AH.FM Music Style Guide

[Dan]

As this topic keeps coming up in forum threads and also in private discussions, here's a quick summary of what music genres and styles AH.FM stands for and wants to deliver to you, its listeners.

You may wonder why we even need this. The reason is simple: AH.FM was created from day one with a certain music in mind, to keep this music alive and strong and to create a platform and community for all lovers of this music and to bring them together in one place. That being said, AH is not a general EDM radio station and never was meant to be, it's the Best in Trance and Progressive!

Note that this applies only to regular shows (incl. any guestmixes they may have) and most of the special events we have. Larger special events (such as EOYC) are partly exempt due to the scale of the event, also live broadcasts from clubs/events are exempt as we cannot control what's being played there (although we do try to select live events only that we think fit the profile). However, one-time "experiments", that is one-time shows with a totally different style, from DJs are not exempt from this rule and are not desired.

Also please note that this is not here to piss anyone off or to step on anyone's toes. We respect all different tastes for music and any different preference anyone may have. This only applies to AH and the music program and profile it's featuring. It's what we've always been and what we want to stick to, because that's what the listeners expect from us.

So this is what we want:

• "Trance": Uplifting trance, vocal trance, epic trance, anthem trance, classic trance, dream trance, etc.
• "Progressive": Progressive trance, progressive house.

Related styles are also ok to a certain extent, however the emphasis is on the above, so we do not encourage sets consisting only of related styles. Related styles includes:

• Techtrance, hardtrance, electrotrance
• Progressive breaks
• Chillout, ambient

Everything else is not desired. A single track here or there won't kill anyone, but more than that is a no-no. The reason is that listeners expect trance and progressive (as above) from us and that's why they tune in. So this is what we want to deliver. In other words, we do not want:

• Any form of techno (including minimal)
• Most forms of house (except progressive): Funky house, tribal house, techhouse, electrohouse, deep house, hard house, etc.
• Harddance, eurodance, gabber, hardcore, hardstyle, etc.
• "Neotrance"
• Psytrance, goa
• Anything else unrelated, e.g. drum 'n' bass, jungle, dubstep, etc etc.
• Obviously anything non-EDM.

We have room for a single show in our schedule which is exempt from this rule, and this is currently Marcus Schossow, due to the fact that he's been with us for a very long time already and because he's always been a big supporter. No other exceptions will be made.

[danmark_ori]

Thanks for giving us very clear and openly this info Dan - I wondered earlier about the (near or complete) absence of some alternative styles

[90degrees]

funny though that Marcus held the most-listeners-count for a long time.
(given the description and current style)


hmmm.....

[t4e]

Originally Posted by 90degrees

funny though that Marcus held the most-listeners-count for a long time.
(given the description and current style)


hmmm.....

i think his "french" helps too

[piccoli]

just a few words, some people will say i am suspect but i am a really hardcore trance lover, so what Dan said i agree, there's no room in this radio for other styles of EDM, IMO if any dj doesn't want this, ok there's a lot of trance dj's out there that is crying to have a slot here at AH.FM, i can be very radical but it's for the good of the station, keep trance alive

[Config]

no problem for me

[The Cat Lady]

Way to go, Dan, for spelling it out so very clearly! Yes! High quality Uplfit Trance is my very favorite. It literaly saved my life. I've got room in my heart for the others that you have mentioned, but Trance and Progressive is what I'm here to listen to, and I'm VERY grateful that you are making a POINT about what AH stands for.

As for Marcus Schossow ... I wouldn't mind his show so much if he would just keep his nasty mouth shut. His complete and total lack of communication skills leaves very much to be desired, and just flat leaves me COLD to his music. As long as he lets his mouth speak instead of his music, he will always get bad ratings from me. I just don't think that dropping the F-Bomb in every single sentence is the right way to win friends and enfluence people. In my book, he's a loser. And all because he can't seem to be able to speak in mixed company. What a shame.

Love you, Dan. (kiss)

[Tarek]

Originally Posted by t4e

i think his "french" helps too

His french?

Is that supposed to be a joke?

[Ronny K.]

Ehm, I should be OK then

[JayCan]

Originally Posted by Ronny K.

Ehm, I should be OK then

Yah Ronny you should be ok

like me

[JayCan]

Oki

I think i need to say something..

During a set yesterday DAN and me had a conversation via MSN about the set and the music styles were played there...we had problems to find out sometimes wich style it is

In general i like a lot of Styles inbetween the general TRANCE Style... i dont like these Eurodance and blepblop electro things also with house in general i have a problem...

We talked alot and in he last weeks also much talking with DFX and t4e about and we all were the meaning, that Trance and Progressive must be the Thing AH.FM is about...like DAN said...there is space for lil experiments means 1 track in a show...me myself tried out a psy track in my last show and it was okay....

but we all and i mean WE DJS must come back to the thing we are all invited for to play on AH...pure Trance and Progressive...coz exactly THAT makes AH outstanding fom all oher Stations....

so keep up the good work


cheers

[Ronny K.]

Originally Posted by JayCan

Yah Ronny you should be ok

like me

I think so

I am in uplifting trance like fish in a water

[90degrees]

Originally Posted by JayCan

Oki

I think i need to say something..

During a set yesterday DAN and me had a conversation via MSN about the set and the music styles were played there...we had problems to find out sometimes wich style it is

Replay of Markus Schulz?

Originally Posted by JayCan

We talked alot and in he last weeks also much talking with DFX and t4e about and we all were the meaning, that Trance and Progressive must be the Thing AH.FM is about...like DAN said...there is space for lil experiments means 1 track in a show...me myself tried out a psy track in my last show and it was okay....

so starting with a slow chill out tune and ending in psy, maybe with a progressive breaks track (NOT breakbeat) in the breakdown of the set (of which genre a lot of tracks contain trancey elements) and ending in psy would be a no-no, three out-of-line tracks too much?
I mean if it fits the flow and works overall for the set - why not?
Maybe just a tiny bit more disgression like 1-3 tracks or 25%/75% and the advice for the DJs to make sure that those work?
Just thoughts running about...

Originally Posted by JayCan

but we all and i mean WE DJS must come back to the thing we are all invited for to play on AH...pure Trance and Progressive...coz exactly THAT makes AH outstanding fom all oher Stations....

so keep up the good work


cheers

granted, but can backfire, track repetition and IMO (and it's just that) less variety given current productions.
Not naming names, there are some shows that are outstanding and some that are just fillers.
Again just IMO but I prefer a set that entertains me, that I can distinguish from other mixes, that I want to replay and that maybe even opens my horizon in regards for other styles.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating a change of AHs style but having a section every whatever 2nd or 3rd weekday of the month -even if just as a test run- could be viable to AH too, promotion works in so many ways, from one genre to the other, from one radio station to another and for the DJs too, a chance to showcase their other interests as well.

just some thoughts but I'm sure Dan and crew will push AH in the right direction

[Wailo]

Originally Posted by The Cat Lady

As for Marcus Schossow ... I wouldn't mind his show so much if he would just keep his nasty mouth shut. His complete and total lack of communication skills leaves very much to be desired, and just flat leaves me COLD to his music. As long as he lets his mouth speak instead of his music, he will always get bad ratings from me. I just don't think that dropping the F-Bomb in every single sentence is the right way to win friends and enfluence people. In my book, he's a loser. And all because he can't seem to be able to speak in mixed company. What a shame.

Love you, Dan. (kiss)

Hahaha

[Wailo]

Originally Posted by 90degrees

granted, but can backfire, track repetition and IMO (and it's just that) less variety given current productions.
Not naming names, there are some shows that are outstanding and some that are just fillers.
Again just IMO but I prefer a set that entertains me, that I can distinguish from other mixes, that I want to replay and that maybe even opens my horizon in regards for other styles.

Agree with you 100% 90degrees, this is why I am a big fan of AH events, DJs with unbelievable variety in taste and style