psy@psytraveller.net www.psychedelic-traveller.net Publishing Company dieLOGOgmbh Groner Landstrae 5 37073 Gttingen Germany +49 551 309 836 0 wir@dielogogmbh.

.de www.dielogogmbh.de Executive Editor Torsten Liesewski Design & Layout Sren Pawlik Cover Pictures Alex Canazei Chris Black Murilo Ganesh Vera Moiret Editorial Crew Editors and photographers are mentioned in the country proles Print run 30 000 Distribution Arabesque Distribution / UK mushroom magazine / Germany Psychedelic Traveller / Germany Psyshop.com / Germany Saikosounds / Hongkong Wakyo Distribution / Japan Page Content: 3 4 6 8 10 11 12 14 16 17 18 20 21 22 24 25 26 28 30 31 32 34 Impressum Rebirth Open your mind again The Exodus of Psytrance Argentina Australia Austria Baltic States Belgium Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hungary India CD Psychedelc Traveller I Page Content: 36 38 39 40 41 42 44 46 48 49 50 51 52 54 55 56 57 58 60 62 66

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Rebirth
4

psychedelic-traveller.net

Finally it is done! We are happy that you read the rst edition of our magazine. It was a long way- especially the start of our work wasnt so easy. The core Crew of the Psychedelic Traveller magazine was recruited from the people, which had been working on the Trancers Guide To The Galaxy since 2004 but since we started in the end of 2008 the crew has constantly grown. Like -possiblyalways, some people were angry about something new, angry about changes in the system, and it took some time to get the crew back on board. Now we are happy that nearly everyone that has worked with us in the past is back on the team. The magazine represents the surprisingly harmonious work of many scattered souls, linked by the desire to share their
liese@hamburg.de psytraveller.net

Liese

views about the psychedelic scenes they know best. The magazine is written collaboratively by volunteers from all around the world. People of all ages, cultural and social backgrounds are writing the articles. You can help to achieve this work by contributing to our community. Please register on our website and help to complete our articles. Most of the articles can be edited by anyone with access to the Internet by simply clicking on the edit this page link. Some of you might miss the Trance Action Map which featured in all issues of Trancers Guide To The Galaxy. We decided to remove it because we thought that it had always been very subjective. After every issue we got statements from people claiming their country was more tranced than we displayed on the map. Instead of this we decided to enlarge the space for political and visionary thoughts in our magazine. In contrast to past years we have lead articles, for example, information about the political

situation in the Netherlands and a story about the search for inner utopia. Please check the website! In the printed issue, which you are reading right now, we sadly only have limited space. For this reason, you will nd a link on every page, to the same article on our website where you nd additional information and lots of links that enable you to connect to the local scenes. We decided to use a WIKI (wikipedia.org) because it is one of the best known systems in the world. It also stands for quality. We call our system PSYWIKI, because this is what we want to do; we want to create an encyclopaedia of psychedelic trance culture. Every country prole on the website features a list of upcoming parties including information about line up, location, and so on. We hope that you understand that the space in our printed issue is too limited

psychedelic-traveller.net

Rebirth
5

to place all this information here. This service becomes possible through our partner goabase. com, maybe the biggest database for events in the psytrance/goa community. We are still exploring further possibilities to enrich the content of our website. You can edit the website! You do not need specialised qualications to contribute to our website, since your primary role is to write articles that cover existing knowledge. This means that people of all ages, cultural, and social backgrounds can write our articles. You are welcome to add information, cross-references, or citations, as long as you do so within our editing policies and to an appropriate standard. You dont need to worry about accidentally damaging the website when adding or improving information, as other editors are always

around to advise or correct obvious errors. At the time of printing this magazine, the website already has far more than 100 users from all around the globe- the community gets stronger and stronger and the quality of the articles better and better. That does not mean that the articles were bad before, but the more people are contributing to the site, the more information is shared in every single article. CD Release! We are happy to announce that in addition to our magazine we are producing a CD again as in the years 2005 and 2006 with our Trancers Guide To The Galaxy compilations. The aim behind this is, besides providing the travellers with the soundtrack to their trip, to present the different scenes worldwide and to continue the concept of the magazine musically, too. Every country has its own style and our CD gives an overview of them. You nd more information about

obe the release V.A. r do Psychedelic Traveller Vol. I in the centre page of this magazine. Last but not least: We want to publish more than one edition a year. The next is scheduled for November and will feature more countries from the Southern hemisphere- as this one focuses more on the Northern hemisphere. Sure, some countries are so important that you also get an update on the local scene there. And last but not least, we are working on different concepts of how to continue with the magazine. On the website we have started a category on artists, maybe we will do a magazine edition structured not by countries but by artists? If you think you know artists that should not be missing, ensure that their proles are online soon ;)

S;)ren

stimpskov@psytraveller.net psytraveller.net

Isratrance.com
6 psytraveller.net/open_mind

Please open your mind again I

ts been more than 18 years since I stumbled upon my rst trance party by pure chance. There was this girl, she asked me to come along to a party surrounded by nature far away. She was good looking, so I crawled out of the dark smoky alcohol fumed clubs I used to hang out in and went with her. And my life changed. 18 years - thats a long time, a real long time. It means this culture of ours is not a new one any more. A lot has changed since. It started as small gatherings of 50 people arranged by friends somewhere in nature. PeoAlex Canazei (3)

ple brought tapes of unnamed underground electronic music made by freaks from around the world experimenting with new sounds, and small speakers. They danced all night till morning came, altering their minds and experimenting with their consciousness. The word spread, yers were distributed, it moved around the world, got a name, the Internet came and a movement was born. Tribes of good people dancing somewhere in beautiful nature, changing the world, or at least dreaming about it. A reunication of contemporary digital culture with the old tribal concepts. A lot has happened to trance since. Today we have big business party organisations, events attended by thousands, huge festivals with people from all around the world, tons of labels releasing music covering many styles, names and genres. We have big online communities, big name artists and DJs, regular trance club events. It seems that a lot of party-

goers dont want to be a tribe of good people somewhere in beautiful nature, dont want to change the world, and dont want the world to change. They want to have some fun and blow their minds off at the weekend, not too far from home, and get back to everyday life as quickly as possible. Now dont get me wrong Im not saying this is bad, I dont say the old times were better. I only observe that this is how it is. Different. The people are different, their values are different, the ages are different and the world is different. You cannot expect things to stay the same after almost 20 years, and indeed it would be unnatural and boring if they did. The trance community has just changed. A lot. Im not saying

Isratrance.com
psytraveller.net/open_mind 7

Roberdo

that you cant nd any more little tribes of people (6) dancing in beautiful sh ane oG faraway places and even r il Mu hoping to change the world a little bit (or at least being really nice to each other), you can and I believe you always will. I know enough people that if they cant nd a good party will make one. And Ill try to be there too. However, there is one thing that seems to be lost and has to be found again or this culture will wither and die. We have to open our minds again. When I went to that rst party, I still wore my new wave punk outt, and it was cool with everyone. I didnt know the name of the music, didnt recognize the tracks, didnt know anything about the guys who stood and changed the tapes

- and that was true to most of the people there, and it was cool with everyone. Actually this was the essence of the party - come as you are, be what you want, open your mind, no denitions, no formulas, no rules, no expectations, be accepted. With time things developed and changed. The culture got a name, an identity. Then it fragmented, formulated, dened. And choked. The mind closed. How can there be development when denitions are so tight? So many people in this musical movement are so preoccupied with generising, labelling and formulating everything. In this reality, once you develop - youre out! Psychedelic trance culture is not an open mind culture. Contradiction in terms? Sad reality! I think the best thing that can happen to trance parties and culture is that the pattern will be broken. That different music will be present. That people will leave the mould and open their minds. Hearing

the same music again and again isnt psychedelic at all. Listen to old trance CDs from the beginning of the 90s - the music that started this culture. Every track sounds totally different. Theres no way that they would be on the same CD today. We have progressive parties, minimal parties, full on parties, dark parties. I remember surprise parties. Never knowing what is going to happen. Id love to have that back. Please open your mind again.

DJ Shahar

www.isratrance.com www.aleph-zero.info

Chaishop.com
8 psytraveller.net/exodus

The Exodus of Psytrance R

ecession, regression, depression, bankruptcy of banks, com-panies and states - this news follows us everywhere these days. Funny, or not - the Psychedelic Trance scene is currently experiencing a similar phenomenon: an exodus of followers, the dilution of the scene and its music into trivial mainstream as well as the bankruptcy of labels, party organisers and media. But lets rewind rst. Where have we come from, what has been happening? 1989 From en-lighted Goa-Freaks returning from their drop-out-holidays in India springs the Israeli-European movement of Goatrance or Psychedelic Trance. The parties are mind-blowing, the drugs are good, the music is primitive but astonish-ingly creative. Goatrance is different, its about expanding your consciousness, learning about yourself and the universe, cele-brating excessive feasts in peace with all cultures. Its an affront to most societies and an escape from everyday life. The message is strong and its being heard. Still the scene is small, big parties number a few hundred revelers. 1993 Psytrance has become an underground music scene. You dont see posters of Psytrance parties around or read about them in event magazines. Its friends that invite you to these freaky gatherings that often happen outside in remote lo-cations. While Techno is on its stairway to mainstream heaven with massive parties like Mayday (15,000 people indoors) or love parade (30,000 people outdoors) psytrancers are eager to distinguish themselves from the Techno crowd. Big Psytrance parties count a few thousand people and each of them encour-ages many to join the tribe. 1998 Psytrance is peaking. The sprouts have been carried out everywhere around the world resulting in Psytrance tourism, big mind-blowing open air parties of up to 10,000 taking place in the most beautiful locations around the world. Progressive Trance music is being created as an result of Ex-Techno fol-lowers that cross over to the Psytrance scene and Psytrance veterans that became

bored of the innite squeaking of Psytrance music. A small psytrance media industry has emerged further developing the scene. The number of Psytrance parties listed on the website Chaishop.com in 1999 is 1207. 2003 The scene is becoming domesticated. The movement is massive and real businesses have manifested themselves. You can nd party and release yers everywhere and even see party posters in the streets. Psytrance is now for everybody, its a fun and colourful scene worth checking out for a beer or ten. Big parties attract up to 20,000 people. Techno is dead, long live Psytrance! The music is still great, Progressive Trance is peaking and the golden formula for the castration of Psytrance music has been found, Full-onTrance. 1725 parties

Alex | dideldum.ch(3)

Chaishop.com
psytraveller.net/exodus 9

Martin Merino

are listed on Chaishop in 2003. 2006 The scene is massive - but who are we? Ideals and ideas have trickled down the porta-potty for a while now. Parties and releases are happening everywhere all the time, more likely to please the organisers/ labels/ artists ego and pocket than please the crowd. Most parties are not a blast, many are barely visited, however big Psytrance parties still get up to 20,000 people. Same with releases. It seemed perpetuating Psytrance could not be stopped but now people start to loose interest. Ar-tists start to experiment with Electro and Minimal Techno that are currently experiencing a thrilling rebirth. In the meantime they still play their Trance sets in order to pay their rent. Some of the dancers also start to experiment with Techno parties, puzz-

led when meeting old friends from the Psytrance scene there. Chaishop counts 5442 parties in 2006. Today The exodus of artists and dancers is clearly visible. Most primitive cornerstones of Psytrance parties have lost half or more of their visitors. Most labels have signed bankruptcy, media companies are struggling if not yet dead, scene workers left for a normal job. However there is still loads of music being released. Everyone is a producer but who is listening? Psytrance parties are mainly populated with the third generation of trancers, a crowd with different ideals and different ideas. Still 6731 parties are listed on Chaishop in 2008. It seems that the underground psychedelic frantic party vibe can these days are more likely found at a proper Techno party. However the Psytrance idea is not dead and once in a while the now splin-tered scene meets again at one of the few still successful events like Boom Festival in Portugal, Universo Paralello in Brazil or Rainbow Serpent in Australia. These

events have maintained the original values of Psytrance and developed them to Todays reality - without the sellout that happened with most other events. Future Some say that after autumn and winter comes spring. If you look at todays problems (ecological, nancial and populati-on crisis), Psytrance cultures does offer some answers. Its founding constituents are expansion of consciousness, love and respect to nature and all beings and a peaceful and non-materialistic way of life. These values are more important then ever to save our planet and humankind. The current disasters are good teachers, awareness for such values is already rising. If you believe in the forecasts of the Mayans and other ancient civilizations such values might be the key to a new age. From the ashes a Phoenix shall arise, and maybe, its gonna be listening to Psytrance. Sam@chaishop.com
co-founder of www.chaishop.com

Argentina
10

psytraveller.net/argentina

Still blooming T
he psychedelic trance scene in Argentina is one of the most curious in Latin America or even around the world. A lot of new artists have appeared in the last two years but the parties are quite small. Our music has been recognized all around the globe, but our scene is still kept by a very small group of people. 2009 looks very good for the scene, as many releases of Argentinean music are planned. Also, urban communities have become more active, giving birth to new parties and festivals. The center of the scene is Buenos Aires where parties are done by 3 organizers. Ritual Alien put on more relaxed, family outdoor parties, usually featuring only Argentina music. They manage to bring international artists once in a while, usually around 100/200 persons attend these events. Then there is: Enter Trance and Dancing Budhas. They hold bigger and more commercial parties, bringing full on international artists with a crowd of around 400 persons. EnterTrance is responsible for the Goa Gil party and also puts on small festivals

psytrance.com.ar

near Buenos Aires. Dancing Budhas has become one of the most constant and well-known organizers, offering at least one party every weekend. There has been a new developments in cities such as Misiones, Cordoba, and El Bolson, where different festivals have popped up, slowly gathering a crowd and inviting the tourists traveling around. The biggest of these events is the Moonower festival, done in the south of our country, in El Bolson, in the region known as Patagonia. On the music side, a whole new generation of artists has appeared. On the bright side you have Heterogenesis and Pragmatix, and on the intense side you have Megalopsy and Frantic Noise, as well as new producers such as Glosolalia, Pandoras Box and Will O Wisp. There are also newcomers such as Trebolaktico doing ambient, Soundloop doing full on, and Xynapse on the dark side. In terms of decoration, the most impressive work is done by Ion who worked on many parties and festivals. A second collective is called La Nave, responsible for the Moonower festival.

The only label at the moment is called Dark Prisma Records, who host many of the artists mentioned before. They have many releases planned for the future featuring mostly Argentinan music as well as friends from all around the world. Argentina does not have trance clubs or trance shops, but it does have cool places to hang out such as Palermo, San Telmo, Recoleta, where you usually nd fellow travelers. There are parties almost every weekend. Usually the outdoor season is from September to March, the rest of the time parties are indoors. Entrance to parties costs an average of 20 Pesos which converts to around 7 Dollars. Clubs usually charge 15 Pesos for beer (~ 5 Dollars), 5 Pesos for water (~ 2 Dollars).

Filter

caquex@hotmail.com www.psytrance.com.ar

psytraveller.net/australia

Australia
11

ozdoof.com spiralmunk

United in diversity
On the one hand this ensures that everyones style and taste is catered for, on the other hand each offers their distinct interpretation of what constitutes psychedelic culture. Parties happen in Australia all year round, with the biggest concentration taking place over summer (Nov- Feb), especially in the southern states. Festivals like Rainbow Serpent, Tribeadelic, the now defunct Earthcore and the 2002 Outback Eclipse (among many others) have done a lot for building Australias reputation in the eyes of the international trance community, and spawned a hugely active party culture that includes a range of events, from smaller bush doofs to massive festivals, and a healthy indoor club culture as well. Rainbow Serpent is still one of the biggest and best loved festivals (it takes place in the Victorian Bush on the Australia Day weekend in late January), as is Sydneys Earthdance, which recorded a massive 40,000 attendance last year. Tribeadelic is still going strong on New Years Eve in Victoriatoo, with other notable outdoor parties and festivals including Matreiya, Earth Freq, Winter Solstice Cairns, Akasha, Somatica, Exodus and too many more to list. 2012 will see the next eclipse take place over Australia, so expect some major events around this time too. Australia also has a large selection of top level DJs, producers and live bands in a broad range of styles. There are also great visual and performance artists, promoters, healers and volunteers that are integral in keeping the creative side of parties alive. The people in general are a friendly bunch, made up a variety of ethnic groups and backgrounds. Many of the party people are transient, meaning you often see the same friendly faces at parties around the country, despite long distances between centres. All in all, while Australia is far from the rest of the world, its warm people, rugged natural beauty, fantastic climate, and healthy party culture make it a must for any psychedelic traveller. Come and join us sometime, wed love to have you!

ustralias rugged scenery is as diverse as its colourful people. The outdoor party community of Australia is part of this diversity the long standing culture has been present since the trance and outdoor electronic scene began in the 90s, and is alive and kicking to this day. Sure, the music has changed and people have come and gone but the one thing that has always been said about the Australian psy community is that it has stayed true to the ideals of what made the scene so special in the rst place unity, peace, respect, a connection to mother nature, and most of all, fun. Because of the long distances between the major cities the individual scenes all have their own colour, avour and musical identities.
aka DJ Suspekt suspekt@open-records.net

Jesse Kuch

Austria
12

psytraveller.net/austria

In the center of the Scene S

ince 2003, Austrias Psytrance scene has been associated with one of Europes biggest international festivals Sonnenklang, held at the castle of Dobra in Lower Austria. Whereas the 5-day-festival attracted some 8000 people in 2006, heavy rain meant that only 1500 people came in 2007. Olli Wisdoms set, with his new guitarist mixing Jimi Hendrixs Purple Haze and Star Spangled Banner was unforgettable. Unfortunately, 2008 saw several festivals and bigger parties cancelled due partly to issues with authorities or the police. Sonnenklang was no exception and sadly did not take place. However other summer festivals made Austria a centre point of Europes Psytrance circuit in 2008. The 5-day Spirit Base festival hosted by Goaran is Austrias 2nd biggest festival and the line-up was as impressive as every year. Ozora Festival based in Hungary attracted lots of people from all over the world, but most of the crowd came from neighbouring Austria. In the past the Dark-Psy scene was based in western Austria. Now it has reached the eastern parts of the country. Examples are: DJ Soths K.N.E.C.H.T parties at Weberknecht in Vienna and Goagnoms and Lysergs events near the Perchtoldsdorfer Hyrtlhaus. You nd all kinds of Psytrance in Vienna and surroundings no weekend goes by without at least one gorgeous party in Austria throughout the year. In Salzburg you have Otherland with the Unite Parade and other events. There are also Syntax Sense as well as the 24/7 label parties. In Tyrol the renowned Mystery World is still going, and the new Malice in Wonderland parties are among Austrias best. In Upper Austria the biggest organisers are Klangbewusstsein, in Lower Austria there are Sunshine Explosion and the Samsara group. And nally, in Styria Pro you nd Tuberance, in Graz: Alchemy. Other successful organisers are Funnymoon and Wichtl. Vienna is the heart of the Austrian scene with Lustige Astronaut and DJ Samurais The Cosmic Space Disco

Uli

running a regular club night with up to 800 people in the WUK. The great, almost-monthly Sunday Chaizelt hosted by Andi and team is the family meeting point in FLEX. One of the most unique locations in Vienna is the Sargfabrik where organiser Ed holds Club Dolphin. As well as dancing in the main hall, there also is a sauna, tepidarium, deck chairs and a swimming pool. So, you can dance naked in a nicely decorated wet area. Another club is the Florido Club on the riverbank with indoor parties in the winter, and outdoors on a raft on the river in the warmer months. Austrias new talents are Ianuaria, IMIX, Kajola, Materia and Freelander. Our renowned VJs are Geko, the Funny Astronaut, Fade X and Sikanda. And not to forget the wonderful psychedelic performance group, the Phoenix Firedancers from Vienna.

Tom Rom

Tomrom24@chello.at www.psyevents.at/tomrom

Baltic Trance
14 psytraveller.net/baltic_trance

Uniting the scenes

Psychedelic Flash in LITHUANIA only of Lithuania but the Baltic States. It is an interSince the rst psy-trance party national event that attracts not eight years have passed and many only local enthusiasts, but also many things have changed, but some esEuropeans. Another signicant event sentials like organizers collaborative is Tundra festival which usually hosts relations, love for the nature and a few stages mixing techno, dnb and desire to create have helped to keep psy-trance, which positively affects the shamanic vibe and tribal spirit. all of these underground movements. The scene has not been spoilt with We welcome you to our beautiful competitive behavior of those behind countryside and pagan psy-culture! the curtains, instead - grew up, developed and helped to rise eco-concern Fragments of the past in ESTONIA Since year 1996 Estonia was probaamongst the party goers. bly the forefront of electronic dance Like mushrooms after rain a lot of movement in former Soviet Countries musicians, deco projects and promoand psychedelic music played a ters popped up in 2008. Artists like signicant role here. Parties in clubs, Gaiana, Triphonic and doHm are unwarehouses, military catacombs folding their great creative potential. and even in moving trains happened Also the rst Lithuanian label Arkona everywhere. But this golden time Creation that has achieved a lot in lasted only until 2003. From here promoting Baltic artists abroad. The on the party movement was almost rst compilation Perkuneya was ruined by local authorities and many released last year and a few releases of its creators left Estonia. are scheduled for 2009. Nowdays there are still regular Parties are happening regularly and events that gather around nowadays not only in bigger towns, 100-200 likeminded people. but sometimes in the province too. Occasionally world trance Yaga gathering can easily be called gurus like Neuromotor or the main psychedelic gathering not

elne(2) martynas (1)

Parahalu honour our dance oors with their visits. The most active promoters are Baltic Beat Crew and Planetarium posse. Some great artist and DJs, like Portal Protection and DJ Unitone, evolved from our small country and became recognized abroad. We have hope that the owers will grow from the seeds that were dropped in here in the past. Moderate psylife in LATVIA. The situation in Latvia is nearly the same as in Estonia. There are regular events in clubs and on the Baltic seashore for around 100-200 people. Liquids collective made a big effort to introduce psy-music and -culture. And now people from Digital Nature took their way further with regular events sometimes even bringing famous acts like Ibojima.

Anton Shoom & Unitone

shoomovich@yahoo.com yaga.lt

ORGANIC HERBAL LIQUEURS

www.sensatonics.de
PURE HERBAL ENERGY

Belgium
16

psytraveller.net/belgium

A new dawn W
e hear about global markets crashing, we are facing big political problems in our country, and people talk about the music industry fading away. But, for all problems there are solutions, a problem has no reason to exist if there is not a solution. And we Belgium people are among the best solution seekers around! We thought the psychedelic scene was dying in 2007 and 2008, instead the scene is getting bigger and bigger. In the last 5 years we have seen 2 majors events killed at their peak by the government. But the scene never died. People are aware looking back is no option. By improving ourselves, reinventing, and reaching out to other styles the scene ourishes as never before. If you visit our country looking for a party, you have a choice from all styles. The oldschool trance music is alive and kicking here, the progressive scene has grown and their promoters are throwing quality parties. If you look for old/newschool parties check out the parties with artist from Suntrip records, every week you hear this melo-

Kris Deplaedt (2)

dic psytrance at underground events. Purple Snow (with founder Rdeem) and Smiley Tribe are the names to look for if you want progressive trance in all its shapes. They provide Neelix, SBK, Anti, Prefect Stranger and Ace Venture within 2 months. Cultmus on the other hand is an organization that focuses on general psychedelic music, from trance via rock to ambient. They are not afraid to book The Orb, Wicked Hayo, Juno Reactor and Highlight Tribe for an evening. Damn, we are spoiled! Psychedelic music in Belgium is booming, there are now more active labels then ever before. In 2008 Suntrip Records continued the path of melodic goatrance with 3 releases. The rst album of Ra (ex Dimension 5) saw the light. Next up was the release of another compilation with tracks from Chi-a.d. and California Sunshine. Their future looks melodic as well, with albums from Fileria and debuts from Afgina and Merr0w. Dacru records is booming too. Their signed artists are likely to be found playing in abroad: Japan, Germany and Central America. After

successful releases by Digicult, Ephedrix and Su in 2008 they will spoil our ears with new releases from Digicult, Ephedrix and the debut album from Aquila. Naturall Productions is DJ Jharus new label (member of Lani). Their rst compilation Naturall Frequency is on sale now, as well as the debut album from La Mila. There is plenty to do here. We have many labels and producers to be proud of. Sometimes it seems to me the scene is very divided into subgenres and styles. But, every now and then, we show the world that we are all one. The yearly Heron festival in Belgium proves the scene is still strong. And I hope this reects our view of society in general. Maybe our way of living is the answer we seek?

Sanaki

sandrookie@hotmail.com www.myspace.com/sanaki

psytraveller.net/bolivia

Bolivia
17

Sergio Lattus

Winds of change
the story of trance and its ideology. We can keep daring the past trying to nd some moment in which we, as a community, were the ones who really made the difference- some moment in which we said or did something much bigger than us. But as the last two decades were un-ideological times, we never had a chance to make history because nobody was caring about anything but themselves. Much of our principles and beliefs changed during the past ten or twelve years untill we forgot what we were in the beginning and what we just had said to start with. The Psytrance community in Bolivia is one of the strongest and the youngest in this part of the world; that shows in the revolutionary beliefs of the younger people who are now ideologically concerned in their future and in their countrys future. Ursula Flores, probably the rst and most important party producer in Bolivia, is holding her parties in the mood of multicultural tolerance, mystical references, and using Icons from many of the 58 pre-Hispanic native ethnic nations that live on Bolivian territory, trying to mix them in with the Bolivian heterogenic culture. Neurotrance Collective and the newer Andean Tribe Collective are still exploring their mixture. They are designing Bolivian folk themes and mix them with the Trance philosophy. The cultural rise of Trance made new artists, producers and live acts such as Le Guide and Lattus jump to the scene. Adding to the existing Bolivian trance artist list in which ABS:MIC (Abstract Microdot) and Erofex are the main representative producers in Bolivian progressive and full- on genres. Both have their listeners and supporters inside and outside the borders of Bolivia. We are going to see very interesting things coming from Bolivia in the next couple of years. Maybe rather sooner than later we will have mega festivals in some Bolivian ecological reservations. Tourism in Bolivia is much more diverse than in any other country in South America.

olivia is an interesting, geographically diverse, and beautiful country in Latin America. It is experiencing a new democratic revolution during which the socialists rewrote the constitution with 60 percent of national approving votes. This reform replaced the whole decadent and dying postSpanish colonial system with a postmodern socialist experiment. What we as trancers never have to forget, is the importance of what these revolutionary changes mean to our main ideological principles of freedom of thinking, respect, and harmony between different people. Before this reform was approved there was a notorious feeling of racism and ethnical division within the Bolivian society. As we are in the year 2009, at the front door of the rst decade of the 21st. century, we can look forward and look back on
alpha.tsunami@gmail.com myspace.com/abstractmicrodot

Beto Guerra

Brazil
18

psytraveller.net/brazil

Maturity comes for good A

fter some years of frenetic growth, the Brazilian psychedelic trance scene nally seems to have established itself. This is reected by better organised parties and festivals that interact with and make local communities grow both in economic and cultural aspects. This fact is slowly making authorities change their view on parties and the subculture involved. In July, the third edition of the Fora do Tempo Festival takes place amidst Chapada das Mesas, a national ecologic park near Carolina, Maranho State. Built over a fresh water island, accessible during the dry season only, the festival is surrounded by breathtaking scenery. Equatorial forest and rustic communities lend the exotic touch that enriches every travel. Unfortunately this is the last edition there, since the government is building a huge hydroelectric power station in the area. During September Samsara completes ten years of Psychedelia in Serra Canastra, So Paulo State. Taking place beside a river full of rapids, the festival keeps the sound on for ve days. Speaking of paradisiac places, the traditional New Years eve Universo Paralello comes strong in 2009. After a blasting edition, with ve different stages and lots of cultural movement going on, all we expect is growth. Besides small incidents with security, UP is the most expected event of the year and the biggest mindblowing psytrance experience you can get in South America. Although having nice editions in 2008, the traditional festivals Trancendence and Cachoeira Alta are not happening this year. Both are organizing their site for a better structure in 2010. However, Tranceformation is coming back for a great celebration in the savannahs of the centre-east. In Brasilia, musical minds behind Vagalume Records make it blow with their powerful label parties. In Goinia, Fiction club opens every week. In Belo Horizonte, Label Club hosts the main indoor event, while Enigma throws the open- air parties. In Salvador, the Soononmoon guys take the responsibility. In Vitoria, Ecologic crew makes it sound loud. Actually, you nd psytrance movements in every big city of

Murillo Ganesh (2)

big city of the country. The hottest Brazilian trance spot is So Paulo, where winds of change are blowing. Since 2007, two groups have been working hard on bringing back that something missing on huge trance events, nowadays so common in So Paulo. Emusicbrasil.com team, with their bi-monthly Respect, and 4iDeas!, with Mystic Tribe, Earthdance So Paulo and Goa Gil celebrations, keep the spirit alive. During the week, the best choice is the bi-weekly Siona, bringing proggy tunes to the city nights- and soon as an open-air. For those into dark, theres a monthly Klatu night by the FOP crew, with duo Janczur & Paula and Boteon as hosts.

Lotus

taladega@gmail.com myspace.com/lotusbr

Canada
20

psytraveller.net/canada

An explosion of energies D
espite being spread out over 9 million square kms, Canadas trance scene is a well connected and a close web of diverse and yet very welcoming local communities. From dancing under the stars and Northern Lights on a warm summers night to snowbound winter retreats tucked away in warm winter lodges, those with wandering feet and open hearts are always very well rewarded. Psytrance arrived in Canada in 1995 with the legendary event Emergence held in Montreal courtesy of Mobius productions. This set off a steady spread across the major urban cores. Pioneer production groups such as Team Psyence, Deleria, and the Black Light Activists, along with other now gone organizations such as The TeknoCollective, Goa Chill Nights, People Under The Stairs, and Deep Sea Fish were all instrumental in bringing the psytrance sound to new ears and audiences. Summer time in Canada is an explosion of energies and excitement. The season lasts many months. Quebecs Eclipse Festival and Albertas Motion Notion Festival are two of Canadas premier outdoor gatherings. Both of these events are of a very high qualityamongst the best in the world. Other superb outdoor summer gatherings include Diversity, Shambhala, Harvest Festival, Entheos Gathering and new for 2008: Astral Harvest ... Snowy winters bring events indoors with production crews such as Area709, Phonolite, Ganesha, Black Light Activists, Techno Hippy Crew, 7th Harmonic, Shakti, Metamystix, Winnipeg Psychedelic Productions, Mistaya, Deliria and Beats without Borders, all keeping trancers warm in the dark cold months. Visionary artists creating psy-inducive environments such as Neil Gibson, Simon Haiduk, DeJahVu, Deliria, Myth Makers, Luke Brown and Crystal and Spore also bring an integral element to each nights journey. Canadian producers and DJs had a successful year in 2008: Anahata (Matte Gillard) released his double CD album Conduktor (which he performs in 5.1 surround sound), the rst release for Ca-

basilisk | ektoplazm.com (2)

nadian label: Area709 Recordings. Ekoplex (Ray Vincent) was voted one of the best new producers for 2008 on Isratrance.com. The same poll also placed the Zenon Records release: Sea Of Vapours compiled by DJ Nokturnal as one of the best of the year. The legendary label Interchill continued its top- notch release schedule with Eat Static and Kaya Project. You can dip your toes into a local trance pond by heading down to club nights such as Amazone at SPAG in Montral and Organix at Club 23 in Vancouver. Or you can check out message boards such as www.psyfreaks.ca and www. tribalharmonix.org, both of which are very helpful. While the distances are indeed vast, those with a sense of adventure will nd that once they have found their way into a Canadian gathering of trancers they are among a very large and friendly family.

Nokturnal

darvin@area709.com, www.area709.com/darvin/

psytraveller.net/chile

Chile
21

Martin Merino

Beyond the end of the world

bandance, gathering 5.000 people and presenting solid international artists. On the artistic side, ne Instrumental Ethnic Trance has emerged from artists such as Titin Moraga (Copihue), Subhira (Transubhiriano), and Metahue (Electrotnico)- to name but a few. Well recognised international talents are Ital and Moai Act (Psypsiq Jicuri). Both of them release on the fresh local label Antu Records. Other important names are Ovnimoon (Synergetic) and Zybex (Moonsun). From the pioneering international DJs like the sannyasin Siddhartha and Jaime Rocco (Tranceluz) the scene has grown thanks mainly to the work of the local legends from Dreamvibe; DJs Cl.ear and Andean Trip. Nowadays, other DJs are emerging in the scene such as Amanito (Etnicanet), Humento (Trancetour), Andtrance (Zonatrance), Astro Angel, Mad and Arditti. Evolving from the legendary festival producers Dreamvibe (Earthdance, Urbandance, Honu Eclipse), the Psy Trance movement has expanded. Now it includes crews like Trancetour, Global Blue, Phenomenom, Vortex, Nataraaja, amongst many others. Chile is most famous for its great wines and its jaw dropping landscapes. Being one of the strongest economies in Latin America, it is also one of the most Western, secure, and modern. Party prices however, are still similar to Europe in regard to prices for drinks and tickets. However, outdoor festivals are much cheaper. Being geographically stretched out and surrounded by the Andean Mountains on the eastern side, and the Pacic Ocean in the west, Chile possesses the diversity of arid deserts in the north, through ancient forests, lakes and active volcanoes in the middle, to the icy southern tip of Patagonia. And not to forget the mystical Easter Island, where Honu Eclipse festival is going to celebrate a Total Solar Eclipse, 11th July 2010. So, get yourselves prepared for an unforgettable trip to the end of the world and beyond

rom the birth of the scene in the beginning of the 90s and with the Total Solar Eclipse of 1994, Psy Trance in Chile has passed from the underground to be the most dominant tribe. 16 years later, Chile hosts Honu Eclipse 2010 to celebrate a Total Solar Eclipse in Easter Island (Rapa Nui). Since the legendary Full Moon celebrations high up in the Andean Mountains, and the very rst parties in Santiago, the Psy Trance scene in Chile has ascended the underground thanks to Earthdance festival. After 10 years of history, this festival has grown to 12.000 visitors, and through this Trance has conquered the Chilean electronic scene. Over the past couple of years, more and more outdoor festival culture has emerged with, for example, Montemapu, Massive Landing, Universus, and E-festival. The main indoor party in the capital Santiago is Urpsyriz@gmail.com www.honueclipse.org

Dew

Czech Republic
22 psytraveller.net/czech_republic

New experiences T
he convenient location in the heart of Europe makes the Czech Republic a perfect destination for all psy-travellers. However, our country has never played an important role in the trance music scene and to be honest, trancers from abroad often do not know much about what is happening here. So, what is happening in the Czech trance scene nowadays? These lines are being written during cold, dark winter days when the only choice for trance music lovers is to go out partying in clubs. The most popular venue for this kind of music is undoubtedly Pragues Cross Club, an undergroud but very stylish place with beautiful decors and installations. The regular events include Wednesdays Biocross parties as well as Labyrinth of Mind, LOxy Cross and Sharp Blaze on weekends. Every three months you can hear some international psytrance act in Roxy, the biggest club for electronic music in Prague, and there are small psy events at Styx club, too. If you happen to be in the area of Ostrava city, you can check out some of the of the full-on parties made by

psytrance.cz

Planet Blue or Surface Tension. In the North of the country Batha DJs are also running several regular club events. The peak of the year is, however, the open-air season. The traditional opening party is organized by HedoniX crew on Valpurgias night, always followed in May by a legendary festival organized by VJ PerpleX and his friends the name changes every year but the letters BIO will denitely be part of it! Other popular events with international guests are Mystical Ritual (June) and Mysticky Les (August) produced by the Mystical Waves crew. Some things all of the Czech events have in common are: Cheap entrance fees (usually 10- 25 ), fair prices at the bar (usually a beer is not more than 1 ) and - most importantly a family-like atmosphere (300-600 visitors in average). Besides various DJs, VJs, and party promoters, there are also several artists focused on music production. On the darker, harder side of the psytrance music spectrum is Gappeq, who has

recently released his debut album on Wirikuta Recordings, as well as Fractal, a promising talent from the city of Ostrava. The most acclaimed progressive oriented producers are Roman Rai and Nipp, focusing mainly on melodic, clubby sounds.The Czech Republic is also home of some well known labels; like Tribal Vision Records, Beef Records and Oxygen Records. In general the Czech Republic can be recommended to those travellers who are not only looking for fat line-ups and huge crowds, but prefer to try out new and different experiences. Cheap prices, a liberal attitude towards soft drugs, and friendly people are only some of the reasons to visit the local events.

Slater

www.tribalvision.cz with help of: Mim djmim.net

Denmark
24

psytraveller.net/denmark

Pioneers of Psytrance D
enmark is a fairly small kingdom in Scandinavia, northern Europe, with roughly 5.5 million citizens. Despite its modest size, Denmark has played a major role in the development of the international psychedelic trance scene since the very early days. Acts like The Overlords, Koxbox, Psychopod/Saikopod, Jean Borell/Orion, Orichalcum and Bypass Unit/Colorbox are considered among the pioneers of psychedelic trance. Today Denmark is also playing a big role in the psychedelic trance scene, and two of the Danish labels, Iboga Records and Parvati Records are widely regarded among the most important labels in the world in their respective elds: Copenhagen-based Iboga Records, which has existed for over 10 years, focuses on progressive music, and some of the Danish acts include Beat Bizarre, Reefer Decree, Phony Orphants, Flowjob, NASA, and not to forget the solo projects by label-owners Emok and Banel: Maelstrom and Behind Blue Eyes. Some of the other Danish progressive acts include Timedrained,

Jasper

Cujorius One, Bufo, Genetic Spin, Time In Motion, and Phaxe. Parvati Records on the other hand focuses on darker, more psychedelic night-time sounds and among the many Danish artists releasing on this labels are Jahbo, Mussy Moody, Onkel Dunkel, Maniac Bubbles and Papiyan- the majority of these artists are based in the 2nd biggest Danish city, rhus. The city has spawned a lot of psychedelic trance talents during the years, as well as the now closed label CreamCrop Records. At Danish parties you nd most subgenres of psychedelic trance, including dark psychedelic trance, full on and progressive trance, and house. The largest events, which happen mainly in the capital Copenhagen, primarily focus on full on, but in the last year progressive has had a bit of a renaissance at larger Danish parties. The scene for dark psychedelic trance on the other hand is smaller, and the parties are therefore more intimate and more dif cult to nd. In the last couple of years

there has been a signi cant rise in the number of party organizers, and parties now happen every weekend in Denmark. The quality varies widely, and at the biggest parties the atmosphere can seem quiet commercial. In the summertime when the weather is nice (usually from May to September) there are many outdoor parties in both Copenhagen and Jutland, some of which still have a great atmosphere. Especially the beach-parties at Moesgaard near rhus are known worldwide for their unique atmosphere and uncompromising psychedelic music, in spite of being among the most underground parties in Denmark. If youre planning on visiting Denmark and attending a party, the website electrobeat.dk is at the moment the biggest Danish community, where the majority of parties are posted, apart from the secret, underground parties. pr0fane
jannick.andersen@gmail.com myspace.com/pr0fane

psytraveller.net/finland

Finland
25

Johanna (2)

Deep in the forests

inuences from continental psy-trance but still including the sound which tells that they have grown in the strange inuence of the long dark winter nights of Finland. In Finland it has always been all about the forest parties. The trance culture grew from spontaneously put on nighttime mayhems between the birches and pine trees. Konemets grew from the forest trance scene but has become an electronic festival featuring six different stages and hundreds of artists from a variety of genres ranging from dubstep and minimal techno to breaks, hard trance and electro. However, keeping the psy vibe on the main stage and in the atmosphere. If you are looking for the main event of the summer, this is denitely the place to be. Summer is the best time to come to Finland- not only due to the better weather conditions. You nd a party almost every weekend, mostly in the forests around Helsinki. There is a chance that parties are interrupted by the police, but often authorities leave party goers to have a small break until the music restarts and continues way over midday. During wintertime the scene either escapes our version of Antarctica as refugees to India or Thailand or remains in the country trying to keep warm by having indoor parties and dancing a lot. The legendary label Exogenic Records is still doing good, with over thirty releases and a sister label Exogenic Breaks releasing innovative material. Another pioneering Finnish label, Freakdance Records, launched their webshop recently and provide a catalogue full of weirdest Finnish sounds along with physical releases from other labels sharing the suomisound effect in their production like Japanese 6 Dimension Soundz, Hippie Killer from Russia and Antiscarp, who continue their free online release database, too. Twice a month radioshow Back To Mad is aired on Bassoradio on webstream and fm around Helsinki area and run by the two female DJs Mamooshka and Inkeri Thti.

he Finnish psy-trance culture has its roots in the early 90s wave of electronic music as well as in the deep forests of Finland. The tide of the new sounds and culture were soon reinterpreted, adapted, and infused with local avors. The artists were soon considered to represent a whole new genre called suomisoundi (Finnish sound). The music from the forests of a country with a nightless summer soon gained attention abroad. Nowadays Finnish artists are frequently travelling abroad to get happy dancers to go beyond the mainstream formulas of psytrance. Around the year 2000 there was a new wave of psy trance rinsing the mostly Helsinki based scene. A lot of new talented artists entered the stages and many albums which are nowadays considered cornerstones of Finnish psy, were released. Kiwa and Highpersonic Whomen took a different path: Taking
johannainkeri@gmail.com myspace.com/inkeristar

Inkeri Thti

France
26

psytraveller.net/france

Jump on the ride T

raveling miles from South to North, from East to West. The year has been lled with great moments from large parties like the Sterenn Party in Paris, the annual party in Porcieux Oceanides with the Hadra team, Digital Harmonium by Elecrohm and the year New Year party by Gaia. Not to forget the two festivals: One organised by Arcadia/ Aqua Veda in a magical forest, and one by the Hadra team. There were smaller family gatherings, too, especially the ones done in the south of France near Perpignan in Cubiere like the Space Pirate Revolution. No time to stay at home and watch TV. January to March 2009 saw more than eleven parties just around Paris. Long gone are the days, when people were scared of organizing a party due to government restrictions. You are at the entrance to a party. Showing your ticket, you see familiar faces. As you walk in, you realize something has changed. There are many new faces, younger people blend into the older crowd. Telling from the Internet forums, the-

Association Bocal-f

re seems to be a change going on in the scene. The new school is getting ready to lead the way. Listening to their eldest they got experience and knowledge. They see and live what should and should not be done. The old school welcomes the new ideas. As you step deeper into the party, you come across the essential components of a great trance gathering: the decorations, the lights, and Vjing. As you get deeper into the night, a desire for food is tickling you and you go for a walk around the stands. Tired, you come to the chill- out for some comfort. You hear people talk, you feel secure and your body is becoming one with the sound of one of the Ultimae records artists, the French ambient label from Lyon. Slowly drifting away, you think of all the great parties for the year to come. Arcadia which focuses on ecological awareness with its vegetal wall and psychedelic garden this year and the Hadra festival, located near a lake surrounded by the Alps, promising a great international line up, the World

People Festival in July and of course Fairy Fantasy which will open this summers season. Want a small family tribe party, a large rave, a festival? 2009 the French Trance scene will deliver once again. The scene, a world created by enthusiastic volunteers and passionate creative people. A place where you are able to get away from the harsh reality of todays world. As you start to fall a sleep, a smile comes to your face. The trance dogma: freedom, unity, spirituality, love, and friendship comes to your mind. Today you know in your heart that no matter what happens in this word of crazy nancial crisis there is a parallel world that could lead a new revolution. You feel safe. The sentences We are one and We are all are nally taking on all its meaning.

Limpts

chrystalineensavoie@yahoo.fr

Fatomic

Entrance.fr

ADDIC TED TO Psy Trance

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Germany
28

psytraveller.net/germany

Psychedelic downgrade D
owngrading is a pretty unfamiliar issue in our ever growing faster, bigger, better society. It is kind of uncomfortable for us, simply because it mostly means a loss of convenience. But just like every wave in the ocean has its increase, its climax and its decrease again it is really necessary to follow this natural rule and to downgrade from time to time. So also the German Trance scene is currently facing a phase of decrease, but that does not mean that there are no exciting new things going on any more. The current changes can be seen most distinctly in the festival landscape: Already two years ago VooV Experience turned to VuuV festival which adapts the reduced visitor numbers with its reduced size. The other primitive rock of German Psy Trance festivals, Antaris Project, has announced that this year is the last edition. And another very special festival already disappeared from the map this summer: Tshitraka made itself a name as THE festival for Progressive Trance, presenting extraordinary wicked line-ups from

Roberdo

this genre. After the promoters went massively into the red last year it will not take place any more this one. Finally there also wont be a Fullmoon Festival this year because of bureaucratic trouble but the promoters assure that there will be one next year again. While some of the classical big festivals have to downgrade these days, a pretty fertile underground scene is evolving again, bringing about lots of mid- and small sized outdoor parties. Thought not having such massive lineups, these events feature the original freaky and very familiar atmosphere of Trance festivals, so its really worth to watch out for these ones! Not really being a phenomenon typical for Germany only, also the musical development can be described as kind of reduction: The ongoing trend for Techno and minimalism means a decrease of speed and psychedelic elements in Progressive Trance, also well established artists like Audiomatic or labels like Spintwist deliver technoid sounds nowadays. In conse-

quence also some people change the scene completely and attend pure Techno parties now, which in turn increase. However, that is only one side of the medal: While the ones get slower and slower, the others crank up the speed: Dark Psy keeps up a very psychedelic atmosphere and its devotees full the dread-locked, chillum-smoking freak clich if anything- most. And it is denitely getting more and more popular! Although downgrading in terms of one big scene, there are still very interesting things going on in Germany. Both big festivals and rather underground events are worth visiting. If you are travelling by car, be aware that there is lots of drug screening going on, especially in the surrounding of Trance parties. And make sure you dont miss the excellent German 3B: Beer, bread and Bratwurst!

Roberdo

info@roberdo.de hedonistic-freelancer.com

Greece
30

psytraveller.net/greece

Live the Mythology T

he rst thing that you should know about Greece is that Aurora happens again in August 2009 with a new great festival experience at Asprovalta North Greece and a divers line- up. So, if you always wanted to join us, dont miss this great opportunity! I am totally sure that many- if not all- of 2008 aurora partygoers, will attend again after their wicked experience last year. Until summer, we shall warm up our feet with our local promoters: Natural High, Organic Dreams, Existenz, Psyacoustics, Neverland, Plasmatica, FSI, Moonsun, Eternal Motion, Cyberians, Void Network, 220 Volts and many more At this point I shall pass by our local musicians, since now we have so many great producers who hit the international scene from dark trance to Goa psychedelic, from ambient to funky dub and freestyle. So, dont miss the opportunity to catch a Greek music talent near you- or a release of them. At last, after many years we offer lots of talented artists in many genres and not just a few names. Fast Forward to our current labels:

Sakis Vergos

If you prefer Uptempo: Moonsun, Helicon Sound System, Night Oracle, Unicorn Music, Harmonia and Exposure still offer great trance releases with more to come in 2009. Do you like Downtempo? Cosmicleaf Records pushing out the most diverse aural ambient chill aesthetics and Timewarp Music the funkiest freestyle rhythms around. On the more electronica experimental side of things Poeta Negra and Spectraliquid labels do a fantastic job! Those labels put the Greek downtempo scene on worldwide music market. You simply have to check them out. You want to buy music? Have a music chat or check for events? If you are in Athens you can nd your favourite CDs on Discobole, It, Radical Soundz, Zulu, and Flying Agaric. In Thessalonica, try Lotus, Underground, and Noise. Most of them also have online shops like Beat Box (located in Serres) that offers a wide catalogue of our favourite music. What about radio broadcasting? In Athens at last we have a station that plays many hours of

music from our most liked trance genre, Free 98 FM. Our alternative choices come from the Internet with Dance Radio, Bassline with programs from downtempo to dance and the newly formed Echoes Radio which plays downtempo only. At the newspaper stands you nd our national electronic music magazine Freeze that is published every month. It contains the freshest news from the local and the worldwide scene. And if you want a nice place to read Freeze and have a drink go to Elf Coffee Bar, a magical forest in the heart of Athens that plays our favourite music. The Greek uptempo and downtempo scene is growing. So: Expect more fresh music from our artists, wicked releases from our labels, and more great events and festival experiences in the near future. Prepare yourselves for a blasting new year!

Side Liner

headbot@unicorn-music.net www.unicorn-music.net

psytraveller.net/hungary

Hungary
31

nekopix@gmail.com (2)

Hot happenings
a beautiful beach surrounded by the woods and hills its name derives from. Some smaller weekend- gatherings follow in its footsteps all summer long. In general, Hungary has Psy-trance events every week with lots of promoters organizing small underground parties, big raves, and almost everything in between. Whenever you visit, to nd the most of it, its best to head for the capital, Budapest. Countryside happenings are rare but still alive around Szeged and have a really special vibe. From spring to autumn parties are held nearby shing lakes and mountain woods while during the colder months the community tends to gather in cosy underground clubs. Even places like boats on the Danube, an old amusement park or a thermal bath can serve as party locations. For the rst time in the history of the 15 years old Hungarian scene 2008 brought a few successful chill- out- only parties, too. Apart from Para Halu and his label Psylife and Halu Beats records, future releases from local Full-on project Beyond and Progressive Kalumet are worth keeping an eye out for. There are also quite a lot of young musicians that started to produce Dark Psy and releasing on Psybaba records. An abounding party life and a welcoming community awaits you in Hungary, come visit! Facts: Hungary is relatively small and though the trains can be slow, there are no real distances between A and B. Palinka can be made from almost anything but most commonly it is made from fruits and honey. Compared to Western countries prices are relatively low for a party ticket (8-10 Euros) or for a beer at a party (1- 1,5 Euros). Drug laws are strict in Hungary, in festivals you are usually safe but you cant smoke a joint in the streets. Marijuana is highly illegal.

008 was another year of success and fun for the Hungarian Psychedelic scene. With ever-growing festivals, thrilling parties and strong releases from local artists and labels Hungary is getting its deserved recognition in the international community. Hungarians might not be the most common to meet at festivals around the world but those few travelling are very easily spotted by their wholehearted enthusiasm and bottles of spicy, superstrong drink, the Palinka being kept handy while making new friends. The only reason most of them stay at home is the biggest Hungarian Psy-trance festival: Ozora, where the whole community gathers in August to meet, make friends and dance together with thousands of international Psychedelic Travellers. A smaller but ever- growing open air festival, Bakony is held for the fourth time in July on
sue@psylife.net www.psylife-music.com

Zsuzsanna Hirschl

India
32

psytraveller.net/india

Enchanted by electronica T
he year 2008 was quite colourful for us psyaddicts. It was characterized by a sine wave of happiness, which created some havoc, but resulted in much revelry. There were good days and there were bad days. But most importantly, there were still so many days, when Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect prevailed. Despite the gloomy macroeconomic outlook of the world, Indian organizers managed to bring down major acts like Infected Mushroom, Astrix, Protoculture, Atomiculture, and others. Not only does this mean that people from all strata of society appreciate psytrance, but it is also an indication that India is a popular destination for established artists. In addition to the above, the second edition of the blazing Sunburn Festival in Goa invited stars like John 00 Fleming and GMS, who received an astounding crowd response. Although most major gigs of 08 werent very successful nancially, Atomic Pulse and Pixel performed in 2009, which shows that organizers are still enthusiastic. Psychedelic shamans from the motherland imprinted Indian footprints on foreign soil. Kerosene Club headlined trance events in Russia, Belgium, and Israel. DJ Nick of Shivlink Records performed at the worlds largest psytrance festival: Boom 2008. Ma Faiza further escalated her successful career and feels that Electronica is more popular than ever before, but its not too much about psytrance anymore. Psytrance seemed close to its terminus when the infamous Technodrome bust occurred at the 72 Degrees East club in Mumbai. Technodrome doesnt smoke or drink, but was jailed for over two months under the charges of drug peddling. In 2008, we let go of our hopes and accepted a terrible truth. The magical, all night parties with fantastic decoration that happened at a different location every three nights are gone forever. However, India is still a great place for the psychedelic traveller. One can feel the essence of psytrance embedded in the beautiful

www.alexcanazei.com

beaches of Goa and Chicago of 1200 Mics con rmed this - the party scene of Goa was the icing on the cake, but the cake is Goa. Clubs like Curlies, Paradiso and West End are places to dance, but do lookout for that occasional beach party. The hills of Manali and the scenic lake in Pushkar (Rajasthan) are a must- visit if youre looking for a silent, laid-back holiday surrounded by white skin. The backwaters of Kerala havent made much progress on the music front, but no psyaddict will regret visiting the lush landscape. The regularly hosted parties in Calcutta mostly witness sunrise, while Delhi and Mumbai are places where something psychedelic pops up every couple of months. Some things can be explained, while others have to be experienced. The psychedelic magic of India is de nitely the latter.

Divyan Salotra

divyan87@hotmail.com www.shivlinkrecords.com

V.A. - Psychedelic Traveller Vol. I

34 1. Saeg 2. Ovnimoon vs Zyce (Mexico) (Czech Republic) Fluorescent Stereo Space (Nerso RMX) psytraveller.net/saeg psytraveller.net/nerso Demian Lara aka Saeg started Nerso is the progressive trance to produce music when he was project of Dragan Matic from 12 years old. Since that time he Belgrade/Serbia. He started to has been studying the beat science. In 2000, after study audio/video engineering in Belgrade. After years 8 years, he was infected by electof sound production, he started ronica, understanding it as a new mastering for various artists and 3. Justice Unlimited way of expression he started to bands in Belgrade. Nerso got (Denmark) produce progressive trance. into the electronic music scene Life Is A Beach Now, 3 years after his rst and soon started to release psytraveller.net/justice_unlimited release and the positive on labels like: IONO music, global feedback, the time Synergetic Records, Justice Unlimited is the 32 years old Joakim has come to release his Spintwist Records, and Hjorne from Denmark, better debut album: Sophistimany more. known as a member of Flowjob. cated Abstractions. Joakim started to work on his solo project a little less than one year ago. The style is open and melodic, 5. Sunstryk but with a lot of hypnotic drive. 4. Meander (Germany) Justice Unlimiteds rst live act (Greece) No Surface Konx Om Pax was at Universo Paralello 09. psytraveller.net/sunstryk psytraveller.net/meander Furthermore there are upcoThomas Sunstryk is a proMeander is Michael Fourming releases on Iboga Mexico and Millenium gressive psytrance act from las psy-project. 1983 Mirecords this spring. Maybe there will be Germany born in 1980. He chael was born in Athens and an album later on, but rst the 3rd discovered goa parties in 2000 discovered psytrance in 1998, Flowjob album will be released in and was instantly infected by its which soon became the center the beginning of 2010. unique sounds and experiences. He of his life. In 2001 he played his has experimented a lot with digital rst DJ-sets at parties and started and analogue instruments to realize to study audio-engeneering in 2002. his own interpretation of music He nished his studies in 2005 within psytrance. His rst track and started to study music was on Plusquam where he will technology. After this he made also release his debut album. his bachelor in audio mastering. During the past he collaborated In 2008 he had his rst release with acts like Aerospace, Zyce, on blue tunes records with more Meander, Invisible Reality, Sinerito follow this year. His debut der and many more. Stay tuned! psytraveller.net/cd

psytraveller.net/cd 6. Pop Stream 7. Life Extension 35 (Israel) (France) Off The Track Catch My Breath (Mind Complex RMX) psytraveller.net/life_extension psytraveller.net/pop_stream Life Extension was founded in Paris Pop Stream is Yinon Oved, born in 2002 by Dj Stenman and Dj Olive. in 1981 in Israel. Using compuVery active in the French psytrance ters, audio and midi hardware he revealed his own path scene, they have been performing in front of massive into the depth of what he found to be crowd during big events such. They his greatest passion. Full-On, yet are inuenced by artists such as 8. Jirah gentle, involving pop musics guGMS, Talamasca and Astrix. (USA) res & construction, bright ideas Creating their own unique Full Altadyde and clear background themes On style: powerful melodies psytraveller.net/jirah he simples out his creations with phat bass lines, Life ExJirah aka Tim McCall is known for creating and eases up on the tension is denitively a new energetic and atmospheric concentration and focus force in the International trance music, although the which psychedelic tranPsytrance World. Jirah name has occasionally been ce often demands. associated with a more downtempo style. Raised in a very musical family, he learned much about music 10. Scorb vs 9. Bitkit and the importance it plays in our Deviant Species (Belgium) lives. From the age of 12 he was (UK) Timemachine drawn early on to 80s pop and The Swarm psytraveller.net/bitkit early techno music, leading him to experiment psytraveller.net/scorb Bitkit is Gunther Wyckwith various instruments and digital proScorb aka Yod Onsen mans born in 1982. Having cessing. Whether playing to a crowd of has been releasing music a widely spread musical 200 or 2000, the energy Tims music for over eight years. Tight background and an urge to creates will not be forgotten. arrangements, infectious hooks optimize his growing studio exand a phat low end typify the Scorb pertise, his creative spirit evolves sound. In addition to Scorb, Yod to another level of production. His has a number of side projects; RAM debut album Logical in 2007 gots with Lek Black (NRS), the dark massive support from all corners progressive leanings of Squid Inc. of the globe. Bitkit with his knowwith Deviant Species Santos De how and the fusion of different Castro, pHibian; Yods new hard musical trends, will keep on techpsy project, Orzels Machine, releasing innovative sounds out a technobreakz out t with Mike to the danceoors, mesmerizing Rucinski and Prism with Arnaud enchanted dancers and music Levasseur aka Concept. lovers all over the world.

Psytraveller Records

Israel
36

psytraveller.net/israel

And the beat goes on F

or around 20 years the Israeli Trance music has morphed itself into a gigantic octopus, with multiplying slippery arms moving sporadically across the genres and countries. The past year has brought many attempts of putting on festivals, which usually means 24 hours events. This year Moksha project, one of the veteran productions in Israel, is planning to have a 3 days festival at the end of May (28th- 30th) on the Jewish holiday Shavuot with headliners such as Shpongle, Eat Static, Simon Posford and loads more. And of course always mark your calendar for the annual Doof festival that always occurs on the Jewish holiday Pesach, around April with Doofs artists and djs and plenty of more surprises, keeping the festival diverse and leg breaking as always! Among the party productions the inventory has changed only slightly, keeping the main names in the center such as the Progressive (yet now more Techno-Minimal) production 3rd Empire, other Proggy-Techy-Electroy and that kind of stuff, look for Underground Era, Paganka, Keshet, for Full-On TFN, Benda, Tsunami, MoonSoon, Morning Glory, For Darkish craze - Kipod, Fractal Family, Organised Chaos, Doof, Sub-Kesat, for Suomi - Hasamba & Loony Tunes, Psychonature. With Israel being a pioneer in Trance music, we have many veteran labels such as Hommega, Avatar, Doof, Aleph Zero, Compact, Phonokol, Trancelucent and newcomers such as Extra Cheese, Mikella Bella, Personal, and Echoes. To get your pulse checked with the Israeli Trance scene you can always plug into the best and biggest Trance Forum: www.isratrance.com. Running for 12 years, Isratrance has everything you need to know about the scene! There are also two radioshows with a lot of informations on 106fm Tel Aviv: Hypnoza Sundays @ 20:00 and Harot Wednesdays @ 13:00. When the weekend arrives, you will nd that you need some wheels to get to outdoor events (usually in the foresty North or in the deserety South), since Israel doesnt have any public

Adi Peretz

transportation it is actually a great opportunity to go out during the week, shake your booty and meet people who might be your future drivers. On the way through the streets of Tel Aviv, go and check out Plazma shop on King George St. and Tarbut Rehov (Street Culture) on Bugrashov St. where you also nd out about parties. As an outsider you should always remember that although the Trance scene has evolved through the years, the Israeli police have done baby steps. Therefore parties are always in danger of being closed (if they are outdoors) and you are advised to keep only legal things on yourself to avoid any close and personal encounters. The growing Israeli Empire never stops, it has ups and downs but the re keeps on lighting the way of the global Trance culture with unique artists, amazing labels, and Karahana people which makes the Israeli quality trademark! PinkE
tiptipe@hotmail.com myspace.com/hypnozaradioshow106fm

Italy
38

psytraveller.net/italy

Lights in the darkness C

hange seems to t well the description of what the Trance movement underwent in Italy in the year 2008. In the past few years more and more people had taken attended parties, which meant that they understood and shared the basic principles that build up the Trance world and lifestyle. That means to say: Positive sensations, emotions, colours and good vibrations. Last year people began to show less interest in the Trance movement. This happened for two main reasons. Firstly, it was due to the negative in uence of journalists on the public opinion because, along with mass- media, they usually associate this kind of parties and festivals with drug abuse and noisy music. Secondly, the loss of passion was caused by the ignorance of some people going to parties or in charge of organising them. They pretended - and still do - to be involved in the Trance movement, but they actually do not know or do not have anything to do with the Trance principles and lifestyle.

www.alexcanazei.com

Despite this, Italy will still support the groups that over the years have organised the best gatherings and promoted some of the best artists both this year and in the future. Looney Moon is an important crew playing high-quality music. Its very talented artists organise high-prole events every month; for example, their Modular Dimension was the best Trance festival in Italy in the summer of 2008. Two other groups are Goa Spirit and Paramatma Family. They have created a brand new crew, called T.U.A, that organises three to four 3-4 high- quality parties every year. It is the group best representing the genuine Trance principles and lifestyle. Regarding festivals, the Sonica Festival (30th July- 03rd Aug.) is certainly the most signi cant one. It is the greatest and the most renowned summer open- air Italian festival. Last year it did not take place, but this year it will. We can expect a great performance. Ca.Cu.Bo throws the greatest and best arranged

indoor gathering in Italy. Back to groups, VelenoStaff is worth drawing attention to. Playing psytrance music from fullon via progressive to ambient, it promotes both new artists and artists who are already well known. They have been organising various parties for years; the best known is the Summer Celebration. Neurobiotic is the best- known Italian label. Apart from that, Italy also offers other interesting and well-known groups and labels, such as Magma, Solarsiv, MMH, Psy Fly, Psyconauti, Chaoticwaves, Trancemission, Soundsplatters, Atlantix, Orbital Tribe, Fas, to name but a few. In conclusion, despite the dif cult year 2008, Italy still has a positive attitude towards the Trance movement. Its principles and lifestyle, as well as the Italian artists and groups are doing their best to make it shine again. Supernatural
jimmy9dj@hotmail.com www.velenostaff.com

psytraveller.net/japan

Japan
39

Mother Productions (2)

The Sun is always rising

solely trance-oriented, people will surely enjoy the beautiful location and of course the black diamond gracing the sky on July 22nd. (See: www.totalsolareclipsefestival.jp ) Other highlights include: Mothers S.O.S. festival, a yearly tradition with its multiple stages, large-scale art installations, and diverse international line- up, BrainBusters and its annual mountaintop party next to a 1000 year-old Shinto shrine, Goa Gil taking his usual summer Japan tour with stops in Mount Fuji and Kyoto; God Bless and Psydesuka? In the Kyoto area, and many other great parties and festivals. Posivision publishes a free monthly magazine, and Clubberia and Solstice are good websites for nding parties online. In addition to the parties, another shining light in Japan has been the rise of its home- grown artists, who are steadily gaining fame and are booked all over the world. In particular, there has been a host of rising stars in the Darkpsy scene, most notably Savage Scream, Noise Gust, Far East Ghost, Amorphous, Jun, Cognoscenti, and Digitalian. Also check out B-55, Slum, and Purepressure - some of the top artists representing Japan with a new avour. Finally, discussing the Japan scene without mentioning its labels would be an injustice: Wonkavator Records, whose owner DJ Kotaro released Minusmen from The Delta this year, Phreex Networx represented by DJ Ken who specializes in grooming local up- and-coming artists, and Full Moon Records, owned by Osaka veteran Full Moon Mondo, are all most de nitely worth checking out. With an increase in regional parties, local talent, beautiful forests, and the eclipse to top it off, this is nally the year for you to visit with your Japan Rail Pass in hand! See you on the dance oor!

apan has long been an epicentre of trance, with its countless parties in beautiful mountains bringing thousands of happy dancers together. Although the scene suffered from a string of high-pro le crackdowns last year, the worst seems to have died down, and people are once again eagerly awaiting the summer outdoor season. Every weekend you can nd amazing parties in the beautiful mountains of Japan. This years highlight is The Total Eclipse Festival on Amami Island situated 380 km south of Kagoshima (16th- 24th July 2009). With the logistical challenge of organizing a festival on a small island with limited capacity, the organizers (Brand New Made Inc.) have chosen to focus on showcasing domestic talent, headlined by Masa and Ree.K of Space Gathering, instead of an international line-up. While the music may not be
nik@brainbusters.info brainbusters.info

Spliffnik

Malaysia
40

psytraveller.net/malaysia

Refreshing destination S
ince the turn of the millennium, an increasing number of backpackers, budget travellers, and party- goers have started to recognize Malaysia as a new and refreshing destination along the South East Asian psychedelic trail. Whether you are looking to restock in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysias metropolitan capital or planning to travel towards the many beautiful islands and magnicent rainforests; Malaysias rich culture and hospitable charm will welcome you to a true melting pot of Asian tradition and history. 1970s hippie tourism left a subtle ngerprint that can still be found within small groups who have settled down with the local, rural communities. For example, in places like the beachside surng town of Cherating or Little Bali, that was once a popular stopover for hippies and backpackers. It still is a beautiful place to visit, if you are looking to experience colourful east-coast Malaysian culture and cuisine. If you want to explore ancient nature, Taman Negara is one of the worlds ol-

Ikhwan Ahmad (2)

dest tropical rainforests, dating back over 130 million years. It is home to more than 300 species of mammals as well as home to aboriginal tribes that still thrive in this protected national heritage. You can also choose to travel to the jungles of Sarawak in Borneo, East Malaysia, which plays host to the Rainforest Music Festival (10th - 12th July), an annual international world music festival. Local Malaysian travellers began to explore the psychedelic experience in neighbouring Thailand. A small community of returning backpackers soon began injecting new psychedelic thought into an already thriving underground dance music scene. By now Malaysian trance culture has seen its fair share of gigantic commercial raves and world- renowned super- clubs like Zouk KL and Movement. Today, psychedelic and goa trance are largely represented by The Epic Tribe, a rapidly growing Malaysian collective. Founded in early 2007, the collective has received a fervent following of artists, musicians,

promoters, and thought- leaders from across the South- East Asian region. The collective has held several mountain parties as well as performing at several regional events in Singapore and in Koh Phangan. Two outdoor events are planned every year depending on monsoon forecasts and location. The Epic Tribe also holds monthly events at artist bar, Palate Palette, in Kuala Lumpur, featuring a regular line- up of local and international acts. Since its founding, the Epic Tribe has already brought out artists such as: Samadhi (Disco Alley Records), Alien Mental (Insomnia / Echo-Vortex Records), DJ 3hm (Osirion Records), Sanuk and Cacofonix (Namaha Records), Morning Star (Purple Hexagon Records), Nstomp (Om Project Singapore), Fantapsy (Shaman Film / Triplag Records).

John Kuan

proxy@epictribe.com johnkuan.com

psytraveller.net/mexico

Mexico
41

Sounds of Earth

Something Sacred
quite often, but you hear so many different stories, if you talk to them: Some have enjoyed it very much, some sadly are not going to come back. The reason being that there are so many different promoters with such divers perspectives of party quality standards. The worst of the matter is to see that some promoters dont care about the development of a real scene; they only care about their wallets. Its hard to nd a proper open- air party put on with love and capable to transcend in different ways, like open-air parties should. In my opinion- and I do know as I was involved in it- Radiance Festival was the best open-air party in 2008. Unfortunately, Deliria stopped producing parties now and it is hard to say if there are other promoters that share that perspective right now. On the other hand, however, it seems like the club and indoor scene is growing day by day. Techno, Progressive, and Minimal are taking over in the big cities. Inconveniently, the government seems more aware of the events every day and it appears to be determined to stop the indoor fun. Talking about music, Im really proud of what is going on here. We have great Djs and top notch musicians: Odiseo, Ecliptic, Tron, Signal Deluxe, Forza, Hamelin, Lamat, Barak, Jey & Ex, Shove, Sankha, Trancemission, Visua, Saeg, Jabba, to name but a few. Also, labels such as Sounds of Earth, Undergroove, Iboga Mexico, Flow Mexico etc., feed the scene with tunes 100% made in Tacoland. Trance remains the best, specialized magazine, but you nd many other publications relating to the mainstream electronic scene and music production. Mexico is a special place, Im sure there are still big things to come from electronic music. Many beautiful things will happen here. So, if you ever have a chance to visit, do not think twice! There will not only be great people, places, and music but an inexplicable essence that you will love, like I do.

an you imagine hundreds of people dancing in rituals at natural locations with the smell of earth, water and plants passing through their bodies? An extraordinary stage; pyramids close to the stars, the moon shining brighter than ever? Drums, teponaxtlis, utes, and organic musical instruments melting to create something sacred? Im sure that many of you have thought This would be the best place to have a party, if you have ever visited any good preHispanic culture spot. I have heard that so many times. Unfortunately, this is to close to the impossible, but I am sure that there still is some of this mysticism inside the blood of many Mexicans. There is still this need to dance and to be free accompanied by hypnotic, magical, and mysterious music. Nearly all successful DJs have played in Mexico at least once. Many are here
vazik@yahoo.com www.soundsofearth.net

Vazik

Nepal
42

psytraveller.net/nepal

New grounds T
he trance scene in Nepal was introduced as a spiritual Bhajan in 1988 by Andy aka Hatti baba around Pashupati temple during Shiva Ratri. The scene remained small within the community and was known to only a few select tourist in Nepal. However after the end of civil war in 2006 the scene became massive attracting lots of people from all around the world. There are several open air events held around Katmandu and Pokhara and the best times to explore Nepal are October and April. Of the many parties that take place, Shanti Jatra is currently the most popular. Organised by Shivas Crew, it usually takes place in October and hosts many international artists as well

Aseem (3)

as attracting the psy-travellers. The team are part of Freak Street Productions. Nepa Music is another label which is actively producing and distributing music as well as organising events. Other event oranisers include Zions Underground, Funky Buddha and Ap Production. There is at least one party at the weekend during the off-season (monsoon season and winter). However during the peak season (September, October & November and March, April & May) there are parties almost every day as well as the full moon parties. Most of the

people like to stay in Pokhara for longer time because of its scenic beauty and many of the parties here are organised by the travellers themselves. At the Tantra bar in Thamel, Shivas Crew organises a Psy party every Saturday all year round with residents and international artists. Electric Pagoda and Funky Buddha have parties during the season time. In Pokhara, you can go to any restaurants or bar and they allow anybody to organize a party, if they bring people. Most of the parties in Nepal have no entry or cover charges. In Thamel you are advised to stay on the north side of the lake where youll nd cheaper accommodation, food and smoke. Kathamndus infamous Freak Street is a better option for accommodation since the locals have been used to freaks visiting since the 60s. Here you can meet up with other fellow freaks in cafes and restaurants. Robin Sitoula
robin.sitoula@gmail.com www.shantijatra.com

The Netherlands
44 psytraveller.net/netherlands

Creativity and prohibition P

sytrance in the Netherlands was born underground in the Ruigoord and it developed in clubs like the Mazzo, 114, and Trance Buddha. These were the well-missed golden days of Psychedelia, that culminated in the parties of The Silo and The Elf, both squats that had a huge inuence on the scene. When these legendary clubs stopped doing psy nights and large squat parties became less possible due to political rules, organisers found a solution by hosting parties in commercial clubs. Some adopted the idea of mixing different styles of music to attract more people and cover the higher costs. Now it is common to have a psychedelic oor and a D&B, techno or minimal oor in the same night. This may keep Psytrance alive, but commercializes the scene and some say it causes it to loose its charm. The warmer Dutch days usually bring illegal outdoor parties and some can be quite well produced. Legal parties, on the other hand, are hard to pull off. Too many laws and a small public make it too risky for organisers. We saw this happen in 2008 with the Day Trip Festival in Amsterdam, which had a good line-up and excellent organization, but was not well attended. And adding to the growing list of rules are the prohibitions of mushrooms and tobacco. Still people are adapting as they get used to smoke-free places and you can, after all, enjoy psychedelic trufes since these remain legal. On the other hand, the Dutch government has passed another law, making organisers responsible for any drug taking at their parties and that can be serious. But regardless of the increasing political pressure to control entertainment, indoor and outdoor underground parties are ourishing and club nights keep going on. We also have the Ruigoord Summer Solstice and the open air Queensday celebration from Bom Voyage on 30th April, which remains the psychedelic event of the year. And to top it up, the creativity of the scene keeps growing as talented Dutch producers put this little country into the world spotlight. More artists

are releasing their tracks on top labels: Zen Mechanics, Bassid, Pradox, Kurofusion, Fitalic, Aerophobia, SQL, Liftshift, Jocid, Mad Contrabender, and Supergroover. We also have a psychedelic online label: Cytopia Records, where you can buy tracks or even download free music. So, this is the Netherlands in 2009: while tolerance is ying out of the window and commercialization of the music and the scene have been pushing Psytrance around, it still manages to survive in the heart of the underground movement, organizers and producers. And although the government is trying to regulate, cut and atten out alternative forms of expression, the spirit of the scene goes on... Back To Mars
info@backtomars.net www.backtomars.net

thehospages.com (2)

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Feature
46

psytraveller.net/spliff_politics

Smart Spliff Politics P

olitics- always a nice topic for a hot debate- in the Netherlands lately especially: Drugs politics. In Holland there are coffeeshops and smartshops. Coffeeshops are places where the sale and consumption of marihuana is tolerated but not legal. Smartshops are shops where other psychoactive and health related legal drugs that are not available on prescription only (e.g. magic trufes, lsa, kratom, herbal ecstasies and aphrodisiacs) are for sale. In the 70s, the rst coffeeshops started to appear. The idea at the time was to separate the sale of soft drugs from that of hard drugs. Some cafes already had a house dealer and the government allowed these house dealers to be present and to sell cannabis ofcially. This was the emergence of the so-called gedoogd beleid (tolerated policy): The sale was tolerated albeit it was not legalized. For some time the situation remained this way. Lately some changes are to be seen. The laws for coffeeshops are getting tougher; e.g. no sales to people under 18, maximum sale of 5

grams per person, a maximum stash of 500 grams, no alcohol, tobacco only in special rooms, no hard drugs allowed. This might seem acceptable, but imagine coffeeshops with more than 400 customers a day they have to stash more than allowed and it is difcult to check every customer for ID immediately. Coffeeshops are held responsible for hard drugs on the premises, however they are not allowed to search their customers. If a coffeeshop violates the rules more than two times, they are usually shut down for good. Many have already been closed lately. Furthermore, coffeeshops are allowed to sell marihuana but they are not allowed to buy it from growers. Therefore they have to engage in criminal activities daily. They are held responsible for these criminal activities, but ironically it is the law itself that is pushing them into criminality. The idea of the government is to lower the use of marihuana by closing down the coffeeshops. Unfortunately, people dont simply stop smoking when they cant go to a coffeeshop

anymore. Instead they go to street dealers who also offer hard drugs like crack and speed, usually not more expensive than the weed. This merging of soft and hard drug use is exactly the opposite of what many health related institutes advice and what the government wanted years before. Their policy does however continue. Fortunately, there are still some very nice places to enjoy your smoke. For some good quality marihuana in Amsterdam go to the Tweede Kamer, Siberia or the Greenhouse Effect, for example. If you enjoy a nice environment, check out the Kashmir Lounge or the Greenhouse. The smartshop policy of the Dutch government has been different from the coffeeshop policy. In 1993 the rst smartshop called Conscious Dreams started in Amsterdam as a gallery, selling magic mushrooms and other psychoactive herbs on the side. Now there are over 100 smart-

psytraveller.net/spliff_politics

Feature
47

Anne Schwerk (3)

shops in the Netherlands, some of them function more as a tourist shop than as a smartshop, though. A smartshop should be a good source of information and preferably have a save environment to enjoy their products. Not many actually do this, but check out Kokopelli Conscious Dreams in Amsterdam if you want a good quality smartshop and a nice chill-out area. Often the smartshops were the rst place where new compounds like 2CB, 2CT7, GHB and methylone were for sale. The shops were able to sell these new drugs for a couple of months or even years until the government found out about their effects and potentials and banned them. This cat-and-mouse-game continued for some time, but it has been fairly quiet lately. One of the reasons is the tighter control on the smartshops by the government. Often the reasons for banning a substance were unclear and unscientic. This also applies for the recent ban on magic mushrooms. In

2008 some accidents happened that had possibly to do with mushrooms, but it was never proven. Other factors involved, like alcohol and drug use as well as mental disorders were hardly ever mentioned. Corrections refarding wrong information were seldom found afterwards. In December 2008 mister Klink, minister of public health, illegalized over 180 species of mushrooms. How he came up with the names on the list is unknown, but it was obviously not by use of scientic research. Many of the listed mushrooms are not even psychoactive and some that are were not included. Before he made his decision he asked his own ofcial advisory board (CAM) to do research on the health effects of magic mushrooms. The CAM advised him to NOT ban mushrooms because the risks involved were so low for individual health and society. Still Klink illegalized magic mushrooms; against the advice of many people and health related institutes. The union for smartshops (VLOS) lost their

legal grounding through the new law, which does not leave them with many options to ght the ban. This outcome also means that Klink can add pretty much any substance to the list. This new development will probably also mean a tougher time for coffeeshops because the leading (Christian) parties of the government want them gone and might now see their ideas strengthened. The drug policy is redened almost every year. The leading parties of the Dutch (and European) government threaten the freedom that weve enjoyed so far. Illegalizing more drugs and treating drug users as criminals wont help anyone. Therefore this article should act as a wake up call to those that value their freedom to travel physically and mentally. Educate yourself about what your government has in store for you and ght for your rights.

Anne Schwerk & Raoul Koning

www.stichtingopen.nl www.bleepbizarre.nl

New Zealand
48 psytraveller.net/new_zealand

Travelling to a far away land A

Fotograf

Mark Watson

otearoa or New Zealand ts the bill perfectly; its a vast distance to get to the largest Pacic isle. New Zealands clean green beauty is world- renowned and we also have an open easygoing manner. New Zealand is great for the thrill seeker: Bungeejumping, rock climbing, Jet boat rides, surng, skiing/ boarding, kayaking, to name only a few. You can also go to a deserted beach, catch a sh, cook it on an open re, and fall asleep under the stars. Wait till you see a southern sky at night! Wow!!! It is best to bring a Lonely Planet Guide. We have a small population of only about four million people, meaning no large, banging Psy- Trance Festivals. We do have good one- off outdoor parties, though, starting around mid Nov. early Dec., thru to March. Approximately ve years old now PSYDJ covers both, the North and the South Islands. Auckland has a club called Space run by Phat Productions who do a FullOn party once or twice a month, with a Progressive/ Minimal second room. In summer check for outdoor parties as well.

Twisted Planet.org are newer to the promoting scene; an outdoor Summer Solstice was their rst event in 2008. March equinox sees their second gig. In 2010 the Synaesthetic Crew starts Dionysian Rhythms, an annual Worldclass event featuring International Artists along with Globe trotting local talent! If youre lucky to be in Wellington when theres a gig at the National Tattoo Museum, youre in for a treat! The FullOm crew dusts off the P.A every now and then, and head for a beach or bush to stomp- thus keeping the vibe alive. It is a leisurely three- hour ride by car and passenger ferry to the South Island, te Wai Pounamu or the Main land to some locals. Take a few deep breaths of air fresh! The South Island is New Zealands shining jewel, superb bush/ forest, clear rivers, beautiful coastline, mountains, and lakes; its simply gorgeous to party in. It is the heart of outdoor Psy/ Electronica and not to be missed by any dedicated doofer visiting New Zealand! Nelson/ Golden Bay is at

the top of the South Isle; every summer sees it hosting events like Psychedelic Retirement Village, Luminate, Alien Nation and Canaan Downs New Years festival. There is something for everyones budget and musical taste. Expect a dose of feral hippies, but all very friendly and relaxed so good times are to be had! Here is the base for Cosmic Conspiracy records, New Zealands only Psychedelic label with 5 releases to date. Christchurch is home to the Psy Pirates who are always up to something in the city or in nature closer to the mighty Southern Alps. Keep an eye out for the latest voyage, jump on board and ride the southern wave! You may leave New Zealand a little more fed on the organic side of life.

Pied Piper Paul

piedpiperpaul@yahoo.com DJ & Traveller

psytraveller.net/portugal

Portugal
49

Murilo Ganesh (3)

A leap forward
party to attend every weekend- both; outdoors or in a club. Since this is not an underground movement anymore big cities like Lisbon and Porto have clubs putting on weekly Trance parties that cost between 3 and 30. This upcoming year is full of good events to go to in Portugal- ranging from big festivals to one- day parties, especially during summer. Once again it will be a year to remember. The season starts with the Sinergia Summer Camp, produced by two of the most well known organisers in the country: Omium and Quest4goa. This is a 5 day gathering, with a multi cultural standard; music, art and culture melt. The festival takes place at the magical S.Giao camping ground (where the After-Boom is also put on). It begins on 1st of July and nishes July 5th. Another option is the Freedom Festival. It is produced by Cristal Matrix, and it is taking place at Barragem do Caia in Elvas, starting on August 6th, nishing August 10th. Both festivals will certainly bring about an even more global psychedelic scene, new concepts, and they will show the world a further evolution of the psy-trance scene. Also showing their fantastic work are national labels such as Spectral, Hypergate and Flow Rec. They present us with some new fresh releases. Excellent artists such as Menog, Khopat, Tryon, Tryambaka, D-Tectorto name just a few- carry on their good work. Artist Agencies such as Magnetika Female Artist Agency began to gather female artists in areas like Dj, Vj, Decor and Design, showing an original and interesting way to present upcoming new talents that in turn become even more noticed. With this new project we have been discovering that women are getting really interested in taking part in the scene; they become talented artists in this movement. Portugal is a particular example of that. The Portuguese trance movement is moving towards a symbolic partying place. To be there for the people, for the parties and especially for the feeling of it- always enjoying our fantastic weather and spirit.

ack in the 90s a new movement appeared in Portugal; the psychedelic trance scene. It all started with small gatherings, in hidden places that only some knew about, and where the main ingredients were the meeting of people, the experiences had, and the friends met. Since then many things have changed: The movement itself, the people, the parties, the music. Like some other small movements it grew. It became recognized by and brought to the attention of a larger number of people. This country has been recognized over the years as one of the important players of the psychedelic movement, not only because it is host to one of the biggest and most well known European open-air festivals (the Boom Festival) but also because you nd a good
ganeisha@magnetikagency.com myspace.com/djganeisha

Ganeisha

Romania
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A mystical experience T
he open-air season starts on the weekend around the 1st May every year. The first festival was Transylvania Calling (TC) in 2004. It was a gathering of 600 people and artists from more then 25 nations in Romania. They experienced a 5 days wesak festival and a full moon eclipse. It was not a commercial or professional event but more like a spontaneous meeting; all artists came and played of their own accord with no financial interest. There was a sound system set up and every musician who made it there was free to play. After that the main event promoter dreamtime productions (dmt) was formed by dj Styx who returned home with the vision to organize and promote TC, Psytrance art and culture in and from Romania. The TC in 2005 and 2007 were moved to the July Full-moons. Apart from holding numerous outdoor events dmt kept up the tradition of holding open air gatherings on the weekend around the 1st May every year. Each festival had a

transylvania calling (2)

unique brand, location, and concept promoting local and international artists. In 2007 the idea of ecowarriors was implemented in most dmt open air events gaining respect and support from local officials and institutions. You can experience small dmt open air gatherings in remote and beautiful places mostly near Sibiu and the Fagaras Mountains. TC 2007 no doubt has been the most amazing festival in Romania, with stunning nature, contemporary art and world- electronic music with around 100 artists from more then 40 countries creating a platform for individual expression for 5 days. During the cold seasons small parties are held in clubs around major Romanian cities. These are organized mostly by the local psycommunity. Some important indoor events worth mentioning are Open Your Mind, Namaskar, and the Atma Album Release Tour. Interesting and exciting things are expected for

2009.Transylvania Calling will be held from 18th - 25th August and is the main event this year, everyone is welcome! Promising psy-musicians and emerging artists are Atma, R-tur, E-Mantra, G-604, Audiosex, Shambala Networks, dj Styx, Lygos, Cooper, Unit. One of the decoration group is Purple Dragons and visual artist Psytestudo. Audiosex Records was the first label, followed soon by the online recordlabel Dreamtime recordings. Facts: Price for a club-night 3- 8 / Open air 3- 20 / TC 30-60 , Beer 1,50- 2 / Water 0- 1 . The maximum is one party per week. The best time to visit is August for Transylvania Calling!

Styx

styx@dmt.ro www.dreamtime.ro

psytraveller.net/russia

Russia
51

Archi (2)

Faster than ever

A completely new type of psychedelic event took place in Moscow last fall. It is a Spectral Eyes art show. Representing leading Russian psychedelic designers and juro guru Luke Brown creating his new masterpiece realtime accompanied by Peak records gang live act- right in the heart of the golden architectural fetish! The scene in St. Petersburg, the historic Russian capital, is more homogeneous and underground. Great vibes can be found on SunStation, Shanti S.S. and Chill Out Planet parties. Weekend warriors from Novosibirsk, Tyumen, Samara, Kazan, Izhevsk and other big Russian cities are also deep into a dynamic party environment. Several international festivals are announced for this year: Trimurti in June and Kalevala (September) and Armageddon Festival with a mindblasting dark-oriented line-up in June this year. And of course the Solar Eclipse Festival in magnicient Altai mountains will stay forever as a great psychedelic experience in the minds of those who managed to get there. Last year was a very productive one for russian artists. Not only the famous hard Russian sound but also psy progressive, chill out and full-on tunes are for international export for this year. New upcoming albums by Delirious Noon aka Furious, Sulima, CPC, Dissociactive and Glooex will denitely blow some speakers all around the world with a brand new delicious psychedelic sound. Well-known Russian labels like Vertigo, Insomnia and SunStation have a lot of cutting edge music to deliver worldwide this year as well as newly established ones like Technical Freaks, Feeless and Jolly Fill are preparing promising releases. It is obvious that Russia is only a step from becoming the heart of the psychedelic trance world for the next several years. Nevertheless our promoters, labels, designers and other trance activists still have room for self-development and growth like everyone of us does.

ast year the Russian psychedelic scene seemed to grow faster than ever: Numerous parties and festivals spreading over the immense country, top artists ooding the line-ups, the wildest world festivals decorated by Russian designers, and of course the new cuttingedge tracks of Russian artists which have never been as productive as they are right now. The scene is divided, consisting of two opposed groups: one mostly made up of the teenage public attending the commercial parties with well known full on artists, and the other one of a slightly more experienced audience, digging not only more intelligent and underground psychedelic music, but also an alternative lifestyle; you can easily nd the true psychedelic spirit among it.
sunstation.ru with help of: funky junky funkyjunky.tv

Unitone

South Africa
52 psytraveller.net/south_africa

Psychedelic World Cup 2010 W

ith the build up to next years soccer extravaganza South Africa is constructing enormous stadiums, later to become available for music festivals- our Psytrance scene has grown so much that we look forward to having them. During the event, visiting Trancers can expect extra parties in Cape Town, Africas PsyTrance Capital. In the last year, we were blessed to have Absolum, Anestetic, Highko (and the Noisy Radicals crew twice!), Kinzadza, Logic Bomb, Mr Peculiar, Phatmatix, Psy y, Rastaliens, and many more playing here. Our location has become an international favourite: Visitors have an awesome time and the exchange rate is exceptionally good (entrance to parties start from under 2 Euros!). With an unique, youthful dance oor energy and perfect weather for eight months of summer (Sept.- April) we are a Trancers paradise; growing and evolving every year, we have earned our new status of World Trance Centre. South African Psytrance talent remains in high demand all over the globe. For example: Artifakt, Brethren, Broken Toy, Damage, Frozen Ghost, Headroom, Lost & Found, Protoculture, Regan, Shift, Slug, The Jester, and Zion Linguist. Local record labels are Amoeba, Nano (who hold the annual Earthdance and Origin festivals), Nexus Media, One Foot Groove, and Timecode. Other labels staging outdoor parties include Alien Safari, Beartrap, Groovy Troopers (now in their 10th year), MMD, The Village and Vortex (SAs 1st in 1994), all based in Cape Town; also Lightworx in Durban and Redeye, Technotribe, Fucha in Johannesburg. The recently released Under the African Sky DVD looks at the rst ten years of Psytrance in South Africa. It contains precious party footage and interviews with those involved since the early days. It is available for 12 Euros from Call-A-Pizza (see below). Outdoor parties are held almost every weekend during summer, with few overlaps.

clairabella

They offer an amazing vibe, always enriched by our visitors. During the week, especially in winter, many indoor clubs host PsyTrance evenings, for example Psystorm @ Babbaloos and Psychoduidelik @ Rhino Room on Wednesdays, and Psynopticz @ BangBang on Thursdays. Underground outdoor squat parties are put on regularly by MINDMELT. Whenever you visit, there will be something Psy happening! Call-A-Pizza in Sea Point, owned by partners Yolanda and the writer Ricky (aka DJ Mad Hatter), sells more local Psytrance CDs and DVDs than any other outlet (all at cost price) and stocks the worlds biggest range (over 100 titles). Party tickets, transport, yers, directions, and other information are available (as well as the best pizzas!). We also show the latest party videos. If you visit, mention this article for a free drink with us! Mad Hatter
trancebunny2@yahoo.com www.callapizza.co.za/

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Downside up S
o, what is there to know about the long country in northern Europe? -Apart from the fact that we have a lot of elks, meatballs and the phenomena of northern light? Sweden is a country with A LOT of space with great troll forest environment. The further north you go, the more space there is. If you were to ip the country over, the north tip would reach to the Mediterranean Sea. However the Psytrance scene is most active in the southern half of the country; both in the east and the west. It is most recommended to visit in summer. You can camp anywhere you like with a caravan or a tent. Sweden has a law that makes all property legal for anyone to stay on for a short while! It is said that the rst goa/psyparties took place in the late 80s outside a town called rebro. From there it spread to the capital of Sweden, Stockholm with the infamous club Docklands being the pioneers. Today the psychedelic/ progressive trance scene and culture has spread all over the country. It is most

Bakke

prominent in the three biggest cities; Stockholm, Gteborg, Malm, and the surrounding areas. For many years oppressive authorities had an interest in shutting down as many parties as they could possibly nd. These days police are less repressive as they realise that zero-tolerance policy gets them nowhere. At some parties you may see police of cers smiling in the morning sun. The Swedish psychedelic Trance scene has taken many tours and detours over the past decade, exploring more and more of the possibilities and soaking up in uences from other cultures. The result is everything from angelic to demonic productions inclusive of internal conicts on the matter of who is more psychedelickind of a deep irony since we are supposed to be one family!? About our open-airs: They are simply something of the most magical one can experience. Highlights in the summer of hell will be Technostate Festival, Freaky Forest, INTI Raymi and BaseCamp. There

will be many smaller underground parties, but these four festivals should be kept an eye out for. As mentioned, summer time and open-airs are the most recommended events. However there are some good club/ indoor parties in the winter. If you are looking for a blasting night with a line-up of international standard in Stockholm, visit a Technostate party. In Gothenburg area check for parties put on by either Connected Network, Laugh and Dance rec, or Genesis Project. In the southern region around Malm look for events produced by Divine Music Tribe, Sunshine Tribe, BiP, and Enlighted Network. 2009 has already proved to be a most interesting year for organizers as well as partygoers. Many lessons have been learned, and it is going to be very interesting to see where 2009 takes us or rather to where we take 2009! Stygnet
stygnet@heavymentalproductions.com Heavymentalproductions.com

Switzerland
psytraveller.net/switzerland 55

Cora Laura | dideldum.ch

Enjoy with all senses

local people understand and speak English. The Mystical Forum is the countrys largest psy- online forum. Outdoor parties are embedded in breath- taking natural sceneries; on snowy mountains, in lost forests, or on juicy green elds throughout rural parts of the country. Most of these take place in the German- speaking part of Switzerland, since it is easier to obtain legal permits from the more tolerant local authorities there. Three big outdoor gatherings will take place in 2009: Reise eber, Atmosphere, and Summerneverends Festival. One of the highlights of the Swiss indoor party calendar is the Psychedelic Experience party, offering a spiritual dance oor with a profound message for body, mind, and spirit. Additionally, there is a revival of smaller outdoor parties more than ever nowadays. Many of them emit a distinct underground feeling: Free spirit and non- pro t. Visitors are strongly advised to explore Zrichs metropolitan indoor scene, which sports one of the most pulsating nightlife cultures throughout Europe. Switzerland is very famous for a long line of highly talented artists. On the FullOn- side of Melodic Psy Rasael and Herve surprised with a couple of crispy live- acts and chances are promising that they will deliver some more dance oor bombs this year. The same goes for the rising acts Gameboy and Sokrates, and progressive wonder producer Synthax and Karash from the twisted side of the force. Some DJs with a strong background in the scene have expanded their de nition of psychedelic dance music in a minimal- electroid way, which resulted in great technoid Dj sets played by former Psytrance Gurus. The beauty of Switzerland will set your soul on re. The party trancers are one of the best dance crowds on this planet; always smiling and many of them dressed freakily colourfully. Psychedelic trance welcomes you at a place truly to be enjoyed with all senses.

he Swiss Trance generation knows no musical limits and it is experiencing a revival of psychedelic open- mindedness that is felt in all parts of the country. The Psy- Trance culture is more popular than ever in Switzerland, a country renowned for its welcoming hospitality, high quality events, and stunning scenery. It is a real celebration paradise; not only for the local Trance community but also for visitors from neighbouring countries and international travellers alike. The unique cultural melting pot of different languages, musical backgrounds, styles and in uences has developed into a popular life- style and contributes to a modern way of thinking, uniting everyone who wishes to share this vibrant vision of collective consciousness. Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian, and Romanian. In addition most ResQ with help of Nygma
DjResQ@klangarena.org www.klangarena.org

Taiwan
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Island style I
left South Africa in 2004 to come and teach English in Taiwan and to travel around Asia. I had only been in Taiwan for a few months, when I heard of a small trance party going on in the mountains at a beautiful spot called Kun Lun Garden in Long Tan, not too far from Tao Yuen. The party was very small, probably only fty people including staff and Djs, but this turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it made the vibe more intimate and I got to meet a lot of the DJs, producers and artists that were pioneering the scene. In the ve years Ive been living here, Ive seen the scene blossom from a few friends dancing around a re, to big crowd pulling stomp-sessions in the mountains with big rig sound systems and famous trance acts like S.U.N. Projects coming out to play. Regardless of the reasons, one thing is clear: the psy- trance scene encourages those who participate to break away from normality, to think outside the box, to break free from the rest of the herd and to nd their own path. Sometimes this freedom

Stuart Wilson

can clash with cultural pressures. But the desire for freedom, free thought and free love, are overwhelming and cannot be stamped out or pushed down, easily. The younger generation are embracing these values with open arms. In recent times the police have been very co-operative with party producers and organizers. Once a license has been obtained for the party, the police rarely intrude unless there are issues with noise complaints or illegal activities. There are two main schools of trance operating in Taiwan: Full-On/ Progressive and Dark. As there are only a few parties each summer, there is a bit of competition for DJ sets, but one can expect to hear a wide variation of music at the average party. Most parties start Saturday and end Sunday morning, although there are two and three day parties from time to time. Line-ups typically start off slow and ambient, with a little psy- dub thrown into the mix to add some spice. DJ LazyDaze is a master of gently persuading the crowd to

unhinge their inhibitions and to simply let go and project themselves into the ow. When the progressive trance starts thumping, things start to warm up. And when the Full-On DJs come on the furnace is burning furiously. The most dif cult challenge facing the scene in Taiwan is awareness. Most parties are organized by local Taiwanese and most promotion is done in Chinese so information can be hard to obtain for foreigners. Parties are promoted by word of mouth and Internet sources like blogs and Facebook. There are no English speaking psy-radio stations Im aware of so it is hard to get the word out. If youre new in Taiwan and want to check out the scene, search psy-trance in Taiwan online and you will be pointed in the right direction.

Stuart Wilson

A psychedelic dude moodphase5@yahoo.com

psytraveller.net/thailand

Thailand
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Ikhwan Ahmad (2)

Beautiful locations
The Halfmoon festival is held bimonthly in the jungle of Bantai, on Ko Phangan. The decoration transforms the jungle into a psychedelic space. The organizer DJ Jao with resident DJs: Patt, Note, Ping, Psyfrog and their international guests make this a venue you shouldnt miss. The Blackmoon party organized by DJ Leung is located on the beach in Bantai. It is held once a month featuring resident DJs: Sabai Sabai, Johnny and Koi. The lush decorations bring light to the darkness. In combination with the sound and cool sea breeze you will be dancing way past sunrise. The Shivamoon Family has earned themselves a reputation for hosting a bimonthly psychedelic event. Resident DJs: Kazumi, Sattwah, and Djane Venus Vibes pin back your ears and keep your eyes wide open, while taking you on an unforgettable psychedelic journey in a uniquely decorated venue. The Jungle Experience held deep in the dark jungle of Bantai has also been the home of the Dark Psy event. Resident DJs: Leung, Johnny, Oli with Dj/Vj Silver combine their distinctive sound and light energy in perfect harmony. Held before and after Fullmoon is the Moonset Party. Resident DJs: Rangun, Djane Venus Vibes and friends guarantee a special night lled with fun and laughter in this small sandy bay aboard a pirate ship. Are you thirsty for more? Ban Sabaii hosts the Day Party and starts after all major parties. This beachfront located in Bantai is the perfect day party venue to dance laugh and swim for all party piggies ;). New projects of DJs Leung and Johnny are the Acid moon, a dark psy night and Progression, a progressive night. Both of which have taken off. For the travelling trancer Koh Phangan is a must. If youre planning a trip to Southeast Asia dont forget to pack your party shoes and sun cream. With both a strong psychedelic trance party scene and relaxing nature, budget on staying a lot longer than three days when planning a trip to Koh Phangan!!

ello and welcome to Thailand, renowned as the centre for psychedelic trance in Southeast Asia and for having the best beaches! Starting more than 20 years ago the psy-trance scene is a seed taken root: The party scene has grown strong on the energy of party people and organizers alike with beautiful locations in the jungle or on the beach, making you feel like youre visiting another world. The party culture aside, this is a place to relax, kick back, and enjoy the breath taking nature, beaches, culture, cuisine, and the friendly locals. The highlight of 2008 was the Experience festival in Koh Toa. Welcoming the New Year with a perfect combination of sound, decoration, and panoramic views of a new and exciting location. Bringing a special twist to pumping progressive, deep dark night psy, and the melodic morning tunes.
embria83@hotmail.com myspace.com/venusvibesakaanika

Venus Vibes

UK
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Flourished and evolved T

he UK Psytrance scenes popularity has seen a steady increase over the last few years. It has ourished and evolved in all directions. From London, where various club and squat parties hap-pen on a weekly basis, it has spread right across our vibrant Island. Most of the major cities have at least one regular night. In the summer months, there are plenty of intimate outdoor parties and festivals. Wherever you are in the UK, you dont have to travel far to nd the music and vibe we all love! The Internet has really helped get all the different tribes connected. Psymusic UK Forum is the place to get up to speed with whats what across the UK. Then theres the Celtic Psytrance Forum that has a more intimate vibe, focusing on the vibrant northern underground scene. Everywhere you go there is a real sense of community amongst organisers and partygoers alike. The preferred style of Psytrance in the UK is Full On. Look a bit harder and you nd that the Darkpsy scene taking off. Progressive has always

Chris Black

had a place, but melodic Morning Psy is yet to catch on in a big way. Another really vibrant scene is Nu-School Breaks. This collided with Psytrance music to form Psybreaks. You hear this exciting new crossover genre at many Psy nights. London has a multitude of Clubs and Squat party crews. There are massive multi-room parties like Alpha Omega and Wonky Disco and warehouse parties with international line-ups from crews like Venom and Mystic Systems. If you visit London you may want to check out the Stables Market in Camden. This is where you nd the highest concentration of Psytrance music, psychedelic and alternative fashion shops. It is the best place to pick up yers for the latest parties and to talk to people in the know. A couple of years ago you were lucky to see international live acts outside of London, with the exception of the well-established Tribe of Frog in Bristol. This is all changing now, as plenty of promoters, new and old are doing great things and bringing some of the top

names from around the world to the UK. Examples are crews like Illminaughty and UV Hybrid in Manchester, Soma Sonic and Alien Resonance in Liverpool, Fatmoon and Planet Zogg in Shefeld, Kulu in Bradford, and Planet Monkey in Edinburgh. The summer months hold plenty of reasons to enjoy the beautiful UK countryside. We do not have too many festivals dedicated solely to Psytrance, instead most festival goers are treated to a whole host of different stages featuring live bands and electronic musicians alike. We have many top festivals, such as Glade, Waveform, Offworld, Sunrise Celebration. As well as the festivals, there are many small outdoor parties that happen. For more information your best bet is to log onto the forums and get chatting!

Psionic Entity

Psychometric Vision / Soma Sonic psychometric-vision.d3e.co.uk

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Stomping it down W
hile the East and West Coasts were the rst to embrace psychedelic trance culture, the rest of the country caught up quickly. In Northern California, Phoenix Family and Full Circle bring the annual Gemini Festival on again this summer in June. Gemini has established itself as the longest running yearly psytrance festival on the west coast. Symbiosis Gathering, a synaesthesia of art, music, transformational learning, and sustainable living, is on again this year on the fall equinox, Sept. 17th -21st. In the last few years it has had turnouts of over 1,000 people, making it the largest, current, annual psytrance gathering in the U.S.A. . In San Francisco, Geomagnetic.tv consistently organises indoor and outdoor parties, while Synchronize - a weekly party held every Wednesday night in a small restaurant/bar called Il Pirata - is going ve years strong. Currently popular international artists such as Chromatone, Ghreg On Earth, and Random emerge in San Francisco. Present events in Oregon, specically

raw heaven

in Portland and Eugene, are organised by Catharsis Crew, Chickenhed, and StarCatchers. Several key promoters like Apollos Lute, who organized many years of Goa Gil parties on the fall equinox, and Metakinetics who held the Sacred Space monthly gatherings and others disbanded. However, many of their former members remain very active in the scene. In Asheville, North Carolina Those People Productions are keeping busy, with a yearly Goa Gil party in May, and the 3rd annual World Bridge Festival, Aug. 7th -9th. Touch Samadhis yearly Equinox Festival ends the summer in Asheville, Sept. 18th -20th. In New York, Alladin Group will host the 3rd Annual Orb Festival, July 9th -12th, and a new addition to the New York scene, YogiBogeyBox, has a festival in the works for early Sept. keep your ears peeled! Chicago based Chilluminati hosts Earthdance in September 2009 with a chill-out line-up as top-notch as their trance. Mindoutpsyde from Iowa put on

a large one-night outdoor event called Fractal Fields on June 20th. Gaian Mind Summer Festival (GMSF) is held every year in June and has become the premier destination for hundreds of dancers from all over the world. In Ohio, the newly formed Third Eye Squeegee crew with members from Goahead and Sidetrakkt are featuring the regions rst outdoor psytrance festival, Junction 604, taking place May 22nd -24th. In Phoenix and Denver Metakinetics and Family Moons held events at the turn of the millennium. Psytrance artists like Planewalker and Johnny Primitiv started in the southwest. During the Burning Man Festival -smaller burns happen around the country, too- Black Rock City, Nevada was home to 48,000 people last year. This year it will be held from Aug. 31st-Sep. 7th, the theme being: Evolution.

Tena Moore

psytrancedancer@gmail.com www.tenamoore.com

Psychonautical Map
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Searching for inner Utopia L

ike an astronaut who travels through the vastness of outer space, a psychonaut travels to the depths of his or her own psyche. The imaginary psychonautical map comprises the poles of an almost incomprehensible inner realm containing pleasing areas as well as dangerous abysms. While everyday experiences may be clearly described and often contain de ned structures, marginal zones beyond conventional areas of consciousness often seem blurred and impenetrable. In turn, the paths that lead to these marginal zones are anything but straight and simple. They often resemble a labyrinth, some are dead-end streets, others seem to lead nowhere, until they nally reach the desired destination. Some are only discovered by realising that they do not lead to a place in the outside

world, but deep into the inner Self. The paths that lead to this inner realm may be discovered by using various techniques, such as meditation, trance-like dance, extreme physical experiences, ecstatic sex or adequate amounts of psychoactive substances like mescaline, psilocybine and LSD. Certain paths reach their full potential only in a ritual context; in other cases, no speci c technique is necessary and experiences develop from the mental structure of each individual. Recent studies have shown a comprehensive human need of inebriation, ecstasy and transcendence to go beyond the limits of everyday life. This need is often suppressed, particularly in Christian culture. However, we must not only consider the purpose, but also the

Psychonautical Map
psytraveller.net/psy_map 63

high risk factor for the psyche. Frequently experiencing extreme conditions is not enriching; on the contrary, it produces deep insecurity, since the conventional world view is fundamentally challenged. In addition, as a manifestation of mental problems or illnesses, there are various levels of consciousness, in which some persons nd themselves and are unable to free themselves from. The extraordinary experiences in marginal areas of the psychonautical map often create the need to fully understand and accept these, in some cases also express and pass on content related to it. Dealing with this subject in the framework of artistic forms of expression represents a possibility that is often used. The reproduction of extraordinary states

of consciousness in artistic forms of expression is not always recognizable as such, they often appear in an abstract or encoded form and may only be understood by using certain codes. Many indigenous cultures have a long tradition of reproducing transcendental states of consciousness. Some Amazon tribes, for example, practice an art inspired by Ayahuasca, where perceptions in an altered state of mind and elements of a different reality are reproduced, which in contrast to reality of everyday life is understood as the actual true one. In doing so, the act of processing and ordering transcendental experiences is put in a collective context. Due to sociocultural factors, an individual approach is widespread in the Western modern world. Thus,

Felix Stver (4)

Psychonautical Map
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there are many artists who individually access and deal with marginal areas of the psychonautical map. In some cases, their work is rejected because it is too independent, often however, because it is difcult to classify into prevalent categories. In some cases, the name of the artist himself already represents an individual style, inasmuch as such a denition is necessary. Upon closer review, it soon becomes clear that far from the demands of general art concepts and commercial art standards there are multiple independent forms of expression. In recent art history, beginnings of dealing with extraordinary states of consciousness may be seen in surrealism and in dealing with dreams from a psychoanalytical point of view. The terms Art Brut and partly Outsider Art, however, refers to the art of certain people who have almost unhindered access their subconscious mind, such as persons in

certain mental or extreme psychotic conditions. Later, the Viennese actionism as well as the Industrial Culture suppressed energies and with it often the abysms of extreme mental situations. The key point of reference of visionary art is formed by the reproduction of mystical transcendental experiences which are often glori ed in a religious way. Numerous works of art are created in the context of a cybertribe culture, altered states of perception and consciousness with modern graphic means. The representation of extraordinary states of consciousness achieved with the use of psychoactive substances appears in stone murals as early as the Stone Age. Psychedelic art is particularly observed with reference to developments in the late sixties. The spectrum of experiences includes increased sensory perception and a direct access to your

subconscious mind, feelings of happiness and union, as well as deep inner irritations and psychotic illnesses. Withal, psychedelic substances do not bring anything new into a person, but they rather open doors to existing inner spaces. The criminalization of many psychoactive substances resulted in a stigmatization of corresponding forms in the course of the representation of psychedelic-tranceculture, and

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Felix Stver (2)

psychedelically inspired art has seen a revival since the nineties. No mental experience and of course no transition to an extraordinary state of consciousness occurs in an unrelated space, as personal as the process might be. The experience must always have a direct connection with the surrounding conditions and thus with the socioculturally de ned requirements. This becomes evident

in relation with the prohibition of psychoactive substances or the extrusion of techniques leading to other states of consciousness. Beyond the momentous experience, an inner freedom is necessary which ultimately may only unfold in the context of corresponding social freedom. Extraordinary states of consciousness are stigmatized, especially in cultures where economic performance, competition and pro t dominate almost all social areas. An excessive rationality and the striving for permanent self control close the access to a state of transcendence and a real understanding of the potential of altered levels of consciousness. Subliminal mental problems and sociocultural conicts are closely linked to this. The individual motivation for a well directed transition into a transcendental state

of consciousness and thus a psychonautical journey may vary largely. A connection is often found in a subliminal level in the search of a concrete inner utopia as a place on the psychonautical map, which detached from external repressive structures and inner emotional blockage opens a feeling of owing. A fundamental rst step on the long way is realizing that it is possible to approach this utopia through personal practice and social change, as distant and suppressed as it may seem from the outside. We may reach the stars, but only if we really try it...

Wolfgang Sterneck

www.sterneck.net www.alice-project.com

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psytraveller.net/goa_book

20 Years of Psychedelic Trance T

his new book about the Goatrance movement is an anthology of the international Goa and Psytrance generation. It is the rst book that describes the global scene as a whole. The contents include history, music, culture, art and the many tribes and festivals of the Psytrance scene worldwide. The articles are written by insiders of the international Psytrance scene from all ve continents. The pictures originate from some of the best photographers around the globe. On the one hand they highlight the evolution of the scene in the last 20 years, on the other hand as they look towards the future. For the novice to the Psytrance scene, this easy-to-read book is a ticket to a world of music, mind, feeling, and love in a unique common psy-universe. For the long-term Goa-trancer it is a revelation of backgrounds of the scene, a diary of the personal evolution, and a heart-moving must to complete and re-feel the individual history. The book will be published in English and German rst, later a Portuguese and a Japanese edition are planned. Accompanying the book there will be a DVD and a poster by Psynema/El Geko. The editors got many renowned musicians, deco artists, painters, VJs, and makers of the scene together to form a most comprehensive picture about the scene world-wide: Ananto, Artur da Silva, Brad Olsen, Charles de Ledesma, Christian Rtsch, Eyal Yankovich, Goa Gil, Gregory Sams, Gui Lotus, Hans Cousto, Kai Mathesdorf, Katarina Bartovicova, Kei Fujishiro, Kranti Pessoa,Lui Raptor, Marc Brouard (Phoenix Firedancers)Martina Hoffmann, Omananda, Pascal Querner, Peter Ziegelmeier, Psynema, RoberHannah Cleaver, Roger Liggenstorfer, Sam Chaishop, Sam Chaishop, Scotty, Tom Rom, William Miller/ Fish, Wolfgang Sterneck. The contents and articles cover a wide range of topics to do with the Psytrance

Pascal Querner

scene: History and evolution, culture, spirituality and drugs, music, art, trance-dance and performances, and scenes from all over the world as well as critical thoughts and previews of the future of Psytrance. Other important chapters are dedicated to the Cosmic Octave, shamanism, ecology and social codes unique to this scene. The book also provides glimpses into history, making and backgrounds of several festivals such as the Boom, Voov/ Vuuv, Burning Man, Solipse and the national scenes of Australia, Brazil, Israel, Japan, UK and many other regions of the world. The Goa Book will be published in spring 2010 by Nachtschattenverlag: www.nachtschatten.at/goabook. For pre-orders please contact the publisher.

Tom Rom and Pascal Querner

Tomrom24@chello.at www.psyevents.at/tomrom