Psychoid

[Trolsk]

Back in 2000 Koyote Records signed a new promising US act called Psychoid. They only got around to release one single (Second Sight/Manic Organic) and a compilation tune (Menagerie). They were supposed to release an album but Koyote went bankrupt.

 

Psychoid had the potential to be a new important act. Their sound was sharp, groovy, fun and melodic with a highly psychedelic night vibe. I think it's fair to say that their sound was somewhat inspired by Cosmosis more psychedelic and groove tunes (read the Synergy album).

 

The most recent release I can find is a tune called Fantastic Planet on Dragonfly's Absolute Threshold compilation (2003).

 

Their never released debut album is still floating around out there and it deserves some extra attention from all you psy-trance connoisseurs.

 

If you know anything about upcoming releases or anything else that might be of interest conserning Psychoid, please share your knowledge.

[Trolsk]

I just found an even more recent release on Truffel's Solar Flares compilation (2004):

 

Psychoid - Other Worlds (64 kbps preview @ Saikosounds)

 

Excellent music!

[Basilisk]

I am also a fan of theirs - too bad they disappeared. I kept trying to stay in contact with them over time but never managed it. Their unreleased tunes were really good for their time - too bad they sound a little dated four or five years later.

 

Here's a slice of my review of Absolute Threshold, featuring the last released tune from Psychoid:

 

Finally we’re on to the part of the compilation that I actively enjoy. Psychoid is a bit of an obscure group that I’ve had my eye on ever since the release of three excellent songs on Koyote some time ago. Fantastic Planet is their long-awaited return. The intro sets the mood with some ethereal noises, then that beat kicks in. Ultra-funky bass is meshed with the really groovy harmonic melodies and psychedelic effects… sequences fade into each other marvelously and the song actually goes places in short order, moving through new patterns and evoking fresh reactions. From groovy we get to a pensive atmosphere, soon interjected by a mildly melancholic bluesy set of notes, all wrapped up in that sweet set of leapfrogging basslines. In the background the astute listener will hear something sounding very reminiscent of 8-bit video game noises - it is likely to be the theme from an old Nintendo game or some such thing. You have to listen carefully for it however! In short order the 4×4 pattern breaks down into funky breakbeats that lead the track out into the big break and return. There’s that set of 8-bit tones in the background again, nearly lost in the rush as noises and elements echo all over the place. Warm notes soon lead the listener into the outro. The production quality may be not as clean as the rest on this compilation, yet it is by far the most exciting piece of work here. Fantastic Planet is easily my favourite from the album, without a doubt!

Also, bonus for you... a few other tracks by the group which appeared on a demo they circulated way back when: Techgnostic, In Search Of..., Quetzalacotl, Mind Stress, and Out There. There are a few more, but I forget the names. Hopefully you can scare them up from some place

[dmtree]

I saw him play live in Oregon in 2003 - nice melodic, very goa-ish and trippy set, but he was having some technical problems, his laptop kept crashing which kinda killed the flow. I think it may have had something to do with the amount of moisture in the air, it was really wet..

 

I also seem to recall seeing his name on a party flyer from California sometime last year.. so he is still around, possibly. If you really want to know, you could ask in the North American section on [that other forum].