Episode #15: Arcadia [1993]

In 1991 Chris & James Griffin started a small dance party in Cheltenham UK. This night eventually became known as Trance. Chris & James soon decided to part ways to hold their own individual parties. Chris formed Perception while James went on to organize Fantazia. New Years of 1992/1993 was the 6th Fantazia event and possibly their largest, with an attendance of 16,000. In 1992 Jaydee aka DJ Robin Albers released the classic hit called 'Plastic Dreams' on R&S Records. The track hit #1 on the US Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.With an idea originally conceived by Eddie Gordon, DJ Pete Tong began hosting the Essential Mix. The first broadcast hit the air on October 30, 1993. While The Essential Mix was usually pre-recorded and played via studio there were also live versions of the show that branched from venues in the UK to other areas such as Ibiza, North America, Germany, and South Africa.While it was always accepted that Age of Love was the first trance tune ever pressed, Dance 2 Trance was considered to have released the second trance pressing ever titled "We Came In Peace." Progressive trance became a popular sub-genre which contains elements of house, techno and ambient music while trance focused more on anthemic qualities and melodies, moving away from arpeggiated analog synth patterns. Compared to the classic definition of trance, the progressive subgenre was deeper and more abstract, however continued to maintain the three typical structure elements of build-up, climax & breakdown. Meanwhile uplifting and epic trance took their buildups and breakdowns to an exagerrated point.The genre immediately began to rise in popularity, finding it's niche in being 'edgier' than house, more soothing than drum & bass, and more melodic than techno.This podcast demonstrates again the rise of trance in a compilation of very popular songs from 1993. Next week we will look again at "progressive" dance music as we begin to move into 1994, prior to returning to the house and techno sounds of the mid 1990s.Jaydee - Plastic DreamsWith It Guys - Let The Music Take ControlStrategy - High EnergySourmash - Pilgrimage To Paradise (Barrel Beat Mix)Nico - DarkstarJagga - FinitoGolden Girls - Kinetic (Frank De Wulf Remix)Humate - Love Stimulation