Psychedelic Trance
Selmani Egrion
Γ’ Γυμνασίου
20ο Γυμνάσιο Μάρτιος 2014
The meaning of ‘’Psy’’
• Psychedelic trance, psytrance or just psy (derived from
the Ancient Greek word ψυχή "psyche", mind; soul;
breath; spirit) is a electronic music style characterized
by hypnotic arrangements of synthetic rhythms and
complex layered melodies created by high tempo
riffs.It appeared in the mainstream in 1998 as with
reporting of the trend of Goa trance. Psytrance lies at
the hardcore, underground end of the diverse trance
spectrum.The genre offers variety in terms of mood,
tempo, and style. Some examples include full on, dark,
progressive, suomi, psybreaks and psybient. Goa
Trance continues to develop alongside the sub genres.
Root of the movement
• The first hippies who arrived in Goa, India in the mid-1960s
were drawn there for many reasons, including the beaches, the
low cost of living, the friendly locals, the Indian religious and
spiritual practices and the readily available Indian hashish,
which until the mid-1970s was legal.
• During the 1970s the first Goa DJs were generally playing
psychedelic rock bands such as the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd
and The Doors. In 1979 the beginnings of electronic dance
music could occasionally be heard in Goa in the form of tracks
by artists such as Kraftwerk but it wasn’t until 1983 that DJs
Laurent and Fred Disko, closely followed by Goa Gil, began
switching the Goa style over to electro-industrial/EBM which
was now flooding out of Europe from Frontline Assembly, Front
242, Nitzer Ebb as well as Eurobeat.
• The tracks were remixed, removing the lyrics, looping the
melodies and beats and generally manipulating the sounds in all
manner of ways before the tracks were finally presented to the
dancers as custom Goa-style mixes.
• The music played in the 80s was a blend of styles loosely
defined as techno and various genres of computer music
e.g.: high energy gay disco without vocals, acid house,
electro, industrial gothic, electronic body music, exotic
wacky styles of house, electronic/rock hybrids. The music
arrived on tape cassettes by fanatic traveler collectors
and DJs. It was shared (copied) tape to tape amongst Goa
DJs, which was an underground scene, not driven by labels
or music industry.The artists producing this 'special Goa
music' had no idea that their music was being played on
the beaches of Goa by cyber hippies. The first techno
that was played in Goa was Kraftwerk in the late 70s on
the tape of a visiting DJ. At the time, late 70s, the music
played at the parties was live bands. Tapes were played in
between sets. In the early 80s, sampling synth and midi
music appeared globally and DJs became the preferred
format in Goa. Two tape decks driving a party without a
break, continuous music, continuous dancing. There had
been resistance from the old school acid heads who were
devout that only acid rock should be played at parties, but
they soon relented and converted to the revolutionary
wave of technodelia that took hold in the 80s.
• Cassette tapes were used by DJs until the 90s when DAT tapes were
used. DJs playing in Goa during the 80s were Fred Disko, Dr Bobby,
Stephano, Paulino, Mackie, Babu, Laurent, Ray, Fred, Antaro, Lui, Rolf,
Tilo, Pauli, Rudi, Gil. The music was eclectic in style but nuanced around
instrument/dub spacey versions of tracks that evoked mystical, cosmic,
psychedelic, political, existential themes Special mixes were made by DJs
in Goa which were the editing of various versions of a track to make it
longer. This was taking the stretch mix concept to another level, trip
music for journeying to outdoors.
• Trance dancing to mind expanding dance music on hallucinogens was the
mantle of the Goa mantra. It was not a night club furnaced on alcohol.
Hash and acid were the principal heighteners. It was an anarchistic
alternative counter culture. DIY in psychedelic exploration driven by
future rhythm machine music. Goa Trance as a music industry and
collective party fashion tag did not gain global traction until '94. By '90
'91 Goa had become a hot destination for partying and was no longer
under the radar, the scene grew bigger.
• Goa style parties spread like a “diaspora” all over the world from '93 and
a multitude of labels in various countries (U.K. Australia, Japan,
Germany) dedicated themselves to promoting psychedelic electronic
music that reflected the ethos of Goa parties and Goa music and Goa
specific artists and producers and DJs. The golden age of the first wave of
Goa Psy Trance as a generally agreed upon (genre) aesthetic was
between '94-'97
Development
• By 1992 the Goa trance scene had a pulse of its own, though the term 'Goa
trance' didn’t become the name tag of the genre until around 1994.The Goa
trance sound, which by the late 1990s was being used interchangeably with
the term psychedelic trance, retained its popularity at outdoor raves and
festivals rather than in nightclubs. New artists were appearing from all over
the world and it was in this year that the first Goa trance festivals began,
including the Gaia Festival in France and the still-running VuuV festival in
Germany.
• In 1993 the first 100% Goa trance album was released, Project 2 Trance,
featuring tracks by Man With No Name and Hallucinogen to name two.Goa
trance enjoyed its commercial peak between 1996 and 1997 with media
attention and some recognised names in the DJ scene joining the
movement.This hype did not last long and once the attention had died down
so did the music sales, resulting in the failure of record labels, promotion
networks and also some artists. This ‘commercial death of Goa trance’ was
marked musically by Matsuri Productions in 1997 with the release of the
compilation Let it RIP.
• While the genre may have been incubated in the goa trance scene it went
on to proliferate globally.[Its impact was felt in western Europe, Israel, North
America, Australia, Japan and South Africa.Psytrance is linked to other postecstacy music genres such as big beat, electroclash, grime and 2-step.The
genre evolved in conjunction with a multimedia psychedelic arts scene.
Style
• Many consider the difference between goa trance and psychedelic
trance are minimal at best and really just a matter of opinion.
Psychedelic trance is distinguished from other sub-genres because of
the unique sounds it typically features.Psychedelic trance has a
distinctive, energetic sound (generally between 140 and 150 BPM) that
tends to be faster than other forms of trance or techno music.It uses a
very distinctive resonated bass beat that pounds constantly throughout
the song and overlays the bass with varying rhythms drawn from funk,
techno, dance, acid house, eurodance and trance using drums and
other instruments. The different leads, rhythms and beats generally
change every 8 bars. Layering is used to great effect in psychedelic
trance, with new musical ideas being added at regular intervals, often
every 4 to 8 bars. New layers will continue to be added until a climax is
reached, and then the song will break down and start a new rhythmic
pattern over the constant bass line. Psychedelic trance tracks tend to be
6–10 minutes long.Psychedelic trance makes heavy use of the cutoff
frequency control of the modulating filter on the synthesizer. Reverb
and delay are used heavily, with large, open sounding reverb present on
most of the lead synthesizers in the track. The Roland TB-303 (acid)
sequencer, Juno 106 and Roland SH-101 are heavily used and sampled
in psychedelic trance, usually processed through a distortion effect.
Related sub-genres
• In 1996, the music had changed so much from its Goa
beginnings that the term Goa trance no longer seemed
suitable, and the new term of psychedelic trance, or
psytrance for short, was coined to refer to this new style of
music. The multi-layered melodies of Goa trance were
stripped away, and a darker and more repetitive form of
music concentrating on rhythm and groove appeared.
• In 2002, melodies became popular again, heralding the
beginning of full-on psytrance.
• Currently, there are many sub-genres within the psytrance
sceneincluding ambient psy (psybient), minimal/progressive
psy, morning psy, full-on psy, and dark psy. There has
recently been a movement attempting to ‘return to the
source’ and bring back the original Goa trance sound.
Examples include Metapsychic Records (2006 - December
2007) and Suntrip Records. These labels are dedicated to
reviving the roots of the scene, and promoting artists trying
to recapture the original feeling of the music.
Underground
• In the early days of psychedelic trance scene a side project
was established by the pioneers who produced special tracks
intended to be exclusively played at chosen parties around
the world.The sound of this incognito movement reportedly
contains high levels of intense and full power, twisted
structures of patterns which has a far richer quality and
entirely difference in style when compared with the
standard commercial releases. The tracks were shared
exclusively among similar-minded acts and to a very few
number of DJs and was impossible to obtain by people
outside that `inner circle´ which has generated the
development of the new and wholly different genres
dark/forest in 2004 by mainly former audiences.
Psy breaks
• Psybreaks or psychedelic breakbeat is a form of
psychedelic trance originating in the late 1990s, splicing
breakbeat basslines and rhythms into otherwise heavily
psytrance-influenced tracks. At times there is a fine line of
a difference between Nu skool breaks and Psy breaks, but
usually you can distinguish the difference depending on
the synth lines. Psy breaks tracks would be closer to Goa
and Psy trance with 16th note arppegiated synths and or
bass line driven tracks with lots of sound effects. Where as
many Nu skool breaks tracks use the same elements but a
different way and tends to use distorted heavy basslines
with lots of glitch edits. Another noticeable difference
between the two is Nu skool is more club driven in the
sense of upbeat and rowdy as opposed to Psy breaks
which leans more towards dark and mysterious.
Full on
• Full on is psychedelic trance that originated in Israel during the late 1990s.
The expression “full on” is taken from the first out of a seven compilation
albums series and the first album ever to be released under Hom-mega
Productions in 1998, titled Full On, which comes from English slang. Other
sources say it comes from the "Full" "moon" festival's name, whilst others
argue that it is derived from a phrase widely used to describe particularly
high-energy music ("That tune is really full-on!"). Full On is with out a doubt
the most popular form of Psychedelic Trance. Owing to big basslines, catchy
hooks and some borderline commercial and pop elements this style has the
most mass market appeal.
• The most easily recognizable elements of full-on psy-trance are the socalled "rolling" bassline, which crams two or three short bass notes in
between each hit of the 4/4 drum, the fast changes in music sequences
(max 32 beat for sequence), and a more energetic melodic/uplifiting
nature. Often heard in clubs or during the nighttime hours at festivals it is
popular in Israel, Brazil, Goa, Florida, Victoria and the United Kingdom.
Some big names of Full On style on nowadays:Talamasca, Alien Project,
Azax Syndrom, Bizzare Contact, Bliss, Bubble, Gataka, XSI, Sesto Sento,
Spectro Senses, Ananda Shake, Quality Sound, Solstice, Freaked Frequency,
Atomic Pulse, Faders, Digital Tribe, Liquid Sound,Ohm Project ,Burn in Noise
,Vibe Tribe and System Nipel.
Dark
• Dark psytrance (neuro, dark psy, forest trance) is a darker, moodier
and faster form of psychedelic trance music. With tempo ranges
generally from 145 to 200 BPM. Originating in Denmark, Russia and
Germany, the style has developed a loyal following over the years.
Becoming popular in 2004, it has continued to grow. Dark psytrance is
a popular variation and can include melodies from morning trance,
though these tend to be more haunting than uplifting. 'Forest Trance'
is a style within the dark sub genre that inspires and creates a "forest"
like mood. Mainly produced in Denmark, this type of trance is popular
at outdoor events. The 'Neuro' style is more abstracted and
experimental, less reliant on melodic musical aspects and formulas.
The speed of the music and the experimental nature it embraces
makes it more appealing to a younger crowd. Owing to its nonconformist approach to the normal conventions of trance, this style is
almost considered to have a "punk rock" element to it. Many rookie
trance producers learn techniques in this medium as creativity is
emphasized over technique. Some examples of Dark Psy Labels;
Parvati Records (Denmark), Lost Theory Records (Belgium), Insomnia
Records (Russia)
Suomisaundi or freeform psytrance
• This is the "freeform" variation of
psytrance where the artist has
almost no limits but still bear a
specific "Finnish" style (which is
also produced in other countries
but the originating Suomi
designation is in wide use)
Festivals
• Large psytrance festivals are both culturally and musically diverse. They
have attracted a following amongst international backpackers. Earthdance,
the world's largest synchronized music and dance festival for peace, has its
roots in the psychedelic trance scene. In Australia, Earthcore occurred
between 1992 and 2008 and predominately featured psytrance. Rainbow
Serpent Festival, Maitreya Festival, and Yemaya Festival are by far are the
most popular ones and held in Victoria.
• The Boom Festival in Portugal was originally a psytrance festival but now
includes world music. It is held every second year in August and combines
social activism with cultural and spiritual elements.In 2004, the
Glastonbury Festival dedicated a full day on the Glade stage to psytrance.
• South Africa has numerous psytrance festivals.[The favourable weather
and beautiful landscape have made it part of a number of global
destinations for the party traveller.
• See also: Freetekno
• There are two well-known recurring psytrance festivals in the USA:
Chilluminati's Sacred Earth Open-Air Festival and T.O.U.C.H. Samadhi's
Equinox.
Sub-cultural research
• In 2006 research was conducted on the global
psytrance scene. 600 people from 40 countries
provided detailed information via an online
questionnaire.[The results were published as
"Beyond Subculture and Post-subculture? The
Case of Virtual Psytrance" in the Journal of Youth
Studies.
• In 2013 Graham St. John published Global Tribe:
Technology, Spirituality and Psytrance on Equinox
Publishing.
Notable albums
• The Mystery of the Yeti, a downtempo concept
album released in 1996 by Raja Ram.
• Radio by X-Dream was a 1998 album reflecting
the change away from the Goa sound.
• Another World was released in 1999 by Astral
Projection, featuring fast, long tracks with
complex sounds.
Psychedelic Trance Artists
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
U-recken (Ισραήλ)
Infected Mushroom (Ισραήλ),
Astral Projection (Ισραήλ),
Indra (Ισραήλ)
Electric Universe (Γερμανία),
Alien Project (Ισραήλ),
Skazi (Ισραήλ),
Astrix (Ισραήλ),
GMS (Ολλανδία),
Wizzy Noise (Ελλάδα),
Pause (Ελλάδα)
Ion Ελλάδα)
Talamasca (Γαλλία)
Eskimo (Αγγλία),
Tristan (Αγγλία)
Kindzadza (Ρωσία)
Hypernova (Ελλάδα)
Drugs
• A psychedelic substance is a psychoactive drug whose primary action is to
alter cognition and perception. Psychedelics are part of a wider class of
psychoactive drugs known as hallucinogens, a class that also includes
structurally unrelated substances such as dissociatives and deliriants.
Unlike other drugs such as stimulants and opioids which induce familiar
states of consciousness, psychedelics tend to affect and explore the mind
in ways that result in the experience being qualitatively different from
those of ordinary consciousness. The psychedelic experience is often
compared to non-ordinary forms of consciousness such as trance,
meditation, yoga, religious ecstasy, dreaming and even near-death
experiences. With a few exceptions, most psychedelic drugs fall into one
of the three following families of chemical compounds; tryptamines [more
specifically: alkylated tryptamines], phenethylamines [more specifically:
alkoxylated phenethylamines], and lysergamides.
• Many psychedelic drugs worldwide are illegal unless used in a medical
context, such as psychedelic therapy or medical cannabis. Despite these
regulations, recreational use of psychedelics is common.
Origin of term
• The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή
(psyche, "soul, mind") and δηλείν (delein, "to manifest"), hence
"soul-manifesting", the implication being that psychedelics can
access the soul and develop unused potentials of the human
mind.[1] The word was coined in 1957 by British psychiatrist,
Humphrey Osmond, the spelling loathed by American
ethnobotanist, Richard Schultes, but championed by the American
psychologist, Timothy Leary.[2]
• Aldous Huxley had suggested to Humphrey Osmond in 1957 his
own coinage phanerothymic (Greek "phanero-" visible + Greek
"thymic" spiritual, thus "visible spirituality"). Recently, the term
entheogenic has come into use to denote the use of psychedelic
drugs in a non-recreational context.
General psychological effects
•
First, sensory perceptions become especially brilliant and intense. Normally unnoticed aspects of the environment capture
the attention; ordinary objects are seen as if for the first time and acquire new depths of significance. Esthetic responses are
greatly heightened: colors seem more intense, textures richer, contours sharpened, music more emotionally profound, the
spatial arrangements of objects more meaningful. People may feel keener awareness of their bodies or sense changes in the
appearance and feeling of body parts. Depth perception is often heightened and perspective distorted; inanimate objects
take on expressions, and synesthesia (hearing colors, seeing sounds, etc.) is common. Time may seem to slow down
enormously as more and more passing events claim the attention, or it may stop entirely, giving place to an eternal present.
When the eyes are closed, fantastically vivid images appear: first geometrical forms and then landscapes, buildings, animate
beings, and symbolic objects. The emotional effects are even more profound than the perceptual ones. The drug taker
becomes unusually sensitive to faces, gestures, and small changes in the environment. As everything in the field of
consciousness assumes unusual importance, feelings become magnified; love, gratitude, joy, sympathy, lust, anger, pain,
terror, despair, or loneliness may become overwhelming, or two seemingly incompatible feelings may be experienced at
once. It is possible to feel either unusual openness and closeness to others or exaggerated distance that makes them seem
like grotesque puppets or robots. The extraordinary sensations and feelings may bring on fear of losing control, paranoia,
and panic, or they may cause euphoria and bliss. Short-term memory is usually impaired, but forgotten incidents from the
remote past may be released from the unconscious and relived. Introspective reflection with a sense of deep, sometimes
painful insight into oneself or the nature of humanity and the universe is common; often the experience seems somehow
more real or more essential than everyday life. There are also profound changes in the sense of self: the ego may separate
from the body (dissociation), or the boundary between self and environment may dissolve. At deeper levels, drug users may
regress to childhood as they relive their memories, or they may project themselves into the series of dreamlike images
before their closed eyelids and become the protagonists of symbolic dramas enacted for the mind's eye. Actions, persons,
and images in this dream-world or even in the external world may become so intensely significant and metaphorically
representative that they take on the character of symbols, myths, and allegories. Loss of self may be experienced as an
actual death and rebirth, undergone with anguish and joy of overwhelming intensity. In some cases the culmination is a
mystical ecstasy in which for an eternal moment all contradictions seem reconciled, all questions answered, all wants
irrelevant or satisfied, all existence encompassed by an experience that is felt to define the ultimate reality, boundless,
timeless, and ineffable. Some of these effects are more common than others, but none is guaranteed to occur. Many
recreational users have probably never experienced the more profound and extraordinary effects, which are usually
produced by larger doses, closed eyes, and deep introspection. At any dose, a great deal depends on the time, the place,
and the persons involved. Each drug experience is a unique journey of exploration into the mind.
Traditional use
• Psychedelics have a long history of traditional use in
medicine and religion, where they are prized for their
perceived ability to promote physical and mental
healing. In this context, they are often known as
entheogens. Native American practitioners using
mescaline-containing cacti (most notably peyote, San
Pedro, and Peruvian torch) have reported success
against alcoholism, and Mazatec practitioners routinely
use psilocybin mushrooms for divination and healing.
Ayahuasca, which contains the powerful psychedelic
DMT, is used in Peru and other parts of South America
for spiritual and physical healing as well as in religious
festivals.
Examples
• Classical or serotonergic psychedelics (agonists for the 5HT2A serotonin receptors) include LSD (also known as
"acid"), psilocin (the active constituent of psilocybin
mushrooms, commonly known as "magic mushrooms" or
"shrooms"), mescaline (the active constituent of peyote),
and DMT (the active constituent of ayahuasca and
potentially an endogenous psychedelic compound). Salvia
divinorum is an atypical psychedelic that has been gaining
popularity over the past decade, due to its legality in many
US states. It is often compared to DMT due to its short and
very intense trip. A few newer synthetics such as MDMA
and 2C-B have also enjoyed some popularity. Cannabis is
one of the most widely used psychoactive drugs in the
world.
Pharmacological classes and
effects
Serotonergic or classical psychedelics
(5-HT2A receptor agonists)
•
This class of psychedelics includes the classical hallucinogens, including the
lysergamides like LSD and LSA, tryptamines like psilocybin and DMT, and
phenethylamines like mescaline and 2C-B. Many of these psychedelics cause
remarkably similar effects, despite their different chemical structure.
However, many users report that the three families have subjectively
different qualities in the "feel" of the experience, which are difficult to
describe. At lower doses, these include sensory alterations, such as the
warping of surfaces, shape suggestibility, and color variations. Users often
report intense colors that they have not previously experienced, and
repetitive geometric shapes are common. Higher doses often cause intense
and fundamental alterations of sensory perception, such as synesthesia or
the experience of additional spatial or temporal dimensions.[4] Some
compounds, such as 2C-B, have extremely tight "dose curves", meaning the
difference between a non-event and an overwhelming disconnection from
reality can be very slight. There can be very substantial differences
between the drugs, however. For instance, 5-MeO-DMT rarely produces
the visual effects typical of other psychedelics and ibogaine (a 'complex
tryptamine') is also an NMDA receptor antagonist and κ-opioid receptor
agonist in addition to being an agonist for the 5-HT2A receptors, resulting in
dissociative effects as well (see dissociatives below).
Empathogen-entactogens (serotonin
releasers)
• The empathogen-entactogens are phenethylamines of the
MDxx class such as MDMA, MDEA, and MDA. Their effects
are characterized by feelings of openness, euphoria,
empathy, love, heightened self-awareness, and by mild
audio and visual distortions (an overall enhancement of
sensory experience is often reported). Their adoption by
the rave subculture is probably due to the enhancement of
the overall social and musical experience. MDA is atypical
to this experience, often causing hallucinations and
psychedelic effects in equal profundity to the chemicals in
the 5-HT2A agonist category, but with substantially less
mental involvement, and is possibly both a serotonin
releaser and 5-HT2A receptor agonist.[
Cannabinoids (CB-1 cannabinoid
receptor agonists)
• The cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and
related compounds are capable of activating the brain's
endocannabinoid system. Some effects may include a
general change in consciousness, mild euphoria,
feelings of general well-being, relaxation or stress
reduction, enhanced recollection of episodic memory,
hunger, increased sensuality, increased awareness of
sensation, creative or philosophical thinking, disruption
of linear memory, paranoia, agitation, anxiety,
potentiation of other psychedelics, and increased
awareness of sound, patterns, and color.
Dissociatives (NMDA antagonists)
• Certain dissociative drugs acting via NMDA
antagonism are known to produce what some
might consider psychedelic effects. The main
differences between dissociative psychedelics
and serotonergic hallucinogens are that the
dissociatives cause more intense derealization
and depersonalization. For example, ketamine
produces sensations of being disconnected from
one's body and that the surrounding
environment is unreal, as well as perceptual
alterations seen with other psychedelics
Other
• Salvia divinorum is a dissociative that is sometimes classified as an
atypical psychedelic. The active molecule in the plant, salvinorin A,
is a kappa opioid receptor agonist, working on a part of the brain
that deals with pain. Activation of this receptor is also linked to the
dysphoria sometimes experienced by users of opiates either
therapeutically or recreationally. An unusual feature of S. divinorum
is its high potency (dosage is in the microgram range) and
extremely disorienting effects, which often include "entity contact",
complete loss of reality-perception and user's experiencing their
consciousness as being housed in different objects e.g. a pane of
glass or a pencil. It is also unusual as it is a terpenoid like THC as
opposed to an alkaloid like the comparably intense serotonergic
psychedelics and NMDA receptor antagonists mentioned above.
Psychedelic illusions
Links
• Photos :
https://www.google.gr/search?q=psychedelic+illusions&sourc
e=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=yZghU7XJAYHB7Ab6_IDYBw&sq
i=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=887
Informations :
http://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_Trance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychedelic_drug
Selmani Egrion
Γ’3 Μάρτιος 2014
20ο Γυμνάσιο