There are no accidents, no random chances in this reality we co-create and experience at an individual and at a collective level. Everything happening in our lives is pushing us forward on our evolutionary path and each one of us is on this journey, whether we like to accept this now or later is one's choice hence our journey from the darkness of ignorance to a place of knowing, a place of truth and never ending light. We are being nudged forward to recreate ourselves each day and there are forces at play beyond the comprehension of our rational thinking mind who are always guiding us along. Whether you call it your higher self, your Intuition, Spirit Guides, Angels, God etc ... it is essentially another aspect of yourself, it is you. Through many psychedelic journeys we come face to face with the inherent connection between all things, which are nothing in their truest essence ... the universe is energy at different frequencies of vibration and we are all living the illusion of swimming in this sea of consciousness however we are this sea, just for the sake of analogy ... trying to put certain ineffable revelations in words, humbly.

From my own personal journey within the raving culture, I have seen and experienced many different kinds of situations which have somehow shifted my awareness from perceiving this world from the limited framework of my mind to something outside of my self which is essentially omnipresent, its everywhere. Enlightening revelations may well be a consequential side effect of taking Psychedelics and becoming one with the music in a trance dance frenzy ... expressing our truest feelings, uninhibited. On almost all of my experiences on LSD I felt completely in tune with the intelligence of the body, which spoke to me in an unspoken language, showing me signs ... what i should be paying attention to ... what is really important in the here and now ... my attention was always drawn towards the breath. Almost involuntarily, one goes into a state of deep trance and we start to receive information if you may, or downloads from somewhere ... everything begins to make more cohesive sense when the patterns start to emerge as dots begin to connect. The Universe is always working with us and not against us ... if we only learn to trust our intuition more we will realize how everything happening is a consequence of what we have held in our vibrational state. We are capable of achieving great things once we start to flow with the natural frequencies of creation which speak only one language which is the language of love, its the highest form of vibrational energy we can fathom and it is what everything is made of.


The Psychedelic parties and the raving culture are definitely powerful avenues to bring about this Psychedelic Catharsis in our lives, however these are only gateways or portals to something even more grander if we learn to traverse these paths well, with love and awareness ... Once Psychedelics open up your mind then you can never go back to the older version of yourself and this is what scares most people who are afraid of change and are still desperately holding onto overrun patterns chasing illusions in the material world. There are many in the Psychedelic community who are looking for a quick fix and escape from the mundane through the Psychedelic Experience ... and it works, for a while ... Until one starts to become more sensitive to energies and can see underlying patterns behind what goes on ... its almost like when we are bombarded with too much overwhelming information one finds it hard to make complete sense of ... being surrounded by a many different energies, lacking the feeling of clarity ... feels like more wild, untamed, unconscious energy pumped by amphetamines for most part, since a lot of folks these days just want the physical sensations of a Serotonin Blast which equates to the feelings of love ... with side effects of course and often short lived.





The Psytrance culture has given a lot of Psychonauts across the Planet a lot to work with, provided the work is done like it should. Taking Psychedelics responsibly requires one to be well informed and guided by someone experienced, usually a Tripsitter. Our energetic state before doing these Psychedelics is also key to what our experience would shape up like. For most part, on our Tryptamine journeys we encounter what we are holding in our present state of conscious awareness and what matches our vibration. The Universe is always working with us, showing us what we need to see and we are the ones who create each experience by the power of our thoughts. The external world, our dreams, our desires are all illusions, however serve a purpose of showing us where our vibrational energy is taking us, giving us the opportunity to learn and hence create more consciously. We find most peace and satisfaction in our lives when we are on our path, following the signs the Universe is showing us while being guided by our intuition and not our limited egos. My personal journey so far has been profoundly revelatory and compels me to share some of these realizations with you for this is my purpose, my mission, to be able to articulate to best of my ability the random strangeness we call life, which is in fact not random at all and there are no coincidences either. Its always humbling to realize the trickster nature of the Universe which swiftly rearranges itself just when we think we had it all figured out. We can chase the next party, the next psychedelic experience, the next hot partner ... finally realizing what we are searching for has always been here with us. This many may not fully comprehend for its where they are on their journey right now. I know this for I have been there myself.

The Psychedelic Awakening opens up new pathways and breaks down some of the self created barriers in our mind about who we think we are ... but we tend to forget easily and get seduced by the Maya of the material world. This too has a purpose to serve for it has taken you to the point of awakening. This Psychedelic Catharsis, this Ego Meltdown or Ego Death is what brings about a powerful transformation in our lives and we start becoming sequentially, more aware of the path forward .... being guided by intuition. We have many gifts waiting to be discovered and they come to us in Solitude. I am forever grateful to the Psychedelic Trance scene for showing me the way and also making me realize that the scene by itself is not necessarily the way and Psychedelics are to be used wisely and not abused for the sake of feeding our limited pride and egos. I am grateful to all the people who have been part of my journey so far and have brought about many important lessons for me to grow and be a better human.



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Goa has seen it all. Freed from Portuguese rule in 1961, a village of bare minimums is what remained. A virgin paradise with lush green palm trees, open fields, serene beaches, quaint structures and a magical sunset. Little did it know that its next invaders were going to be of quite a different nature. The world’s flower children were on their way from all over the world, onto a common path through the Middle East now known as the ‘hippie trail’. Sad to know that is not at all possible in this present day. “See you in Goa for Christmas’, were the words said to all compatriots on the road. As we have it, they finally reached. The locals were primal and basic, almost shocked to see bare-naked bodies of different color jiving on the beach.

They brought an atmosphere to the young and independent village of Goa. Sensing the newcomers’ demand for food and refreshment, chai shops and restaurants with fish curry and rice started to flourish. The ever-popular Flea market started simply as a place of trade and exchange amongst these baby boomers, a very different scenario from the commercial center it has become today. Yes, we must ‘adapt’ with the times. In fact, the present day beach shack culture that is a trademark, all the live band jams prominent through pubs, bars and restaurants and many other signature elements of modern day Goa can be credited to our hippy friends. They were the first ones to put Goa on the map for any kind of tourism. It’s quite sad that the authorities only glorify and attack the few negative aspects of this culture. Goa created a new shrine for the perfect collection of young hedonistic, differently thinking individuals at the perfect place and at the perfect time.

The most unique ritual however, developed by this tribe, were the full moon parties.

Since Goa was not always powered all over with electricity. Especially in the areas of Anjuna and beyond. Even now the ever-faithful orange streetlight shines dimly, leading the way. These colorful marauders would wait for the moon to be at its brightest, and then come out to play. Starting with acoustic jams leading into pure electric Rock N Roll, as our flowery friends did manage to bring in Fender sound systems, an electric bass and an electric guitar. Long time Psychedelic Trance master Goa Gil was a prominent figure in these jams, and is from the first generation of hippies to enter Indian soil. Goa flourished with what seemed to be a perfect amalgamation of counterculture and spirituality. ‘Goa is a state of mind’ it is popularly said. Many of these individuals were exposed to mystical experiences, within and around themselves. Instances of synchronicity, connection, oneness and freedom. With time their music of preference began to change.

Due to the developments made by Roland from Japan in the 80s, many analog synthesizers drum machines and digital audio workstations came into existence. This lead to a boom in electronic music all over the world and people, who didn’t even know music, could become musicians. This electronic music took different shapes in different parts of the world. From their visits back home, these Goa freaks brought back with them Techno from Germany, Acid House from England and various other electronic musical styles. With the use of cassettes and DAT mixers, it became possible to join these pieces of music together, to create a long term, hypnotic and transcendental effect. This switch took place somewhere in the late 80s. By this time, the tribe had become bigger and word had spread around the world, for Goa being a center for hedonism, spirituality and dance rituals.


Journeying into the 90s, Goa Trance was born. At the time very similar sounding to Acid house, due to the use of similar synths, but more indigenous to the experience the Goa party had to offer. Musicians in the scene had become more enthusiastic about converting there own experiences into sonic stories and slowly an arsenal of Goa trance DJ’s and producers started to birth. DJ Laurent and Goa Gil are said to be the pioneering minds behind what became the new sound of the psychedelic movement. Along with other musical brains such as Green Nuns Of the Revolution, Psykaos, Shiva Joerg and the Infinity Project, the sanity of young psychedelic travellers were in good hands. Parties were arranged differently, back then. As opposed to the fixed venues we have today, Goa was open free land.

Parties were set up anywhere and everywhere. Bamboo Forest, Anjuna Temple, Arambol Lake, the hill on South Anjuna, Chapora fort and I could keep going on. 9 Bar is one such venue that has existed through the course of this modern movement. A signature sunset spot, it is close to many psychonaut hearts. Speakers were set up, and the ‘techno shamans’ would weave audio webs of consciousness for thirteen to twenty four hours. The freaks did the decorations themselves, involving UV paint, banners with psychedelic patterns, aliens, Hindu deities and fractal designs. Parties have been said to go on for days. In my conversations with many who have experienced those times claim that even though the music was not as intense as it is today, the experience was a lot more twisted. I was told that people would stare at the morning sun and celebrate their survival.


Ozora Promo Party ~ One Day in Goa : Shiva Valley, Anjuna
I do believe a ceremony such as this is about breaking layers. We come in the night with our burdens of our everyday rat races. We begin our journey and since it is the destination we begin to lose ourselves. In a space of common rhythm and pure ecstasy. Slowly these layers start to shed and it becomes a little uncomfortable, because you are slowly being exposed into your true self. This does get a little uncomforting, but you just have to let go. Somehow it is happening through an extremely powerful hypnotic groove. The sweat is gushing away the impurities and the muscles are working overtime, the ultimate detoxification. All around you are specimens going through similar processes and this most definitely creates a common understanding. As the morning sun rises there are expressions of empathy, appreciation and smiles of gratitude being hurled around, and you are still dancing. Somehow I do understand the old school annoyance with what the scene is like today, but it is all on an upward path. I’ve heard there was a time when no alcohol was involved, no onlookers standing around the dance floor. Due to some occasional trouble, even today, people come to experience magic more than pick up girls and ‘look cool’. That does prove for this scene to be one of meaning.


As the dawn of the 2000s approached, Goa Trance had started travelling the world. Due to the heat of the Goan summer and the intense monsoons that followed, they were trying times for partying to take place. In order to replicate the Goa experience internationally, these freaks took to stomping on festival grounds in Europe and other areas in the world. More producers started to rise and bring their own style. This was also made possible with development in music technology and Goa Trance slowly became Psytrance. CDJ’s were now available and could take the weather conditions mother Goa had to offer. This is of course in no comparison to all the live MIDI controllers and analog set ups we are seeing today. Full On music started to pump out of Israel and England, Dark Psychedelic was surging out of Europe and Russia, the distinct twilight style of South Africa. Now of course we get everything from everywhere and not to forget many more sub-styles at our convenience. This music is exceptionally intricate as it deals with minds that are most vulnerable.

They are entrusting their psyche to these frequencies, which is why the one controlling them must really understand what he/she is doing. Psychedelic Trance music has another beautiful property. It is designed according to the time of day, surroundings and to induce a certain flow of emotions. There are fun daytime psychedelic sounds by the likes of Dickster, Tristan, Laughing Buddha and Earthling. There is the groovy night sounds that come from Ajja, Dust, SouthWild, Psymetrixx and Gaspard. We have powerful dark psychedelic music, coming from masters such as Dark Elf, Kindzadza and Darkshire. The folks from Parvati Records, Disco Valley Records, are developing beastly forests sounds. Forest Psychedelic is said to have been born under the age old trees of Chapora.


I can see the relation between the sound and the surroundings that inspired it. There are various other styles such as Psygressive and Suomi Saundi that are slowly gaining in popularity. The list of labels grooming and spreading talent, is endless. The style of Psytrance is becoming more profound and musical as time progresses. Technological wonders have lead to producers converting the experiences in their minds into proper waveforms of brilliance. There is an infusion of rhythms from various cultures, melodic ideas from different geographical locations and a thumping bassline of unison and oneness. We now have psychedelic producers implying musical modes and complex mathematics in order to produce crisp, mind-boggling sound. The beats per minute ranges from 138 – 170 onwards. The various styles can no longer be classified through speed because now there is dark music at 138 and Full on Music at 148. It now mostly depends on the dynamic and mood with which that space of silence is filled by the producer. Many artists are even sampling live instruments into their act, let alone artists such as Highlight Tribe and Peaking Goddess Collective, who replicate electronic sound with organic instruments.

The local scene in the motherland is also booming, with the burst of versatility and maturity in Indian musicians. We now have acts like Starlab, Kerosene Club/ Flipknot/ Fiber Stomp, Janux, and Farebi Jalebi taking international stages regularly. Artists such as Groove Addict (Nano Records) are affiliated with top record labels all around the world. Producers such as Daash, Hydropanic, Chakraview and Aghori Tantrik are some of the talented homegrown musicians that are influencing many younger minds. There is also a local army of labels such as Vantara Vichitra and Digital Om that are doing wonderful things to put India on the world map. The availability of Indian DJ’s with eclectic music tastes is not a problem anymore. Triptone, Nitin, Karan ‘Third Eye’, Karran Khanna are some of these prominent names. Goa is still the world center for the Psychedelic Trance culture with ever-mystical spots such as Shiva Valley, Monkey Valley, Pipers Plateau and Hill Top that are curating top of the line Trance –n- Dance experiences.

Even though the culture has had to adapt to a more industrial framework as compared to the free flowing days of the sixties to nineties, it is still a new wave world culture. People are still uniting over different ideologies, mystical experiences and a sense of belonging. This music is often shunned and disregarded as a ‘sensible’ genre of music. I do strongly believe it is only for those who wish to understand it. Not in any tone of judgment, but simply to agree to disagree. Quoting Bob Dylan, one must not criticize what they cannot understand. It is also one of the youngest styles of music to exist, and is undergoing a period of rapid growth. It is only exciting to know what evolution in the human mind and available technology will bring in the coming years. Psytrance is a perfect mixture of modular analog physics, rhythm, groove, melody and cutting edge production. There is also a plus point, which is exclusivity. The crowd comes for the experience the music has to give. It is not simply a soundtrack to another ‘epic’ evening with the ‘bros’. It is not simply a theme song to use an excuse to interact with the opposite sex. It takes a lot more than that to really groove. Psychedelic Trance truly provides that, and to top it all, it is an anthem of a movement that is still going strong. Trusted in the hands of musical connoisseurs and new wave concepts that hold the solutions to all the problems our world has today.


Author : Vir Rattan Chowdhry (Philostrate/SpaceCadet)

Vir is a young and upcoming Psychedelic Trance Music Producer from India, studying sound engineering in Canada at the moment.

Check out his soundcloud profile : https://soundcloud.com/philocadet
& Facebook Page : www.facebook.com/philocadet26


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"Last Hippie Standing 2 : Global State of Mind", is the sequel to a fascinating documentary about the psychedelic, trance dance, hippie culture of Goa which has been evolving since the sixties ... from Rock and Roll to Trance, the transition has made the scene even more vibrant and richer with alternate styles of music being played all over Goa. The documentary is yet to be released however there are some videos from the film you might want to watch. It will perhaps give you the feeling of returning to magical Goa, even though for a short while !

Although Psychedelic Trance parties have a much larger following these days, the spirit of Rock and Roll is still alive and kicking in Goa. 'Art Escape Goa' for one, has been doing a phenomenal job at keeping the live music scene going strong with great artists and budding musicians being given a platform to exhibit their talent. The vibe in Goa is so pure and so magical that it makes people keep coming back for more ... season after season. With an ever increasing number of young psychonauts exploring their subconscious through the psychedelic, trance dance experience, there are all kinds of experiences unfolding. Sometimes confusing with an overload of information ... other times profoundly enlightening and highly uplifting.


Amidst all the chaos and madness of the scene, there are also amazing awakenings and realizations unfolding within our consciousness as we continue to explore ... finding the way back to our roots. The Goa Psychedelic Experience gives thousands of people from all over the world a chance to experience the mystical side of what we consider reality. A playground of sorts where folks lose their individual identities for a short while and experience the power of community and a sense of absolute oneness with everything. These kind of experiences may seem short lived, however have a deep, everlasting impact on our consciousness. Once the mind is opened, it is not possible to go back to a state of willful ignorance.




Tristan blasting at Shiva Valley, South Anjuna - Goa


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Goa Hippy Tribe is an interactive documentary series that tells the story of the original Goan hippies who first met in the early 70s and re-connected on Facebook. It is about people who shared a common space and time on the shores of Goa, India during the 70’s ‘hippy revolution’ and are now re-uniting after more than 30 years via Facebook.

Along with throngs of other western baby boomers’ offspring, Australian filmmaker Darius Devas travelled to Anjuna Beach in 2010. The boomers themselves had been there in the late sixties, when the infamous Goa hippie movement was founded in the Indian beach paradise. A milestone in their self-development, with a lot of rock ‘n’ roll, alcohol, drugs and free love.



Forty years later – and half a life older – they meet again, thanks to the Goa community on Facebook. How do they look back on their hippie parties? What has become of their dreams? Why did they want to be reunited with the Goa family one last time? Georgette (57) and Raymond (65) seem to have hung on to their hedonistic ways, but Monica (56) left Goa a drug addict and Steve (60) claims that the rise of techno music killed the true hippie feeling.


Initially, Devas posted his video portraits on Facebook, but encouraged by the large demand he decided to create a stand-alone web documentary, supplemented with all sorts of goodies, like fact sheets, photo galleries and background videos on such typical Goa subjects as drugs and spirituality. And while most of the former hippies claim to want little to do with Facebook, the physical reunion would never have happened without the virtual one.

Reference : Goa Hippy Tribe




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