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I went to Goa a couple of times in the early 2000s and two cd albums that caught my attention because they were just everywhere for sale were MFG "The Prophecy" and Rastaliens "Freestyle". No other cds were as available as those two in Anjuna. I guess that someone, probably slightly obsessive and with good taste, just copied tons of each. This might be relevant because Goa, especially early on, crosses over with techno, trance, acid etc and has been seen as fluffy or cheesy. Just one example in the form of a question to make the point: was Technossomy a Platipus band or a Goa outfit? For every hands in the air Goa anthem, there is a darker minor part of the track, or another darker track, or another outfit making more introverted sounds. Darkness has been part of Goa from the beginning is what I'm saying. This is inevitable with a Dionysian cultural movement, because every euphoria has its come down or shadow. In the Shiva trance dance you have to navigate the darkest hour before the dawn when you are tired and the music is at its most intense. Moreover, as Magus so rightly observes, how could a space-themed style not be full of the infinite darkness between the stars? Whilst "The Prophecy" is not dark exactly, its main theme is ominous and MFG's industrial roots come through in the music. Rastaliens always lurked in the shadows. Goa in the 2000s was not the Goa of the late nineties, but I think the point still stands. What I like about this is that like any good art form Goa has its salt and pepper, its light and dark. It makes sense that we'd be more attuned to the dark side now, given the darker times in which we are currently living. Do we see more eco-apocalypse, conspiracy, horror, and so on, in contemporary trance? But forget all that, in the true spirit of darkness there can only be one dark lord: X E N O M O R P H muaaaahhhhahahahaha

Can't believe nobody has mentioned cybernetika - scythe of Orion!!!! Absolute monster of a dark goa album