies on synthesizers, drum machines and recorded "samples" of instrument beats and vocals to create its overall effects. Samples can range from different kinds of drum, snare and high hat combinations derived from a standard drum kit, to samples from drums and instruments from around the world. Trance consists of an underlying bass line, with layers of sounds, beats and vocals that are mixed through a synthesizer.
Progressive trance is generally slower and calmer than trance, with a tempo ranging between 130 and 140 bpm. Instead of the buildups, climaxes and breakdowns occurring within each song, these elements compose the overall structure of the music set over the course of a whole evening in a progressive show. Progressive trance also lack the uplifting quality inherent to traditional trance music. Progressive trance is also known as progressive house.