The taste of the west can be found in the music of Goa too. The music and dance of Goa are a rich cultural blend of the West with the East. The fine blend of Indian classical and western music has discovered many different forms of music. Each occasion and region has its distinctive forms. The urban areas have adapted to modern and popular music styles.

Mando - the Latin Taste
Set to the Latin American tune, the song with a local theme starts with a sad and slow note and ends on a faster beat called "Dulpods" or "Durpodha", the rhythmic pattern being akin to 'Khaiyal' songs. In fact Mando represents the mingling of Indian and Western traditions. The girls and the boys sing a line of the song one after the other or sometimes in chorus.

Suvari - the Folk Music
Suvari is a traditional folk music, a tone setter to all Hindu religious and festival performances. The music is orchestral in nature and relies heavily on 'Laya' (tune) and 'Tal' (beat), as spoken words are few. The orchestra consists of 'Ghumat', 'Shamel', Cymbals and sometimes 'Shehnai' and 'Surt'.

Other forms of Goan music include "Banvad", "Cantaram", "Dasra Vadan", "Gadya Ramayan", "Gaun Kani", "Gosavi Gayan", "Gudulya Geetam", "Jat", "Lagan Geet", "Lavni", "Pavada", and devotional music like "Bhajan-Dindi", Carol Singing, "Kirtan" and "Ladainha".

Goa trance is form of electronic music and is a style of trance music which originated in the Indian region of Goa. The music has its roots in the popularity of the Goa region in the late 1960's and early 1970's as a hippie mecca, although the actual Goa trance style would not appear until much later. As the tourist influx tapered off in the 1970's and 1980's, a core group remained in Goa, concentrating on improvements in music along with other activities such as yoga, recreational drug use, and various New Age pursuits.

The introduction of techno style and technique to Goa led to what would eventually become the Goa trance style; early pioneers included Goa Gil and Mark Allen. Many "parties" (similar to raves) in Goa revolve entirely around this genre of music; Goa is also often played in other countries at raves, festivals and parties often in conjunction with other styles of trance and techno.

Goa is essentially "dance-trance" music (and was referred to as "Trance Dance" in its formative years), and as such has an energetic beat, almost always at 4/4 and often going into 16th or 32nd notes. A typical number will generally build up to a much more energetic movement in the second half of the track, and then taper off fairly quickly toward the end. Generally 8-12 minutes long, Goa tracks usually have a noticeably stronger bassline than other trance music and incorporate more organic "squelchy" sounds.

Goa trance parties have a visual aspect as well, the use of "fluoro" (fluorescent paint) is common in clothing and decoration. The images are often associate with topics like aliens, hinduism and other religious (especially eastern) images, mushrooms (and other psychedelic imagery), shamanism and technology. Goa trance has a significant following in Israel, brought to that country by former soldiers returning from recreational "post-army trips" to Goa. A great deal of Goa trance is now produced in Israel, but its production and consumption is a global phenomenon.

Goa Trance effectively morphed into psychedelic trance during the latter half of the 1990's. Both styles are generally non-commercial and underground compared to other forms of trance. The goa sound is more likely to be heard at outdoor parties and festivals than in clubs and places like Ibiza. For a short period in the mid-'90's it enjoyed significant commercial success with support from DJ's like Paul Oakenfold. The artist man with no name probably came the closest to being a goa trance "star".