Psytrance – the bastard lovechild of psychadelia and trance, which somehow manages to sound nothing like either genre – has its own special brand of stalwart supporters that you’re likely to encounter in festival fields across the world. Of all genres of dance music, the fans of psytrance are the most easily spotted. Here’s a handy How To…Spot A Psytrance Fan.
More often than not psytrance fans will be bearded and dreadlocked white, young gentleman dressed head to toe in worn, grass stained and woodsmoke smelling, brightly tie dyed tunics with an assortment of tea cosy adornments – like some kind of neon scarecrows. And just as scary. *Although inside every psytrance fan beats the heart of a New Age guru who’ll only be too happy to embrace you with a hug rather than a fist despite their potentially threatening appearance.
Like a post-apocalyptic hippy army you’ll find them dancing awkwardly to Infected Mushroom in a haze of speed that speckles like a chalky vapour in the multi coloured lasers towards which their hands are raised.
If you are going to wade into the murky and intense world of psytrance best be prepared for all night, and also next day, electronic freakouts accompanied by an assortment of glassy eyed anti-hipsters doing their best to cavort robotically to 150bpm plus before returning to your job of collecting for Oxfam on high streets. Or forming drum circles and making underwear from hemp, or whatever it is they do in their spare time.
