Rhythm and Rhythmic Patterns

The introductory sections of Goa trance tracks typically contain wild analogue synthesiser sound textures and a complex rhythmic or metrical organisation. The tempo of the track is often not predictable until revealed by the entry of the kick drum. The 16th note is the basic rhythmic division of the style. 32nd note rolls are sometimes used as fills at the end of a section. . Rhythmic developments of the original motif slowly build in density and intensity, usually in blocks of 16 or 32 bars. The quarter note kick drum 'doof' will then drop out for a couple of bars. Often the whole track will stop and a soft voice will utter a thought-provoking phrase such as "I don't know ........ It may be something to do with being in the mountains ' (DOOF - Star Above Parvatti, TIP Blue Compilation 1995). Then the track will resume with the re-entry of the kick drum. The last section of a track is often a mirror image of the arrangement sequence at the beginning of the track. The bass sequence is generally the prime rhythmic determinant in the textural organisation of a track.

The use of the term Goa trance is contentious among many of the practitioners of the genre, but on balance it appears to be useful for representing both the historical origins and practices of the Goa dance party and the recent emergence of artists who are working with what seems to be a coherent set of stylistic practices in the making of commercial recordings. The focus of Goa trance has always been on the DJ who takes the participant on a mystical journey during the course of an all-night party. The DJs who regularly visited Goa, particularly over the period from the early 1980s to the early 1990s, determined the emergence of a range of existing recorded and remixed musical styles appropriate for use at Goa trance parties. These same DJs helped spread the idea of the Goa-style party to other parts of the world, and also stimulated the practice of creating recordings especially written for use at trance parties. In many cases the original Goa DJs are also actively involved in the making of contemporary Goa trance recordings. The current popularity of Goa trance has led to the establishment of many record labels devoted to the dissemination of the genre to an increasing record buying market. The Goa trance party has evolved into a commercially organised indoor event in the large cities of Europe and North America, but its original outdoor tropical tribedelic character is still represented by parties held, for example, on the beaches and in the forests of Northern New South Wales in Australia.