Goa trance music
Goa trance is form of electronic music and is a style of trance music which originated in the Indian region of Goa.The music has its roots in the popularity of the Goa region in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a hippie mecca, although the actual Goa trance style would not appear until much later. As the tourist influx tapered off in the 1970s and 1980s, a core group remained in Goa, concentrating on improvements in music along with other activities such as yoga, recreational drug use, and various New Age pursuits.
The introduction of techno style and technique to Goa led to what would eventually become the Goa trance style; early pioneers included Goa Gil and Mark Allen. Many "parties" (similar to raves) in Goa revolve entirely around this genre of music; Goa is also often played in other countries at raves, festivals and parties often in conjunction with other styles of trance and techno.
Goa is essentially "dance-trance" music (and was referred to as "Trance Dance" in its formative years), and as such has an energetic beat, almost always at 4/4 and often going into 16th or 32nd notes. A typical number will generally build up to a much more energetic movement in the second half of the track, and then taper off fairly quickly toward the end. Generally 8-12 minutes long, Goa tracks usually have a noticeably stronger bassline than other trance music and incorporate more organic "squelchy" sounds.
Goa trance parties have a visual aspect aswell, the use of fluro (fluroecent paint) is common in clothing and decoration. The images are often associate with topics like aliens, hinduism and other religious (especially eastern) images, mushrooms (and other psychedelic imagery), shamanism and technology.
Goa trance has a significant following in Israel, brought to that country by former soldiers returning from recreational "post-army trips" to Goa. A great deal of Goa trance is now produced in Israel, but its production and consumption is a global phenomenon.
Goa Trance effectively morphed into psychedelic trance during the latter half of the 1990s. Both styles are generally non-commercial and underground compared to other forms of trance. The goa sound is more likely to be heard at outdoor parties and festivals than in clubs and places like Ibiza. For a short period in the mid '90s it enjoyed significant commercial success with support from DJs like Paul Oakenfold. The artist man with no name probably came the closest to being a goa trance "star".
On the internet one of the oldest meeting places for fans of Goa trance is the 604 mailing list.
Popular artists include:
- Hallucinogen
- Infected Mushroom
- Astral Projection
- Man With No Name
- Koxbox
- X-Dream
- Space Tribe
- Cosmosis
- Psysex
