Voyage Into Trance

Paul Oakenfold | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 3, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cleopatra
• ASIN: B00005AWID
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,873 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hello? What planet are you from?, May 4, 2002

By 

jason brookes (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voyage Into Trance (Audio CD)

Okay, it seems opinion widely varies on this CD and it pretty much comes down to this:

If you're late to the party and think that trance means scantily-clad chicks in fluffy bras dancing on podiums to soppy, angelic vocals and ten-minute cheesy breakdowns, then you'll hate this CD. You'll probably call it techno like most ....

If however, you've got a clue, you'll know that this is an early template of a sound that's known as psychedelic - or more traditionally, Goa - trance. Most of the music on this CD is from '93 & '94 when psy-trance (a darker, more tripped-out development of acid house and techno) was emerging and making its way from Europe to the infamous beach and forest parties of Goa, India. It was powerful, deep, transcendent music (acid the preferred stimulant), written in Europe, exported to India and then re-exported back to European clubland via pioneering club DJs such as Paul Oakenfold.

Psy-trance was a brief flirtation for 'making-it-big' Oakey though. He mainly played this sound at more underground parties and particularly on the festival circuit. When it came to 'breaking America' - as this man has clearly done in commericial terms - it was the cheesier side of trance, as most people know it today, that was championed. Big screaming synths, club divas spouting rubbish about climbing mountains, and every possible hook used to bring in people that wouldn't normally listen to dance music.

Don't get me wrong, there are clearly some great defining, euphoric moments on CDs like Tranceport. But this kind of ultra-melodic stuff is dating very, very badly (they're even using it on car commercials now) - unlike the tracks this CD which are more than twice as old and still sound powerful and dynamic.

Since this CD was released the psy-trance scene has been growing, and spreading to party hot spots round the world such as Tokyo, South America, South Africa, Greece, Spain, USA (San Francisco, Burning Man) - anywhere where you'll find spiritually-inclined travellers gathering and celebrating under the stars. Psychedlic trance is probably the most cohesive, global, non-commerical form of electronic dance music there is, and this CD is a great example of the roots of the sound. It's inevitable, but it really shouldn't be confused with 'trance' as it's known these days.

Best heard on a 30k sound system outdoors with the sun coming up over the ocean and a great crowd connecting, communing... 'in a trance'. Not slumped in the corner of a club in baggy pants, with a pacifier hanging from your mouth...

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A deserved re-release, September 6, 2001

By 

Ash1138 "www.myspace.com/ash1138" (Centennial, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voyage Into Trance (Audio CD)

This album is old despite what you see as the release date. This is a re-release. But it's re-released for a reason. This album is legendary.

I first heard about this album from a friend who could barely remember parts of the name: "It's called Voyage of something I think." But I could never find a copy of it. It was obviously out of print at the time.

I finally obtained a one-track full-cut mp3 of the album. My sound system on my PC thumps but I suppose I didn't let myself really get into the album. It wasn't until I came across a copy in the store. My jaw hit the floor. Here was a copy of the album I had heard about in fairy tales. I couldn't remember what it sounded like from the mp3. I bought it.

This is the seminal trance CD by one of the greatest trance DJs ever. It's old, and the synthetic sounds may sound dated to some, but as I listen to it now and recall people saying trance isn't what it used to be, I realize this is what they are talking about. I'm a huge fan of Paul's newer work, but this album is great new or old.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but it's not a new cd, just a reissue, April 4, 2001

By 

Jeremy Reaban "disco maven" (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Voyage Into Trance (Audio CD)

This cd actually first came out about 5 years back, as part of a 2 cd set, on Dragonfly records. This is just a reissue.

Having said that, it's a very good cd. But, note that it's goa trance, not the sort of stuff he plays today (well, not as much).

It features some really classic goa trance songs, namely Hallucingen - LSD< and Man With No name - Teleport. If you like goa, you'll love this cd. Even if you don't, you should still enjoy it. But don't expect anything like on Tranceport or GU: New York.