anyone listen to or make Goa trance? I do: http://www.traxinspace.com/profile/darwin (the pieces described as 24-tone and sitar are newer.) I first listened in 1995 and liked it because some was like heavy metal. Though in '96 I started making techno-industrial and in '97 tried guitar more I only liked hard music until '98 until I did Yoga/meditation and disliked most rock. In '98 I started studying a little (Western) Classical at school and in the last few years concluded traditional/Classical is best. It includes cultural/'ethnic'/'folk'/'popular'/'world' music, which many Classicists consider inferior but they are wrong: traditional cultural musics are great and educated (not exactly 'folk art,' e.g. 'uneducated') traditions.
A question is whether new traditions are worthwhile. Some Western pop. musicians in the 60s (rock at the time) were influenced by Indian traditional/Classical and have continued to be like in the 80s with Goa trance.
Rock after the 60s was more aggressive and it has always been rather egotistic. Some electro is more egotistic/aggressive, but what I came to like--not hardcore (except happycore) and few/no lyrics--seems less so. It also seems more like traditional (pre-electric cultural) dance music than rock does.
I really like Ravi & Anoushka Shankar and would rather be trying sitar than making any more Goa 'trance:' siitar should be spiritual as it is. In '98 - '9 I also started didgeridoo and spent half a year in a college African drumming club. Honestly, traditional instruments can basically be as loud and effective as electronic ones--and usually sound better--but sitars are expensive. However I may be thinking/hearing more Eastern than Western melodies and writing them on computer or paper is all I can afford.
(but let us not focus this on me--) do you think Goa trance when it even uses sitars/etc. is a good idea or do Indian Classicists also say only Classical (or maybe established styles) can possibly be good? I guess one reason might be Classical is connected to Yoga. Yogis might say only Classical has emotional-intellectual-spiritual subtlety/scope. Some, like Buddhists, might also say much/any percussion degrades that. OTOH part of the Trimuriti uses drums and Tantris (is that a word?) or shamanic philosophers may be all for percussion. I guess only a few traditional/modern musicians have Classical skill and only a small amount of non-Classical approaches Classical standards: sometimes it seems better if a non-Classical tune without its extras is just used in a Classical composition. If anyone else even listens/listened to Goa trance, what sort of traditional/Classical Indian music do you like?
One thing I do not like is most hard or acid trance: the incorporation of themes of aggression or strong drugs into music. I do think that drumming for enjoyment or preferably shamanism is okay (again because of the Trimurti) and that the incorporation of spiritual lyrics into any music is better than it not being spiritual. However it is also important how they are sung and it is best to have no lyrics than secular lyrics.
Another thing I am curious about is whether there is even any separation between Classical and any other traditional instrumentalism in India; I suppose this might show up in another thread.
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