And here is exactly the reason for the rebellion against corrupting trance music events ! :

The essence of all these events is the musical overnight trance dance journey. When we

lose the core journey, we lose the purpose and the memorable positive effects the event

has on people and the event just becomes another tourist attraction.Although maybe

more viable, only in the short term, because the reason festivals lose their appeal as they

grow and strive to be more commercial and viable they always neglect to consider how

they started and what made them popular and how that vibe was originally created?

Small events that have grown into popular festivals all have one thing in common: They

started as a basic get together based on good trance music and dancing to it. This shared

journey then becomes more expressive as the participants contribute their various

artistic and related skills to to pay homage to the event and the impact it has on them.

We have discovered through trance music events a way to reconnect with everything that

makes us whole humans and we all strive to maintain and perpetuate this lifestyle. Many

people try to chase this happy moment of wholeness by organising and contributing to

the trance scene and events.

Always remember what made the events memorable originally !!!

In order to make an event viable financially or even profitable for those with opportunistic

ambitions, organisers forget that the essence of a trance event is ! It is the trance music

journey !

In their commercial ambitions to attract more participants and in competing with each

other, they lose sight of what originally attracted them into the scene. They now have to

worry about money, legalities and rules because they have attracted outsiders into the

scene. They have forgotten it's original purpose and now in order to survive and still

chasing that elusive “original feeling” they start to deviate from what made the original

events. They are misled into catering for superficial mainstream trends and fashions in

music and artistic expressions. Their event becomes a temporary attraction and as it

looses it's founding elements and people it gets discarded by the trendy crowd for a new

fad very quickly. The newcomers didn't get the “Message” it got lost through

commercialism !

Those participants that had the luck to perceive glimpses of this scene's original purpose

but were never given the opportunity to experience a real journey, they are left wanting

and searching for more and from their limited impressions have also strayed into

excessive drug use an abuse in their hunt for the “ original feeling “.

Everyone has neglected to heed that what brings us together as one and the love that

emerges from that experience despite all our differences is the dance journey we have to

trance music.

Not every music can do this !

 

 "The electronic genres of music today are very similar and overlap in many areas. Trance

is a sub-genre of electronica, and even this has a plethora of divisions. My personal

favorite type of trance and the one I will be discussing is called epic, melodic, and

uplifting trance. This category is known for its repetitive, rhythmic drum and bass sounds

in addition to the beautiful, harmonious melody which is the focal point of the song.

Classical music incorporates many different kinds of instruments, harmoniously unifying

them to produce a song which evokes deep emotion and thought. Melodic trance invokes

the same reaction in the listener as does classical music. Before I delve into this line of

thought, I am going to break down the structure of melodic trance songs and how it is an

allegory to the physical and spiritual worlds. Spirituality is based on the theory that the

physical world and the spiritual world go hand in hand, interact with each other, and the

physical is a foundation for the spiritual. The physical and spiritual worlds are co-

dependent and need each other to exist. In melodic trance, the song begins with a

repetitive, rhythmic kick-drum and bass line. Over time, a few more types of percussion

may be added. This sound invokes the listener into a trance, for the ancient (and some

current) shaman used this exact method for the same ends. The percussion and bass-line

are representative of the physical world. The percussion and bass are the lowest vibration

on the frequency scale, as the physical world is made up of the lowest frequency of

matter and energy in Creation. This forms a strong foundation for the melody and other

instruments. The physical world is a steady foundation for the spiritual so it may interact

without fail. Next, a background chord progression is introduced over the percussion and

bass to slowly prepare the listener mentally and emotionally for the lead melody. This can

be equated to the living human being preparing for the afterlife by living a just life and

studying spirituality, psychology, and philosophy. After a minute or so, a hint of the lead

melody or sub-melody may be played here. The breakdown comes next, which is a

trademark of trance music. The breakdown is simply the lead melody by itself or with the

chord progression. The breakdown is emblematical of the spiritual world. Beautiful and

harmonious, it brings the listener into an exalted state, where emotion and thought is

slowly reaching climax. Right at the climax of the song, the lead melody and chord

progression are played with the percussion and bass line, merging and producing a

euphoric feeling throughout the body and mind. This is symbolic of the union of spirit and

body, which is the goal of the Great Work (merging with God). At this point in the song it

is not uncommon to feel at one with the world or extreme euphoria. These are the exact

feelings those who are very spiritually progressed claim one experiences when he

reaches a certain point on the spiritual path, namely the union of body and spirit (or spirit

and God). The union of percussion and bass with melody and chord progression is the

focal point and climax of the song. This is directly allegorical to the ultimate goal of

merging spirit and body. After the plateau (after the climax but before any instruments

fade out), slowly instruments or sounds begin stopping one by one until we are left with

just the percussion and bass. Before you know it, the song is over and the listener is in a

relaxed, happy state. The reason I claim melodic trance is the new classical music is

mainly for two reasons. One, it evokes the same quality of emotion and thought as

classical music. Two, melodic trance uses a variety of instruments in harmony just like

classical, except these instruments are played on the computer and are modern or

altered to sound more futuristic and electronic. Melodic trance and classical music

structures are very similar. They both start with a foundation of percussion or bass

instruments and eventually reach the climax played by high pitched instruments, and

lastly the instruments fade out one by one. Both genres evoke intense emotion and

thought in the listener and effectively induce a form of trance of him. Melodic trance and

classical music are transcendental and divine; for sound is a universal language, and

discriminates against none. It is said that the angels constantly sing heavenly music in

the spiritual realms; On earth this music is called melodic trance."

Bobby Olkowitz Trance Music January 15, 2012

http://forum.anjunabeats.com/topic/55594-trance-music-is-the-new-classical-music-and-

its-spiritual-relationship/

 

If we do not value and become aware of what we are risking to lose now, we will be on

another merry-go-round cycle hunt for that elusive “original feeling”!

As we deviate more and more and sell out and corrupt this scene we are loosing the

people that can still take us on this journey. The great artists that know how to write

inspiring trance music and the great DJs that still know how to guide us through the

trance dance journey and the many loving contributors whose original creativity it helped

foster and express.

And thereby we will fail to pass on and introduce newcomers to the peace, love, unity and

respect we have the tools to achieve.

And unfortunately our mainstream commercial system is corrupting the basic ethics and

beliefs that underlie the values that have made successful trance music journey events.

Do not neglect what is most precious and always remember what made the events

memorable originally !!!

 

AquaVerde 16/01/13

 

http://www.edgecentral.net/global%20tribe.htm -  "Trance events have an uncanny ability

to capture an era, and captivate an audience of travellers occupying the eternal theatre

of the dance floor. As this book shows, the tendency within psytrance is to thwart the

passage of time, to prolong the night, for those who adopt a liminal lifestyle. Amid the

hustle and hubris of the psytrance carnival there is a peaceful repose that you sometimes

catch when you’ve drifted into a sea of outstretched limbs, bodies swaying like a field of

sunflowers in a light breeze. And you feel intense joy in this fleeting moment. You are the

moment. You are inside the flow. You are all. Embodying the poetry of dance, you are

living evidence that nothing lasts. And this is a deep revelation of the mystical function of

trance. It is difficult to emerge from this little death, because one does not want the

partyto end. But it must end, even so that it can recommence—so that one can return to

repeat the cycle."

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=2Vn2g3TnKLE&playnext=1&list=PLA2A6527B166B9E72

 

Transmusical Metaphors(or, The Trippy Tribal Trumpets of Trance)

 

Daily, regular stoning,day by day drudgeriesin the age of nervous anticipations-

interrupted by interludes ofunbounded upsurges of utterly redeeming beauty.Experiences

exceeding the most fantastic expectations,as sudden influxes of pure timeless

truth:unstoppable storms of harmony and happiness,cosmic coordinates of where you

stand,the open air in which a smile expands like a vast liquid sunrise.Tremendous arcane

currents of consciousnessupon which surrendering language drifts,are glimpsed vigilantly

in circuitous tonal tubules;surging telepathic star-songs.A global wisdom-loving

movement,an always-eclipsed musical genremorphing, bifurcating, blendingtechniques,

tribal customs, visionary methods.

The turned on, tuned in dropouts of the 1960’s dispersedto anandaic mysteries of a

perfectly hidden spiritual empire.The 70’s, the 80’s;New acid-jazz-rock-reggae

wave,synthesized sounds on Moog.Paradisiacal beach gatherings gaining alien

momentum.Societal escapees,anarchistic artists,sincere seekers.Intensely mysticaldrug-

laden and spirit-soaked atmospheregiving rise toacommunitydevoted to manifesting

utopian realitiesof jovial post-modern occultism,science-fiction mental dimensionsand

liberation of the self and collective.Dressing paradise-palm trees inglowing orange and

green fluorescence.Trading exquisite clothing and craftsfrom the cross-continental

backyards of mystics and shamans.Taking heroic doses of time-tested and novel

hallucinogensand sharing the freshest psychedelic soundsfrom all the homelands.1988,

the new soundtrack for ritual appeared right on queue:Acid House, God’s answer to

disco.Techno, the human heart’s answer to industrialization.The electronic trance dance

revealed itself and orchestratedextended surreal and miraculous sacrosanct

bacchanals.Then the early nineties’ rave revolutions.Goa gone global…Settled with

“Psychedelic”Surfing the diamond-cutting edge of computational sophistication.Utilizing

innovative sound equipment andcreating increasingly complex, layered,textured

soundscapes and extraordinary effects.An increasingly unlimited and detailed sonic

paletteto create rich musical vistas.Ten thousand orchestras of alien organic

instrumentswith multidimensional tonesand reality-bending percussive

capabilities.INTRICATE WONDER!!The premise presents itself:as tools of technology

advance,the result is, in turn, increasingly ‘trippy.’Suddenly emerged a pivotal forcein the

aggregation of ardent music lovers:former metal-heads dance excitedly with ex-

acidhappycore ravers.Pierced punk rockers and crystal toting new-agers,white-collar

corporate-folk anddread-locked, globe-trotting, fluoro-fractal sporting nomadsall become

1 solidified amalgamation.Classic-rock fiends,dub-loving funky brakes n’ jungle

urbanites,seasoned world-music veteransall get down togetherto the relentless rapture-

inducing body-sonic wizardry.All musical styles are up for adoptioninto psytrance

structured soundscapes.The good, the true & the beautiful finally have a common

space.The children, the elders, and the callused fingered drummers finally stomp on the

same beat.The proposition of illimitable artistic expression,the liberation of body and

communication through the dance of metaphor and matter.Not merely idealistic

futurism,we have a fractal homage and exploration of deep rootsas well as new branches

and buds.The colossal eruptions of unity and love that occur on the ‘floorreveal universal

principles to all participating:festivities as a carnival of imaginationand humanity’s

inherent potential,a more respectful form of the courting ritualsof modern late night

dance revelries,‘It’s about the music.’The Gathering is a real ritual ofcommunal spiritual

consciousness,a sacred collective of creativity and cosmic eventssynchronized in will and

rhythm.The mystical, religious and occult themes,while used without reservation inartistic

imagery, track titles, samples and sonic architecture,achieve a balance withshrewd

criticism, intelligence and sardonic wit.Entheogens plus psytrance equals vast

conceptions of times & pace,hence themes as the historical, archaic, racial,

religious,animistic, celestial, futuristic and extra-terrestrial.Many often choose to not use

exogenous chemicalsfor altering consciousness,yet the unspeakable sacrednessof the

graceful application ofteacher Plants (and Pills, Powders, Potions and Preparations)

remainsthoroughly recognized.Amplifying 144 beats per minutein an aesthetic ultra-violet

atmosphereinevitably leads to a very greatly altered state of consciousness,an energized

trance,even without ‘taking‘ anything.By morning we become filled with renewed electric

awarenessand perceive a panoply of brighter colors with ultra-heightened sense faculties.

Trancey compositions unfold, build up and climaxin highly dynamic progressions over

time.Infinity yields extraordinary stylistic variety:Sometimes aggressive, sometimes

celebratory,musicians differ in their statements sharplywhile somehow on paths to a

similar objective.Heavy music, flowing music,familiar sounds, alien sounds,deeply digital,

organically analog,hypnotizing or jarring,silly or profound,lilting or harsh,it has a placein

the soundtrack to the culminationof consciousness and history.Full-on maximal trances

for thepsychic warriors and explorers among us,allowing us to test our sensory skills

withoverwhelming amounts ofmetamorphosing auricular novelty.Repetitious and

minimalistic style musicianscraft trancesthat work superbly for thosewith an innate sense

of spiritual patienceor keen understanding of progression and kinetic energy.It’s all too

sexy anyway you look at it.

 

In the evening’s introduction,treat me kindly.Give meunthreatening and

accessiblegroovy, deep, minimal and funky sounds,or some avant-garde abstract electro

prog-tekk.

Then unleash the barrages of intense, mind warping, ego shredding,noise scratching,

demon battling, stomping sci-fi symphonies.For my rising sun rebirth,spirit in the back-

beat and start to drip gracious halcyon harmonies as the dawn stealthily presents its

glory.I hope for there to be blissful explosionsof uplifting and exalting trance

melodies.Then let the daylight be daylight;a numinous culmination of this epic

journey,when the unity of the dancers flows profoundlywith seriously celebratory music.

The evening’s scenery is also a priority.The optic language of the shamanic

symbolic.Decorative offerings to the Galactic Goddess and the digital deities.Intense

fluorescent tapestries of multi-colored mandalasreach into the retinal fabric of rods and

cones,tweak and adjust innate geometrical sensibilitiesinto electrifying structures

likeintelligent jellyfish from Alpha Centauri,or the emotional exclamation of some

entityfrom a mathematical dimension.Detailed, organic tripscape paintingsof archetypal

terrain elicit intuitional resonancewith nearby and adjoining supra-mythical

realms.Illuminated string-art calculationsand scintillatingly sculptured mental

geographiesproduce bracing atmospheres of interstellar ultra-violetand dreamlike,

creative stimulation through geometry,iconography, science fiction and hyper-

hallucinogenic surrealism.

When it’s a time to unwindthere is a place for the mind,with ambient, psy-world music

and downtempo tunes,and projected tripped-out visual montages in the chill-out rooms.

Add psychoactives, incense,fruit and chai for the morning,and you have the recipe for a

very healthytrance party.

Anyone initiated knowsthe sacrament facilitated holotropic experienceis preeminently

suited for the out-of-doors.The psy just sounds better under stars and foliage.Fresh air,

streaking meteorites,beautiful breathing planet in naked splendor,all add to the

experiencethis timeless ritual proposes to achieve.Nothing opens up the currents of

communicationbetween God and a gathering of peoplelike a saturated psychedelic

sunrise.To see the brilliant smilesof those you have danced with through the nightin the

light of a new sun is,quite literally,spiritual healing.But nothing can stop the people from

gathering,and we who dwell in colder climatesor amidst concrete and steelsurely have

created cosmic environmentswithin the warehouses, the lofts and even nightclub

venues.Oh! and how we look forward to thecyclodelic trance signalaligning the heavenly

bodies withfestivalscelebrating celestial splendoron Earth!The seasonal significances and

ecliptic alignments!

How lucky we have been to catch a waveand unwittingly ride transgalactic watersof a

spiritual tsunami safely beyondthe tangled ends of time.

Within the intricately syncopated pulsesand biotically textured vibrationscreated by ever

more complex methods of sound synthesiswe are honing the art of tranceinto de-

collapsing vistasof organized shamanic sciencesand psychosomatic alchemy.

To be fully exposed to the heartbeat of technological musicis to be direct witness to the

astounding presence of lifeand participant in its æonic momentum.

http://teleomorph.com/word-garden/

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aK8iJw4YBQ

 

Neotrance and the Psychedelic Festival

Graham St John

University of Regina, University of Queensland

This article explores the religio-spiritual characteristics of psytrance (psychedelic trance),

attending specifically to the characteristics of what I call neotrance apparent within the

contemporary trance event, the countercultural inheritance of the "tribal" psytrance

festival, and the dramatizing of participants' "ultimate concerns" within the festival

framework. An exploration of the psychedelic festival offers insights on ecstatic (self-

transcendent),performative (self-expressive) and reflexive (conscious alternative)

trajectories within psytrance music culture. I address this dynamic with reference to

Portugal's Boom Festival.

 

http://dj.dancecult.net/index.php/journal/article/view/11/35 -

 

A true lover of music and the one who understands the vibration behind sound, can never

fail to fall in love with psychedelic trance, at least once in his lifetime.”

 

"Psychedelic Trance music which used to be underground during the Hippie Movement of

the Sixties is now coming to mainstream clubs and is now becoming an urban style

statement. Hugely misunderstood, psychedelic trance is one unique genre of music that

doesn’t imply fun and entertainment. Psychedelic parties held have an ideology, so does

the psychedelic trance music. It is NOT just for fun and recreation and the ideology

behind this music is the quest for mind exploration and a kind of spiritual journey into the

unknown. At first, it is a journey that involves a certain degree of acceptance to go far

way from the usual lifestyle, norms of thought-processes and social conditioning. One has

to adept himself to explore different levels of himself away from his life’s cocoon into a

quest for mind and self exploration."

 

"Psychedelic trance music evolved in Goa and the main characteristic of this music is its

repetitive beats. This exact principle of repetitive beats was used in the Shamanic rituals,

using drums, so as to experience transcendental states of consciousness and to

communicate with the other side of this world – the spirit world. One of the founders of

psychedelic trance, Goa Gil describes the psychedelic trance party experience as “trance

dance experience”. He also describes dance as active meditation in which you can go

beyond thought, beyond mind and raise your consciousness beyond infinity. Goa Gil has

been constantly focusing on using the party situation as a medium to uplift the

consciousness of the participants through the trance dance experience."

 

"The repetitive beats, the blasting basslines and the mystical tunes in a typical

psychedelic trance track affect the human brain and its serotonin levels because it makes

you feel good. But there’s more to the effects of psychedelic trance music. Dark

psychedelic trance is not one of those genres of music that is meant to calm you down or

make you feel good. In a typical psychedelic party that goes all night long, dark

psychedelic trance is played in the later hours of the night. The concept behind this trend

is the ancient tribal ritualistic tradition in Shamanism, in which one has to confront the

Dark, in order to be lead into and shown the Light. The sunrise comes with a totally

different energy altogether."

 

In an interview from goatrance.com, Goa Gil says,

 

“Since the beginning of time mankind has used music and dance to commune with the

Spirit of Nature and the Spirit of the Universe…. We are using Trance music and the

Trance Dance Experience to set off a chain reaction in consciousness…. This is what we

call “Redefining the Ancient Tribal Ritual for the 21st Century”. When I come to the party

and set up my alter, sprinkle the Holy Water, recite the Holy Mantra, and make the

Offering to the Cosmic Spirit, and then start the music… The music and the whole party

becomes an offering to the Cosmic Spirit… May Lord Shiva, Nataraj, Lord of the Dance

come to this place and bless everyone. Then the dancers, the music, the dj, the Spirit, all

become One.”

 

He also answers what a “good party” is like. He describes,

 

“When, after the Offering, everything starts to move in One Vibration, and it is as if a

Cosmic Mind has come over the party and everyone becomes a part of It…. And

everything becomes so perfect in the moment that you start to feel chills up your spinal

column…. And it continues to be perfect in the moment…. And that feeling continues and

intensifies until it feels like a cosmic orgasm!!! And then, in the best parties… Boom! It

comes like a supersonic electrical current of Light that flashes through everyone

simultaneously! That is when the Seed is planted! It is then up to those who have

received it to nourish it and make it grow. In most, it will just disappear as they return to

their normal life. But there are a few who will “get it”.

 

"Psychedelic trance and its repetitive beats are meant to induce a state of trance in which

we go beyond our own individuality. The “I” no longer makes sense in a good psychedelic

party. The psychedelic music brings in the cosmic energy to the party and the purpose of

a psychedelic party is to become One in the divine ecstasy of union with the cosmic spirit.

Psychedelic trance music is a vehicle of transmission of Shakti (Cosmic Power and Grace)

into the party scene, to raise the Kundalini of the participants of the trance dance event."

 

But there’s a bad side to it too. Often there are undesirable energies in a trance dance

event. On this, Goa Gil says,

 

“Of course these things happen during the course of the whole night and day slowly,

slowly. Sometimes it takes a long while to exorcise all the demons and get the people

moving together in One Vibration. When it happens it is as if time and space have

disappeared and there is only Being HERE and NOW…And it is as if my Heart is

communicating directly with the Hearts of the Dancers. Each one individually, yet all at

once.”

 

"The effects of psychedelic trance play a major role in altering the state of consciousness

into a deeper state, in a metaphysical way. The transcendental states that are induced by

psychedelic trance music affect our feelings and emotions too. Feelings of bliss, ecstasy,

oneness, euphoria, infinity and nothingness are often felt as the effects of psychedelic

trance music on human mind."

 

"So basically, a psychedelic trance party, is kind of a modern day shamanic ritual that is

being held in order to communicate the values of spirituality and oneness in the language

of today’s youth. The music is a tool for higher consciousness through which we can

commune with the Spirit. Our spirit world reminds us of love, compassion, respect and

peace and that is the very essence of psychedelic trance music. It is up to us to keep this

Vibe high and protect its purity.

 

" So all you psytrancers out there keep it going, but keep it Shanti. A big cosmic boom."

 

|| Om Tat Sat ||

 

- Psychedelic Junction

 

Transylvania Calling - Gathering of the Tribes 2004 - 2013

 

The Story in Wonderland continues in this new and exciting cycle of time, reaching after 9

years its 7th edition ♥ and YOU are again invited to join one of the most special

Gatherings of the Tribes on this wonderful Planet named Earth. ૐ 

“The Transylvania Calling Experience is not about a spiritual teaching. Yet, when you

come here and allow what is happening to touch you, deep understandings take place.

And when these understandings blossom into an insight, into a realization, your heart

opens, consciousness expands...This expansion is the flowering of your being.” A quote

from Satsang with Styx

 

 

Transylvania is Calling to gather a mix of conscious people from around the globe to

share an elevated experience of culture, spirit and community in stunning raw nature!

Join us in this magical place where time slows down and the outside world drops away...

come dance, play, celebrate, love, learn, teach, co-create, co-inspire and transform our

consciousness and our world. With the collaboration of myriad talented allies, both local

and international, we aim to co-create an event inspired by and inspiring the positive

collective consciousness of all who are involved for the betterment of ourselves and of

the planet. By bringing people together through music, art and sacred movement in one

of the most gorgeous natural settings on the planet we offer an opportunity to celebrate

our spirits, Transylvania is Calling together a mix of conscious people from around the

globe gathered to share an elevated experience of culture, spirit and community in

stunning raw nature! Join us in this magical place where time slows down and the outside

world drops away... come dance, play, celebrate, love, learn, teach, co-create, co-inspire

and transform our consciousness and our world. With the collaboration of myriad talented

allies, both local and international, we aim to co-create an event inspired by and inspiring

the positive collective consciousness of all who are involved for the betterment of

ourselves and of the planet. By bringing people together through music, art and sacred

movement in one of the most gorgeous natural settings on the planet we offer an

opportunity to celebrate our spirits, heal our bodies and minds, and recharge and

revitalize our souls to help us both handle the challenges and realize the opportunites of

our rapidly changing world.heal our bodies and minds, and recharge and revitalize our

souls to help us both handle the challenges and realize the opportunites of our rapidly

changing world.

 

TC 2012 Video: http://youtu.be/8Bo3d3CpitQ ૐ by foolontv

TC 2012 Video: http://youtu.be/4Mqx5f06l2w ૐ by Sisi&Jiri

TC 2011 Video: http://youtu.be/zMAFIMdUt6Q ૐ by Sisi&Jiri

TC 2011 Video: http://youtu.be/LnTLGEv11yE ૐ by Murilo Ganesh

TC 2009 Video: http://youtu.be/qvo7MkvxQQQ ૐ by psynema

 

In this transformed realm, you can at last reunite with your spiritual and space families

and return in joy to full consciousness.

 

http://www.electronicawakening.com/

 

Dancing to the Digital Shamans

Wednesday, 30 November 2011 19:03

Published in Features & Occasionals

Written by  Terra Cronshey

 

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"Electronic Awakening" producer Julian Reyes discusses sound healing and dance culture.

Last month we spoke via internet with electronic music promoter Julian Reyes. Via

Keyframe Entertainment, which Reyes launched in 2004, Reyes’ mission is to share the

Bay Area underground sound globally and to create prosperity for the international

Electronic Dance Music community. Reyes also works on large scale productions including

the Ultra Music Festival in Miami and Burning Man.

His latest project is a documentary on the history and evolution of electronic music which

will show for one night only at Brewvies this month. Our conversation covered the

creative and healing nature of sound and vibration, particularly as it relates to the

electronic dance music culture. 

When did electronic music become part of your personal journey?)

My earliest childhood connections to music were with cumbia, bolero, flamenco, salsa and

classical. My Colombian roots and my mother’s love for classical shaped my perception of

and passion for music from an early age. 

I consider the “active” birth of the techno movement to be the break-dancing era. I

realize that the music was being created prior to this period. Nevertheless, the breakers

embraced it fully. It wasn’t a fad, it was actually (and still is for many) a way of life. Many

years spent in the Miami underground sealed it for me. Then, I lived in Orlando for a

couple of years during the height of the Breaks scene and met amazing artists such as

Icey and Baby Anne. After those experiences, I left for the West Coast, and in 1999 made

it to San Francisco where I experienced the CCC PsyTrance parties, Thump Radio, and

eventually the most amazing event in our country, Burning Man.

My personal evolution is in tandem with that of electronic music’s evolution; my

connection to it is eternal. Sounds grandiose, but I speak from the heart.

 

Julian Reyes

What is electronic music? 

Electronic music is modern shamanism; it is the evolution of ritualized drum circles. The

music is a key that digital shamans utilize to move, inspire, teach, and heal others.

From a global perspective, electronic music is spiritual technology that can help humanity

open metaphysical doors to a realm of infinite possibilities. The world can benefit from

the energy, community, and love felt on the dance floor by so many — “Electronic

Awakening” speaks directly to that.

I’ve always felt that electronic music is a beacon from the Singularity. It is technology’s

way of letting us know that it is awakening.

As an artist manager, you work with DJs who create this music. Does the DJ have a role in

shaping society? Is this specific to sound culture? 

There is a quote from the film that answers this question: “…The DJs are our priests, and

the music is our religion….”

And what a beautiful religion it is (speaking metaphorically of course). It includes

everyone, it doesn’t judge you. It empowers you to dance “like no one is watching,” it

introduces you to many great souls, and it encourages you to be comfortable with your

uniqueness. 

Electronic music allows you to embrace others and yourself. It breaks down language

barriers, economic divisions. It invites us to experience each other as equals. Everyone on

the dance floor becomes one organism. What we really are: one. The DJs enable this

alchemy. 

Similar vision is experienced at other events and other styles of music—Sufis, Native

American dances, Woodstock-like festivals are example of that. All ceremonies are

extensions of music culture.

For a powerful look into this phenomenon check out Global Beat Fusion, a film project

based on Derek Beres’ 2005 book. The idea is that, by listening to a culture’s music, you

gain direct access to the soul of that culture. There’s also the notion of the computer

being the world’s first global folk instrument.www.globalbeatfusion.com. 

I love electronic music mainly because I love to dance. For me, it’s not about performance

—it’s about expression. How does dancing tie in to the tribal sound culture? Is it

important for individuals to dance? Is dancing “medicine”?

As my friends at the Dancing Freedom Collective say, the paths of dance are ecstatic,

somatic, shamanic and expressive. Ecstatic and shamanic are similar, with important

differences. Somatic focuses on the body and can also be very beneficial to your

emotions. I believe we experience different degrees of these paths when we interact with

sound.

One could say performing is a part of expression. I feel that dancing is essential to a

culture’s identity, traditional values and future understanding. 

“Electronic Awakening” covers this topic in depth, and explains how we move and direct

energy through our dancing as an art form, while sharing this experience with others at

the same time. Dancing is medicine to me; it is ritualistic and liberating. The appreciation

of music can be just as powerful.

I recently attended a Taiko drumming festival, and the visions I experienced were very

strong. After some research I found out the Taiko drums are handmade by professional

drum makers in Japan. They believe each drum becomes filled with the spirit of the tree

from which the wood came, and the spirit of the drum-maker and eventually, over the

years, even the performers who play the drum. A drum’s sound comes from the spiritual

bond between the performer and this tradition. 

In the film, we explore the different metaphysical “pacts” that dancers make with sound

energy… because what we’re really talking about here is the interaction with energy—

dancing. I’ve always felt that every object carries an energy signature, something like a

DNA imprint, of every person that object has come in contact with. One can extrapolate

from this and apply it to a vinyl record, CD, or digital sound. What we hear is the physical

manifestation of the sound, but what we perceive metaphysically is much deeper… and

the expression is manifested in the dance.

What was the ‘goal’ when you decided to work as producer and music director on a

documentary about electronic dance music?

There were multiple goals: to help, to inspire, to inform, to promote the artists who work

so hard, to be a source of positivity, to create prosperity for electronic dance music

culture, to entertain and to share.

From a production perspective: We wanted to create something different, something

unique to our culture. We spend time in the film encouraging people to find happiness

within, accepting who you are. The film itself can be perceived as a conduit of love. 

I think if more people on the planet experienced self-love, they would be more accepting

of others.

For you, has working with music always been about healing, uniting, transcending? Or

was there some point or moment of realization when your work took on a new or deeper

meaning? 

When I understood that electronic music was an integral force driving my personal

evolution, I realized that it had the potential to help others transcend.

I couldn’t pinpoint a specific moment; what I can say is that helping and inspiring others

has always been part of my life. And the deeper my journey takes me, the more I realize

that my mission is to inspire those who inspire others—DJs, producers, VJs, performers

and promoters.

There is also the technology factor: My entire professional career has been within the

computer graphics realm. My visual interaction and passion with technology is as

important as the sonic.

Sound is said to be healing; can it also be harmful? 

I think sound has unlimited potential. Sometimes harm helps you evolve; other times

safety and comfort make you complacent. 

Even a teenager banging out to Gabber derives a certain type of healing. An observer

may not understand this experience in that moment. I feel this is one reason why rave

culture is so misunderstood. It’s easy to judge what you don’t understand.

Where can one discover more information on sound healing and the spirituality of the

electronic dance variety? 

I feel that sound healing begins with allowance. Allow yourself to just be. We spend so

much of our everyday lives trying to “control” everything.

The dance floor offers you the opportunity just to be, and to share that “be”-ing with

everyone else.

The DNA of sound healing can be found in the drum and every subsequent evolution of all

musical instruments.

There are countless resources on the Web for the different methodologies; the main thing

to remember is to stay open to exploration and to “let go”… enjoy the dance floor, it is

sacred.

Can you share a bit about your process in creating the audio landscape for this

documentary? 

My main objective was to include a wide variety of styles and artists. As long as

“something” in the music resonated with the viewer, I was happy.

Timing and placement were very important; some tracks just seemed to magically fit into

place, like serendipity.

First we locked down the story and matched the proper video footage, then the music

completed and filled each scene. Phuture Primitive and Bird of Prey lent a very modern

feeling. Our friends from Moontribe were great contributors and we had people with great

ideas such as Liana, Satur-

nia, Satsi and Drew Martinez (the film editor).

I would say that the process was one of complete collaboration and fluid creativity

coming from many sources.

“Electronic Awakening” brings up the concept of dancers and DJs being deeply unified

through music, having shared experiences, emotions —unified hearts and minds on the

dance floor. What about off the dance floor, do you experience this unity carrying through

into everyday life?

When I step out of my circle, I see a lot of discord and elitism. 

And then you have movements like OWS that give us that sense of bonding… that unity is

so obvious on the dance floor. And if you look more closely in that movement, you will

see a drum, you will hear a chant, you will see a dance. It’s all interconnected.

What about currently? What inspires you to continue this work? 

Witnessing the evolution of the music and the culture really motivates me to keep on

nurturing the movement. 

Inspiration comes in many forms: watching up-and-coming talent such as JB Vries,

Captain Hook and Derek Ryan pave the way, experiencing The Crystal Method tear it up

hard after so many years leading the way and listening to Treavor Moontribe’s techno

mixes, enjoying amazing visuals by Dr. Paradise and Psyberpixie. People like Kri in NC

and Roe Revolution in Miami are also inspiring. Hearing my son play piano and rap to

electronic music, throwing down at events such as Opulent Temple and SteadySF—so

many things move me. I see the music and hear it everywhere, and when it’s not there…

I do what I can to facilitate it.

What do you see as the future of tribal sound culture? 

Sociologists and anthropologists are starting to take a serious look at our movement. We

have screenings requested from universities in Brazil and Germany. We’re also talking to

about a dozen universities here in the U.S. to screen the film on their campuses.

I see electronic dance music culture as a guiding light for the world. We’re not the only

guiding light, of course, but we are the ones that adhere to PLUR [peace, love, unity,

respect]. We love Burning Man’s 10 principles—radical inclusion, gifting,

decommodification, radical self-reliance, radial self-expression, communal effort, civic

responsibility, leaving no trace, participation and immediacy. We push the envelope in

music production and do not make money the primary drive. We want to include all.

Doesn’t matter what you look like, what you wear, what you sound like, what color, what

preference… “we accept you.” The world needs more of that; the world needs more

electronic music… and it’s on its way. 

Terra Cronshey, a native Salt Laker, has been director of a loud-sound art theme

camp/village from Utah at Burning Man for the past three years. She is the festival

accounting coordinator for Sundance Film Festival. terra@neogeolotus.com

 

 

Perspective on the Electronic Music Culture's relationship to the 2012 meme

 

For years a great cross-section of the human population has been curious about the date

December 21st, 2012. Much of this curiosity has been recently satisfied through a

multitude of books, films, and scholarly theory.  However, another question remains in a

curious mist of uncertainty.

 

Where's the party going to be the night of the grand Halabaloo?

In the summer of 2006 I began working on a documentary film as part of a project to

finish my degree in anthropology.  The subject of my research was the spirituality of

electronic dance music culture.  Having never been to an electronic music event, let

alone listened to much electronic music, I traveled out to the West Coast of the United

States for the first time with a handful of tickets to parties and festivals I had never heard

of to document the mystical undercurrent of the scene.

 

 

( next article take from http://www.mushroom-online.com/v2/index.php?

language=english&menu=visions&sub=top&art=111909)

 

A whole myriad of prophetic, esoteric conceptions and beliefs awaited.

 

Downstream from counter-culture, new age, and general psychedelic phantasmagoria, an

ocean of free-form spiritual narratives created a web of neo-mystical realities, a whole

multitude of micro-religious frameworks that all in some way weaved into the

metaphysics of dance-floor transcendentalism.

 

As I trekked from party to party, whether they were intentionally spiritual gatherings deep

in the mountains, or outlandish hedonic revivals in concrete jungles of urban society, I

began to hear rumors circulate about a party on December 21, 2012.  The idea of wild

super-massive rave at an ancient ruin the day of our envisioned doomsday, as well as

beginning, seemed to link to a general tone of prophetic belief that made up a major part

of the esoteric trace within the rave community.

 

There was an obvious influx of mysterious ideologies circulating around the Mayan

Calendar which permeated the scene. I immediately questioned the presence of so much

Mayan mythology within the community, and also the adoption of the 13th Moon Dream

Spell calendar.  The Calendar, created from time codes hidden within the original Mayan

Calendar, had stimulated a movement for peace through the adoption of a ‘new time' in

New Age, and other spiritually bent fringe groups all over the world.  The Dream Spell

Calendar had also become prominent   in the rave scene.  Party flyers were dated with

Mayan glyphs, Mayan art and other Mayan symbology was displayed around dance floor

décor, clothing, and  artwork, and other externalized traces of an internal belief structure

manifesting within the scene.

 

Within the mathematical cosmogony of the DreamSpell, pervades the principle that our

species is about to transcend ordinary third-dimensional existence, into a forth-

dimensional, or in some translations, a fifth-dimensional reality.

 

It was a bizarre idea to encounter, and it was even more bizarre to have an ecstatic

dancing experience progenerate this notion.

 

The adoption of the Dream Spell Calendar, also posts a neo-apocalyptic narrative

circumventing the end-date of the Mayan Calendar in 2012, while at the same time

hosting a mathematical philosophy of a major shift in human cognition through the

transformation from which a higher-dimensional existence would ensue during our

alignment to the center of the Galaxy on December 21, 2012.

 

“When all this information came in, it just seemed to fit what we were already doing,

evening though it had no real connection, the idea worked.”

–DJ Solus September 2006

 

I am at a festival called Lightning in a Bottle, an electronic music festival outside Santa

Barbara.  I am sitting with a group of people inside a tent between a propane lantern that

blazes with a low electric hiss.  The pumping thunder of mega-watt speakers' pound

through the nylon tent walls.  Just outside, a sea of people dance in a giant clearing

amidst laser beams and flashing neon lights.  The roar of their celebration amidst

pulsating electronic rhythms echoes the futurism of a ‘techno-tribe' emerging.

 

From interview to interview, my own perceptual interpretation of transcendent ritual

through festive cultural rupture rang a shared mental picture as to what the experience

meant for people.

 

The owner of the tent leans over the lantern, shadows disappear from his face and he

looks directly into my eyes and begins to speak with a tone of affirming gravity,

 

“This is my family.  The world that we build out here is the real world for us.  People say

that 2012 is the end of the world, but we all know that it is the end of their world and the

beginning of ours”

 

Through my ethnography of the electronic music culture, I had been observing a

movement towards a primordial return, integrating a ritual technology as a mode of

transformation.  It was my belief that the kinetic engagement of the dance itself was the

main source of esoteric undercurrents which permeated the scene.  Of course

psychedelics play a huge role, but the experience had on the dance floor created by

intense movement and electronic dance music was the real cultural source for a shared

vision of future transcendence into an alternate dimension of reality altogether.

 

The integration of the phenomena and phantasm that encompasses the self-guided

dogma incorporated in the 2012 initiative weaves so neatly into the transcendental

impression these sonic environments encapsulate.  When looking closely at the initiative

of the 2012 meme, a new world-view of collective spiritual transcendence is indication of

the honest expression of the cultures internal desire to alter their perception.

 

In the face of a quickly changing environment which instinctually demands a

transformation of the ways in which humanity both perceives and carries out his

existence, the idea of global destruction and creation has long fed into the mythologies of

human groups as apart of this internal expression for dramatic change.

 

Never before in the history of humanity have we seen a single millenarian idea so

widespread.  Yet, a prophecy of global transformation would require a global culture to

bare its vision, and the electronic dance community appears to be one of the many

appropriate carters of the revelation.

 

Another interesting facet of the integration of this new ‘mythos' with the electronic dance

community, is the move to outdoor environments, and the integration of intentional ritual

and ceremony to their night-long ecstasies.  This juxtaposition gives the party experience

an authentic communal, as well as tribal sensation, one that implies meaning and value

to the experience.  With this experience comes a temporary transformation of the

perception of the individual undergoing the experience. Cognitive processes are gently

and sometimes savagely altered.

 

As the techno-shamanic psychedelic environment integrates into a social-cultural

framework, identities change on individual and collective levelsas the music itself takes

the mind of the individual into an experience of alternate planes of thought, the myriad of

techno-tribal cultural identities swarm in around the dance itself, and reality is but for the

instant of a weekend ‘shifted.'

 

The integration of psychedelics into these events allows one to further integrate their

imagination into the experience of the environment that surrounds them, in a cyclical

feedback relationship between the experience and the experience.  Systems of belief and

thought are replaced, both temporarily and permanently.  The environment yields to an

alternate dimension of being, and the experience, though brought on through an arsenal

of synthetic arrangements, momentary replaces traditional perceptual frameworks.

Memory of the experience remains and over time evolves cognition.

 

We live in what we believe to be is real.  Every time someone experiences reality in the

mystical playing field generated at these parties, the more the experience integrates

back into the ‘familiar.'  The concept of consciousness shifting, takes on a very subjective

nature as dance ritual reinforces the pragmatism of the experience.

 

As conversation of a shift in the collective reality of the dance community ensues, the

number 2012 pops up in more and more conversationsthe party becomes a vehicle for

the collective transformation of an entire human group as their collective memories build

up a shared perception of a new experience.

 

It's an old trick in human behavior that corresponds with the inner workings of our minds.

For thousands of years, cultures and their traditions all over the world have used music

and dance as part of the ritual and ceremony for the integration, and stability of their

tribal structures.  Key to this article, it not only promotes community, is promotes the

subjectification of their mythologiesand their prophecies.

 

What man is actually interpreting through the development of a mythos is not an

interpretation of a particular vision or story but the energetic experience of the dance

itself.  What one experiences in an ecstatic state of trance is the experience of their

internal desires.  Since our internal desires are primordial, they are instinctually

connected with nature and the environment around us.

 

Thus, as our environment changes, and we see threat to our current cognitive processes

and cultural value systems; the alteration of our belief structures through a hyper-

onslaught of groundbreaking scientific information, the desubjectification of religious

systems, a globalization of the sacred, the meltdown of the industrial world, and

environmental threats, transformation of mind and spirit permeates the internal psyche

within these spaces of liminality.

The tribal experience of dancing beyond the realms of the ego produce a strong feeling of

connection with community through music, and the rupture of traditional cultural systems

that seem to no longer be working.  This creates a Petri dish for the development of new

cultural frameworks and the reordering of the groups cognitive processes to better

adhere to the changing environment.  Dance is an instinctual human behavior to

demoralize and reframe perception as a means of evolution of mind and body.

 

Myth is product of ritual, it is the interpretation of these eternal desires for change.  Myth

is the narrative of a primeval reality, translating deep spiritual desires, moral craving,

social and the practical requirements for social transformation.  Myth expresses,

enhances, and codifies belief.

 

In turn, myth creates reality.

 

Consciousness requires narrative.  Individual consciousness and the collective human

consciousness requires the framework of a story in order to direct its initiatives for

change.  When one's current reality is threatened with drastic alteration it naturally

begins to weave narratives of explanation that will offer hope and resolution to guide its

actions through the transformation.

 

The millenarianism that is character of the dance community displays this very quality of

the development of a transcendental mythology as a means of reframing its own

cognitive processes to alter mind, body, and spirit to better suit our own personal

interface with the environment.

 

Dance-based millenarian movements have happened throughout history, in cultures all

over the world.  When the Lakota Natives were threatened with oppression and

reservation life, they immediately reacted with the development of a pan-Indian religion

known as the Ghost Dance.  It was characterized by the emergence of a prophecy that a

particular ritualized dance would bring a peaceful end to the Anglo expansion, the return

of the Buffalo, the salvation of the community, leaving the earth filled with food, love, and

faith.  This narrative was typified by clean living, honesty, and cross-cultural cooperation

as a means of salvation and resolution alongside the dance itself.

 

For the dance community to adopt the undercurrent of a similar narrative proves a

structural framework to the development of mythos as a form of cultural revitalization.

Though the salvation of humanity and the world lies within our individual change in

lifestyle as a means of adhering to the shifting environment, the characterization of death

and rebirth into a new world fits the prophetic initiative as well: Salvation through

dancing.

 

Though the dance community has added the awareness that the process of bringing

about such change, will not come through a mystical transformation but through the

cultural rupture brought on by the act of ritualized dancing itself.  The intentionality of the

culture reads into the natural magic of sound, and its influence on neurological states.

Experienced within a large group it creates a bond of the collective psyche and the

subconscious initiative of the group permeates through the experience.

 

Consciousness instinctively fabricates new translations of experience, the development of

new ideas of origin, and prophetic direction.

 

Humanity naturally begins to weave new stories for itself as the environment surrounding

the collective subject changes.

 

An interesting coincidence, in 1987 a event known as the Harmonic Convergence, was

held by New Age groups all over the world to usher in an era of awakening into love and

unity through divine transformation that would be fully awakened on December 21st of

2012.  That same year of 1987 has historically been identified as the birth of the rave

scene.  It was the year that the ecstatic experience of a ritualized dance became

popularized in urban youth all over the world, the beginning of a culture which defined its

own initiative as a revolution of peace, love, unity, and respect, through the ecstatic

unification of sound, mind and body as a collective group.

 

For years the numeric value two thousand twelve has been whispered on the edges of

dance floors all over the world.  It is most apparent in the psychedelic trance community

as an underlying mythos that defines the revolutionary synergistic electro-fusion of mind

body and spirit..  The 2012 narrative is a form of interpretation most commonly now used

to define the experience and the worldview that permeates the reawakening of a

primordial experience.

 

Again I am in-between parties, staying in a cabin in Mount Shasta conducting and

interview with the Shan-man, owner of The Village Oracle in Weed, California.  We are

sitting out in the sun, the icy tip of Mt. Shasta beaming in the background.

 

We are talking about the integration of the 2012 mythology into the cultural framework of

the electronic dance community, and the role that the parties actually are playing in the

process of global awakening into a new mode of thinking.  He describes the party as a

welcome mat, “They are like a doorway in,” he describes, a doorway that leads into a

mystical world of archaic, magical phantasmagoria that the experience of transition into

indicates not only transformation of the self, but the world to follow.

 

He states later in the interview, “We know that we are all heading towards one huge

gathering.”

 

What I see as one of the most interesting features of the 2012 initiative in terms of the

electronic dance community is the idea of a synchronized global gathering on the date

the calendar ends, December 21, 2012.  On that date the earth lines up with the sun,

which lines up with the Palladian Star system and the elliptic of the galaxy; a celestial

alignment that the earth has never before experienced.

 

The Dance community already celebrates a model of this end-date ritual, called Earth

Dance.  This is another synchronized party linking 360 dance-floors all over the world as

an intentional ceremony for peace.  Though this ritual is conducted annually, the

preparation for an even larger synchronized dance ritual to celebrate a celestial event as

rare as our alignment to the center of the galaxy offers an interesting notion that

humanity should very quickly becoming aware of.  This will be the most massive, pan-

human ritual ushering transformation in the history of human kind.

 

With the constant development of the mythos surrounding the 2012 meme, what will

such preparation, and practice of such a ceremony alter of the consciousness of those

participating in the ritual?

 

The alignment of dance rituals to celestial events is traditionally the source of a

mythologies link to the stars.  Which means, that our collective human narrative is

fashioned and reshaped by the movement of the stars.  Meaning that our collective

human story is a translation of this energetic experience of the cosmos.  How will the

energetic experience of the alignment be translated?

 

The creation of new myth perhaps, a new story of human kind.

So to answer the introductory question, as to the location of the partyI have heard several

rumors.

 

Some rumors have entitled it "The Party at the End of Time". The collective pattern of

gossip seems to congeal to 7 principal locations.

 

There is word that these locations may very well be planetary charka points.   To my knowledge,

these points are Titicaca Lake between Bolivia and Peru, Mount Shasta in California, Uluro Kattjuta,

the big red rock in the middle of Australia, The Tor in Glastonbury, The Great Pyramid in Egypt, and

Mouth Kailash in Tibet, and Kuh-e-malek Siah a not so tall mountain located in the Tri-point area of

Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.  These are the main points to my knowledge, however I have also

heard of the Haleakala Crater, the El Tule, Table Mountain, Bali, Mount Fuji, and the Sergiev Posad

in Moscow to be locations also.

   Wherever the party is, and no matter what happens on December 21st 2012, the most important

and beautiful part is that people from all walks of life, from all different cultures and countries will

be United in a dance, a celebratory ritual to usher in the Galactic New Year, and a new dawn for

mankind.   Because when it comes to mankind's own part in the great theater of the 2012

alignment, if anything on our part is going to bring about any real and dramatic change, a massive

global rave sounds like a damn fine go at it.

 

If anyone has any other information to share of the massive Party at the End of Time, I

would very much like to include it in my documentary for all the world to see.  Please

forward all information to:

Jeronimo@TheFederationOfEarth.com

 

Walking A Labyrinth - Discovering Our Sacred Inner Peace

"A maze is a puzzle to be solved, defined by ambiguity, blind alleys and blocks. In contrast, a labyrinth is pilgrimage, where one path leads to the center and out again. It is traversed as a metaphor of the

personal journey: inward, center and outward; releasing, receiving and returning; yin, yang and the interstitial opening in between."~(gail)~Labyrinth at St. Johns convent,Toronto