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 the present day in various venues in 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 20,000-person ticket capacity (only 15,000 tickets were sold) and thereafter, Trance Energy was only held once annually, at the Jaarbeurs convention center in Utrecht, Netherlands where it has since been sold out each year.
While audience in the first years was mostly Dutch, there are now many international visitors, mainly from the European Union but sometimes from other areas around the world. This is due to the festival earning worldwide fame thanks to bootlegs of DJ mixes and some official videos of former editions.
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[edit] Description of the Event
Past 2003 editions of Trance Energy usually focus on three stages located in different halls of the Jaarbeurs convention center and connected by corridors :
- 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 makes 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.
Since 2007, a fourth stage has been added, the "hardstage" featuring harder derivatives of Trance Music. Contrary to expectations, ID&T did not issue more tickets due to this stage which was installed in the chill-out area. This stage has also been announced for 2008 edition so we can assume it will become a permanent feature of Trance Energy.
Visitors are provided with many services including a giant lockerbox system (for visitors to put their clothes at the entrance of the party) and an efficient food and drink service located in the Chillout area.
[edit] Event's fame
At the beginning this event was made famous because of media deals in the Netherlands (radio and television broadcast). Those broadcasts were recorded and circulated around the internet. As most countries did not have electronic music festivals of that size, the videos greatly impressed foreigners who watched them helping create international fame for the event. As a result, Trance Energy became "the place to be" for DJs and Trance addicts and almost all big stars of Trance performed at least one time at the festival. Bootlegged DJ sets from Trance Energy where then very popular and a number of them are now considered "classic" by the Trance community.
Nowadays, it has become the main "Trance-Only" festival in the world (many other festivals playing Trance usually feature other electronic styles besides it) and as such it has become a mandatory date for all fans of the genre. Last, the number of stages and the short sets allows for a big number of artists to perform. As a result, the line-up is usually a who's who of the Trance Scene. The 2008 edition, for example, will include such famed Dutch trance DJs as Tiesto, Ferry Corsten, Marco V, Sander Van Doorn, Rank-1, Phynn, and many more.
[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.
- Drug Policy : Despite the fact that the party is held in the Netherlands, even soft drugs are not allowed inside the party. This is due to the municipality of Utrecht imposing a Zero Tolerance Policy to all events held in Jaarbeurs. However, such zero-tolerance policy at dance parties are now becoming common in the Netherlands and are even stricter in cities like Arnhem. However, some international visitors do not expect this and get very disappointed when they either get their drugs confiscated or are fined at the gate.
[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 | Svenson & Gielen - Beauty Of Silence | 20 000 (Sold out) |
| 6 | 17-2-2001 | Jaarbeurs Utrecht | Push - Strange World | 30 000 (Sold out) |
| 7 | 20-10-2001 | Thialf Heerenveen | Svenson & Gielen - Twisted | 20 000 (Sold out) |
| 8 | 16-2-2002 | Jaarbeurs Utrecht | Svenson & Gielen - We Know What You Did | 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) |
| 15 | 23-2-2008 | Jaarbeurs Utrecht | Ernesto Vs Bastian - Thrill | 30 000 (Sold out) |
| 16 | TBA | Jaarbeurs Utrecht | TBA | - |
