姫トラ “Hime-trance” or “Princess-trance” is a series of trance albums that were released in the 2000’s. It was related to theトラパラ “Tra-para” dance scene.
There were several albums that included trance songs (usually covers and remixes of existing songs) made by various artists and DJs.
What makes Hime-trance so unique is the emphasis on a type of sound that is Kawaii and girly.
The album art and imagery used in advertising featured animated versions of popular fairytale princesses (like Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, and Jasmine).
For example, check out these VERY aesthetic TV commercials that ran for these albums:
The characterization of these princesses would be altered to fit the Gyaru aesthetic, with the princesses depicted having long nails and bold eye makeup.
I personally stumbled across Hime-trance music at the exact same time I found Gyaru makeup!
When I was in high school, YouTube recommended two Gyaru makeup tutorial videos by the same user who included songs from Hime-trance albums as the background music in both!
(Sadly, both of these tutorials are now nowhere to be found, so they were likely deleted T-T).
Intrigued by the hyper and sweet sound of the songs, I promptly searched for the albums so I could listen to them in full. Now, Hime-trance volumes 1 - 4 and Hime-trance Tsukasa Mix are mainstays in my music rotation. I’ve been listening to them ever since high school, and even still to this day!
Because of the way I found the albums, I strongly associate Hime-trance with Gyaru makeup and fashion, so I’ll often listen to Hime-trance while I’m getting ready!
The user Powanko has an archive of several of these Himetora albums uploaded to YouTube, so please take a listen! (My favorites are Hime tora 4 and Hime tora Tsukasa Mix)
Powanko's Hime-trance uploads playlist
There are also special edition albums like Hime-trance Anime, Hime-trance Speed, and even Hos-Trance for the princes out there!
As a music producer, I recently tried my hand at producing some of my own tracks in the style of Hime-trance!
My songs "Lucky ♡G♡I♡R♡L♡" and "On My Mind ☆" were made as a creative exercise to challenge myself while also making something that felt deeply personal to me!
Feel free to take a listen to those here, as well as on all streaming platforms!
Challenging myself to produce music in the Hime-trance style allowed me to listen to the songs more deeply and analyze it as it if were its own genre.
Here are some key things I noticed:
☆ There’s an emphasis on a Kawaii feel. Artists will add soft sounds like sparkly bells, bright pianos, and dreamy melodies, while maintaining a clubby (borderline gritty) dance party vibe.
☆ Hime-trance songs have a very similar song structure, and often include similar types of instruments
☆ Artists are heavy-handed while using vocal samples, but that makes it fun & the songs feel more hype
☆ Female vocals are used in almost all songs.
☆ The songs often feature light-hearted topics like being in love, partying, and going out.
☆ Both English and Japanese lyrics are present in Hime-trance.
☆ There is little to no emphasis on lyrics. Many Hime-trance songs will feature a short section of lyrics that’s repeated throughout the song. Many do not contain lyrics at all, but instead include a lot of vocal samples! (For songs that are remixes, lyrics will have a more traditional and "full" structure)
Of course there is plenty more to be said about Hime-Trance!
I’m not sure whether or not it can be categorized as its own genre,
but considering there is so much of it out there (& I consider the style to be distinct from other genres of trance), it might as well be!
What are your thoughts? Did you ever listen to 姫トラ?
