Uplifting Trance
Trance · 1998 · 136 to 142 BPM · also known as Epic Trance, Uplifting
Uplifting trance is the genre at its emotional peak: enormous breakdowns, major-key melodies climbing in steps, and resolution as euphoric release. Formalized at the end of the 1990s between the Netherlands and England, it became the genre's canon, the sound the word trance evokes first. Ferry Corsten and Armin van Buuren industrialized the formula without ever quite wearing out its effect.
16 reference tracks
- Push: Universal Nation (1998)
- Gouryella: Gouryella (1999)
- Ferry Corsten: Out Of The Blue (1999)
- Rank 1: Airwave (1999)
- Above And Beyond: Far From In Love (2005)
- Cold Blue: The Mile (2019)
- Alexander Popov & Alexander Komarov ft. Lyd14: Hearts Made Of Stone (2024)
- Lost Witness ft. Tiff Lacey: Home (Robbie Seed Remix) (2024)
- Gaia: Tuvan (2009)
- Armin van Buuren: Coming Home (2010)
- Above & Beyond: World On Fire
- Andy Blueman: Neverland (Original Mix)
- Above & Beyond: We're All We Need
- Above & Beyond: Anjunabeach (Original Mix)
- Andy Blueman: Everlasting
- Daniel Kandi: Venice Beach
At a glance
- Tempo: 136 to 142 BPM
- First appeared: around 1998
- Machines: Roland JP-8000, Access Virus, LennarDigital Sylenth1, Steinberg Cubase
- The sound: Supersaw JP-8000, Breakdowns à nappes, Basse uplifting en offbeat, Snare rolls de montée
- Labels: Tsunami, A State of Trance, FSOE Recordings, Who's Afraid of 138?!, Cyber, Subculture
- Key artists: Ferry Corsten, Armin van Buuren, Aly & Fila, John O'Callaghan, Giuseppe Ottaviani
Producing Uplifting Trance
Uplifting trance sits at 138 BPM almost as a rule, tolerance 136 to 140, on a straight, fully quantized grid with no swing; the feel comes from tension and release, built around a breakdown lasting 90 seconds to two minutes that everything else leads into or out of. A clean, punchy 909 kick holds every beat with clap and snare stacked on 2 and 4, and the signature snare roll runs through the last 16 bars of the breakdown, moving from eighths to sixteenths to thirty-seconds as volume rises and a highpass filter opens. The bass is a sawtooth on the offbeats, short and filtered, following a vi-IV-I-V progression, sidechained hard at 6:1 for the characteristic pump. On top, a supersaw lead, wide reverberant pads, and a climbing major melody carry the euphoria.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Uplifting Trance?
Uplifting trance is the genre at its emotional peak: enormous breakdowns, major-key melodies climbing in steps, and resolution as euphoric release. Formalized at the end of the 1990s between the Netherlands and England, it became the genre's canon, the sound the word trance evokes first. Ferry…
What tempo is Uplifting Trance played at?
Between 136 and 142 BPM.
Who are the key Uplifting Trance artists?
Ferry Corsten, Armin van Buuren, Aly & Fila, John O'Callaghan, Giuseppe Ottaviani.
In the same family
- Trance
- Acid Trance
- Balearic Trance
- Dream Trance
- Ibiza Trance
- Progressive Trance
- Tech Trance
- Vocal Trance
- Euro Trance
- Anthem Trance
- Orchestral Trance
- German Trance
Listen to Uplifting Trance in the atlas · Cette page en français
