Posted by Muxx in General | 9 Comments
My Top 10 Favorite Psytrance Artists
Psytrance is my all-time favorite music genre. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that I have hippy parents or if it strikes a deep rooted longing to experience the abnormal.
Psytrance blends the progression of Trance with Psychedelic sounds to give you a wild trip – even when you’re not on drugs.
In this post, I’ve compiled years of personal favorites to what I feel is my quintessential list of Psytrance artists, these listed are what I consider the best of the best.
Here is my top 10 Psytrance artist list:
Hallucinogen
At the top of my list, and probably for many people that love Psytrance, is Simon Posford’s Hallucinogen.
Hallucinogen has become the classic sound of Psytrance and it’s no contest due to the phenomenal releases through the years.
Hallucinogen brings the most unique and powerful sound to the Psytrance genre. Since the release of Twisted in 1995, all other albums have been shadowed by the release.
Hallucinogen’s later album The Lone Deranger was a much anticipated follow up that did not disappoint.
To take his sound down to a chill level, Simon later release an In Dub remix of classic tracks backed by one of my favorite Psybient artists, Ott.
We can only hope that Simon can find time between Shpongle and Younger Brother to make a new Hallucinogen album.
Hallucinogen – LSD
Doof
Not to give Hallucinogen all the light on this list, Doof holds a special place on my list as one of the best artist the Psytrance genre has seen.
Doof’s raw sound crafts two amazing albums: Let’s Turn On and It’s About Time.
The squelching acid bass lines combined with mind blowing psychedelic sounds combine perfectly to create everything that Doof has to offer.
Doof – Let’s Turn On
Astral Projection
A heavy contender in the Psytrance community, Astral Projection has been around for ages.
Although it can be debated that Astral Projection has more of a GOA sound, their influence over Psytrance cannot be omitted.
With nearly a dozen releases, Astral Projection has cemented their place in the Psytrance genre with amazing releases one after another.
Astral Projection – Another World
Eat Static
If you thought Astral Projection was the only one to make the list with a long history of producing Psytrance, Eat Static has basically been around since the beginning.
The release of Implant gained them a special place on this list. Implant is a classic Psytrance album that perfectly sums up the sound during the early nineties.
The warming analogue sounds of each sound crafts Eat Static’s albums into an unmissable experience.
Eat Static – Implant
Koxbox
Koxbox brings to us release after release of pounding Psytrance tracks.
No short of amazing, Koxbox is another classic example of Psytrance done right.
Put on any of Koxbox’s albums to hear why it made my top 10 Psytrance list.
Koxbox – Acid Drome
Electric Universe
Electric Universe makes this list for their combination of increasing perfection in each release and the dedication to their sound.
I’m a sucker for acid bass lines, Electric Universe takes the cake. That squelch from each sound coming from the 303 is such a great compliment to the psychedelic sound.
Electric Universe – Stardriver
Man With No Name
Man With No Name has become a legend with the Psytrance genre. If you were to talk to any Psytrance junkie, Man With No Name will definitely spill from their lips.
Man With No Name came into the scene with force and quietly walked away without leaving us with a sour taste in our mouths.
You can’t call yourself a true Psytrance fan if you don’t know the classic tune: Teleport.
Man With No Name – Teleport
Pleiadians
Is it possible that Pleiadians is the greatest Psytrance artist to grace the genre? It quite possibly be so.
Crossing the line between GOA and Psytrance, Pleiadians is the quintessential example that labels do not dictate your sound.
Whatever you want to label Pleiadian’s music as, it’s one thing: perfection.
Just put Identified Flying Objects on and you’ll see why Pleiadians is held so close to everyone.
Pleiadians – Asterope
Talamasca
Out of all that is listed on my top 10 Psytrance list, Talamasca is the only one that I have both begun to grow old of but find their older albums more and more amazing.
The original releases of Talamasca breathed a new life into the Psytrance genre. Unfortunately, their later offerings have begun to dry up the old school sound.
That’s not to say they don’t deserve to be on my list, nostalgia alone keeps them ringing through my ears.
Talamasca – Gemini
Tristan
Last, but not certainly least, sits Tristan.
Tristan gave us a darker sound that no one was expecting. As Psytrance picked up with happy psychedelic sounds, Tristan dove into the darker side of our minds.
Perhaps a proto release of Dark Psytrance, Audiodrome has all the warm feeling of raw analogue sound but with a touch of anger.
Tristan – Lord Of Fives
There you have it, my top 10 favorite Psytrance tunes.
There are certainly dozens I would like to mention but that defeats the purpose of a top 10 list does it not?
Psytrance continues to progress and break off into different sounds.
Lately Dark Psytrance has been on my favorite list but with the emergence of new artists in the Psytrance community, I find myself coming back full circle to rediscover the genre I love.
What are your favorite Psytrance artists?
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Good list, but no list would be complete without RA, Afgin, Goasia, Filteria – basically all of Suntrip's artist. I cant miss Etnica, mr. Raja Ram and many more. I would also add many psyprog artists, but not here :) Sadly, the psytrance scene is dying right now because of lack of creativity, thank God, that GOA is riding strong! LOVE AND LIGHT!
I love RA, such a great artist.
Etnica is absolutely classic.
Psy has seemed to be dipping lately. I think because the sound is becoming too clean and mass produced, artists are making albums much too fast so there doesn't seem to be the same soul.
GOA has seen a great rise though, I've really been loving Chi-AD :)
All the options you give is super nice! but i must say i also like DNA
check it out
have a nice day!
Oh hell yeah, I have a couple DNA tracks on my computer, I should give em a listen again sometime today, it's been a while.
I – I don't understand.
Top 10 favourite psytrance artists and Infected Mushroom isn't on this list.
You are tripping too hard, my hippy friend.
Yes, Simon Posford is one of the best psy trance producers of all time, but I thing that Ben Watkins (Juno Reactor) it's more profound and his music it's more major.
These are great trance tracks! We will always remember them.
Newer more complex forms of psychedelic trance are emerging though,
artists such as Kindzadza, Audiopathik, Furious, Penta, Psykovsky, Mubali, Megalopsy are leading the way for new styles that are blowing away peoples minds!
I used to be a metalhead and I still like metal, but today when I discovered this website I become a psytrance fan. I've listened to all of the bands. Simply awesome!!!