Common motifs & religious iconography in Goa trance (and the benefits of using it)

[Richpa]

Goa Trance music got rich history. That same history was built as something which can be described as innovation, at least it was back then when electronic music started to build it's foundations. We're all familiar with the fact that psychedelic rock and folk scene tend to use the iconography of Hindu religion back in the days, and the complete feeling and spirit of hippie movement was later on set and incorporated into this genre that we all love so much. In the golden age of Goa trance music, during the mid 90s, many album and compilation artworks and visuals had symbols such as Om or representation of Hindu gods. I'm not saying here that each and every artist and label tend to follow that trend, but somehow, it became a popular thing and some sort of visual recognition factor of the music.

Now, 20 years later when we finally got a solid revival of that same genre, we're seeing some of the labels and artists who are still following that visual trend. I don't have any problems with Oms or Hindu religion overall, I actually think it's very interesting, just like any other religion, but I do have a problem with the exploatation of the religious iconography nowdays, especially in Goa trance genre. I respect many Goa trance labels who are doing their best to actually promote music in best possible way (music-wise and visual-wise), by exploring different themes, motifs, presenting interesting visual works, introducing different themes, giving some smart and tought-provoking compilation names. To give you an example, labels such as Cronomi and Suntrip are doing some nice job when it comes to exploration of different themes.

Now you might ask me why I have a problem with the ones who are placing Oms, Shivas on their artworks and Goa in their compilation names. Actually I don't have any problem with them, I think they are doing it because that same iconography doesn't represent the ''feeling and spirit'' of the original hippie movement or the epicentre of Goa music back in 90's, instead, it became a powerful, and in my opinion, succesful promotional/marketing trick how to achieve better results in terms of sales or how to reach more people.

Logic here is very simple, instead of trying to be a little bit more creative, for the sake of recognition some labels/artists are ready to apply all thoose symbols and motifs, not to send the message or to tell a story, but to use it as a tool, something which will give them an easier recognition and it will play well - Goa trance noobs will get their fix of Hindu imagery because they don't know about anything other than Oms, alien faces and fractals, and oldschool heads will probably get the nostalgia feeling for the old Goa-Head compilations. The message isn't important here, the first factor is to have strict imagery (preferable Om or Shiva representation) on the artwork and the ''Goa'' in the compilation name.

Many people will probably disagree with me and my view about this subject (which might be wrong) and I can respect that, but I really think, for the sake of Goa trance and it's prosper, we all should care more about the diversity that we're presenting and paying a tribute to, not only through music (Goa trance isn't music only), but through the imagery, themes, motifs aswell. I'm one of thoose who is sick and tired of this overused and conventional promotional trick which lost it's meaning and the message long time ago and I really need a lot more Shaltus, The Portals and Auryns.

Thanks for reading.

[johnb820]

I miss when goa trance was about aliens.

[Balance]

As much as I dislike then and now the religious iconography I've actually found some artists do follow the belief systems and therefore it's IMO ok to use the symbolism, but if it's for marketing then yeah that's kinda wrong but hasn't western civilization always stolen from other cultures and used this for their own benefits? Either way I always preferred alien imagery or futuristic robot/city type images as this is how the music has always felt for me.

[franki]

I don't have an issue with it myself in the main.

The scene did start in Goa after all, so I think at least some claim to Hindu imagery is justified and, as has been said already, some artists follow Hindu or Buddhist philosophies.

I'm not keen when an album covered in Hindu Icons and with spiritual wisdom quoted on the inlay has ridiculous TV vocal samples, a proliferation of swear words and that kind of thing. That I feel is disrespectful.

[Guest The Hypnotic LFO Room]

+ 1000

 

Just as the many who constantly say "Boom" without ever being in India or knowing the meaning of the word all the Hindu pseudo religious visuals are nothing but a trend. I've personally avoided it for years now (I am also guilty of using it in track names in the beginning of my goa-trance "career") and find it a bit old to say the least.

 

For me the music speak by itself and do not need any "trendy" gimmicks.

[Penzoline]

I really don't care so as long as it looks good to me. I actually really like it when someone takes those motifs and puts their own twist on it.

 

Could do with less basic photoshop and stealing artwork though. For the latter I still see it on a daily basis, especially these low production quality releases on psyshop tend to have copyrighted artwork on them without permission what-so-ever. Scene is so tiny though that nobody seems to care or even notice.

[johnb820]

I guess I am guilty of using the Hindu motifs but only because I genuinely connect with a lot of the ideas. My track Tantric Tarantism has a very important meaning to me.

 

Tantric is the adjective form of tantra which in a global context can be broadly defined as a "spiritual practice". Tarantism is defined as "a psychological illness characterized by an extreme impulse to dance." Wikipedia describes tarantism as "a phenomenon that is consistent with mass psychogenic illness."

 

I felt this so accurately described the feeling of trance dance to one caught up in the physical act of dancing to the rhythm of this fast paced intense crazy music and the hysteria that others seem to only be able to see from the outside.

[Dolmot]

Bah. Like it or not, the Oriental/Indian/Goa connection has become so strong that it's one of the best established, even defining features of this scene, all the way to the name of a (sub)genre. For a comparison, take a look at metal and its different branches. Nobody probably denies that stuff like skulls, swords, spikes, blood, black shirts, near-illegible logos and grainy black-and-white forest scenes have been done to death (heh) already years ago. Nevertheless, those are recognisable features. Browse through a random pile of CDs and you can easily spot power metal from its chrome, folk metal from its medieval look, and black metal from its grain. Then you can dress similarly on a festival and connect with other people. Things like that form the scene and differentiate it from other genres.

 

Inevitably, you'll also find a crapload of people who very cleverly spot these recurring themes and decide to think different. That's nice.

 

I think what's really bugging you is cheap production, not its content per se. It's very possible to follow a theme yet to bring a new twist to it. The other option is to rip the first Shiva image found by Google search and a chant from a '95 sample CD, already appearing in dozens of tracks. Or mushrooms on fractals...sometimes it's hard to tell whether people are really trying or just being nostalgic / tongue in cheek. Like in metal.

 

Full respect to people who try (and manage) to innovate, but it's not that terrible either to follow the established themes as long as there's something noteworthy in the overall product. Plain copy-paste definitely appears just lazy and pointless.

[GagaISM]

I could talk about this for hours, but I'll try and keep it short. The Goa/Trance scene in Copenhagen, as I experienced it in the late 90'es, was quite a gritty place to be. Lot's of criminals, excessive drug use, parties organized by gangsters etc. So that's the vibe I connect Goa with. Dark and mysterious urban electronic music. I've never been to India, so...

[Guest The Hypnotic LFO Room]

I could talk about this for hours, but I'll try and keep it short. The Goa/Trance scene in Copenhagen, as I experienced it in the late 90'es, was quite a gritty place to be. Lot's of criminals, excessive drug use, parties organized by gangsters etc. So that's the vibe I connect Goa with. Dark and mysterious urban electronic music. I've never been to India, so...

 

It was quite the opposite in the early 90's in Copenhagen

[GagaISM]

Yeah that's what I heard.

[Ake]

Well, 1st question here should/could be: Do these Hindu deities actually exist? Let's assume they exist. Obviously they don't really care about what's going on in this physical world. So maybe they just act as spirits, inspiring people to be creative and people place those religious pictures on their works without actually knowing why. Seems to be an explanation for me, as i don't believe in that hippie blabla that every human is a creator being. There's a huge difference between being creative and being an actual creator being... anybody understand what i'm talking about?

[RTP]

I do admit that I don't like the ever-recurring use of the religious symbols and names anymore either -- even though I have an artistic reference to one of these symbols aswell for my avatar ... yet what else for a visual hint is there ... even the alien themes get old slowly, as well as the drug references (go to a party nowadays that has cheap visuals and you'll know why)...

 

Dolmot's post up there sums it up really well to me.

And I have been quite attracted by the symbols myself ... bashing them now feels kinda wrong.

So it's fine after all that these features define this scene ... at least when they don't take the cheapest photoshop effects...

[Imba]

My motifs are mostly cosmic. I take inspiration from space stuff, i see Goa as cosmic music, language and message of peace for all civilizations out there

 

 

But drugs, shivas, buddhas, goas, tribes, oms, plurs will always be good in promotional purpose. Some tracks might not be that good but because of the name they will become classic in some 10-15 years...