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[2009] Most curious ones around in ARGENTINA

• written by Filter

The psychedelic trance scene in Argentina is one of the most curious ones around the world and Latin America. A lot of new artists have appeared in the last 2 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 to be released, and cities inside the country have become more active, giving birth to new parties and festivals.

The center of the scene is still Buenos Aires where parties are done by 3 organizers. Ritual Alien are the more relaxed and family outdoor parties, usually featuring only Argentina music, they manage to bring international artists once in a while, usually around 100/200 persons assist to this events. Then you have Enter Trance and Dancing Budhas, who makes bigger and more commercial parties, bringing full on international artists with a crowd of around 400 persons. Enter-Trance is responsible for the Goa Gil party and also small festivals near Buenos Aires. Dancing Budhas has become one of the most constant and well known organizers, offering at least one party every weekend. Inside the country there has been a new development in cities such as Misiones, Cordoba and El Bolson, where different festivals have popped up, slowly gathering a crowd inviting the tourists traveling around. The biggest of these events is the Moonflower 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 Badajalash, Glosolalia, Pandora’s Box and Will O’ Wisp. There are also new upcomers such as Trebolaktico doing ambient, Soundloop doing full on, and Xynapse on the dark side. In deco, the most impressive work was done by Ion who worked on many parties and festivals, and the group called La Nave, responsible for Moonflower festival. The only label for now is Dark Prisma Records, who host many of the artists mentioned before. They have many releases planned for the future featuring mostly Argentina music as well as friends from all around the world.

Argentina does not have any trance clubs or trance shops, but it does have cool places to hang out such as Palermo, San Telmo, Recoleta, where you can usually find other fellow travelers. There are parties almost every weekend, usually the outdoor season is between September and March, then all parties are indoor. Parties are an average of 20 pesos which is around 7 dollars, beer in clubs is usually 15 pesos which is around 5 dollars, water is around 5 pesos which is around 2 dollars.

[2009] United in diversity in AUSTRALIA

• written by Suspekt

Lush rainforest. Dusty deserts. Snowy peaks. Arid bushland. Australia’s scenery is diverse as its people. The outdoor party community of Australia is part of this diversity – the long standing culture has been present since the whole trance and outdoor electronic scene began, and continues 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 psychedelic community is that it has stayed true to the ideals of what made the scene so special in the first place – unity, peace, respect, a connection to mother nature and the environment and most of all, fun. From internationally renowned locations like Melbourne, Sydney and Byron Bay, to slightly less-known but no less active communities like Cairns, Brisbane, Newcastle, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin and Hobart – you won’t have to look far in Australia if you want to find a good party.

Because of the long distances between each city, the individual scenes all have their own colour, flavour and musical identities, ensuring that everyone’s style and taste is catered for and at the same time, each offering their distinct interpretation of what constitutes psychedelic culture. Parties happen in Australia all year round, with the biggest concentration taking place over summer, especially in the southern states (excluding places like Cairns and Darwin, which receive lots of summer rain and are more pleasant in the dry and milder winter months).

Festivals like Rainbow Serpent, Tribeadelic, the now defunct Earthcore and the 2002 Outback Eclipse (among many others) have done a lot for building Australia’s 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, as is Sydney’s Earthdance, which recorded as massive 40,000 person attendance last year. Tribeadelic is still going strong on New Year’s Eve in Victoria too, 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 another eclipse take place over the northern part of 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 including full on and dark psytrance, progressive, techno, dub, dubstep, minimal, house, IDM, glitch, downbeat and just about any other genre adjective you can think of. 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. One thing if you visit - If you visit, you definitely won’t have any problems making friends or finding fun stuff to do. All in all, Australia might be far from the rest of the world, yet it’s warm people, rugged natural beauty, fantastic climate and healthy party culture make it a must for any psychedelic traveller. Come and join us sometime, we’d love to have you!

[2009] Star Spangled Banner in AUSTRIA

• written by Tom Rom

Unfortunately many other festivals and bigger parties had been cancelled or had troubles in 2008 – also due to problems with authorities or the police. But other summer festivals made Austria to a center-point of Europe’s psytrance scene in 2008. The 5-days-festival Spirit Base of organizer Goaran is still Austria’s 2nd biggest festival and the line-up was as impressing as every year. The vicinity of Ozora Festival in Hungary attracted lots of people from all over but most crowds came from neighboring Austria. Lots of festivals are already scheduled for 2009.

[2009]

In the last years the dark-psy scene was more based in the western parts of Austria. Now the wave hit also the western parts of the country – to mention the K.N.E.C.H.T of DJ Soth (Parties in Weberknecht), the circle around Goagnom and Lyserg in the Perchtoldsdorfer Hyrtlhaus. Now you’ll find all kinds of psy-trance in Vienna and surroundings – you can be sure there will be no weekend without at least one gorgious Goa-party in Austria throughout the year.

In Salzburg is to mention Otherland with the Unite Parade and many Goa-events, the young Syntax Sense as well as the 24/7-label-parties and in Tyrol the renowned Mystery World is still on air. Also the new Malice in Wonderland parties are finest. In Upper Austria the biggest are Klangbewusstsein, in Lower Austria Sunshine Explosion and the Samsara group and in Styria Pro.Tuberance and Alchemy in Graz. But the biggest scene you’ll find in Vienna: The Cosmic Space Disco of the “Lustige Astronaut” and DJ Samurai established a regular club up to 800 people in the WUK. The almost monthly great Sunday Chaizelt in Flex of Andi and team is THE family meeting point in FLEX. Still one of the most unique locations in Vienna is the “Sargfabrik” (“coffin factory”) where Club Dolphin of Ed takes place. In this location you have the opportunity to dance in a big hall and if you want there is a sauna, tepidarium, deck chairs and a swimming pool to dance naked if you want in a nicely visualized wet area. Other successful organizers are Funnymoon and Drops Reflections and the Wichtl events. Another favored club is the Florido Club at the Waterslide with parties indoor in winter and outdoor on a raft on the Danube river.

Artists

Some of Austrias new uprising producers are Ianuaria, IMIX, Kajola, Materia and Freelander. Austria’s most renowned Psy-VJs are Geko, playing as Psynema with Basti, the Funny Astronaut, Fade X and Sikanda. And not to forget the most psychedelic performance wonder group, the Phoenix Firedancers, which is based in Vienna.

[2009] A new dawn in BELGIUM

• written by Sanaki

We 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 is a solution, a problem has no means of existing if there is not a solution. And we Belgium people are among the best solution seekers around.

As we thought the psychedelic scene was dying in 2007 and 2008, the scene is getting bigger and bigger. In the last 5 years we have seen 2 majors event being killed at their peak by the government. But the scene never died. People are finally aware looking back is no option. By improving ourselves, reinventing and reaching out our hands to other music styles the scene flurishes a never before. If you visit our country and are looking for a party you can choose whatever you like, from all particular style. The oldschool trance music is alive and kicking here, the progressive scene has grown and their promotors are throwing quality parties. If you look for old/newschool parties check out the parties with artist from Suntrip records, every week you can hear this melodic psytrance on underground events, some too many to choose from, are we spoiled? Purple Snow (with founder R'deem) and Smiley Tribe are the names to look for if you want progressive trance in all it shapes. They will provide us Neelix, SBK, Anti, Prefect Stranger and Ace Venture over a 2 month period. Don't tell us we are spoiled. Cultmus on the other hand is an organization that focuses on general psychedelic music, from trance over rock to ambient. They are not afraid to book The Orb, Wicked Hayo, Juno Reactor and Highlight Tribe on one evening. Damn we are spoiled!

Psychedelic music in Belgium is booming, there are now more labels active then before. In 2008 Suntrip Records continued the path of melodic goatrance with 3 releases; a double cd called Opus Iridium with an ambient and trance disk. Also the first 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. And their future look melodic as well, with albums from Fileria and debuts from Afgina and Merr0w coming up. Also Dacru records is booming. Their signed artists are more likely to be found playing in foreign countries such as Japan, Germany and Central America. After successful releases by Digicult, Ephedrix and Sufi in 2008 they will spoil our ears with new releases from Digicult, Ephedrix and the debut album from Aquila. Naturall Productions is the new label from DJ Jharu (member of Lani). A fresh label with a natural sound. Their first compilation Naturall Frequency should be on sale now, as well as the debut album from La Mila.

So there is plenty to do here, and we have some labels and producers to be proud of. But sometimes it seems to me the scene is divided into subgenres and styles. But now and then the scene shows to the world that we are all one. The yearly Heron festival in Belgium proves to me the scene is still strong. And I can only hope this reflects on our view of society in general. Maybe our way of living is the answer we seek?

[2009] Winds of change from BOLIVIA

• written by Juan Alberto Guerra

Bolivia is an interesting, geographically diverse and beautyfull latin american country that is experiencing a new democratic revolution in were the socialists rewrote the constitution with 60 percent of national aproving votes. This reform made the whole decadent and dying “post-spanish colonial” system to be replaced for a post modern socialist experiment.

As we as trancers never have to forgive, is the importance of what this revolutionary changes mean to our main ideological principles of freedom of thinking, respect and harmony between differences. Before this reforms were approved there was a notorious feeling of racism and etnical división upon the Bolivian society.

As we are in the year 2009, at the front door of the first decade of the 21st. century, we can look forward and watch with vértigo the story of trance and its ideology. We can keep daring the past trying to find some moment in which we, as a comunity, were who really made the difference. Some momento in wich we said or did something much more bigger than us. But as the last two decades were un-idelogical times, we never had a chance to make history because nobody was caring in nothing but themselves. Much of our principles and belifs changed during the pass of the last ten or twelve years till we forgot what we were in the beggining and what we just said at first.

The psytrance comunity in Bolivia is one of the strongest and the youngest too in this part of the world and we can appreciate such purity in the fact of the revolutionary beliefs of the younger people who are now ideologically concerned in their future and in their country’s future. Ursula Flores, probably the first and most important party producer in Bolivia is leading her partys in the mood of pluricultural tolerance and mystical references and Icons from many of the 58 pre-hispanic originrian etnic nations that live in Bolivian territory trying to mix them in a Bolivian etherogenic caracteristic culture.

Neurotrance Collective and the newer Andean Tribe Collective are still exploring in the mixture and are designing Bolivian folk thematics to mix with the Trance pluricultural philosophy. The cultural arrising made new artists, producers and live acts such as Le Guide and Lattus jump to the scene to engross the Bolivian trance artist list in which ABS:MIC (Abstract Microdot) and Erofex are the main representative producers in Bolivian progressive and full on generes. Both have their listeners and supporters inside and outside the borders of Bolivia. We are going to watch something very interesting coming out from Bolivia in the nex couple of years.

Maybe sooner than later we will have mega festivals in some Bolivian ecological reservations. Turism in Bolivia is uncomparable and much more diverse than any other country in South America.

[2009] Maturity comes for good in BRAZIL

• written by Lotus

After some years of frenetic growth, brazilian psychedelic trance scene finally seems to be establishing. This reflects from better structured parties and festivals, that interacts and make local communities grow both on economical and cultural aspects. This fact is slowly making authorities change their view on parties and all the subculture involved.

In July, the third edition of Fora do Tempo festival takes place amidst Chapada das Mesas, a national ecologic park near Carolina, Maranhão state. Built over a fresh water island, acessible just during dry season, the festival is surrounded by breathtaking scenario. Equatorial forest and rustic communities give the exotic touch that enriches every travel. Unfortunately this is the last edition there, since government is building a huge hydroelectric power station in the area.

During september Samsara completes ten years of psychedelia in Serra Canastra, São Paulo state. Taking place beside a river full of rapids, the festival keeps the sound on for five days under sunny weather. Speaking of paradisiac places, the traditional newyear’s eve Universo Paralello comes strong for 2009. After a blasting edition, with five different stages and lots of cultural movement going on, all you can expect is growth. Besides small incidents with security, UP is still the most expected event of the year and biggest mind-blowing psytrance experience you can get in South America.

Although having nice editions in 2008, traditional festivals like Trancendence and Cachoeira Alta are not happening this year. Both are currently organizing their site for a better structure in 2010. One step back now but two steps front later. On the other hand, Tranceformation is getting back for a big celebration in the savannahs of the center-east.

In Brasilia, musical minds behind Vagalume Records make it blow with their powerful label parties. In Goiânia, Fiction club opens every week. In Belo Horizonte, Label Club hosts the main indoor activity, while Enigma throws the open air parties. In Salvador, Soononmoon guys take the responsibility. In Vitoria, Ecologic crew makes it sound loud. Actually, it’s possible to find psytrance movement in every big city of the country.

But hottest brazilian trance spot still is São 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 São Paulo. Emusicbrasil.com team, with their bi-monthly Respect, and 4iDeas!, with Mystic Tribe, Earthdance São Paulo and Goa Gil celebrations, keep the spirit alive.

During the week, best choice is bi-weekly Siona, bringing the proggy tunes to the city nights, and also soon as an open air. For those into dark, there’s also a monthly Klatu night by the FOP crew, with duo Janczur & Paula and Boteon as hosts.

[2009] Trance in CANADA's wilderness paradise

• written by Nokturnal

Despite being spread over 9 million square km's, Canada's trance scene is a well connected and close web of diverse and yet welcoming local communities. From dancing under the stars and Northern Lights on a warm summer’s night to snowbound winter retreats tucked away in warm winter lodges, those with wandering feet and open hearts are always very well rewarded.

Organistations

Pioneer production groups such as Team Psyence in Alberta (1996), Deleria in British Columbia (1998) and the Black Light Activists in Toronto (1999), along with other past organizations such as The TeknoCollective (Alberta), Goa Chill Nights (Quebec), People Under The Stairs (Quebec/Alberta) and Deep Sea Fish (Toronto) were all instramental in bringing the psytrance sound to new ears.

Parties

Summer time in Canada is an explosion of energies due to the very cold winters and excitement builds over many months for Quebec's Eclipse Festival and Alberta's Motion Notion Festival, two of Canada's premier outdoor gatherings. Both of these events are very high quality and some of the best in the world. Other superb outdoor summer gatherings include Space Gathering, Diversity, Harvest Festival, Entheos Gathering and a new event for 2008 which had very good reviews: Astral Harvest by the Techno Hippy Crew.

Indoor

By necessity the snowy winters bring events indoors with production crews such as Area709, Phonolite, Ganesha, Black Light Activists, Freak Addiction Krew, Tribal Prophecy, Trance Plants, Techno Hippy Crew, 7th Harmonic, Shakti, Metamystix, Winnipeg Psychedelic Productions, Mistaya, Deliria and Beats without Borders, all keeping trancers warm by dancing away the dark cold months. Visionary artists creating psy-inducive environments such as Neil Gibson, Simon Haiduk, DeJahVu, Deliria, Myth Makers, Luke Brown, Julien Seyer and Crystal and Spore also bring an integral element to each night's journey.

Artists

Two Canadian producers and one DJ had a big year in 2008: Anahata (Matte Gillard) released his double cd album Conduktor which he performs in 5.1 surround sound and was the first release for the newest Canadian 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 compilation: Sea Of Vapours by DJ Nokturnal for Zenon Records (produced by Australian artists) as one of the best of the year. The legendary label Interchill continued its top notch release schedule with Eat Static and Kaya Project in 2008.

Another great way to dip your toes into a local trance pond is to head down to one of the long standing club nights such as Amazone at SPAG in Montréal and Organix at Club 23 in Vancouver. The web is a powerful tool as well, and message boards such as www.psyfreaks.ca and www.tribalharmonix.org are both very helpful.

While the distances are indeed vast, those with a sense of adventure will find that once they have found their way into a Canadian gathering of trancers they are among a very large and friendly family.

[2009] To the end of the world and beyond in CHILE

• written by Dew

16 years later, Chile hosts "Honu Eclipse 2010" to celebrate a Total Solar Eclipse in Easter Island (Rapa Nui). Over the past couple of years, more outdoor festival culture has been born with Montemapu, Massive Landing, Universus and E-festival. The main indoor parties in the capital Santiago are Urbandance, gathering 5000 people and presenting solid international guests.

Artists

On the artistic side, fine Instrumental Ethnic Trance has emerged from artists such as Titin Moraga (Copihue), Subhira (Transubhiriano) and Metahue (Electroétnico). Well known international talents are Ital and Moai Act (Psypsiq Jicuri), both releasing on the fresh local label Antu Records. Other solid names are Ovnimoon (Synergetic) and Zybex (Moonsun).

From the pioneering international DJs like the sannyasin Siddhartha and J’aime Rocco (Tranceluz) the scene has grown thanks 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.

Parties

Evolving from the legendary festival producers Dreamvibe (Earthdance, Urbandance, Honu Eclipse), the Psy Trance movement has expanded to include crews like Trancetour, Global Blue, Phenomenom, Vortex, Nataraaja, amongst others.

Chile is famous for its great wines and 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 regarding drinks and tickets prices but the outdoor festivals are much cheaper.

Being so geographically long, surrounded by the Andean Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, Chile possesses the diversity of arid deserts in the north through ancient forests, lakes and active volcanoes, to the icy southern tip of Patagonia. And not forgetting the mystical Easter Island, where Honu Eclipse festival will celebrate a Total Solar Eclipse, 11th July, 2010. So get yourselves prepared for an unforgettable trip to the end of the world and beyond …

[2009] New and different experiences in the CZECH REPUBLIC

• written by Slater & Mim

The convenient position in the heart of European continent makes Czech Republic perfect destination for all psy-travellers. However, in the world of trance music our country has never played so important role – and let's be honest, trancers from abroad often do not know much about what is exactly going on here. So, how is the trance scene in the Czech Republic nowadays?

These lines are being written during cold, dark winter days when the only choice for trance music lovers is to go out partying to clubs. The most popular venue for this kind of music is undoubtedly Prague's Cross Club, undergroud yet very stylish place with amazing decos and crazy installations. The regular events include Wednesdays' free-entrance Biocross parties as well as Labyrinth of Mind, L'Oxy Cross and Sharp Blaze on weekends. Once per three months you can hear some international psytrance act in Roxy, the biggest club for electronic music in Prague, and often you can also visit small psy events at Styx club. If you happen to be in the area of Ostrava, you might want to check out some of the full-on parties made by Planet Blue or Surface Tension. In the North of the country (Usti n/Labem) Batha DJs are also running several regular club events.

The peak of the year is, however, when the open air season finally starts. The traditional opening is party organized by HedoniX crew on Valpurgia's night (April 30th), always followed in May by legendary festival organized by VJ PerpleX and his friends – the name is being changed every year but you can count with the fact that letters BIO will be part of it in any case. Another popular events with international guests are Mystical Ritual (June) and Mysticky Les (August) produced by Mystical Waves crew. Last but not least after one year break Taranis festival is back this July with Atmos live as a headliner. Some things have all the above mentioned events in common – cheap entrance fees (usually 10-25 EUR), fair prices on bar (beer usually does not cost more than 1 EUR!) and most importantly very cozy, family-like atmosphere (300-600 visitors in average).

Besides variety of 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 to be found Gappeq, who has recently released his debut album on Wirikuta Recordings, as well as Fractal, promising talent from the city of Ostrava. The most acclaimed progressive oriented producers are Roman Rai and Nipp, focusing mainly on melodic, clubby sounds. Czech Republic is also a home for a few internationally well-known record labels – progressive imprint Tribal Vision Records, minimal/tech-house oriented Beef Records and morning full-on label Oxygen Records.

In general Czech Republic could be easily recommended for those psy-travellers who are not really looking just for fat line-ups and huge crowds, but prefere to try out some new and different experience. Cheap prices, liberal attitude towards soft drugs and friendly people might be only some of the reasons why to give a shot to some of the local events.

[2009] Pioneers of psychedelic trance in DENMARK

• written by Pr0fane

Denmark is a small kingdom in Scandinavia with roughly 5.5 million citizens. Despite its modest size, Denmark has played a major role in the development of the psychedelic trance scene since the early days, and acts like Elysium, The Overlords, Koxbox, Psychopod/Saikopod, Jean Borell/Orion, Orichalcum and Bypass Unit/Colorbox are all 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 considered among the most important labels in the world in their respective fields. Copenhagen-based Iboga Records, which has existed for over 10 years, has a focus on progressive music, and some of the Danish acts include Beat Bizarre, Reefer Decree, Phony Orphants, Flowjob, NASA and of course the solo projects by label-owners Emok and Banel: Maelstrom and Behind Blue Eyes. Some of the other Danish progressive acts include Timedrained, Cujorius One, Bufo, Genetic Spin, Time In Motion and Phaxe.

Parvati Records on the other hand has a focus for darker, more psychedelic night-time sounds and among the Danish artists releasing on this labels are Jahbo, Mussy Moody, Onkel Dunkel, Maniac Bubbles and Papiyan - most of these artists are based in the 2nd biggest Danish city, Århus, which has spawned a lot of psychedelic trance talents during the years, as well as the now closed label CreamCrop Records.

At Danish parties you can find most sub-genres for psychedelic trance, including dark psychedelic trance, full on, progressive trance and house. The largest events, which are mainly in the capital Copenhagen, primarily focus in 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 harder to find.

In the last couple years there has been a significant rise in the number of party organizers, and parties now happen every weekend. The quality generally varies, and at the biggest parties the atmosphere can seem quite commercial. In the summertime when the weather is nice (usually from May to September) there are a lot of outdoor parties in both Copenhagen and Jutland though, some of which still have great atmosphere. Especially the beach-parties at Moesgaard near Århus are, despite being among the most underground parties in Denmark, known worldwide for their unique atmosphere and uncompromising psychedelic music.

If you're 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.

[2009] Fragments of past psytrance action in ESTONIA

• written by Shoom

Nowdays there are still regular psytrance events and open airs that gather normally 100-200 likeminded people here and occasionally world trance gurus honour Estonian dance floors with their visits. Last highlights were Neuromotor, Para Halu, Fungus Funk. Most active promoters here are Baltic Beat Crew and Planetarium posse. Some great artist and djs came out of our small country and become recognized abroad like RadioTrance, Portal Protection, Cosmogen and others. So we still hope that psychedelic flowers will grow up on Estonian land form the seeds that was dropped in here in previous years.

[2009] In the deep forests of FINLAND

• written by Inkeri Tähti

Nowadays suomisoundi artists are frequently traveling abroad to get happy dancers go beyond the mainstream psy trance formulas and enter the freeform world of the genre on the dancefloors of Eastern Europe, Russia, Israel, Japan, Belgium and other places, sometimes even quite odd corners of the world as Siberia. For example Kiwa, Highpersonic Whomen, Lemon Slide, Astroschnautzer, Troll Scientists, Vishnudata, Torakka and Tripteaser took slightly different path in their production taking influences more from continental psy-trance but still having the sound which will probably always tell you even your eyes closed that they have grown in the strange influence of the long dark winter nights of their home country.

Worth checking are as well all those many active underground artists who are still unsigned but are making amazingly creative sounds.

Almost all the aforementioned acts are still very active and alive. EvsY, Troll Scientists, Squaremeat, Texas Faggott, Kiwa and Vishnudata are all working on their next albums, some of them due to be released already in 2009. Many of the Finnish artists can also be seen to perform on international stages in the year ahead.

Aside the live acts Finland features some very talented deejays as well. Anar (Cosmic Theatre), Miazu & Polly (Rudraksh, Exogenic) Jean-Peter (Konemetsä), Aegonox (Agitato)(Sishya (Sunstation), Kolibriscope and Mamooshka (Hypergate) are taking well care of the dancing audiences with their awesome selection of music.

What comes to more chilled out music you can most likely see some of the following artists in the line up: Trollz In Dub, Dreadlock Tales, Indigo, Sunday Groovers, TBO, Soma, Leijona, Inkeri Tähti and Papay

In Finland it has always been all about the forest parties. The psy trance culture grew up from sometimes even quite spontaneously put up nighttime mayhems between the birches and pine trees. Goa trance and psy entered the downtown clubs only after the last years of the 90´s.

Konemetsä grew up from the forest trance scene but is nowadays more festival oriented featuring six different kind of stages and hundreds of artists representing variety of genres ranging from dubstep and minimal techno to breaks, hard trance and electro yet keeping the psy vibe on the main stage and in all around atmosphere. If you are looking for the main event of the summer, this is definitely the place to be.

Summer is of course the best time to come to Finland, and not only due to the more convenient weather conditions. You can find a party almost every weekend, mostly from the forests around Helsinki. These illegal underground events range from the small gatherings in the woods to the more crowded party weekends. Chances are that they are interrupted by the police, but many times authorities leave party goers just to have a small break until music starts again and continues way over midday.

In wintertime the scene either escapes the cold dark Finnish version of Antarctis as a refugees to somewhere warm, usually to India or Thailand or stay in the country trying to keep warm by staying indoors, staying close to each other and dancing a lot. Among other organizations Blow!, Clinic, Goa, Synchro, Cosmic Theatre, Sokeaa Euforiaa, Unfair Fanfair and others are organizing club as well as underground indoor parties with international line ups.

The legendary label Exogenic Records is still doing good, releases running currently over thirty and a sister label Exogenic Breaks releasing new innovative material from Finland and abroad.

Other pioneering Finnish label Freakdance Records launched recently their webshop and provides their cataloque 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. The last mentioned still continues as well their free online release database.

Twice a month radioshow Back To Mad is concentrating on psy trance music and culture in its many forms. Its aired on Bassoradio on webstream and fm around Helsinki area and run by two female party activists and dj´s Mamooshka and Inkeri Tähti.

[2009] Jump on the ride in FRANCE

• written by Fatomic & Limpts

The alarm clock has awaken you to a new day. Get dress pick up your tickets and Allleeezzz.... Next destination : France. Jump on the ride, welcome to the French Trance Scene.

Memories from the past year fly.. Traveling miles from the South to the North, from the East to the West. The year has been filled of great moments from large parties with a very strong rave flavor like the Sterenn Party in Paris in February (more than a 1000 people) with international artists such as Astrix, the annual party in Porcieux ´Oceanidesªwith the Hadra team, ´Digital Harmonium by Elecrohm association and this year New Year party ´Digital Harmoniumª by the Gaia association. And the two festivals...The one done by Arcadia/Aqua veda in a magical forest/park and the one by the Hadra team surrounded by moutains. And the smaller parties, families gathering, specially the ones done in the south of France near Perpignan in Cubiere like the space pirate revolution,

No time to stay at home during the week end and watch TV. From January to March 2009 more than eleven parties just near and around Paris.Almost a party every week end. Far are the days, when people were scared of organizing a party due to governement restriction.

Did not even realized but you are at the door of the party. Showing your entrance ticket, you see some familiar faces. Standing outside you can hear the sound coming out strong. As you walk in, you realize something has changed. There are many new faces, younger, beautifull people megling with the older crowd. You fill a strong and energetic vibe surrounding you as if you were in a passionate artistic bubbling bottle ready to explode. From the topics read on the Forum Trance Goa, psytrance passion and psytrancepassion.com, there seems to be a major change on the scene. The new school is getting ready to leed the way. Listening to their elderest they got their experience and knowledge. They saw and lived what should and should not be done. Meanwhile, the old school welcomed the new ideas. Small associations are flourishing in all parts of the country: Atomes (Paris) and les lutins transkill's.

As you step deeper into the party, you come accross the essential components of a great trance party or festival: the decoration (like the one done by les lucioles, FMR for Hadra, Punkadelik or the createurs travellers), the lights and Vjing (such are the one by bocal-f.com for Aqua Veda, the amazing lazer show done at the sterenn party).

Than comes the junglers and fire attraction as the sound highest its BPM. As you get deeper into the night, a desire for food is tickling you and you decide to go for a small walk around the stands.

Tired, you come to the Chill out room for some comfort, surrounded by strangers, you can smell the essence. You can hear people talk, you feel secure, your body is becoming one with the sound of one of the Altimea record artist,. the French Ambiant/ Chill out Label from Lyon who has signed some real powerful international artists such as AES Dana, Tajmahal, H.U.V.A network, Solar Fields, Jaia, Vibrasphere and Aural Planet to just name a few...

Slowly drifting away, you start to think of the great festivals and parties for the year to come. The festival arcadia who this year's theme focuses on environmental protection awarness with its vegetal wall and psychedelic garden. The hadra festival, located near a lake surrounded by the Alps, promissing a great international line up. The world people festival in July and of course Fairy Fantasy festival which will open the begining of this summer gatherings. Large and small parties : the Voodoo light Bday Party in the South of France, Crespy Ritual Trance 2 in Montpellier by Mas 2 Crespy, Return to the Source by Chrystalide in Perpignan, Deep space adventure in Porcieux by Hadra.All these parties and festivals, where you will be able to have all your sences be greatly challenged. Want a small family tribe party, a large rave, a festival? ask and this year the French Trance scene will deliver once again. The scene, a world created by enthousiastic, voluteer, passionate creative people. A place where you will be able to get away from the harsh reality of today's world.

As you start to fall a sleep...a smile come to your face. The trance dogma (les valeurs) : freedom, unity, spirituality, love and friendship so well portrayed by the new organisation: the Happy Tribal Family come to your mind. Today you know in your heart that no matter what happens in this word of crazy financial crisis there is a parralel world that could lead a new revolution. You feel safe. The sentences we are one we are all is finally taking on all its meaning.

[2009] Psychedelic downgrade in GERMANY

• written by Roberdo

Downgrading 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, just announced that this year is the last edition after 15 years history. 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 this genre. After the promoters went massively into the red last year it will not take place any more this one. Finally there also won't 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 line-ups, these events feature the original freaky and very familiar atmosphere of Trance festivals, so it’s 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 consequence 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 fulfil the dread-locked, chillum-smoking freak cliché –if anything- most. And its getting more and more popular, quite some of the big festivals present an extra floor this year and also pure Dark Psy events like Psychedelic Wonderland or Psycrowdelica emerge.

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 don’t miss the excellent German “3B”: Beer, Bread and Bratwurst!

[2009] Live the GREEK Mythology

• written by Nick Miamis aka Side Liner

Dear psychedelic travelers i shall try in next lines to provide you as much possible info about trance scene in Greece, remind you what already know, update you with latest news and encourage to check what you have miss from our scene. Let we flow in text lines .....

The first thing that you should know for Greece is that Aurora repeats herself in August 2009 with a new great festival experience at Asprovalta North Greece and a wide line up. So if you always wanted to join us, don’t miss this great opportunity! Of course i am sure that many, if not all of 2008 aurora partygoers, will follow up again after their wicked experience last year.

Until summer, we shall warm up our feets with our local promoters as Natural High, Psyacoustics, Neverland, Plasmatica, FSI ,Moonsun, Eternal Motion,Cyberians, Void Network, 220Volts and more…

In 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 don’t miss the opportunity to catch a Greek music talent near you or a release of them. At last after many years we offer lot of talented artists in many genres and not just few names.

Fast Forward to our labels issue now…..Prefer Uptempo? Moonsun, Helicon Sound System,Night Oracle,Unicorn Music,Harmonia,Exposure still offering great trance releases and more to come in 2009.

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 Poeta Negra and Spectraliquid labels do a fantastic work! Those labels put for well Greek downtempo scene in worldwide music market and you 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 find your favorite cds on Discobole, It, Radical Soundz, Zulu and Flying Agaric. In Thessalonica, try Lotus, Underground and Noise. Most of them have also online shops like Beat Box (located in Serres) which offers a wide catalogue of our favorite music.

What about radio broadcasting? In Athens at last a we have a station which plays many hours music from our favorite trance genre, Free 98 FM. Our alternative choices coming from internet with Dance Radio, Bassline with programs from downtempo to dance and the newly formed Echoes Radio which plays only downtempo.

On the newspaper stands you can found every month our national electronic music magazine Freeze with freshest news from local and worldwide scene.

And if you wanna a place to read Freeze and drink something go to Elf Coffee Bar, a magical forest in the heart of Athens which plays our favorite music.

Greek uptempo and downtempo scene is growing, so except more fresh music from our artists, wicked releases from our labels and more great events and festival experiences in near future.Prepare yourselves for a blasting new year!

[2009] Hot happenings in HUNGARY

• written by Susan

2008 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 bump in at festivals around the world but those few traveling are very easily spotted by their wholehearted enthusiasm and bottles of spicy and superstrong drink, the Palinka being kept always handy while making friends. Which they like a lot and the only reason most of them staying 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 Travelers.

A smaller but ever-growing open air festival, Bakony is held fourth time in July on a beautiful beach surrounded by the woods and hills its name is coming from, and some more small weekend-gatherings are following their 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 find the most of it it's best to head to the capital, Budapest. Countryside happenings are rare but still alive around Szeged and have a really special vibe to this day.

From spring to autumn parties are held nearby fishing lakes and mountain woods while during the colder months the community tends to gather in cozy underground clubs. Even places like boats on the Danube, an old amusement park or a thermal bath can serve as party location. For the first 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 on. There are also quite a lot young musicians started to produce Dark Psy and releasing on Psybaba records.

An abounding party life and a welcoming community awaits you in Hungary, come visit!

[2009] Enchanted by electronica in INDIA

• written by Divyan Salotra

The year 2008 was quite colorful 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 more. Not only does this mean that people from all strata of society appreciate psytrance, but it’s 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’ weren’t very successful in monetary terms, Atomic Pulse and Pixel performed in 2009, which means 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 and DJ Nick of Shivlink Records performed at the world’s largest psytrance festival - “Boom 2008”. Ma Faiza further escalated her successful career and feels that “Electronica is more popular than ever before, but it’s 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 doesn’t 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, it’s still a great place for the psychedelic traveler. One can feel the essence of psytrance embedded in the beautiful beaches of Goa and Chicago of 1200 Mics confirmed 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 you’re looking for a silent, laid-back holiday surrounded by white skin. The backwaters of Kerala haven’t 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 definitely the latter.

[2009] And the ISRABEAT goes on

• written by PinkE

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 making Festivals, which usually means 24 hours events and basically means a long party.

This year Moksha project, one of the veteran production in Israel, is planning to have a 3 days festival at the end of May (28-30) 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 at the Jewish holiday Pesach, around April with Doof's artists and dj's 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 kinda 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 new comers such as – Extra Cheese, Mikella Bella, Personal and Eco Plast.

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 now Isratrance has EVERYTHING you need to know about the scene and much more…

When the weekend comes, you will find out that you need some wheels to get to nature parties (usually at the foresty North or the deserety South), since Israel doesn’t have any public 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 can also find 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 at the nature) and you are advised to keep only legal ingredients on yourself to avoid any close and personal encounters.

The growing Israeli Empire never stops, it has ups and downs but the fire keeps on lighting the way of the global Trance culture with unique artists, amazing labels and Karahana people which makes the Israeli quality trademark!

[2009] Lights in the darkness in ITALY

• written by Supernatural

“Change” seems to fit very 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 part in parties, which meant that they understood and shared the basic principles that build up the Trance world and lifestyle, that is to say, positive sensations, emotions, colours and good vibrations.

Last year, however, people began showing less interest in the Trance movement for two main reasons. Firstly, it was due to the negative influence of journalists on the public opinion because, along with mass-media, they usually associate this kind of parties and festivals to drug abuse and loud 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.

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-profile events every month; for example, their “Modular Dimension” was the best Trance festival in Italy in the summer 2008. Another two groups are Goa Spirit and Paramatma Family. They have created a brand new crew, called T.U.A, that organises 3-4 high-quality parties every year and that is the best group to represent the genuine Trance principles and lifestyle.

Regarding festivals, the Sonica Festival is certainly the most significant 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 with a great performance. Ca.Cu.Bo needs also to be mentioned, as the greatest and best-arranged indoor gathering in Italy.

Back to groups, VelenoStaff is worth mentioning, too. Playing psytrance music from fullon to progressive to ambient, it promotes both new artists and artists who are already known. It has been organising various parties for years; the best-known among them is the “Summer Celebration”.

Not mentioning the fact that Neurobiotic is the best-known Italian label, 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, Fasù and so on.

In conclusion, despite the difficult 2008, Italy still has a positive attitude towards the Trance movement, in line with its principles and lifestyle, and Italian artists and groups are doing their best to make it shine again.

[2009] The always rising Sun in JAPAN

• written by Spliffnik

Japan has long been an epicenter of trance, with its countless parties in beautiful mountains bringing thousands of happy dancers. Although the scene suffered from a string of high-profile crackdowns last year, the worst seems to have died down, and people are once again eagerly awaiting the summer outdoor season.

You can find amazing parties every weekend in the beautiful mountains of Japan, with this year’s highlight being The Total Eclipse Festival in Amami Island of southern Japan. With the logistical challenge of organizing a festival on a small island with limited capacity, the organizers have chosen to focus on showcasing domestic talent, headlined by Masa and Ree.K of Space Gathering, instead of an international lineup. While the music may not be trance-oriented, people will surely enjoy the beautiful location and of course the black diamond gracing the sky on July 22nd. Other highlights include: Mother’s S.O.S. festival, a yearly tradition with its multiple stages, large-scale art installations, and diverse international lineup; BrainBusters and its annual mountaintop party next to a 1000 year-old Shinto shrine; Goa Gil making his usual summer Japan tour with stops in Mount Fuji and Kyoto; God Bless and Psydesuka? in the Kyoto area; and many other parties and festivals.

For information on parties, check out Quintrix Disc Lounge located in hip Shibuya of Tokyo and ask for Kei, the manager and a versatile DJ who is fully tapped into the Tokyo party scene. Posivision publishes a free monthly magazine, and Clubberia and Solstice are good websites for finding parties online.

In addition to the parties, another shining spot in Japan has been the rise of its homegrown artists, who are steadily gaining fame and bookings 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 flavor.

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 definitely worth checking out.

With an increase in regional parties, local talent, beautiful forests, and the eclipse to top it off, this is finally the year for you to visit with your Japan Rail Pass in hand!! See you on the dancefloor!!

[2009] Moderate psylife in LATVIA

• written by Shoom

Situation around Latvian psytrance scene is nearly the same that in Estonia. Regular events in clubs and on Baltic seashore with picturesque view for same amount of free people around 100-200. Liquids collective made a lot of effort to introduce psychedelic music and culture to latvains. And now people from Digital Nature team took their way further with regular events sometimes even bringing famous acts from abroad like Ibojima.

[2009] Psychedelic flash in LITHUANIA

• written by Shoom

Since the very first psy-trance party in Lithuania eight years have passed and many things have changed, but some essential features like love and respect for the nature, organizers collaborative relations and desire to create have helped to keep the shamanic vibe and tribal spirit. The scene has not been spoilt with competitive behavior of those behind the curtains, instead grew up, developed and helped to rise eco-concern amongst the party goers.

Artists & Label

Like mushrooms after rain dozens of musicians, deco projects and promo groups popped up in 2008, a few of them will shortly be widely noticed on the international scene too, psy-progressive projects Gaiana and Triphonic are already regularly performing around Europe. Forest sound wizard doHm is slowly unfolding his great creative potential and his full album is going to be released sometime in 2009. Important to mention the first Lithuanian-rooted label “Arkona creation”, its label manager dj Zooch, a known international DJ has achieved a lot in promoting Baltic artists abroad. Arkona has released the first compilation “Perkuneya” last year and a few releases are scheduled for 2009.

Parties

Parties are happening regularly and nowadays not only in bigger towns, but sometimes in province too. The number of upcoming festivals in summer 2009 is just striking for 3 million population of the country. Yaga gathering can easily be called the main psychedelic gathering not only of Lithuania but of Baltic states. It is a truly international event that attracts not only local enthusiasts, but also neighbouring and other Europeans as well. Another significant event is Tundra festival which usually hosts a few stages mixing techno, drum'n'bass and psy-trance crowds together. This positively affects all of these underground movements. It works in symbiosis fashion introducing new audience to psychedelic scene and also innovations like stage decorations and eco-awareness to techno and drum'n'bass cultures.

So welcome to Lithuania, its beautiful countryside and pagan psychedelic culture!

[2009] Refreshing destination in MALAYSIA

• written by John Kuan

Since the turn of the millennium, an increasing number of back-packers, budget travelers, and party-goers have started to recognize Malaysia as a new and refreshing destination within the South East Asian psychedelic trail.

Whether you are looking to restock in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia‚ Äôs metropolitan capital or looking to travel towards the many beautiful islands and magnificent rainforests; Malaysia‚ Äôs rich culture and hospitable charm will welcome you to a true melting pot of Asian tradition and history.

Many travelers take the bus from Hatyai, Thailand into Penang Island, off the west coast of the peninsula before deciding to travel south towards Kuala Lumpur and Singapore or towards the eastern coast of Malaysia.

1970s hippie tourism left a subtle fingerprint that can still be found within small groups who have settled down with the local, rural cultures deep in places like the beachside surfing town of Cherating or ‘Little Bali’, a once popular stopover for hippies and backpackers and still a beautiful place to visit if you are looking to experience colorful east-coast Malaysian culture and cuisine.

If you want to explore ancient nature, Taman Negara is one of the world's oldest tropical rainforests, dating back over 130 million years, and 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 opt to travel to the jungles of Sarawak in Borneo, East Malaysia, which plays host to the Rainforest Music Festival, an annual international world music festival.

As local Malaysian travelers began to explore the psychedelic experience in neighboring Thailand, a small community of returning backpackers would soon begin injecting new psychedelic thought into an already thriving underground dance music scene which has seen it’s fair share of gigantic commercial raves and world-renowned super-clubs like Zouk KL and Movement.

Today

Today, psychedelic and goa trance are largely represented by The Epic Tribe, a rapidly growing Malaysian collective. Founded in early 2007, the collective has since received a fervent following of artists, musicians, promoters, and thought-leaders stretching across the South East Asian region.

Parties

The collective has since 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 lineup of local and international acts.

Organisations

Since it’s founding, the tribe has already brought down 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).

[2009] Something sacred in MEXICO

• written by Victor Ezcurdia (Vazik)

Can you imagine hundreds of people dancing in rituals at natural locations with the smell of earth, water and plants passing through their bodies? With an extraordinary stage where pyramids are closer to the stars and the moon shines more than ever? Whit drums, teponaxtlis, flutes and organic musical instruments melting to create something sacred? I’m sure that many of you had thought about it if you have ever visited any good pre-Hispanic culture spot, “This would be the best place to make a party”, and I’ve heard that so many times.

Unfortunately that is so close to be impossible, but I’m sure that there`s still some of this mysticism inside the blood of many Mexicans. There`s still this need to dance and be free with hypnotic, magical and mysterious music, like many other people in this world.

Nearly all successful Dj’s have been in Mexico at least once, many might be here quite often, but what is true is that you would hear so many different stories if you`d talk to them, some have enjoyed it so much, some others sadly won’t come back. And that`s because there are so many different promoters with so dissimilar perspectives of party quality standards. But the worst is to see that some promoters don’t care about the development of a real scene and they only care about their pockets.

It’s hard to find a real open air party made with love and that is capable to transcend in different ways, like open air parties should do. In my point of view, and I know that I’m involved on it; Radiance Festival was the best open air party in 2008. Unfortunately Deliria stopped producing parties now and it’s hard to say that there are some other promoters that would share that perspective right now.

In the other hand, seems like the club and indoor scene is growing day by day. Techno, Progressive and Minimal are taking over in the big cities. Unfortunately the government is every day more aware of any events and seems that they will try to stop the indoor fun earlier in different places.

Talking about music, I’m really proud about what is going on here, we have great Dj’s and top notch musicians: Odiseo, Ecliptic, Tron, Signal Deluxe, Forza, Hamelin, Lamat, Barak, Jey & Ex, Shove, Sankha, Trancemission, Visua, Saeg, Jabba and many more are doing a great job. While labels like Sounds of Earth, Undergroove, Iboga Mexico, Flow Mexico etc., are feeding the scene with tunes 100% made in tacoland.

Trance it is still the best specialized magazine here, but you can find many other publications related to the mainstream electronic scene and music production.

Mexico is a special place, I’m sure there is still a big way into the electronic music and many beautiful things will still happen here, so if you ever have a chance to visit us, don’t think it twice there will be not only great people, places and music but an unexplainable essence that you will love, like I do.

[2009] New Destination NEPAL

• written by Robin Sitoula

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 Shiva's Crew aka Aseem and Robin, it usually takes place in October and hosts many international artists as well as attracting the psy-travellers. The team are part of Freak Street Productions - a label created by Aseem. Nepa Music is another label which is actively producing and distributing music as well as organising events. Other event oranisers include Zion's 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, Shiva's 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.

As a rule, do not buy charas on the streets of Thamel. Ask the guest house manager where you are staying to get you some smoke. If they are not able to get it or supply you with bad quality charas, do not hesitate to change the guest house. You are advised to stay on the north side of the lake where you'll find cheaper accommodation, food and something to smoke. Kathamndu's 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.

[2009] From tolerance heaven to a land of rules, and the beat goes on in the NETHERLANDS

• written by Back to Mars

Psytrance in The Netherlands was born underground in the Ruigoord and developed in clubs like the Mazzo, 114 and Trance Buddha. These were the well missed psychedelic golden days, that culminated in the parties of The Silo and The Elf, both squats that had a huge influence in the scene.

When these legendary clubs stopped doing psy nights and large squat parties became less possible due to political rules, organizations found a solution by making parties in commercial clubs. Some adopted the idea of mixing different styles of music to attract more people and cover the higher costs. So now it is common to have a psychedelic floor and a D&B, techno or minimal floor in the same night. This may keep Psytrance alive, but commercializes the scene and some say it made it 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 rules and a small public make it too risky for organizations. 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 very busy.

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 truffles since these remain legal. On the other hand, the dutch government may yet pass another rule where organizations become responsible for any drug taking at their parties and that can be serious.

But regardless of the increasing political pressure to control entertainment, underground indoor and outdoor parties are again flourishing and club nights keep going on. We also have the Ruigoord Summer Solstice and the open air Queensday celebration from Bom Voyage on 30 April, which is still 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 spot. More artists are releasing their tracks on top labels, as 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 and even download free music.

So this is The Netherlands in 2009: while tolerance is flying 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 flatten out alternative forms of expression, the spirit of the scene goes on...

[2009] Travelling to a far, far, away land: NEW ZEALAND

• written by Pied Piper Paul

So you’ve had dreams of travelling to a far, far, away land ... Well New Zealand or in Maori our native tongue – Aotearoa, fits the bill perfectly. As most travelers coming to the largest Pacific island have to travel over a vast distance to get here. Aotearoa’s clean green fame and beauty is world-renowned and now even more with thanks to movies like, Lord of the Rings I, II, III, The last Samurai or The Chronicles of Narnia. Aotearoa (New Zealand) manages to live up to and even go beyond (in some of our tucked away green corners), most travelers/tourists expectations of its beauty, plus open easygoing manner. We do also cater and market New Zealand as a place to go for the thrill seeker. Bunge jumping, rock climbing, Jet boat rides, Surfing, Skiing/Boarding, river Kayaking and some well kept tramping tracks, to name but a few. You could also just go to a deserted beach, catch a fish, cook it on an open fire and fall asleep under the stars (oh wait till you see a Southern sky at night!! Wow!!) Best to bring a Lonely Planet Guide. When here, if staying for more than 2 months, buy a van throw the mattress in the back, along with a gas cooker etc... and away you go!!!

What you won’t find in New Zealand is big large banging Psy-Trance Festivals. Why? Well we just don’t have the overall population, this is a country of only approx 4 million people. We do have some good one-off outdoor parties here, starting around mid Nov’ early Dec’, these are weather depending. Temperature wise our best weather is Jan’ thru to March 24-30˚c. Have a look at a site that’s approximately 5years old now www.psydj.com, you’ll find listings for up and down the country.

Artists

New Zealand has contributed to the music side of all things Goa and had a hand in at the pioneering stages, with the likes of Ray Castle Djing in Goa from the very start! Dj Amanda who now organizes Splore Festival (a bi-annual multi music/art affair next 31/1/10), also taking up the reins with Ray in Goa, and bringing to Germany and Europe some Kiwi flavor. I Pied Piper Paul still Dj/travel around the Globe holding the New Zealand flag up high, from my London Goa/Psy beginnings in 1994/5, I’ve played at most of the big festivals from Vuuv, Boom to Vortex. As for producers our most well known would have to be hometown bro’s from Auckland – Antixs/Fiord. We do have some up & coming producers to watch for, Cusp a solo project hailing from Auckland, Pieter Van Oldenborgh also from Auckland. Grouch from Wellington/Christchurch, along with Tom Cosm out of Christchurch, who looks to be gaining a solid name in the scene the world over – go Tom. If you look up their web sites or myspace, you’ll have a wealth of info on what not to miss (sorry to anyone I should have mentioned here, email me!). When searching for a good knees up, local Dj’s to keep a look out for are – Out of the Blue (Fr/NZ), Miss Molly, Dj Pierre (RSA/NZ), De-Jay, Lee (U.K/NZ) from Hamilton also not one to miss Djing or doing his Live Act. Also Biggins another U.K bod’ who now calls New Zealand home is one to keep your ears open for. Dj Jandals hails from Wellington, (he contributed here on the Sth isle & Wellington side), plus from Gisborne Trippy Kiwi. Who after getting a taste for it all in Denmark has returned home to Dj and also put on the odd club/outdoor dance party, in or near Gissy!

Auckland

Auckland has in the last years a club called Space (www.spacebar.co.nz) run by Big Dave and team from, Phat Productions (www.phatproductions.co.nz). Dave & the Phat Production crew put on a Full-on party once or twice a month there, where they will also run a Prog/Minimal 2nd room. Other weekends the club runs Hip-Hop nights, to House, or D ‘n’ B parties. Over the summer months Phat Productions will, around the Auckland area, do the odd outdoor party. Twisted Planet org’ are even newer to the promoting scene with a summer 2008 Solstice being their 1st event. March Equinox will see their 2nd gig get off the ground. Hamilton has been a little quite of late but eyes on www.psydj.com if your in need for info again. 2010 will see The Synaesthetic Crew start Dionysian Rhythms and what hopes to be an annual World-class event featuring International Artists, along with Globe trotting local talent! Close to Auckland is the plan.

Wellington

Which brings us to the city named after a famous rubber boot, Wellington the capital city of Aotearoa! While not hosting regular Psy events, it is home too many in the scene and it tends be more your one off events, cd release party's etc. If you're lucky enough to be in town when there's a gig on at the National Tattoo Museum (like "Multiball" this March 7th 2009) you're defiantly in for a treat as they come from far and wide!! Bonus is the venue; it is like no other.... jackpot!! Solstice/Equinox events are also worth looking out for, again keeping your eyes on psydj.com for most listings. The Full-Om crew dust off the P.A every now and then, and head for a beach or bush to stomp – so keepin’ the vibe alive.. Feb is usually the warmest month south side, with plenty to keep you happy, the coffee’s great, the vibe friendly!! Cuba Str carnival is also a major hoot, Viva La Wellington!

South island

A leisurely 3-hour ride on a car and passenger ferry, brings us to the South island (te Wai Pounamu or the Main land to some locals), take a few deep breaths of air... argh fresh! Do put on the sunnies (worst skin cancer rate in the world i.e N.Z), and you know you're on holiday, its like a shining Emerald jewel and its no surprise that its always been the heart of out-door Psy/Electronica in New Zealand, superb bush, clear rivers, beautiful coastline, mountains, lakes, its simply gorgeous and to party down here is a real treat and not to be missed by any dedicated doofer visiting N.Z!

Golden Bay

The main "zone" is Golden Bay, near Nelson the top of the south isle. Every summer see’s it hosting events, from as small as 150 people to 10,000ppl (from the heyday of "the gathering” 1996/7 – ’02 born out of En-train 1994-96/97). With events like "Psychedelic Retirement Village" "Luminate" "Alien Nation" "Canaan Downs New Years festival" there's something for everyone's budget and musical taste. Its very friendly, relaxed and very free (expect a large old dose of hippydom and ferals abound), good times to be had for sure. Nelson is also the base for Cosmic Conspiracy records, N.Z's only Psychedelic label with 5 releases to date.

Christchurch

Christchurch is home to the Psy Pirates who are always up to something in the city or closer to the mighty Southern Alps, keep an eye out for the latest voyage, jump on board and ride the southern wave!

Psy Posse are getting regular full moon parties going, with lots of doofs planned for the 2009 summer starting with "Forest creatures" in September 09 in the amazing castle hill basin. We're a scruffy bunch of friendly ferals ´n happy for people to get involved! Give use a look at our website!

Word of mouth also works well in these parts plus www.psydj.com also lists South island events.

The travellers I met down south this summer were smiling ear to ear, its a change from the more intense overseas circuits, its a relaxed and psychedelic family atmosphere, megatrons of goodness, layers of sonic texture, buckets of bass, bags of green....

So if you do live on a diet of Psy-Trance only, you may leave New Zealand a little more fed on the organic side of life.

Other

The club/rock/festival scene - now if you wish to go to other Music/Electronic gigs in clubs or festivals, it’s all alive and well catered, with well known names making their way to our shores. Here it’s better to check sites like www.rave.co.nz www.biggie.co.nz and www.obscure.co.nz ,.. or keep eyes peeled for posters/flyers when here. I’m proud to say we have a huge cutting edge and flourishing music scene in New Zealand, so please take time to check it out & be blown away! Check, Fat Freddys Drop, D-Dub, House of Shem for Kiwi styles Pacific-Reggae. With Dub ya canny go past Pitch-Black who also do the odd Trancey number. Then those rockers The Feelers hail from New Zealand as well.. I could go on, but come down and find your own favorites!! Big festivals (for us!) - Parihaka International Peace festival is set in a fabulous location under Mt Taranaki an active volcano in early Jan’!! The style here is Reggae mainly, but it has been hosting an Electronic stage. Rhythm and Vines see’s 20,000ppl plus, make their way from all over New Zealand to the East coast of the North isle, to the first city in the whole wide world to see in a new day (& in this case the New Year!), Gisborne! Big Acts, big crowds & let the big times rock n roll!! You’ll find great wines in this area that’ll have you smiling, if that’s your thing. Why not buy a bottle to take home and open it when you are remembering your trip, and what will be a life long memory!!!

[2010] A very promising year in PORTUGAL

• written by Ganeisha

2010 the beggining of a New Era, the space continuum trajectory push us to new levels of conscience and we become aware of what Earth is saying. Portugal is a small space of that little piece of land in our world, and is one if the biggest countries where the gathering of people is the main goal in every event that is done. Over the years the psychedelic movement as been growing in all sort of levels in this country, and 2010 is no exception. The underground movement has became a grown up experience in every way, and so the public became more demanding.

And what a better way to start this journey than with the Boom Festival, taking is 8th edition this year, from the 18th of August until the 26th, with amazing news for the lovers of this event, starting with a new location, still held in the lake of Idanha-a-Nova but in a new venue full of shade, which is flatter, greener, and has better access routes. This change, acordding to the Boom team, "was motivated by the need of offering our public better conditions to party."

With amazing views, beautiful, astonishing, these have been some of the words used to describe Boom’s venue. Since 2002 Boom Festival occurred 4 times at the same venue on the shores of the lake of Idanha-a-Nova, however in 2010 Boom Team is changing location and their main goal is to provide people with a better and more comfortable place to party! For shure it will be once more a great and amazing experience to be part of this festival. Also in the music areas, this year the festival will have three main themes in the Dance Floor- PsyTrance and Beyhond, Goa Trance, and Live Soundtracks; and of course the Ambient Area, Groovy Beach and Sacred Fire, to enjoy 8 days of all type of sounds. This year the tickets for this festival are LIMITED! So make shure to get yours in time to be part of this great experience! For more information about the festival, and tickets, go to http://www.boomfestival.org.

Also, after the Boom festival, the After Boom party, Utopia, will take place this year, from 26th August until the 29th, in the well-knowed and wonderful place of S.Gião. It is for shure the best option the relax and have fun at the same time, after the big festival.

Along the year in Portugal you can check good parties from three of the best organizations, at the moment, in this country, starting with Quest4Goa. They are promoting several indoor events in cities, such as Porto and Covilhã, and also its 11th anniversary which is already a mark in national, outdoor parties! Always with amazing professionalism, amazing decos, artists and environment, Quest4Goa is, for certain, one of the best promoters for trance parties in Portugal. For more infos about Quest4Goa events and artists go to http://www.quest4goa.com.

The other two main organizers in this country, that are building their way by building excellent events, are Moonblast and Samaveda. The first one putting on big outdoor partys in the months of April, June and October, always counting with big names from the PsyTrance and Ambient Scene, and with amazing structures, environment, and vibes; and the second directing on monthly basis, great indoor parties, specially in the city of Oporto, in the Porto Rio Club, but also two amazing outdoor parties, already knowed by the Portuguese Public, taking place in April and October, this one celebrating their 3rd anniversary.

For more informations about Moonblast and Samaveda parties you can go to http://www.myspace.com/samavedarec and http://www.myspace.com/moonblastproductions.

Talking about Portuguese artists and labels, we´re going to have some good releases this year from great Portuguese artists, beggining with D-Maniac, the well-knowed artist that blasts floors everytime he plays, released his first solo album "Obsessions" in January, after releasing in 2009 the album "Demented Diary", with his side project along with Tryambaka, called Sick Addiction. Make shure to have a listen to this one!

Also to be heared, new releases from Menog, Tryon, Khopat, Alienn (who released last year his first album "Cosmic Matter"), Sinful Reactions (who became part of 3d Vision) and Photonik (released already a music on Transient Rec, and are going to release also in the new upcoming Portuguese label Ajnagroove Rec). In the Ambient / Downtempo area please make shure to check Uasca, the new project formed by Tajmahal(FR) and Fluxo(PT), from Elektric Dream rec. They are preparing already their debut album, to be released along this year. Uasca is a tribute to the ancient, tribal knowledge of the Amazon. The goal of their music is to use our collective voice to raise awareness for the great need to respect the Amazon and all nature. Sergio Walgood, Zen Baboon & Zen Racoon, Smilie Pixie are also national names to consider and listen in this more relaxed area.

Portuguese artist agencies and Labels are also continuing their excellent work, starting with Magnetika Female Artist Agency, that focus more on the work of female dj´s, vj´s, designers and decor artists, all over the world, you can check them out on http://www.magnetikagency.com.

Also labels like Ajnagroove (this one releasing this year their first compilation), Flow Rec, Quest4Goa, Spectral Rec, Hypergate Rec, are keeping their work done, always with excellent artists and dj´s to count on.

Other areas with good Portuguese artists are Vj and Deco, and this country can be proud to have some amazing projects, such as Visual Lab decor (http://visualab.carbonmade.com), Celsius Decor, Fantasy Keeper, Cosmic Lotus, among others; and Vj´s such as Meskal (Quest4Goa) (http://www.myspace.com/meskalart), F_usion (Magnetika Agency) & Datagrama.

It´s always a good time to visit Portugal and our great party energy, but the summer for shure is the highlight of great outdoor parties. The average entrance price depends if it is an outdoor or club party, but they go from 3€ to 30€, in wich the average prices for water/beer is between 1€ and 3€. Almost every weekend there´s a good party to attend to, in a club, or outdoor, that can last from 00ha.m until 8h a.m (for club parties), or from 00h a.m to 20h p.m (for outdoor events).

Portugal continues to be the center of energic psy movement, and always a good place to visit and party!

[2009] The mystical experience in mushROMANIA

• written by Styx

The open air season is initiated yearly on the 1 may weekend first one to be Transylvania Calling (TC) 2004, a gathering of 600 people & artists from more then 25 nations in Romania, to experience a 5 days “wesak festival” and a full moon eclipse. It was not a commercial or professional event but more like a spontaneous gathering and all artists came and played on their own behalf with no financial intention. There was a sound system and every musician who made it there was free to play. Shortly after first TC the main event promoter dreamtime productions (dmt) was formed by dj Styx who returned home to Romania from his 14 year absence in Germany, India and Australia with the vision to organize and promote TC, Psy-trance art & culture in and from Romania.

The TC 2005 & 2007 moved to the July Full-moons, besides holding numerous outdoor activities dmt kept the tradition to hold yearly on 1 may weekend open air gatherings each with a 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/beautiful places mostly near Sibiu and the Fagaras Mountains. TC 2007 no doubt has been the most amazing gathering in Romania so far and has the potential to become one of the most wanted festivals to visit for many people around the world, 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. More than 1000 participants have experienced Transylvania's Calling so far.

During the cold seasons small parties where held in clubs around major Romanian cities organized mostly by the local psy-community with music ranging from chill-out to progressive, full-on to dark-psy. Some important indoor events worth mentioning are Open your Mind, Namaskar and the Atma album release-tour. Open your Mind 3rd round being the biggest so far, this event is hold almost yearly around 11.11 and gathered in 2007 more then 400 people in Sibiu being also the first event with a real chill-out floor and multiple visual art installations. With the occasion of the first Romanian Psy-trance album to be released in 2006 dmt has organized the release-tour in 5 major cities promoting Atma and his Album “Beyond Good and Evil” having 160-260 people in each city. The first monthly psy-trance night, Namaskar was held at the famous ChillOut club in Sibiu and went really well 7 times until the summer break in 2007 with around 200 party-people.

Interesting and exciting things are expected for 2009. Already announced: “dreamforce” hosted by dreamtime (6 March/Whicked Hayo, Highlight Tribe). Divine Moments of Truth near Sibiu (8 May to 10 may/ U-Recken) moved dates in favour of SpaceSheep's Rebirth Festival (29 April-3 May) for starting the open air season. TC 18-25 august will be the main event this year, everyone is welcome!

[2009] Faster than ever in RUSSIA

• written by Unitone

Last year the Russian psychedelic scene seemed to grow faster than ever. Numerous parties and festivals spreading over the immense and nearly boundless country, top artists flooding the line-ups, the wildest world festivals decorated by Russian designers, and of course the new cutting-edge tracks of Russian artists which were never ever a bit of this productive.

The first psytrance parties were held in Moscow and St. Petersburg in mid 90`s and now only in Moscow there are more than a hundred independent promo groups involved in arranging parties from huge multithousand raves to cozy private gatherings offering all the variety of psytrance subgenres. Such an abundance resulted in spliting the scene into 2 contra groups: one mostly of teenage public attending the commercial parties with mostly well known full on artists, and the opposite one of a little bit more experienced audience digging not only more intelligent and underground psychedelic music, but in an alternative lifestyle also; you can easily find the true psychedelic spirit among it.

A completely new type of psychedelic event happened this fall in Moscow. It is a Spectral Eyes art show with leading Russian psychedelic designers represented there and fljuro guru Luke Brown creating his new masterpiece real-time accompanied by Peak records gang live act, right in the heart of the golden architectural fetish?

The psytrance scene in St. Petersburg the historic Russian capital is more homogeneous and underground. Great vibe can be found on Sunstation and Shanti S.S. parties, and the guys work really hard to make interesting gigs. Weekend warriors from Novosibirsk, Tyumen, Samara, Kazan, Izhevsk and other big Russian cities are also deep into a dynamic party environment.

The great progress was made during a couple of years and now there are 2 annual psychedelic gatherings in Russia with top international live acts which have been already held twice and are announced for 2009 too - Trimurti in June and Kalevala in October. To our great disappointment the Armageddon Festival with a mindblasting dark-oriented line-up last year had been put off till this summer but we nearly have no patience to wait until July when it will take place. And of course the Solar Eclipse Festival in magnificient Altai mountains will stay forever as a great psychedelic experience in the hearts and minds of those who was lucky to get there.

Last year was also very productive for Russian artists which are always being hunted by top psytrance labels. 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 releases by Delirious Noon aka Furious, Sulima (Blitz Studios) and Glooex (SunStation) will definitely blow the minds of psyheads all around the world with a brand new delicious sound. Also a bunch of new releases is prepared by well-known labels from Russia like Vertigo, Insomnia and newcomers like Technical Freaks, PsySpy and Jolly Fill Music .

Now it's obvious that Russia is in a step from becoming the heart of psychedelic trance world for the next several years, nevertheless our promoters, labels, designers and other trance activists still have a space for self-development and growth as everyone of us does.

[2009] Towards 2010 FIFA World Cup in SOUTH AFRRICA

• written by Mad Hatter

With the buildup to next year's soccer extravaganza, South Africa is constructing enormous stadiums, later to become available for music festivals - our outdoor 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, “Africa's Psytrance capital”, especially for their enjoyment.

In the last year, we were blessed to have Absolum, Anestetic, Highko (and the Noisy Radicals crew twice!), Kinzadza, Logic Bomb, Mr Peculiar, Phatmatix, Psyfly, Rastaliens and many, many more playing here. Our destination has become an international favourite: visitors have an awesome time and the exchange rate is exceptionally good (entrance to parties from under 2 Euros!). With a unique, youthful dance-floor energy and perfect weather for 8 months of summer (Sept – April), we've become a trancer's paradise, growing and evolving every year, having earned our new status of “World Trance Centre”.

South African Psytrance talent continues to be in high demand all over the globe and includes Artifakt, Brethren, Broken Toy, Damage, Frozen Ghost, Headroom, Lost & Found, Protoculture, Regan, Shift, Slug, The Jester and Zion Linguist. Local record labels include 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 10 years old), MMD, The Village and Vortex (SA's 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 examines the first 10 years of Psytrance in South Africa and includes precious party footage and interviews with those involved since the early days, available for just 12 Euros from Call-A-Pizza (see below).

Outdoor parties are held almost every weekend during summer, with few overlaps, and offer an amazing vibe, always complimented by our visitors. During the week, especially in winter, many indoor clubs host Psytrance evenings, including Psystorm @ Babbaloo's and Psychoduidelik @ Rhino Room on Wednesdays, and Psynopticz @ BangBang on Thursdays. Underground outdoor “squat” parties are held regularly by MINDMELT. Any time of the year 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 world's biggest range (over 100 titles). Party tickets, transport, flyers, directions and other info is available (as well as the best pizzas), and the latest party videos are shown. If you visit, mention this article for a free drink with us!

[2009] A LOT of space with great troll forest environment in SWEDEN

So, what is there to know about the long country in northern Europe? Apart from the fact 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 up north you go, the more space there is. If you were to flip the country over, the north tip would reach to the Mediterranean Sea. However the scene is most activated in the southern half of the country; south, east and west.
In the summer time, which is most recommended to make a visit, you can always camp where ever you like with your caravan or even your tent. Sweden has a law that makes all property legal for anyone to stay on for a short while!

Since we are a small country of around 9 million people, naturally the parties are smaller than many of the events that happen abroad. How ever, we still know how to make kick-ass-parties and we still are one of the biggest music export countries on the planet, and this is true about psychedelic / electronic music as well. Many well known producers have come out of the Swedish woodwork such as Hux Flux, Tegma, Son Kite, Human Blue, Artax, Andromeda, Vibrasphere, Ticon, Logic Bomb, Ibojima, Krumelur, Gaudium, Etnoscope, Procs, Derango and naturally S-Range to mention some of the most established names. On the list of artists/producers trying to make their way onto the scene we find among others: Lazar, Mad Mango, Re:Actor, Bohemica Electroscape, OIL, Diffus, Arramakki, Nevarakka, T.A.S, Beng, Karl-Johan, Yggdrasil, Pusherstreet, and Trance-Ingvars.

DJ’s worth mentioning that already have, or is in the beginning to get global attention on international festival stages are: Morg, Kvasi, Anti, Rokkaz, Peter Digital, Anneli, Paulina Cewe, 
Sabi, D.O.S.U.L.F, Dennis the Menace, PM, Hadji, Shantaram, Matt with an S, Cosmic Serpent, Buddha BPM, Icaruz, Alexxx and Bakke to name a few. In these “global” age of time almost everyone is either a producer, dj or deco-artist.

Talking about deco-artists we can proudly mention NOS, Diffus, Tree-D, Jamin Murphy and of course INTI Design.

About our open-airs; It’s simply something of the most magical one can experience. While year 2004 and 2005 had a lot of great quality-production and spirit parties, past three years hasn’t seen so many of them, but of course those that happened were even more appreciated. 2008 did as usual mark the opening of the open-air season with the 8th and maybe last edition of “Trolltyg”? “Mystiska Hålet I Marken” and “Enjoy the Forest” invested a MAD input of energy but also money to pleasure the audience once again. One of the biggest open air events in sweden, really worth to mention, "Månsken" (moonshine), every year delivers an awesome dance experience always with great international acts as well as some of the best from sweden. Midsummer, Swedish trancers celebrated in the north in the first edition of “DejaVu Open-air”, with one of the greatest line-up’s in Sweden ever.

As mentioned, summer time and open-airs is the most highly recommended happenings. However there are quite some good club/indoor parties in the wintertime. If you travel to Stockholm and looking for a blasting night with always a line-up of international standard, then make a visit to a Technostate party. In Gothenburg area check for parties made by either Connected Network, Laugh and Dance rec or Genesis Project. In the south region around Malmö, 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 party goers. Many lessons have been learned, and it will be very interesting to see where 2009 takes us… …or rather…to where we will take 2009!

[2009] Enjoy with all senses in SWITZERLAND

• written by ResQ & Nygma

The Swiss trance generation knows no musical limits and is experiencing a revival of psychedelic open-mindedness felt in all parts of the country. The Psytrance culture is popular more than ever in Switzerland, a country renowned for its welcoming hospitality, high quality events, spectacular natural scenery, and for the most fun loving dance crowd on this planet. In short, it is truly a place to be enjoyed with all senses.

According to its population of 7.7 Million people, Switzerland is a relatively small country in size but offers a wide range of events covering all psychedelic music styles. It is a real psychedelic paradise, not only for Swiss partypeople but also for partyfreaks from neighboring countries and international travelers alike who want to discover a friendly and familiar psytrance scene with its parties set in a stunning and unique natural scenery. At present, tradition is making space for innovation and changes are happening fast. The unique cultural melting pot of different languages, musical backgrounds, styles and influences has developed throughout the years into a popular life style and constitutes to a modern way of thinking, uniting everyone who wish share this vibrant vision of collective consciousness. No longer are the three major language parts in Swiss distinguished by their own trance style and with the help of current communication technologies, these invisible boundaries are overcome and have opened new exciting ways & possibilities for all kinds of arts.

Generally on a high level, most party events follow similar organizational patterns, consistently providing a great musical lineup, powerful sound system, colorful and vivid fluro-decoration with a deeper connection, always made with a lot love to details. The breath-taking Swiss natural scenery high up on a snowy mountain, deep in the lost forest, or wide-open on a juicy green field allow the openair trance community to explore and fully appreciate the environmental assets of Mother Earth. Outdoor parties of all kinds of styles are spread throughout rural parts of the country, most of them taking place in the german-speaking part, since it is easier to obtain legal permits from the more tolerant local authorities there. Unfortunately in recent yeats it has become more and more difficult to get permissions for outdoor events, especially but not only if they are promotoed as psytrance. This is directly linked to the fact that Switzerland used to have a couple of annually held big outdoor festivals, but only two of them "survived" and took place in 2009: Atmosphere and Summer never ends festival.

Additionally, there are smaller outdoor parties more than ever nowadays. Many of them emit a very underground feeling with a very special spirit - non-profit & free :-)

Most travelers will start their trip in Zürich and we highly recommend to take your time exploring the city's metropolitan indoor scene, which is said to be one of the most vibrating throughout Europe. Most of the Swiss Psy-Clubbing activity is concentrated here. However, indoor events with a high quality lineup can be found in all major cities of the country.

Switzerland is very famous for a long line of highly talented Progressive artists, whose latest newcomer is Synthax. On the FullOn-Side of Psy Gameboy suprised with a couple of crispy and energetic live-acts and chances are promising that he will deliver some dancefloor bombs this year, which is also the case with the Italian-Swiss Psytrance Duo Rasael&Herve.

Some DJ's with a long tradition and background in the scene have expanded their definition of psychedelic dance music in a minimal-electroid way, which resulted in great technoid Dj Sets played by former Psytrance Guru's like Jackomo (now Jack-Attack), Müstik (now ...) or Fidimohnius (now ...).

In the French Part between Geneva and the Wallis, there is an underground scene full of very talented night artist, the most known are Electrypnose and Ajja from Peak Record, constantly travelling around the world at the biggest festivals spinning their Psychedelic tunes.

In the recent years the swiss "dark"psy scene has grown bigger and bigger with the most popular indoor events (USP, Hotzenplotz) attracting more than 500 people in average.

The beauty of Switzerland and the sum of all its parts will set your soul on fire. One thing remains constant wherever you party: Always smiling and many of them freaky-multicolored dressed, the party trancers are one of the best crowds on this planet. Experience the passion of a nation full of dance hungry freaks always seeking the next higher thrill of pleasure. This has made many international travelers & artists fall in love with this scene. Psychedelic trance welcomes you here on a playground of higher consciousness and open mindness

Swiss psychedelic pulse

The Mystical Forum is the country’s largest psy forum. Mainly in German, this is the meeting point for many interesting discussions.

The Swisspsy Platform unifies all 3 major language parts, there is a music player that gives talents and professionals trance musicians a chance to be heard.

Goatrance.ch site displays an up-to-date party calendar and report section.

Dideldum is home to one the largest photo collection of Swiss and international parties. More than meets the eye.

On goabase.de under Switzerland you will find the most updated infos about partys in the french part and in the italian part of Switzerland.

Shops & online CD Stores

Avarox - Tribal clothing and fluro rugs, flyer info - Münstergasse 33. CH 3011 Bern

Secret Nature - Ethno botanic shop, herbs, incense and magical items.

Goastore.ch - Online cd store, vast selection of psychedelic music & merchandise

[2009] Psy-Trance in TAIWAN

• written by Stuart Wilson

I left South Africa in 2004 to come and teach English in Taiwan and to travel around Asia. In South Africa, I was completely lost in the trance culture in Cape Town and one of the hardest things about leaving was saying good bye to the awesome people and amazing parties we have almost every weekend in summer.

I had only been in Taiwan for a few months, when I heard of a small trance party going down in the mountains at a beautiful spot called Kun Lun Garden in Long Tan, not too far from Tao Yuen. I gathered my psychedelic crew and headed off into the mountains to see what was on offer on the psy-scene in Taiwan.

It was October 31st, Halloween and when we arrived. We were greeted by all sorts of ghouls, freaks and hideous monsters... and some people were even in costume, too. It was chilly up there as winter was approaching and most people were huddled around a big bonfire that was burning at the back. To my delight there was a giant neon mushroom radiating a blueish glow in the middle of the dance floor. Perhaps a sign of things to come?

The party was very small, probably only fifty people including staff and Dj's, 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 DJ's, producers and artists that were pioneering the scene.

One of these was Dragon, a local Taiwanese guy who, with the help of his friends, organized this party and many others that followed. Dragon (aka Kerlivin Lui) has been working hard to promote psy-trance music and culture in Taiwan for many years.

In the five years I've been living here, I've seen the scene blossom from a few friends dancing around a fire, 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.

Still, when compared to South Africa and Japan, the psy–scene here is still in it's infancy. But that wasn't always the case. A few years before I arrived in Taiwan the scene had already been through the teething stages and Taiwan was well on it's way to becoming one of the hottest trance locations in Asia. Parties were pulling people out of the smoky, dingy clubs and more and more local Taiwanese were beginning to see the allure of dancing under the stars, and getting down with nature all around to the sounds of the sick psy-beats. People were traveling to Taiwan from as far away as Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore as news of these parties spread far and wide. World renown DJ's like Astrix were even gracing the beautiful island (Formosa) with their presence. Crowds at parties were numbering in the thousands, until there was a massive police clamp-down and all parties stopped for a long time.

There was a lot of speculation about why this happened: some say it was because the authorities were worried about drug abuse, others say the Taiwanese maffia put pressure on the police to act since the parties were threatening the profits of their night clubs.

Today

Regardless of the reasons, one thing is clear: the psy-trance scene is unique in that it 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 find their own path. Sometimes this freedom can clash with cultural pressures. It Taiwan, following the heard is almost like a national sport. It is in-grained from a young age. At school, kids are taught to simply say and repeat, not to ask questions. Independent thinking is rarely encouraged. This makes the population of 23 million people living on this small island, only 390 km in length, much easier to control.

But the desire for freedom, free thought and free love, are overwhelming and cannot be stamped out or pushed down, easily. It is for this reason that we have seen a re-emergence of the scene in Taiwan recently, the younger generation are embracing there 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.

Schools of trance

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 flow. When the progressive trance starts thumping, things start to warm up. And when the Full-On DJ's come on the furnace is burning furiously. DJ's Urban Myth and Xemitone from South Africa never fail to impress the crowds with their slick, cutting-edge styles and eclectic beats. As the moon disappears behind the mountains, the Dark DJ's carry it through with lots of mind shattering madness until the sun comes up and the tunes start to open up a bit. The music becomes a little happier and people can be seen wandering around the dance floor in the early morning light trying to pick up the broken pieces of their sanity. Even once the music has been turned off and the equipment has been packed away, there is usually a crowd of never-say-die revellers that stick around at the venue for a small after-party. Drums and djembes provide the beats and it's a good way to prepare for the long journey home and the system shock of returning to reality for the week ahead.

Difficult challenge

The most difficult 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 I'm aware of so it is hard to get the word out. If you're new in Taiwan and want to come check out the scene, search 'psy-trance in Taiwan' online and you will be pointed in the right direction.

Facts

Tickets prices usually go for 400 or 500 NT dollars. drinks are usually 100 NT for two beers, The best time for trance is from May till November.. and there is usually a new years eve party somewhere, but it starts getting too cold for outdoor parties in Winter. There are usually only about 5 parties a year in taiwan, although we are trying to stimulate the scene and hold more.

[2009] Beautiful locations in THAILAND

• written by Venus Vibes

Koh Phangan

Hello and welcome back to Koh Phangan, a beautiful island in the gulf of southern Thailand. It’s a destination well known as the centre for psychedelic trance in southeast Asia and for the natural environment including the best beaches in southern Thailand.

Today you can find psychedelic trance, progressive and the up coming of a darker style. The party culture aside, Koh Phangan is a place to relax, kick back and enjoy the breath taking nature, beaches, culture, cuisine and the friendly locals.

The Experience Festival

The highlight of the year, next to the islands biggest monthly party "the Fullmoon", was the Experience Festival held in Koh Tao at the end of 2008. It started on the 30th of December and ended on the evening of the 2nd of January. It was an excellent way to welcome in the New Year with a perfect combination of sound and decorations with panoramic views from a new and exciting location.

Joining the resident DJs were special guests and friends: Scotty, Antaro, Sabai Sabai and Samadhi. Bringing a special twist to pumping progressive, deep dark night Psy and the melodic morning tunes. This was a small festival professionally organised by DJs Leung and Johnny of Blackmoon culture and Ban Sabaii, which will continue to grow after this first success.

Parties

The second biggest event is without doubt the Halfmoon festival, which is held bimonthly in the jungle of Bantai. The decoration transforms the night of the jungle into a mystical psychedelic grove, which attracts a crowd of up to 2,000 people. The organizer DJ Jao with the resident DJs: Patt, Note, Ping, Psyfrog and their international guests make this a venue you shouldn’t miss.

Of a similar size, the Blackmoon party is located on the beach in Bantai. It’s held once per month and is organised by DJ Leung with resident DJs: Sabai Sabai, Johnny and Koi. The decorations bring light to darkness; combined with the sound and cool sea breeze you will be dancing way past sunrise. The mystical Blackmoon is certainly a darker celebration you will never forget.

While a smaller organisation, the Shivamoon Family has earned themselves a reputation for hosting a psychedelic event. It’s held bimonthly and has a new location in a little valley, just a stones throw from the old party place in the jungle of Bantai . The resident DJs: Kazumi, Sattwah, Rangun and Djane Venus Vibes will pin back your ears and keep your eyes wide open, while taking you on an unforgettable psychedelic journey in a uniquely decorated venue.

For those seeking a psychedelic experience in the jungle where better to go than to the Jungle Experience. Deep in the dark jungle of Bantai, this location has also been the home of the Dark Psy event. The resident DJs: Leung, Johnny, Oli with Dj/ Vj Silver combine their distinctive sound and light energy in perfect harmony.

Located on the sunset side of the west coast is the well-known Moonset party, which is held three days before and two days after the Fullmoon. Nestled in a small alcove with its own private beach you will find a pirate ship, a rocking sound system and the residents. The ship houses the bar on the first floor and chill out area on the second. The Bumping sound of the resident DJs: Rangun, Djane Venus Vibes and friends will guarantee you a special night filled with fun and laughter.

If you are still thirsty for more, after dancing the whole night to the morning you’ll be heading to Ban Sabaii the Day party. Held after every Fullmoon, Halfmoon, Blackmoon, Shivamoon and Jungle Experience. It’s located in Bantai with an ever-growing variety of decorations, which makes this beachfront location the perfect day party venue to dance laugh and swim for all party piggies ;). Two new projects of DJs Leung and Johnny, the organizers of Ban Sabaii are the Acid moon. A dark psy night and Progression, a progressive trance night. Both of which have taken off offering a full nights entertainment of the aforementioned style.

For the travelling trancer this destination is a must. If your planning a trip to Southeast Asia don’t forget to pack your party shoes and sun cream. With both a strong trance party scene and relaxing nature, budget on staying a lot longer than three days when planning a trip to Koh Phangan.

Bangkok

• written by LoveDave

DJ Jacky´s Ooze Bar in Rambutri road, parallel to Khao San road, is doing a good job at pumping some serious bass into the street. It’s not the only street bar in the area, but the most well known one and with a passion for what they’re doing. Occasionally, you will run into some DJs such as Psy Atmah and the staff is always informed about what’s happening in Thailand’s trance scene. Tickets for most events are available at the counter. The atmosphere varies widely, but especially after a recent trance event you will find a crowd that might take their last energy to the streets and shake whichever part of their body is still flexible.

Ezze at RCA (the biggest nightlife spot for the city’s younger crowd) plays some kind of trance almost every day of the week, closed only on Mondays. Apart from Friday and Saturday you will run into no other guests though. Psychedelic music is usually on on either Fridays or Saturdays, sometimes both. You have to be lucky to come during a night with more than a handful people, but music is usually outstanding and despite the tiny location, dancing is fun and the crowd is international. Recently though Sabai Sabai and Jacky have been playing rather regularly. Business has been picking up ever since and Saturday nights are always worthwhile. Mostly Bangkok residents.

DDM is off Khao San Road on Rachadamnern Road. Walk on Khao San Road towards the police station, turn left when you come to the end of the road, and follow the sidewalk on your right hand side for about ten minutes. DDM has regular trance parties, which usually are announced on Goabase. Apart from that, especially during weekends, it’s always worth a visit. The location is tiny, but I haven’t seen one bad DJ so far. Music normally ranges from trance to drum’n’bass. Go there with five buddies or so, you will fill up the dance floor and have a great time.

The hidden lake

There also is a pretty little town close to Bangkok. On an average day, probably no trance whatsoever can be found – but if there is, it is the destination in Thailand. It is common for Thais to charter a float, dragged along by a little boat, with a dance floor on it. People have wild parties that last for the night and nobody objects to what people do. There is a huge (!) artificial lake, created by a dam, and floats can go out far enough so they won´t be heard by anyone except the party people.

When it’s time for "Moon Mountain" as the party is called, the organizers rent three floats: one for dancing, one for chilling, one for sleeping. For three days. Non-stop. Either the journey leads to a tiny island, or just randomly across the lake. Beautiful party, usually with around fifty people, three days smiles and superior sound.

[2009] Flourished and evolved in the UK

• written by Psionic Entity

The UK Psytrance scene's popularity has seen a steady increase over the last few years. It has flourished and evolved in all directions, stemming from London, where multiple club and squat parties happen on a weekly basis, it has spread right across our vibrant Island. Most of the major cities have at least one regular night, and in the summer months there’s plenty of intimate outdoor parties and festivals, meaning wherever you are in the UK, you don’t have to travel far to find the music and vibe we all love!

Considering our less than ideal climate for Psytrance parties, I think it says allot for the atmosphere, popularity and general vibe of UK Psy parties that trancers from all over the world flock to organise & attend what we have on offer. Utilization of the internet has really helped get all the different tribes connected. Psymusic UK Forum is the place to get up to speed with what’s what across the UK. Then there’s the Celtic Psytrance Forum which has a more intimate vibe, focused on the vibrant northern underground scene. Everywhere you go there is a real sense of community amongst the organisers and party goers alike.

The preferred style of Psytrance in the UK is most definitely Full On, but look a bit harder and you will find that the Darkpsy scene in UK is just starting to really take off.

There has always been plenty of groundbreaking Psy music coming out of the UK from some of the world’s biggest labels that started it all...Tip, Transient, Twisted, Liquid…now newer labels such as Phar Psyde, Catawampus & Kundalini. There are also a lot of small underground labels springing up, giving the many up and coming producers a platform to get their music heard. Labels such as Wonkay, Cosmogenisis & Sacred Media. Another really vibrant scene, particularly in the South of England is Nu-School Breaks. This has collided with Psytrance music to form Psybreaks. At many Psy nights you can now also hear this exciting new cross over genre. Labels such as Archangel, Funkatech & Broken Robot Recordings are ones to look out for.

London has a multitude of Clubs and Squat parties happening every weekend. There’s massive multi room parties like Alpha Omega & Wonky Disco & warehouse parties with international lineups from crews like Venom & Mystic Systems. If you visit London you may want to check out the Stables Market in Camden. This is where you will find the highest concentration of Psytrance music & psychedelic & alternative fashion shops. Also the best place to pick up flyers for the latest parties and 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. Crews like Illminaughty & UV Hybrid in Manchester, Soma Sonic & Alien Resonance in Liverpool, Fatmoon & Planet Zogg in Sheffield, Kulu in Bradford and Planet Monkey in Edinburgh.

The summer months hold plenty of reasons to enjoy the beautiful UK countryside, there’s nothing quite like British Festivals, inhibitions go out the window and things have a tendency of getting really silly! We don’t have too many festivals dedicated solely to Psytrance, 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 the Glade, Waveform, Offworld, & Sunrise Celebration, then there are plenty of more intimate festivals like Thimbleberry and Bearded Theory. As well as all the festivals that happen, there are many small outdoor parties that happen too. For more information, your best bet is to log onto the forums and get chatting!

[2009] Stomping It Down in the USA

• written by Tena Moore and assisted by many U.S. promoters

While the East and West Coasts were the first areas to embrace psychedelic trance culture, the rest of the country is catching up quickly. With Burning Man culture growing by the tens of thousands every year, and the Internet making it easy to find psytrance music and parties, psytrance is steadily covering the map. The major hotspots with the most events are currently New York and Northern California.

West Coast

Los Angeles drew attention to the global scene after major artists like Infected Mushroom and Hallucinogen moved there in 2006 with the interest of scoring for film. Once the central hub of the west-coast scene, it unfortunately no longer as active as it once was since Green Sector, the major promoter since the turn of the millennium, has discontinued regular events at Gold Creek Ranch. However, long-time promoter Psytribe is still currently throwing regular and excellent events near L.A., making use of a fantastic new outdoor venue on sovereign Native American land. Their parties tend to focus on the darker shades of psytrance. Another recently developed crew Terrakroma has also been throwing excellent regular events.

In Northern California, Phoenix Family and Full Circle will bring the annual Gemini Festival again this summer, June 12-15. Over the years Gemini has secured 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. 17-21 and in the last few years has had turnouts of over 1,000 people, making it currently the largest annual psytrance gathering in the U.S.

In San Francisco, Geomagnetic.tv consistently throws indoor and outdoor parties with national and international talent, while Synchronize - a weekly party held every Wed. night in a small restaurant/bar called Il Pirata - is going five years strong. Tantra always offers a New Year’s Eve party and represents our scene at Love Fest, followed by massive after-parties. The How Weird Street Faire will be celebrating their 10th year in the streets of San Francisco, with 2 trance stages by CCC and Tantra on May 10th. Currently popular international artists such as Chromatone, Ghreg On Earth and Random saw their beginnings in San Francisco.

Oregon, specifically Portland and Eugene have seen significant growth in activity since the Contact Festival in 2007. Current events are thrown by Catharsis Crew Chickenhed and StarCatchers. Several key promoters like Apollo's Lute, who organized many years of Goa Gil parties on the fall equinox, and Metakinetics who held the Sacred Space monthly gatherings and others have been disbanded, though many of their former members are still very active in the scene. However, a new group of promoters including We Are One Events and Rebirth in Eugene and others in Portland who do not identify themselves under crew names have carried the torch. Long-time organizer Molecular also recently relocated most of its efforts here. Travelers are advised to consult nw-psy.com for current information. Popular artists in the area include Freaks of Nature and Secret Society.

Seattle saw a surge of activity in 2007 and 2008 with huge events by Iosis Art Parties and some progressive psy activity at Oracle. Current events are hosted by the Skeleton Crew and Molecular.

East Coast

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, August 7-9. Touch Samadhi's yearly Equinox Festival will end the summer in Asheville, September 18-20.

In New York, the summer season features Alladin Group's 3rd Orb Festival, July 9-12. YogiBogeyBox is throwing its first festival, Desiderata, August 6-9. Both festivals are taking place at Echo Lake Campgrounds in the mountains outside of the city. There are also weekly parties, secret outdoor forest parties, and other special events...check the psyNY mailing list for details.

Midwest

The top festival crew of the Midwest is the Chicago-based Chilluminati. This year they will have Sacred Earth Open Air festival in May 2009 in Black River Falls, WI, and Earthdance in September 2009. It is definitely worth noting that their chill-out lineups are as top-notch as their trance. Mindoutpsyde from Iowa currently have a large one-night outdoor event called Fractal Fields on June 20, and are currently planning a 3-day event of undecided name at the end of August or early September.

Northeast (Ohio/Pennsylvania)

Currently in its eighth year, the 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. This year it will be held at a new location in Maryland, June 11-14. In Ohio, the newly formed Third Eye Squeegee crew with members from Goahead and Sidetrakkt are featuring the regions first outdoor psytrance festival, Junction 604, taking place May 22-24.

Southwest

The southwest, though smaller compared to other scenes in the country, is growing fast, with most of the action taking place in Phoenix and Denver. Psytrance was first brought from the westcoast via parties thrown by Moontribe at 3sidedwhole outside Albuquerque, New Mexico and in the Arizona desert. Metakinetics and Family Moons held events there at the turn of the millennium. Psytrance artists like Planewalker and Johnny Primitiv had their beginnings in the southwest. Colorado has seen a surge of new faces starting in 2007, leading to the birth of Mountain Vision and Sound/Mind, hosting events in the Denver area and in the beautiful Colorado open air.

Burning Man

There are currently regional burns in 24 states, and last year Black Rock City, Nevada was home to 48,000 people. This year it will be held from Aug. 31-Sep. 7, with Evolution as the theme.