Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai - View Single Post - Ayu - Anything Goes Thread -XIII-
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Old 28th November 2015, 05:30 PM
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Zeke. Zeke. is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pieces_of_SEVEN View Post
You and I have very different outlooks on these things. To be fair, ayu trance 1 is the album that introduced me to trance, and I've rarely listened to trance outside of ayu. That being said, I think ayu trance 2, 3, and 4 are all really great and sound like genuine trance to me. Terminal also.

I know you think that ayu trance 4 is sub par, but I can't imagine why. I guess as someone who listens to much more trance than I do, you would know better.

I sometimes try to get into other trance, but the vocals sometimes turn me off. Or when the track is over six minutes. That's only acceptable for me if it's ayu. lol
Well, all of it is genuine trance, they all just reflect different sides of, and avenues within, the genre itself. 4 has less of a cohesive sound because the DJs who avex hired all specialize in various subgenres. Far away and SEASONS both have a much "deeper" sound to them - more refined, a bit more mature - as opposed to the harder sound of poker face, and the bouncy more "party-friendly" sound of vogue. It's all trance, but previous releases in the serious keep a similar groove throughout, where as 4 is more of a melting pot.

I used to have a similar feelings toward trance in the past; vocals were very hit or miss (still to this day, I am very picky about the vocalists but there are a ton who are continuously featured that I adore, and a few that I used to loathe but have since warmed up to - I enjoy the emotional, fragile sound of female trance vocalists), and always preferring the shorter "radio mix" versions of songs if they existed. Today, it's a completely different story. One of the greatest things about trance is that you can listen to the song being born, evolving over time, as new instruments and details are introduced to the ear. For me it really stems from having a high appreciation for attention to detail - small stutters, pauses, the gradual rise and fall of tension, etc. - and I enjoy listening to the songs as works of art, like paintings in a gallery - every layer of sound a new color, every accent a new brushstroke.

Additionally, I was familiar with and loved trance before Ayu, so the combination of them both was already a meeting of the two things I loved most in music.

Last edited by Zeke.; 28th November 2015 at 05:34 PM.