Good start...

Right OK let me continue and get this going the right way:

I'm gonna play the devils advocate and come from the other side...

Percussion is the key to most techno. be it melodic or percussive. You say percussion is easy to make? I swear to you it isn't if you're making techno. To make drum patterns to go with trance is as easy as pressing the off beat hi hat and the off beat clap. It's so easy to do.

Yes the key with trance is without doubt the melodies.

But the key with techno is the percussion. You try making techno percussion and you'll be in trouble... Or indeed melodic percusion for techno.. Something trance people dont realise....

very interesting indeed...