Goa Trance
Early 1990s psychedelic trance from Goa, India, with melodic, hypnotic tracks.
History
Goa trance began in the Indian state of Goa in the early 1990s s1. Since the 1960s, Goa had been a popular place for hippies and travellers s1s2. In the 1980s, DJs such as Laurent and Goa Gil played at beach parties. They mixed electronic body music, new beat and psychedelic rock s1s2. They edited and looped tracks to make them longer s1. The music was shared on cassette tapes s1. By 1990 and 1991, Goa had become a well-known party place, and Goa-style parties spread around the world from 1993 s1. Paul Oakenfold helped the music reach a wider audience s1. His 1994 Essential Mix became known as the Goa Mix s1. Labels in Britain, Germany, Israel and Japan released Goa trance s1. The style is melodic and hypnotic, with long tracks and a steady four-to-the-floor beat s1s3. The well-known years were about 1994 to 1997 s1. Goa trance later developed into psytrance s1s4.
Sound
- Long tracks, often 8 to 12 minutes
- A steady four-to-the-floor beat
- Layered, melodic synthesizer lines
- Eastern scales and sounds
- Speech samples from films
Key figures
- Goa Gil — DJ who helped shape the Goa party sound
- DJ Laurent — French DJ in Goa who made long edits of electronic tracks
- Simon Posford — British producer who recorded as Hallucinogen
- Astral Projection — Israeli Goa trance act
Labels
- Dragonfly Records — London , 1993
- TIP Records — London , 1994
- Perfecto — London , 1989
Defining tracks
Connections
Came from: Trance , EBM , New Beat
Led to: Psytrance , Suomisaundi
Sources
- Goa trance — Wikipedia
- Trance Music History - From The Early 1990s Till Today — Beatportal (2023)
- 10 Trance Subgenres You Need to Know — Insomniac (2015)
- Psychedelic trance — Wikipedia