the forces of good and evil). A larger five-tone orchestra (gamelan pelegongan)
accompanies these dramas involving trance. The repertoire of this gamelan again
involves intricate, closely interlocked melodic figuration as well as complex stratified
polyphony. Although the dramatic accompaniment requires sudden changes in
tempo and dynamics at times, repetitive clichéd figurations over ostinatos and
stretches of metronomic tempo remain characteristic of the music.
While the gamelan angklung is not the particular gamelan ensemble associated
with rituals involving trance in Bali, its textural characteristics are in many ways
idiosyncratic to much gamelan music in general, including those ensembles that are
present in trance contexts. This had led me to consider possible relationships
between events that employ similar musical textures and whose participants intend
to achieve extraordinary consciousness. At Hyperreal’s Trance List Archives the
trance subgenre of techno is plainly characterized as a means to altered states of
consciousness (ASC): “Through the use of repetitive and extended beat patterns and/
or rhythms, this music often induces trance-like states in those who listen or dance
to it.”
In Rouget’s often cited work Music and Trance: A Theory of the Relations Between
Music and Possession, the author states that, although music “does play a part in
triggering and maintaining the trance state, it does not owe its effect to the
properties of the musical structure, or if it does, it does so only to a small degree”
(1985:96). Becker applauds Rouget for “putting to rest” the idea of a causal
relationship between types of music and types of trance (Becker 1994:41). It is
generally understood that the entire trance context as a package—including all
sensory stimulation, in addition to belief system and expectations of the participant
—is responsible for inducing altered states of consciousness. Becker suggests that the
musical component of trance, acting as a “physiological metonym,” “invokes” an
entire “mythology” to which certain emotions and behavior are attached (ibid.:45).
In Bali, deeply sensual cues such as incense, strongly scented flowers, and bright
ornate costumes accompany ritual. It is likely that in the rave context the music
volume, visual bombardment, physiological excitement of dance, desire for an
altered state, and other elements of rave described earlier, heighten possible
transportative mechanisms perceived in the music. However, the musical
contribution (or “universal” relationship of music) to trance states remains debated
amongst scholars. I would feel uncomfortable dismissing the commonly expressed
experiences of those who feel entrained, transported, or some other hypnotic-like
effect when exposed to the musical textures described above, even in a sterile concert
hall. Transformative experience associated with music is highly idiosyncratic and
resistant to linguistic expression. Exactly what individual ravers mean when they use
the term “trance” and speak of a trance experience is a significant issue that merits
further exploration.
202 GINA ANDREA FATONE