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Interview: Luminous Samael ॐ Audiognomes // Anomalistic ॐ Wisconsin

14 Thursday Jun 2012

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How did you end up in the psychedelic trance scene?

I happened upon the scene thanks to my Brother who took me to my first Psy festival. It was actually thrown by the Audiognomes in August of 2005 and was called Dreamfields. I was struck by how open people were compared to the “traditional” Raves that I had attended in my younger years. And the Music! I had of course listened to Psytrance for some time at that point, however I never got the chance to see it in person (rather than listening to my brother mix in the basement, which was cool when playing video games), which is a dramatic difference. Having come from a highly diverse musical background, I felt very quickly that I had found Home. I had found a group of people from completely different backgrounds, brought together by this music. By early June of 2006, after The Chilluminati threw the first Sacred Earth Open Air, there was no going back for me.

Tell me about Audiognomes, where are you all from? 

The Audiognomes was originally a primarily Madison, WI based organization. Through out the years we have had some members move on due to careers, family, graduating college, etc. So as time went on we began asking people from around the midwest to join us, and we currently have quite a diverse group. Being an Audiognome means becoming part of a Family and we are quite selective in who we ask to join. We base it on our impression of a person, not just their skills behind the decks or with producing, but their drive, ambition, and personality. We’re driven not by ego, but by our passion. Each of us is driven by our passion for this music, and our wish is to be a conduit for the music that we bring.


Updated mix, downtempo, soundscapes.

How would you describe the music scene is in Wisconsin?

The music scene in Wisconsin has changed over the years. Back in the early 90’s through the early 2000’s there were gradually larger parties to the point where every other weekend there would be a Rave in Madison, heck, Daft Punk played in Madison in 1996 (I was too young at that time, pity). Then it kind of fizzled out for a while. Counties around the state had passed strict sound codes and there was fewer properties where a private event could be held. I went to three Raves between 2001 and August 2005, one was the last big outdoor party in Wisconsin called Rejuvination, and the other two were eight hours away in Illinois… I was under 21 at the time and that made it hard to be at a club/bar where most people played after the big Raves ended, and also where the Psy scene in Madison really started in 2003.

I gradually I fell out of the loop due to my age. And then Ben started telling me about these club parties that I couldn’t go to with this awesome music… However a majority of people preferred breakcore, dnb, house and techno oriented genres and had a general distaste for anything including the word “trance”, as a result many events or clubs would not even consider Psytrance. After our primary venue in Madison closed. We were quite limited as to where we could play in Madison. We have had bars let us do monthly events for a time over the years, but the audience wasn’t building to what the owners wanted. We’re working on spreading our name around town to fix that. But in the mean time I have these wonderful festivals to play at, which are usually a few hours away, however well worth the trip.

What was it that drew you to becoming a DJ?

I was bored with just updating the website. I kid. I was drawn to become a DJ not only because of what you can do with an audience, but also in a large part due to my Brothers influence. It looked fun and I wanted part of it. But I was always too nervous to start, wasn’t sure which “style” I would play. For quite a few years people would ask continuously “When are you going to start playing like your brother?” I always said I was taking my time, and I was. I was watching how it was done and I had some very good teachers. Also I was really bored with just updating the website. 

How long did it take before you started playing out?

Quite a while considering all the bugging at every damn festival or party I would go to about when I would become a DJ like my brother.

Again, I kid.

In all honesty it took me two to three years before I was ready to take the plunge. I feel like waiting that time has helped me take into perspective the feel of the audience. It has given me a different point of view that I take into consideration. Yes, I could play 200+ BPM for an entire set, but I then think “What would I do if I was in the audience?” Playing that fast is intense, not only for me but for the audience, you have some control of your audiences emotions and it is important in my view to take that into consideration.

On a side note I have not posted a mix in a few years… I’ll do my best to change that. However over 120 mixes are located at www.audiognomes.com

Interview: Psytrancess ॐ AtlantaPsy ॐ Georgia

06 Wednesday Jun 2012

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How did you get interested in music? When did psytrance come into the picture?

My parents were a strong influence. My dad played bass guitar for our church and my mom had a record/tape/cd collection that rivaled most music stores (seriously her whole collection took up 2 whole walls of her apartment). Between the both of them, there was definitely more time listening to music than there was watching TV growing up. My progression to psytrance begin in 1991 when I was first introduced to “techno” by a show Jason Bentley had on the NPR station in California, called Metropolis, every night at 8 PM. From there I learned about raves, became an avid attendee and fan of the “club kid” culture and then learned about these secret parties they would throw in the Mojave. Everyone I talked to were crazy passionate about those parties. How the people were friendlier, how the open air and scenery just made the mood of the party better and how alien the music was. I finally got myself on the proper phone/usenet group lists that announced these events and went to my first desert party in 1999. It was true love immediately. I never wanted to go to another dirty California warehouse rave again and didn’t have to with 4 different crews throwing down a party at least once a month.

When you first started DJing, what was the vibe/crowd/venue like?
I first started DJing in my backyard at the private parties that ATLpsy would throw for the GA/NC psytrance family, the SpaceCamp parties. So the vibe was nothing but pure, the crowd was small, real intimate, and full of love and the venue was perfect as it was a home field advantage so to speak….lol. I have so much appreciation and love for all of the guys (Brainlizzard, Pyite, Puskara, Ika, Psyonic and most of all for CinderVomit) that helped me with gear and support; let me plug in my headphones and hear, watch and learn what they were doing; and more than anything, gave me the strength and encouragement to take my psytrance experience to this next phase, from dancer to DJ.

What are some differences that you notice in the psytrance scene that vary from other EDM subcultures?
Hrmmmmm…..in no particular order I would have to say:

  • Audiophile-tuned speakers….psytrancers are extremely particular and finicky with achieving crisp and concise sound.
  • Tends to be more of a spiritual overtone to the event, at least to the “heads”
  • Attendance on average I would have to say is older, possibly (and I use this loosely) more mature than your typical EDM scene.
  • Sadly, psytrancers do up the art/deco aspect more often than the EDM scene these days. The art was one of the most amazing aspects of the first generation of raves and it seems that the more commercial EDM gets the focus on the visual art has slipped away to nothing but a banner some lasers and a VJ, if you are lucky.
  • Most of all I would have to say though that psytrancers are more likely to treat you like family (the good kind that is) than any other group I’ve encountered. I’ve got more friends all over the US and the globe just because of our common bond of the music and the love for our scene.


Tell me more about the crew that you’re with, AtlPsy?
As Atlant-aliens, we used to be limited to psytrance parties in North Carolina for the most part. Don’t get me wrong, the different crews that threw down in NC were great, but the 3.5+ hr drives were a little rough sometimes. The silly thing though is that we really didn’t know of each other until Tribe came along and Moksa formed a “tribe” for Atlanta. Together we discovered that we each had a skill or commodity to contribute to putting on our own shows down in Atlanta and thus a great group of clowns and shenanigans was born.

Psytrancess – Sacred Seed Flight 3

Psytrancess will be performing at Embodied Awakening 2.5 hours East of Dallas, TX at Armadillo Acres. 

Interview: Extrinsic (Psylicious Artist & DJ Collective)

17 Thursday May 2012

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Psychedelic Liberation

Psychedelic Liberation

1992 Extrinsic Oldschool Vinyl DJ mix by Extrinsic on Mixcloud

You attended the infamous illegal London M25 Acid Parties. How were those parties different from the events you started going in the early 90s?

The early parties had a more underground feel to them.  There were great events in the early nineties they tended to be at licensed venues which had a kinda glossy feel to them. I loved the derelict warehouses and archway venues and the outdoor parties were always the best. Hundreds sometimes thousands of people travelling in convoys to secret locations in and around London. Great fun, always trying to stay one step ahead of the plod . Music started to split into its genres more in the early 90s, but my DJing was underway so I was enjoying these times . Now we were attending parties at licensed venues up and down the country every weekend where I would usually play at after parties if I could wangle it . They were mostly indoors but at least they were more likely to go ahead all night .

Extrinsic psychedelica

Extrinsic psychedelica

Psychedelic trance is notorious for having high BMPs, as a DJ that played Harcore and Breakbeat, how was this progression for you? What drew you to psytrance?

The break beats and hardcore BPMs I used to play and still love, were around 147 bpm to 160 BPMs. If anything I’ve slowed the tempo down, things were starting to sound too fast. Then I discovered Trance with labels like Time Unlimited and Noom Records and settled right into it. Goa Trance / Psy just kind of crept in as I found the Dragonfly label, Matsuri and stuff like that . A totally natural progression I think as my first love of music was with the early electro of the 80’s, Streetsounds Records etc. Always loved a TB303 bass line me.

What I loved about the Psytrance scene was how underground it felt and with a much more tribal element to it and outdoor gatherings were back! The music was amazing, Slinky Wizard Astral Projection , Doof , T.I.P. Etnica. Just couldn’t get enough of these sounds .

Extrinsic

Extrinsic

You’ve said you’re not a fan of the commercialization of raves although you did have to deal with parties getting raided, what do you think of the path that music festivals have taken so far in the UK?

What gear/software are you currently using to produce? Are there any producers that you are looking forward to working with?

At this time I use Ableton Live with tons of different softsynths and Traktor to DJ with . Myself and Joe Markendale (Sonic Species) are trying to find time to write a track together so very much looking forward to that . I’d also like to do some work with Anti-Spin in the UK . I’m open for collaborations for sure.

As a Live Act what does your act involve? Does it have anything to do with your name “Extrinsic”?

My live act is still in developing stages , for now nothing too complicated it will be a mix of my own work using Ableton Live . My main approach is to stay focused on the sound and the delivery of a nice production . And the Extrinsic name represents the style of music you’ll hear me play -Alien , outlandish .

 

I’m excited that you’ll have new tracks that will be featured in your set at Embodied Awakening, Which of your own tracks do you like the best so far?

From my old batch of tracks , I liked Beautiful Moments, Supernatural Being and Psychedelic Liberation which has just been released on Yo-Soy records. These tracks can be heard on my soundcloud. My new stuff is a funkier more manacing sound, as can be heard on the MoonRunner mix on my mixcloud. So I’ll be intergating my own material with the best sounds I can find for you …… I’m looking forward to partying with you A.O. – See you soon

Big shout to all the Psylicious crew , Triba crew Ben , Wazza , Nelly , Mark and Padman and Love to my family xx

Extrinsic is with Psylicious Artist & DJ Collective with stablemates such as Zetan Spore, N.A.S.A, Twisted Reaction, Earth Angel, Polypheme, DJ SSK, New Age Hippies, Kenesis and Talamasca ….. Extrinsic creates, performs and DJs psychedelic trance music, bringing a blend of euphoric yet twisted soundscapes and groovy, pounding basslines to the trance floor. For bookings please visit www.psylicious.com (from Soundclound page.)

Updated broken link/ you can follow Extrinsic here https://soundcloud.com/extrinsic_psytrance

Interview: Vudujuju

11 Wednesday Apr 2012

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Juju is a multi-gene dj from Denton, TX. While listening to the flow of her sets I’ve heard break beats, techno that tangle in with psytrance to create a dance friendly dance floor all the while thinking, “What exactly am I listening to because I am LOVING this!” Vudujuju has been djing since she was FOURTEEN years old which may be why she has a flowing mixing technique that allows her transitions to flow without stopping a dance floor.

This Sunday she’ll be playing at River Legacy Park and I’d love to catch up with her on how she got to this point and where she is going.

VudujujuI love that you started djing at 14, who was the most influential people around you during your beginning stages as a dj?

Well, I started young due to my older sister being the most influential person for me at the time. She and a friend came home one night after a party listening to trance and dance music, and seemed like they had a blast. I was intrigued and had thought everything was still renegade warehouse style still! lol little did i know the scene was still alive, but regardless, the first thought than ran through my head was, Id like to be the Dj that made the awesome time. 😉

Vudujuju

I’ve noticed your mixes have a wonderful selection from various genes, what can we expect from your upcoming set?

For this upcoming set, you def nailed it, a mixture of genres! It has always been my style, i feel it keeps thing moving. Def some tech/ minimal with some slight breaks as well, annd maybe a little swing house thrown in for surprise. >-..-<

Vudujuju

You will be playing in Arlington, TX and there will folks coming who have NEVER heard the blend of music you play. How would describe the set you’ll be playing this Sunday?

Its danceable, booty shaken’ 4 by 4 beats that shall keep ya entertained. 😉

VudujujuBesides djing what is another creative outlet that you are passionate about?

Defiantly being a jeweler and working with jewelry design, it has been the other big part of my life that i take pretty seriously as far as who I am and what I do.

Vudujuju

What style of psychedelic trance do you prefer? How does this effect your dance floor experience?

The Psytrance i prefer would be sounds from forrest to full on. Sometimes I like my music to have a small hint of pretty melody, but more often than not ass kicking bass to to keep it pumped.

Exciting times coming up lots of goodness to look forward to! Thanks for the time annd ill see you guys on the dance floor!

Vuduju will be playing from 3:15 PM. – 4:30 PM at A.O.’s Park Party & Potluck. You can join the Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/events/313762685352591

Interviews: Soleil Psychédélique – DubtilDawn

09 Friday Mar 2012

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It was New Year’s Eve when I hear Dub Till Dawn get her dub on and it’s been on since there. She has a style that is dance floor fun and her energy behind the decks always makes her a pleasure to just watch if you ever take a break from grooving to look up. I took some time to ask her five questions about her music style, venue preference and gave her some space for shout outs.

Dub Till Dawn

Tell me how you got started djing, when did you go from buying music to djing?
I’ve been playing with mostly vinyl, since I was a teenager. It was an on again off again relationship really but, I was more of a dancer & liked to be immersed in the music. I started with some random ambient sounds fused with crazy Hawaiian surfer music to atmospheric drum & bass on to a little house music & some epic trance. It wasn’t until a few years ago did I muster up the nerve to play in front of more than just a hand full of people. I never had the equipment of my own to really delve deep into the musical stylings that I loved, so I had to rely on friends & loved ones to provide that platform. I have to say that people at the time I started playing in venues weren’t really pushing the dub/reggae sounds anymore. It was pretty difficult to find really good dub music that wasn’t completely overplayed. I’d been a long time reggae & dub lover. Anything from King Tubby to Bob Marley… one of the local groups that turned me onto the neo-dub sounds was Sub Oslo out of Fort Worth. I still collect vinyl but, I’d rather carry CDs because of shear portability & convenience.

Dub till Dawn w/Jamie RayWhen it comes to the music that you play, what kind of experience are you seeking for the dance floor?
When I’m playing music, which to me should evoke an emotional response in people, I hope to see people getting the message that I’m trying to relay while grooving to it. Most of the dub/reggae influenced music has a clear message. The messages I try to portray are of peace, positive forward movement, respect & tolerance for one another, the unification of us as people, standing up for your beliefs & the ability to overcome even the most tumultuous of hardships.

Dub till Dawn

DJing at Quartz and Jesters

I have noticed that you have a great love of punk music and have a GRRL quality about your personality,is there any link from punk from what you play now?

Punk is a state of mind. It’s the never ending desire to do what you want, push the limits & boundaries of society; influence those around you, backing down to no one. So in essence, yes, I would wager that it’s really had a major influence on my choice in music. As you know, punk, dub & reggae are very much intertwined (think Ska, that’s a nice fusion to relate them with). They are all heavily revolutionary in my mind. Amazingly enough, the type of music I play is becoming more relevant in today’s world than I’d ever imagine it being (at least in my lifetime).

Dub till Dawn

dub delights at Trinity Park

You have played at bars, club, warehouses, the great outdoors – out of those venues which is your favorite so far?
I prefer to be outdoors honestly, connecting with the earth & all the creatures, whether it’s someone’s land & we’re camping, an outdoor festival or a park party scenario. However, I won’t pass up an opportunity to play for a bar/club venue that has more of an eclectic mix of people. The more differing people & world views that are exposed to the type of music I play the better.

Dub till DawnAre there any artists out there right now that you can not get enough of?
I’d say that I cannot get enough of the French dub producer KANKA. He has a terrific set of MCs & his dub production is right up my alley. “Kanka, he’s a dub organiza, he’s a dub constructa..”

Shout outs!
I’d like to thank some very special musical catalysts in my life: AEON, SunRay, Burl (R.I.P.), Epik, Nao & TomB. Love & Respect

Like Dub Till Down on Facebook at DUBtilDAWN and on Instagram at dubtildawn.

Interviews: Brian Aldridge – DJ Uhm

09 Friday Mar 2012

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I started hearing the name Uhm one night on the radio when he played a guest mix on Edgeclub and since then always wanted to hear him live. 5 years ago I finally started to go to psytrance parties and eventually listened to Uhm’s absolutely balls to the wall music that had me dancing from the moment he went on and then I lost track of time & realized the sun would be coming up soon. Since then I’ve heard Uhm play all over and I believe you should hear him play out as well. Psytrance is MEANT to be heard to outdoors anyway.

DJ Uhm

Did you come from a musical upbringing?
I don’t recall any of my close family playing any instruments when I was young. My dad had a pretty eclectic taste in music, so I was exposed to a rather large palette at a young age. I grew up wanting to play an instrument, but that never manifested. Maybe one of these days I will learn how to play piano [:D]


How would verbally describe the type of music that you like to play? Hmmmm……the music I play is intense, but yet can also be laid back, it can be in your face, but yet subtle. I also describe it as sometimes twisted, sometimes psychotic, sometimes hypnotic, and sometimes incredibly beautiful. I get pigeon-holed a lot with people saying that I play darkpsy, or that I play neuro, but I really feel that labels like that don’t really fit me as a dj. I don’t consider most anything that I play as something that is dark, and neuro is something that is very much subjective. I guess the best way that I could describe my music is by saying I play music that is a microcosm of my life.

Does this differ at all from the music that you listen to while not in trancing-your-brains out mode?
I don’t really listen to a lot of music that isn’t psytrance. It is tough enough staying on top of finding music that moves me enough to play it, let alone do that with other genres of music. I can find most everything I need musically in the realm of psychedelic music. Admittedly though I have been spending a good amount of time in the past month or so re-visiting music that I used to dj many years ago. Dancing around in my kitchen making dinner while singing the lyrics to kick ass progressive house tunes from the 90s…..oh yeahhhh baby!!

Afterlife

Hi, I make ravers dance on speakers 6 feet off the ground.

Do you think what you are doing now is in an extension of America’s dance music history?
I think what we do is definitely an extension of America’s dance music history. Just how much of a spot in the light a genre like psytrance is given hasn’t been completely written. Thankfully there are still great people in Texas and across the country who are willing to champion the sound and continue bringing psytrance gatherings to the people. I am just happy to be a part of it all, and to play the role that I do.

While at Deep in the Heart of Trances I heard the comment that the psytrance scene was the “most hippie of the EDM” scenes.” What are you thoughts on this statement?
Psytrance is the most hippie EDM scene……hmmmm. That’s definitely a pretty common generalization. Yeah we have people with dreads, we have people who recycle, who eat organic, who burn incense, buy crystals, who meditate, and any other number of things that people could label as hippie. The fact of the matter is though that a vast number of people could fit those statements – not all of them mind you – and that wouldn’t make them a hippie. Heck, I do all of those things, and I have dreads, and I wouldn’t label myself as a hippie. That box is way too small for me to fit into. The only thing that I can say about the people that get attracted to the Atrium Obscurum gatherings is that they like the people/community, and the energetic vibe that is present. That seems to be the biggest bond, for not everyone who comes out cares for psytrance – and that’s okay.