I think I am getting old. I once heard that when you get old you quit listening to new music, and like the man that can’t let go of his Bee Gee’s 8 track, I cant seem to embrace a relatively new style of music that goes by the name of trance.  What is it really?

I mean, I am not that old. But, in reality, age doesn’t seem to have anything to do with it, as I have seen 50 year olds’ here bustin’ a groove to trance music.  I knew what trance was back in the US and had friends would listen to it or occasionally go to clubs that specialized in “house” or “electronic”. Maybe I have seen too many episodes of Law and Order, but I always associated that kind of music with club kids who took too much E, danced with pacifiers in their mouths while waving plastic neon thingies in front of their face. It never really appealed to me.  Plus the dancing always mimicked, in my mind, mini fits of twisting and shaking simultaneously. Not that attractive.

Then I came to Nepal. As with many things here, it took what I thought of as reality and smacked my perceptions up side the head. Nothing is as I thought it was. There is such an international draw to the music, it is unreal. It is the one thing everyone from the Middle East can agree on. It enables conversations that would not ordinarily happen between a Russian woman and man here on business from China, as I saw the other night. It is a strange phenomenon that for the longest time I couldn’t seem to wrap my mind around.

After being around it so often here, I finally have come to a few conclusions about trance. One, it isn’t that bad. It can be fine in small doses. Second, it is an international format of music, as there is usually little to no words in any language, so language is not a barrier. Third, everyone in the world dances in their specific culture, and ANYONE can dance to trance.  Jump a little, shake what you want to, or hell, even Ninja kick randomly like one fella from Australia, and there you go, you too can dance to trance. Last, it is great to listen to while exercising. It keeps you moving, no doubt.

Music has always been an instrumental part of my life, no pun intended. I used to say I would listen to any type of music, as I grew up in an eclectic home where I was as likely to hear Tom Waits as I was Zydeco. As a child, my parents took my brother and me to Jazz Fest in New Orleans with ritual like regularity. Much to my music loving parent’s dismay, I developed a taste for rap music in my early teens, but could never let go of the greats like the Doors, Buddy Guy and Van Morrison. I still remember the first time I heard Dave Matthews and Blues Travelers. And even today, nothing soothes me like listening to Otis Redding and Ray Charles.  

So maybe I need to realize that my musical education is not over. The only thing that is certain in life is change, so I will continue to attempt to appreciate trance, but thank god I can go home to my IPOD filled with the tried and true music that has been the soundtrack of my life this far.