As a musician, I love it. That's probably half due to roughly 70% of my songs ending up as trance by the time I'm done though. What is it about it that you dislike exactly?

Let me be clear: I have no issue with trance as a form (highly repetitive 140 bpm 4/4 dance music). But trance music as a scene since the mid-90's has been characterized by melodramatic, over-produced, formulaic and not forward-thinking music. It's akin to being a filmmaker and disliking plotless Hollywood action films.

These days there's a lot of innovative and interesting dance music coming out in the wake of dub step. I tend to play stuff like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbj6iVyIgAI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH4GIL1wYWo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHweamNAkjY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUYQTPhPJZE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34GJld5OmiE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH_Ondi_ojA

Music with new ideas, character and soul. Unfortunately interesting music sometimes demands a little too much attention when you're trying to code!

"melodramatic, over-produced, formulaic and not forward-thinking music"

Haha. I do see much of that. Although I can't say it's always bad. What's your take on this track? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U80l-YzcGsQ

Liking this stuff you linked. I know what you mean by some music being too attention-grabbing to listen to while coding though.

I don't know, it's compelling and I do have soft spot for this kind of stuff, but I find it as "melodramatic, over-produced [and] formulaic" as anything on Anjuna. Sometimes I'm in the mood for that, but it doesn't satisfy me at all intellectually. It's like candy: tastes good while you're eating it, but doesn't feed the body like food or the soul like a warm cup of tea. I think in this analogy, programming music should be like gum or a cinnamon stick!

Thanks for the response. I was hoping you would slap it with the labels you mentioned earlier. It means I'm not crazy! I like the analogy as well.

Thanks for the replies, and the music. Have a good one.

I'm 7 days late and I doubt you'll ever see this, but thank you for that Andy Stott youtube vid. I'm a big fan of the folks doing more fractured/cracked/drone stuff (Burial/Gas/Basic Channel/etc), I've never heard of Stott, and this stuff is easily up there with the best.

Bravo sir or madam!