TRANCE

Trance is a musical project which has been around since approximately 1987 in various forms. In the studio, Trance is Mason Jones; for live performances, guests augment the line-up. Past collaborators on stage have included Allegory Chapel Ltd, K.K.Null, Jim O'Rourke, Joe Papa, Jojo Hiroshige, and Solmania among others. The current more-or-less steady lineup for live shows is Mason (guitar), Elden M (of Allegory Chapel Ltd, keyboards) and Annabel Lee (of Amber Asylum, violin).

Trance's sound has developed over the years, with several distinct styles emerging. The live shows and recordings are often guitar-noise dominated, or drum and rhythm-based. The most recent CD, Audiography, combines rhythms with symphonic sounds and textures in a soundtrack-like style which will also dominate on the forthcoming Augury CD. Other upcoming releases include "Deconstructure," a collaboration with Crawl Unit; "International Incident," live recordings from Japan with K.K.Null, Jojo of Hijokaidan, Sam (ex-Nimrod) and Ohno of Solmania; and an album of solo guitar work.

Discography

SOLO RELEASES

Contents Under Pressure

COLLECTION OF LIVE RECORDINGS FROM 1991 TO 1993 FEATURING NUMEROUS GUESTS. INCLUDES DUOS WITH JIM O'ROURKE, JOE PAPA (CONTROLLED BLEEDING), EVOLUTION CONTROL COMMITTEE, AND OTHERS. RANGES FROM ALL-OUT NOISE TO RITUALISTIC PERCUSSION TRACKS. CD, 1994, FLYING ESOPHAGUS PRODUCTIONS.

Notre-Dame de L'oubli

7" SINGLE WITH THREE TRACKS. THE TITLE TRACK IS A SPACEY GUITAR IMPROVISATION DEDICATED TO THE SINGLE'S NAMESAKE, THE DRINK ABSINTHE. SIDE 2 INCLUDES A VOCAL IMPROV TRACK, AND AN AMUSING DRUM-BASED LIVE TRACK FROM JAPAN. 7", 1994, FOURTH DIMENSION RECORDS, U.K.

Emergence of Buried Truths

CASSETTE CONTAINING THE MORE ORCHESTRAL TRACKS FROM THE OUT-OF-PRINT MESMERISM CASSETTE AND THE NEARLY-OUT-OF-PRINT AUTOMATISM CD. RELEASED IN POLAND ONLY. CASSETTE, 1993, OBUH TAPES, POLAND.

Audiography

A SOUNDTRACK FOR DREAMS, UTILIZING CALM RHYTHMS, SYMPHONICS, AND INTERWOVEN SOUNDS. PIECES RANGE FROM EASTERN-INFLUENCED TABLA WORKS TO RITUALISTIC PIECES FOR MEDITATION AND REVERIE. CD, 1993, STAALPLAAT, NETHERLANDS.

Unyielding Firmament

SPLIT CASSETTE WITH TRANCE ON ONE SIDE, AND D.S. HASTINGS ON THE OTHER SIDE. TRANCE'S SIDE IS TWO TRACKS (ONE VERY LONG, ONE VERY SHORT) OF INTENSE, DENSE ELECTRONIC NOISE. CASSETTE, 1993, SOUNDS FOR CONSCIOUSNESS RAPE, FRANCE.

Guitar Noise EP

7" SINGLE WITH TWO TRACKS, ONE STUDIO AND ONE LIVE. THE STUDIO TRACK, "MONK ON FIRE," IS A SOLO GUITAR NOISE IMPROVISATION. THE LIVE TRACK, WITH ALLEGORY CHAPEL LTD'S ELDEN M. ON VOCALS, IS A HIDEOUSLY DENSE, AGGRESSIVE NOISY DIN PERFORMED IN OAKLAND OPENING FOR C.C.C.C. 7", 1993, CHARNEL MUSIC.

Automatism

THE FIRST CD BY TRANCE, WITH A MIXTURE OF GUITAR NOISE AND ORCHESTRAL SOUNDS, HELD TOGETHER BY A DETERMINED RHYTHMIC FABRIC. THE RECORDINGS ARE MUCH CRUDER THAN ON LATER RELEASES, BUT THERE'S STILL A LOT OF PUNCH HERE. INCLUDES A COUPLE OF LIVE RECORDINGS AS WELL. CD, 1991, CHARNEL MUSIC.

Mesmerism

THE BEST OF THE CASSETTE RELEASES, FEATURING A FAIRLY STRONG AND COHESIVE COLLECTION OF MOSTLY KEYBOARD- DOMINATED SOUNDS. FROM GENTLENESS TO RELATIVELY HARSH TEXTURES. NOW OUT OF PRINT. CASSETTE, 1990, CHARNEL MUSIC.

Purity

THE NOISIEST RELEASE, DONE FOR THE FUN OF IT IN REMEMBRANCE OF OLD POWER ELECTRONICS MATERIAL LIKE EARLY SPK, MASTER/SLAVE RELATIONSHIP, BOY DIRT CAR, AND THE LIKE. NOW OUT OF PRINT. CASSETTE, 1990, CHARNEL MUSIC.

The Beaten Track

AN UNEVEN BUT FAIRLY ENJOYABLE CASSETTE, THE FIRST ONE TO INCLUDE THE USE OF A KEYBOARD. SOME ORCHESTRAL WORK, SOME RHYTHMIC GUITAR CHURNING. EVERY COVER DIFFERENT. NOW OUT OF PRINT. CASSETTE, 1989, CHARNEL MUSIC.

Abyss

INDUSTRIAL NOISE ROCK WITH SOME FREE IMPROV NOISE STUFF ON THE B-SIDE. RAW, ROUGH, BUT WITH SOME GOOD ENERGY TO IT. NOW OUT OF PRINT. CASSETTE, 1989, CHARNEL MUSIC.

Fatal Blow

THE FIRST TRANCE RELEASE, SOMETHING LIKE INDUSTRIAL ROCK IN A SLOW, PRE-GRUNGE WAY. THINK OF SWANS WITH A BIT OF BIG BLACK THROWN IN FOR GOOD MEASURE. NOW OUT OF PRINT. CASSETTE, 1988, CHARNEL MUSIC.

COLLABORATIVE RELEASES

Torture Chorus In the Land of Lullabye

CD FEATURING THE PERFORMANCE WORK OF STEPHEN HOLMAN AND CLAM LYNCH, WITH MUSIC AND NOISE PROVIDED BY TRANCE AND ALLEGORY CHAPEL LTD. PICTURE A CHILDREN'S SHOW IN HELL EMCEED BY SATAN AND YOU'RE CLOSE TO THE INSANITY HERE. CD, 1994, CHARNEL MUSIC/VANILLA RECORDS JAPAN.

Trance/Macronympha Audio Image Assault

COLLABORATIVE NOISE CASSETTE FEATURING A HARSH YET ENTERTAINING RUMBLING CACOPHONY. PITTSBURGH'S MACRONYMPHA CREATED TRACKS WHICH WERE SENT TO TRANCE, WHO THEN ADDED MORE, AND MIXED THE RESULTS DOWN. RELEASED IN A BEAUTIFUL SILVER/BLACK CASSETTE PACKAGE. CASSETTE, 1993, G.R.O.S.S., JAPAN.

Hijokaidan/Trance/Allegory Chapel Ltd

Live at the Starlight Furniture Company

LIMITED-EDITION 7" SINGLE RECORDED DURING HIJOKAIDAN'S FIRST VISIT TO SAN FRANCISCO. AN IMPROMPTU JAM SESSION BY THESE THREE GROUPS RESULTED IN A SPECIAL LITTLE BLUE-VINYL SINGLE OF ULTRA-HARSH CHAOS. NOW OUT OF PRINT. 7", 1992, CHARNEL MUSIC.

Survival Research Laboratories Illusions of Shameless Abundance

CASSETTE EDITION OF THE SOUNDTRACK USED FOR THE 1989 SAN FRANCISCO PERFORMANCE BY SURVIVAL RESEARCH LABORATORIES. NOISES AND MIXING WERE DONE BY TRANCE'S MASON JONES WITH RICK REES. NOW OUT OF PRINT. CASSETTE, 1990, CHARNEL MUSIC.

COMPILATION APPEARANCES"AURORA BOREALIS (LIGHT)" ENDLESS 1, CD, 1995, MANIFOLD

"OH SEE CAN YOU SAY" 1-800-AMERICA, CASSETTE, 1994, RRRECORDS

"SUMMONS" ARRHYTHMIA II, CD, 1994, CHARNEL MUSIC

"VICIOUS CIRCLE" USENET MIND/BODY, CD, 1994, ATOMIC NOVELTIES

"SEISMIC DISTURBANCE" NOISE WAR, CASSETTE, 1994, MOTHER SAVAGE NPC

"RAIN IN HIND" OF SOUND MIND, CASSETTE, 1993, GODSEND PRODUCTIONS

"THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE" OF SOUND MIND, CASSETTE, 1993, GODSEND PRODUCTIONS

"ENNUI" MUST BE MUSIQUE 2, CD, 1993, DARK VINYL

"ALL THY BONES WITH BEAUTY CLAD" DUST CLAIMS DUST, CASSETTE, 1992, HYDE RECORDINGS

"MONK ON FIRE" DRUDGE 2, CASSETTE, 1992, DRUDGE MAGAZINE

"REVERSAL OF FORTUNE" DRUDGE 2, CASSETTE, 1992, DRUDGE MAGAZINE

"ALL THE MYRIAD WAYS" DRY LUNGS 5, CD, 1992, SUBTERRANEAN RECORDS

"EVIDENCE OF DANGER" MUST BE MUSIQUE, CD, 1992, DARK VINYL

"SIEGE" MUST BE MUSIQUE, CD, 1992, DARK VINYL

"A CELEBRATED OCCASION" WAKENED BY SILENCE, CASSETTE, 1991, CHARNEL MUSIC

"YEARNING LIKE A GOD IN PAIN" 4X4, CD, 1991, LADD-FRITH

"DELERIUM" ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS, CD, 1991, U.P.D. ORGANIZATION

"UNDER CONSTRUCTION" AURICULAR CASSETTE 3, CASSETTE, 1991, AURICULAR RECORDS

"FILM AT ELEVEN" ARRHYTHMIA, CD, 1990, CHARNEL MUSIC

"WITHOUT PROVOCATION" COMPLICATION COMPILATION, CASSETTE, 1990, SUITCASE RECORDINGS

Prepared by Mason Jones, mason@netcom.com