ATB - Innovator of Trance?

Was brushing through some old music a few days ago and I came across an old gem that I haven't heard for years, it was 'Don't Stop' by André Tanneberger, or widely known as ATB. I then downloaded more tracks of him and it amazed me how much Trance music has changed over the years. Sure, now we have DJ Tiesto and other people throwing in their contributions, but ATB is in a different league compared to todays music. Today trance is fading a little bit and the hard dance music, cheesy remixes, smurf voiced music (if you can call it that) is dominating. Everywhere you go you will hear a remix of the 70's being played, it's guaranteed.

ATB's music differs from relaxing chill out melodies to dance tracks that make you wanna go clubbing. Some of his tracks are voiced over by great female vocalists. Alot of people say that Trance music evolved from ATB and I would agree. He evolved Trance and Electronic music into something special and nobody can capture that like he did, Tiesto comes close but not close enough.

I encourage anyone who likes trance and electronic music and has never heard of ATB, to refrain from downloading smurf voiced crap by Dj Rankin and download some real music for a change. Open discussions are welcome and I'll gladly recommend any songs.

i cant beleive idiots actually listen to that smurf dance music
it is totally without merit
the music of the moronic

you want to check out pre ATB trance
he was way down the line 5 years later

I think Paul Oakenfold pretty much put the genre on the map. It's almost always been a really watered down genre, always looking for something harder and more emotional.

I've been listening to a LOT of VNV Nation as of late, namely "Empires".

Oakenfold is a ****
i heard a trance/progressive cd from 92 and it was great
its just wank nowadays

I think with the introduction of Dj Rankins smurf music, silly DJ vs 70's classic and Cascadia, music is going down the drain.

Originally posted by vintageSW77
Oakenfold is a ****
i heard a trance/progressive cd from 92 and it was great
its just wank nowadays

Yeah, even in a derivative genre as trance/house, his work never really sounds any different. He makes music for women's clothing stores and TV commercials nowadays.

Originally posted by DraconianDevil
I think with the introduction of Dj Rankins smurf music, silly DJ vs 70's classic and Cascadia, music is going down the drain.

Cascadia is just another one of those people that comes along and has a catchy track lifted off of a DDR soundtrack. Just like DJ Sammy and Yanou, they get their 15 minutes then off to NOW! compilation CD land.

Yeah, either NOW or some sort of cheesy party mix

Originally posted by vintageSW77
Oakenfold is a ****
i heard a trance/progressive cd from 92 and it was great
its just wank nowadays

Oakenfold cant mix for shit but his label Perfecto has put out some legendary tunes.

Sasha and Digweed got me into trance years ago but most of the trance DJ's i used to listen to are old friends of mine back in London who play on the underground scene. ATB has his moments though.

Apparantly there is a new album being released soon from ATB, i think it's this month. I'm looking forward to that.

Humanity stands head and shoulders above the rest of ATB's stuff IMO. It's so common for emotional trance music to be cheesy, but that song is just beautiful.

The Club Rock mix of Feed Your Mind by Oakenfold is one of my favorite dance tracks of any subgenre, and for that reason I can't knock the guy. Don't think there has ever been a song so aptly named as 'Shivers'.

Anyway, it's all about Armin van Buuren. ATB, Oakenfold, Sasha, Paul van Dyk, Chicane, Gouryella, Thrillseekers...they all fall short of Armin. Can't get enough of him.

Good call on Armin. I like DJ's with a little diversity, like between "Love You More" and "Control Freak". Sometimes, music like this is almost spiritual, lol.

Another group out of the Netherlands I'd recommend for hard-house/ trance would be Qlimax. I listen to "The Prophecy" virtually everyday. It's one of those tracks that just digs deep, makes you want to conquer the world.

I like Armin, his tracks are very good. Another good one to look out for is Marco V, some of his stuff is great.

What about Future Sound of London, Hardfloor, 808 State, and KLF? I'd consider them more innovators of the sound, and I think they were all before ATB. ATB did a good job with trance though.

Agreed...Oakenfold, Sasha and all those clowns are junk. As for the evolution of trance, I liked the ultra chill (Swayzak) and the ultra hard (LSG).

IMHO though, I'd have to say it started with Pink Floyd's "On the Run" 😉

'Papua New Guinea' by FSOL is supposed to be the track that started it all. I like FSOL a lot, but they moved far, far away from trance music.

My 10 favorite trance tracks. Few obvious choices, but all classics of the genre in my opinion.

1. Armin van Buuren - Shivers
2. Thrillseekers – Synaesthesia
3. Sasha – Xpander
4. System F – Out of the Blue
5. Tiesto – Forbidden Paradise (Deep Trance Mix)
6. Gouryella – Gouryella
7. Mauro Picotto – Pulsar
8. Oceanlab – Sky Falls Down (Armin van Buuren Remix)
9. Lost Tribe – Gamemaster
10. Nu-Nrg - Take Your Air

Originally posted by EPIIIBITES
What about Future Sound of London, Hardfloor, 808 State, and KLF? I'd consider them more innovators of the sound, and I think they were all before ATB. ATB did a good job with trance though.

yeah but they are more Techno than Trance
Hardfloor and 808 were influenced by Detroit Techno and Electro
FSOL and KLF were more ambient ...Floyd and Eno maybe influenced them

Originally posted by EPIIIBITES
What about Future Sound of London, Hardfloor, 808 State, and KLF? I'd consider them more innovators of the sound, and I think they were all before ATB. ATB did a good job with trance though.

Agreed...Oakenfold, Sasha and all those clowns are junk. As for the evolution of trance, I liked the ultra chill (Swayzak) and the ultra hard (LSG).

IMHO though, I'd have to say it started with Pink Floyd's "On the Run" 😉

FSOL is ambient. KLF is house. Hardfloor is techno that came long after Oakenfold. 808 is also house.

Hardfloor first knocked up stuff in 91 and Techno was around at least 4 years before Oakenfold played a dj set
Oakenfold although a house dj was working with Happy Mondays roundabout 91...he never made anything other than remixes and produced best forgotten "rave" era tracks until the mid 90s

808 started off in 88 and were definatly inspired by the Detroit Techno sound hence the referance to the 808 drum machine in their name
the house came later with the addition of Partington and the other one

KLF started as a mash up band THEN an ambient group then a commercial dance band

FSOL were always ambient with the odd excursion into uptempo noise assaualts

Originally posted by The Core
FSOL is ambient. KLF is house. Hardfloor is techno that came long after Oakenfold. 808 is also house.

...much like Kraftwerk before them.

Originally posted by vintageSW77
i cant beleive idiots actually listen to that smurf dance music
it is totally without merit
the music of the moronic

Oh, I know. There's a lot of good techno/trance out there that gets severely overlooked. I think lots of people who like "techno" (along with trance) tend to like it because it SOUNDS like "techno"...and often can't detect what exactly merits really well done techno/trance.

(and no I'm honestly not trying to start anything here. It's just somethng that's always bugged me about people who say "I love trance" and umbrella all of it together)

Ugh! We forgot Jean Michel Jarre for innovators.

im refering to the brain dead moronic stuff that the kids in the uk seem to listen to
its just infantile toy shop shit for brain dead ****ers that has no connection with real Techno
i love TRUE Techno
the stuff made by Carl Craig,Drexciya,Juan Atkins,Derrek May,LFO,Cybortron etc

i have a go at making my own
they are a bit basic but ive only been doing it for a couple of months
http://www.myspace.com/runswithrobot
they are unfinished tracks but im quite chuffed with my DETROIT track
i think i got the sound down