What is the difference between Trance, Techno and House music?

Question

I love listen to them all, and i think I can hear the difference, but explaining it is hard! Can any of you? thnx

Answer 1

Trance is a style of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s. Trance music is generally characterized by a tempo of between 130 and 155 BPM, short melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and down throughout a track. Trance can be understood as a combination of many forms of electronic music such as ambient, techno, and house. The origin of the term is ambiguous, with some suggesting that the term is derived from the Klaus Schulze album Trancefer (1981) or the early trance act Dance 2 Trance. In any case, the name is undoubtedly linked to the perceived ability of a drum beat to induce altered states of consciousness known as trance. The effect of some trance music has been likened to the trance-inducing music created by ancient shamanists during long periods of drumming. As this music is frequently played in nightclubs, vacation spots and inner cities, trance can be understood as a type of club music.

Techno is a form of electronic dance music (EDM)[1] that emerged in Detroit, Michigan, USA during the mid to late 1980s. The first public use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988.[2][3] Many styles of techno now exist, but Detroit techno is seen as the foundation upon which a number of subgenres have been built.[4]

The initial take on techno arose from the melding of Eurocentric synthesizer-based music with various African American styles such as Chicago house, funk, electro, and electric jazz. Added to this was the influence of futuristic and fictional themes that were relevant to life in American late capitalist society: most particularly the book The Third Wave by Alvin Toffler.[5] Pioneering producer Juan Atkins cites Toffler's phrase "techno rebels" as inspiring him to use the word techno to describe the musical style he helped to create. This unique blend of influences aligns techno with the aesthetic referred to as AfroDiasporic Futurism. To producers such as Derrick May, the transference of spirit from the body to the machine is often a central preoccupation; essentially an expression of technological spirituality.[6][7] In this manner: "techno dance music defeats what Adorno saw as the alienating effect of mechanisation on the modern consciousness".[8]

Music journalists and fans of techno are generally selective in their use of the term; so a clear distinction can be made between sometimes related but often qualitatively different styles, such as tech house and trance. "Techno" is also commonly confused with generalized descriptors, such as electronic music and dance music.[9][10][11]

House music is a style of electronic dance music that was developed in African-American, Latino and g*y communities of Chicago[1] (see Chicago house), influenced by early to mid-1970s dance music as spun by DJs in Chicago and spread to Detroit, New York, and eventually Europe. House music is strongly influenced by elements of the early to mid 1970s soul- and funk-infused dance music style of disco. House music takes disco's use of a prominent bass drum on every beat and developed a new style by mixing in a heavy electronic synthesizer bassline, electronic drums, electronic effects, funk and pop samples, and reverb- or delay-enhanced vocals.