In a crushing blow to the country’s bubbling trance scene, elite dance production company ID&T have confirmed to ITM that their Trance Energy brand will not be returning to Australia for another national tour in 2010. While there’s a “never say never” attitude as to whether it will return in years to follow, it’s a sad prospect that this year’s spectacular Easter tour will count as the only time one of the world’s premier dance events made it to our shores.

Earlier this week ID&T director Duncan Stutterheim spoke out to the mainstream press on some of the reasons contributing to why Trance Energy won’t be returning, with the issue of GHB abuse in the Melbourne scene again raising its ugly head. “There is a small group in Melbourne who are stupid and take too many stupid drugs in a stupid way,” he told the Herald Sun. “And it’s a shame. We invested, we had a long-term vision, but in Melbourne we cannot do this.”

The Australian dance music community received a rude shock when a reported 26 people were taken to hospital during the Melbourne leg of the Trance Energy tour this year, but Stutterheim points to the other Australian cities that did not experience any incidents. “Don’t ask me why Sydney can handle this music and be responsible and Melbourne cannot,” he said, urging continuing discussion about drug use and abuse. “The culture [in the Netherlands] encourages talking about these things. I find in Australia it’s different. They are not open about it. They don’t address the problem. They shove it away.”

While genre fans will be devastated by Trance Energy’s removal from the national dance calendar, fans of ID&T-style mega events have been compensated with last week’s revelation that the company is bringing its super-sized Mystery Land festival downunder in 2011 (read about it here).

Where you at any of the Australian Trance Energy gigs this year? Check out ITM’s coverage of the Sydney gig below…