The harsh reality... Why Psytrance has become shit

[RTP]

About drugs ... we here in Austria have this institution that comes to parties with lab equipment and offers to test the drugs anonymously.

And I have to say, it's very interesting for me to watch the wall where they post the results...

 

I can't say I ever saw more cocaine around.

On the last party I was just little more than a week ago there were seven (7even) results on the drug test wall saying "should contain: cocaine; contains: cocaine + levamisol" -- and that were only the ones that contained something else, there was even more cocaine tested there, some of it pure and some of it containing "cocaine, levamisol + unknown substance"

Years ago cocaine was in the minority ... it has upped quite some.

The mushrooms and lsd are still there, but it's declining. Interestingly, that stuff tends to get more pure and less laced with other substances. Speaks to me:

'acid is not attractive to buy on the street anymore' ... the acid heads are obviously "falling back" into their community. But all them new kids on the block want to try the cocaine from the bad pushers who lace it... speaks for their culture, always on the look for a thrill, not laid back anymore.... ok sorry not all are like that but you get the point.

 

But here's another, more weirder thing:

Years ago I could dance with my eyes closed and never felt uncomfortable, I could almost "sleep dancing" and feel 'warm and cozy' if I may say so ... now when I close my eyes for too long while dancing it's like I feel some eyes staring at me from the side or a dark, unidentifiable mass coming at me from the back ... OK it's not that I am paranoid, but it just doesn't feel so good anymore...

I wonder where this stems from. Is it the music? Are the tracks now laced with subliminal soundscapes that suggest this feeling? It's hard to get one self together and really check what's what sound wise when the bass is so loud that the kicks make my teeth grind and the basslines make all the hairs on my body vibrate. Because the sound itself has a louder volume nowadays too. Not always for the good...

[Veracohr]

But here's another, more weirder thing:

Years ago I could dance with my eyes closed and never felt uncomfortable, I could almost "sleep dancing" and feel 'warm and cozy' if I may say so ... now when I close my eyes for too long while dancing it's like I feel some eyes staring at me from the side or a dark, unidentifiable mass coming at me from the back ... OK it's not that I am paranoid, but it just doesn't feel so good anymore...

I wonder where this stems from. Is it the music? Are the tracks now laced with subliminal soundscapes that suggest this feeling? It's hard to get one self together and really check what's what sound wise when the bass is so loud that the kicks make my teeth grind and the basslines make all the hairs on my body vibrate. Because the sound itself has a louder volume nowadays too. Not always for the good...

I haven't been to very many parties on average since about 15 years ago, but I think I've experienced what you describe. I always assumed it was just personal, that it was ME who changed and not something around me. But my personality is such that I always assume there's something wrong with ME before I look elsewhere.

[astralprojection]

ive learned that rotwang has a very good taste in psytrance. i think though - most psytrance these days tend to be too much fullon, and "too crisp" sound 'quality'. When Access virus TI made an entrance, you could hear it, as many artitsts ran alot of mixing thru that synth, and its evident in many many tracks.

These days I think there is a similar trend going around, although i cant pinpoint a culprit - but most psytrance sounds alike.

goatrance is starting to go down that road too, but the nature of goatrance wont allow it to get TOO similar, though, which is nice.

few genres are as complex as goatrance, and its just no way most goatrance will sound TOO similar.

but psytrance and especially psytrance with the rolling 3 note one-note basslines - tend to sound extremely similar.

Sometimes, even older psytrance and fullon from Talamasca and Electric Universe - can sound exactly the same.

 

Compare the psytrance by MWNN from the epic and genious album Interstate Highway - with his latests sound. They are completely different as even MWNN has gone into the vortex of "too crisp" 'sound quality' and its no longer easily identified as MWNN.

 

Same symptom that happened with the virus, then stopped happening for a while - then started happening again, and even a gangstar like MWNN with his latest stuff does it.

it takes away the soul of the music - when the mixing is too perfect.

 

luckily as said goatrance cant go into the same destiny as its too complex for it to sound perfect. and even when it does sound perfect, like artifact303 and nova fractal - its still unique enough cause few artists can even make it work.

like literally, you can count them on one hand.

 

psytrance and fullon especially - but even dark psytrance - just sounds way too similar these days.

 

Psykovsky, for example, sounds very unique due to his amazing talent, even though his music is horrifying, cause its so real and "synaptic", he still has unique style in mixing, too, i mean Wishful Sinful is still amazing and i can never get bored of that one, but alot of forest and dark is currently stuck in this strange mixing vortex where everything just sounds too similar, just when virus TI was the hype.

 

Ok, that was one of the most incoherent posts ive made yet. If anyone can make complete sense of it, congrats!

[RTP]

I haven't been to very many parties on average since about 15 years ago, but I think I've experienced what you describe. I always assumed it was just personal, that it was ME who changed and not something around me. But my personality is such that I always assume there's something wrong with ME before I look elsewhere.

Very interesting! I am happy to hear I'm not the only one who has this feeling.

 

I don't know, maybe there is a factor that I myself have changed, but I have a feeling that this is enhanced by outer factors who amplify it a great deal...

 

The sound doubtlessly is a factor too ... but as astralprojection said, I also can't pinpoint a single synth or production technique to be responsible for it. Seems to be more complex.

[Guest The Hypnotic LFO Room]

I do not care about genres and I am sure there's pretty cool tunes out there in the underground scenes. But today's psytrance (what the masses call psytrance) has moved onto big massive parties and festivals where it's all about sounding the same (because that's what the ordinary Joe wants according to the organizers and the artists who gets booked).

 

Personally I cannot stand the "Machinegun" basslines and the fact that almost every psytrance tune sound the same.

 

A few weeks back I asked some of my old friends (who used to make Goatrance back in the 90's) why they make this stereotype psytrance today. One of them did answer and he told me because that's what people want on the dancefloor. To me that is very weird. It's like eating cheese even though you do not like it just because everyone else does it.

 

To me that is the essence of selling out.

 

I believe that is what's wrong with today's psytrance. It has sold out (not speaking about the underground).

[Imba]

Simple:

[johnb820]

[Starkraver]

^^ Both are classics

[Paul Eye]

I can't say I ever saw more cocaine around.

Yeah. What's this with coke sneaking into the psy scene? Or maybe it's been there for a long time, but for someone like me (who doesn't really dabble in the drugs part of the scene) to to notice its presence maybe tells you something.

And I find it a bit alarming. Is the partying and getting wasted aspect getting more important than the music and a good atmosphere? And not just because of the coke but overall.

I guess this is partly why I've been going less and less to parties these past years. Of course I still play but at least I try to make a difference, as in "play something most people wouldn't play these days".

[Rasalom]

Yeah. What's this with coke sneaking into the psy scene? Or maybe it's been there for a long time, but for someone like me (who doesn't really dabble in the drugs part of the scene) to to notice its presence maybe tells you something.

And I find it a bit alarming. Is the partying and getting wasted aspect getting more important than the music and a good atmosphere? And not just because of the coke but overall.

I guess this is partly why I've been going less and less to parties these past years. Of course I still play but at least I try to make a difference, as in "play something most people wouldn't play these days".

It's always been around. It's never been my cup 'o chai, but many people do enjoy it.

 

I saw it in psy parties in the mid 90's.

[Paul Eye]

It's always been around. It's never been my cup 'o chai, but many people do enjoy it.

 

I saw it in psy parties in the mid 90's.

I suspected as much

[astralprojection]

Yeah. What's this with coke sneaking into the psy scene? Or maybe it's been there for a long time, but for someone like me (who doesn't really dabble in the drugs part of the scene) to to notice its presence maybe tells you something.

And I find it a bit alarming. Is the partying and getting wasted aspect getting more important than the music and a good atmosphere? And not just because of the coke but overall.

I guess this is partly why I've been going less and less to parties these past years. Of course I still play but at least I try to make a difference, as in "play something most people wouldn't play these days".

Interesting, didnt realise Coke made its way to psytrance.

But it doesnt surprise me if "talented" cokeheads produce psytrance. That generic sound might appeal to the high of coke.

No idea never tried it.

 

But its definetely something that indeed could have influence.

 

Oh well. Doesnt matter. There are plenty of good psytrance to go along

Just re-discovering Whizzy Noise is a real pleasure.

Fractal Glider too

and while Ananda Shake might be a bit cheesy at least they still have their own soundscape, while the music itself might be a bit generic.

I just love the party vibe they have when performing the remix of spiritual healing on this video:

the smile of the girl and her genuine dancing just makes me smile too. Also the fact that that one guy mimes the sounds with his mouth is just a telltalle sign he is really into it. Also love the way he dances ^^

too bad most of the croud sucks. but ive seen worse.

 

 

 

Also Liquid Soul is still great.

And nothing beats Neuromotor at ozora completely epic and that track is definately built for large PA speakers

 

and for high goosebumb factor,

 

also compltely love the croud. they are tired as fuck since its his last track but still they go like "OMG this is sooo good"

dude with black shirt and dreads seems like a really awesome guy for some reason

and the dude in no sheart and a cowl really has his two-step trancedance down

[Rotwang]

But today's psytrance (what the masses call psytrance) has moved onto big massive parties and festivals where it's all about sounding the same (because that's what the ordinary Joe wants according to the organizers and the artists who gets booked).

Some of it has, and some of it hasn't. Obviously there are still plenty of underground events playing psytrance.

[Guest The Hypnotic LFO Room]

Some of it has, and some of it hasn't. Obviously there are still plenty of underground events playing psytrance.

Did you read what I wrote? If not read it again. I wrote exactly what you say

[RTP]

I do not care about genres and I am sure there's pretty cool tunes out there in the underground scenes. But today's psytrance (what the masses call psytrance) has moved onto big massive parties and festivals where it's all about sounding the same (because that's what the ordinary Joe wants according to the organizers and the artists who gets booked).

 

Personally I cannot stand the "Machinegun" basslines and the fact that almost every psytrance tune sound the same.

 

That would be my perception aswell...

 

Well, I guess until the 'bandwagons of the masses' have passed through I'll just try to hide in a dark corner. It can only be for a few more years

[Imba]

There was goa, then fullon and now progressive... it will pass in few years for sure. Something new will come up (hopefuly not offbeat only prog lol)

[astralprojection]

goa is bigger than ever now though and i suspect weve yet to experience the very best.

[Colin OOOD]

It's always been around. It's never been my cup 'o chai, but many people do enjoy it.

 

I saw it in psy parties in the mid 90's.

I could tell some stories but I wouldn't want to destroy anyone's idols.

[Kitrinos]

I could tell some stories but I wouldn't want to destroy anyone's idols.

 

I personally don't consider the artists I like as idols. I just see you guys as regular people with their flaws who make awesome crazy music because they like it . That's why for me goa/psy trance is the underground scene mainly, definitely not what's happening in most festivals, as Kristian mentioned.

So yeah, in some cases perhaps things went wrong or even out of control. It won't make much of a difference to me, so if you want, you can spit them out, I personally don't care

[Paul Eye]

I could tell some stories but I wouldn't want to destroy anyone's idols.

I don't have any idols so there's not really much to destroy

Art is most often fuelled by some level of decadence, so it's quite understandable (even if I personally don't endorse it).

[Ormion]

It's pretty interesting how much the perception of today's scene varies depending on if you go to parties or festivals or not.

From what I'm reading in this thread it's not that psytrance has become shit, but large parties has become shit.

As someone who hasn't gone to a party or festival since 2010 my opinion is pretty different.

 

Psytrance has not become shit. It just sits in the resting couch. Psytrance/goatrance changed pretty fast from 1994 to 2004. I don't think any other music genre at least in electronic music evolved that fast. The last years psytrance has become pretty stable...like a normal music genre. Most of the stuff is the same, some artists try to experiment, there are more extreme variations of both cheesiness and underground, stuff that's happening in every music.

Now if you compare today's psytrance to the classic 96-98 period it may sound shit (that depends if you're an old school goa fan). But I don't see much difference between 2015 psytrance and 2005 psytrance.

Let me remind you that 10 years ago we still complained about chessy full on, pop culture influencing our music, satanic darkpsy, cliched hindu goa and so on.

 

 

Now I only speak musically. I don't know what's happening in the parties or festivals. I don't now about cocaine or other drugs or scumbag organizers or douche artists. I don't know and frankly I don't care.

[Imba]

But I don't see much difference between 2015 psytrance and 2005 psytrance.

 

Now we have NHJO!

[exotic]

Hindu goa ? Thats a new one! you mean the music that comes with shiva on the cover and om namah shivay samples ?

[Ormion]

Hindu goa ? Thats a new one! you mean the music that comes with shiva on the cover and om namah shivay samples ?

Yeah, Goa cliches like Shiva on the cover, ohm, aliens etc. were always something some people complained about. It's nothing new.

[Trunksan]

I could tell some stories but I wouldn't want to destroy anyone's idols.

 

Some of my friends (obviously older than me) have been in the Goa/Psy/Trance scene since it's very early steps in Greece (1993ish) when the artists we now admire were doing their first steps (joti, max, frankie, tsyoshi, james monro, tristan ...) and since it was all underground and there was hardly any money been made, they often had to host the artists at their houses or at their friends' vacation homes by the beach or the mountains. They have a lot of stories about cocaine-induced private/home parties, especially a ritual they had where they sniffed coke from spinning vinyl.

 

Anyway, I find it very wierd that cocaine seems to have a universal appeal, from Pop to metal and electronic music. I never liked it and I always say : "If you do coke, you don't respect your own sweat (in the money-making sense)".

 

As for the topic, I think it's really a symptom of all kinds of music styles. At the beginning everything is formless and innovative but as the years go by it goes into forms and boxes and it's not easy for people to think out-of-the-box especially if they don't have other musical influences or musical education. Also, I think that the goa/psytrance crowd are just as narrow minded as metal-heads, indie-rockers, hip-hopers, technoers... I believe it's a universal thing, you see it everywhere, very few people actually expand their horizons into listening other stuff.