Trance Energy

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Trance Energy is a Dutch dance event featuring trance DJs. It is organised by ID&T and has been held from 1999 to 2007 in various venues from the Netherlands twice a year. Traditionally, there was a "small" edition and a big edition each year. In 2002, the small edition failed to sell out its 15,000-person ticket capacity and thereafter, Trance Energy was only held anually at the Jaarbeurs convention center in Utrecht, Netherlands where it has since been sold out each year.

1 Description of the Event
2 Criticism
3 History of editions
4 External links

[edit] Description of the Event

Modern editions of Trance Energy usually focus on three stages located in different halls of the Jaarbeurs convention center and connected by corridors :

Entrance of Trance Energy 2007 at Jaarbeurs

The "Mainstage" (capacity : 20 000 people) where headline's DJs of the night do their sets. The sets are usually between one and two hours long. Impressive light show with lasers, lights and fireworks are featured along with some acts (dancers, live, ...). The setup is quite typical of a "classic" trance party : Minimal decoration with mosts of the ambiance being created by the lights and the structural elements used to rig them. Only the size make it different.
The "Madhouse" (capacity : 5000 people) usually managed by DJ Jean (a famous DJ in the Netherlands) which features music more audible for the mainstream. This stage is often heavily criticized by most of the visitors who find the music played there too cheesy. However, as trance has been huge commercially speaking, some people may go to Trance Energy not really knowing what to expect and this stage may provide them music which is less "underground" than the mainstage or the alternate stage. Along with DJ Jean, others DJ plays there during the night.
An alternate stage whose name changes each year (capacity : 5000 people) where edgier trance than on the mainstage is played. This stage often features very famous names who are able to take more risks musically speaking than what they would be allowed on the mainstage. As a result, it is not uncommon for some artists to do a performance on the mainstage and do another one on the alternate stage like it was the case with Armin Van Buuren at the 2006 edition.

As of 2007, a fourth stage will appear : The "hardstage" where harder derivatives of Trance music will be played. It is not known, if due do this fourth stage, ID&T will issue more tickets or not.

Visitors are provided with many services including a giant cloakroom and an efficient food and drink service located in the Chillout area.

[edit] Criticism

Main criticism of the event are :

Too short sets for the DJ : Many of the world's best DJs are invited but as a result, their set is short. As a result, the amount of risk and creativity a DJ can take during a set is reduced. Some DJs have no difficulty managing their shorter sets, while others produce less-creative sets.

As a result of the event's status as a well-respected European Trance-only event, performances at Trance Energy are very often bootlegged and distributed on the internet. This potential for distribution adds to the pressure that DJs usually encounter, especially when they perform on the mainstage.

[edit] History of editions

Here is the list of Trance Energy editions :

Édition	Date	Venue	Theme	Spectators
1	30-4-1999	Beursgebouw Eindhoven		8 500 (Sold Out)
2	30-8-1999	Statenhal La Haye (Den Haag)		10 000 (Sold out)
3 (Trance 2000)	31-12-1999	Beursgebouw Eindhoven		8 500 (Sold out)
4	29-4-2000	Beursgebouw Eindhoven		8 500 (Sold out)
5	30-9-2000	Thialf Heerenveen		20 000 (Sold out)
6	17-2-2001	Jaarbeurs Utrecht		30 000 (Sold out)
7	20-10-2001	Thialf Heerenveen		20 000 (Sold out)
8	16-2-2002	Jaarbeurs Utrecht	Svenson & Gielen - Answer the Question	30 000 (Sold out)
9	21-9-2002	Thialf Heerenveen		15 000
10	15-2-2003	Jaarbeurs Utrecht	Cygnus X - Positron	30 000 (Sold out)
11	31-1-2004	Jaarbeurs Utrecht	Svenson - Sunlight Theory	30 000 (Sold out)
12	12-2-2005	Jaarbeurs Utrecht	Rank 1 - Beats@Rank-1 Dotcom	30 000 (Sold out)
13	11-2-2006	Jaarbeurs Utrecht	Marcel Woods - Advanced	30 000 (Sold out)
14	3-3-2007	Jaarbeurs Utrecht	Joop - The Future	30 000 (Sold Out)