A History of Psytrance
The Origins and Contemporary Scene of the Genre
Origins of the Genre
In the late 1990s, psychedelic trance – or psytrance at it has affectionately become known – developed from the established Goa trance scene. The 2 terms are mostly synonymous, although the words ‘Goa trance’ are now almost defunct as very few contemporary artists would describe their music as falling under this heading.
Influential artists such as Timeshard and Eat Static, both on the Planet Dog record label, helped transform psytrance from a minor musical offshoot into a separate, and ultimately more popular, genre. It first broke into the mainstream in the UK around 1995 when the music press began to report on the exploding trend, followed by its inclusion into clubs and festivals.
Features and Characteristics
Although psytrance is heavily rooted in the distinctive electronic rhythms of its Goa origins, it has more sophisticated melodic devices and distinctive basslines that its predecessor. In addition, whilst Goa trance was usually made with hardware samplers and Modular synthesizers, modern pystrance uses VST and AU software sampler applications.
The sound and style have diversified considerably since its conception but the hypnotic arrangement of synthetic notes and the repetitive, mesmerising melodies that create the ‘psychedelic’ sound remain prominent features of the genre.
Psytrance also has a distinctively fast sound and uses a BPM of around 120 to 150 – higher than other forms of techno or trance music. The tracks tend to be between eight and twelve minutes long, allowing the music time to build up slowly, break down and rebuild again. Intense sequences of layering become heaviest at each climax before stripping the sound down to the continuous bass line and beginning as a new rhythmic pattern.
Harmony and melody don’t play much part in the success of a song – instead notes are taken along an implied scale derived from the drone pitch. Similarly, rhythms are often obscured by a synthesized echo effect – about 1/16th of a note – which adds to urgency and speed of the song.
Pioneering Tracks and Artists
The first pure Psychedelic trance label was Dragonfly Records which was formed by Martin Glover and for which he took advantage of the facilities and structure of his existing label, Butterfly Records. The studio became a centre of the London psytrance scene. Simon Posford, who later released the renowned album ‘ Twisted’ under the pseudonym Hallucinogen, worked here as a sound engineer.
The Club Scene
Despite being a centre of production in the 1990s, the actual party scene involving psytrance was limited in England. This was partly due to licensing laws and early closing times in nightclubs which never really allowed the genre to rake off. With more liberal legislation in Germany, psytrance developed overseas in the wake of the popularity of European techno artists.
With the increase in illegal rave parties in the UK, psytrance grew in status and reputation and ended up with something of a cult following. However, since electronic music has become more and more mainstream in recent years, the harder genre of psytrance has seen its audience dwindle in favour of the sharp synthesized rhythms of DJs like Soulwax and Erol Alkan who have taken the club scene by storm by appealing to younger party-goers.
It’s still possible to find good psytrance parties though – especially in a city with as wide-ranging and diverse nightlife as London. Jack’s nightclub in London Bridge hosts an event every month which attracts renowned contemporary DJs while other big clubs often have psytance nights, even if they are not regular features. Don't Stay In has listings by genre that allows you to locate the one you want.
For a more intense psytrance experience, Sonica Music Festival, held every year in Cinque Terre, Italy during August will provide you with three solid days and nights. With names as big as Hallucinogen flying out to headline, this is far from a minor festival – and it will provide you with the sort of unforgettable experience only that much psytrance can create.
