Walkabout Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 OK, something has long irked me about the music played at the peak of the night at psy parties, and I finally figured out what it is. There are no pitched sounds! For the past several years, it's been like this at night: almost always, tracks will have the same fast bass rhythm, and then some atonal riff played over it. There's nothing like a melody or harmony, and as a result, the tracks are almost identical to each other. I really don't get why this makes people scream on the dance floor... I thought nighttime was when the most stimulating psychedelic music should be played, and this is really, really conservative music. When it's actually musical full-on can be good (Voice of Cod), but too many artists are just replacing the busy melodic section of goa trance with a busy bassline. The arrangements are really lacking too... too many start-stops and rhythmic gimmicks, not enough flow from one part to another. It's all icing and no cake. And WTF is it with the remixes? They all seem to take a good track, strip out the subtlety and soul, and replace it with simpler, fatter, cleaner sound in the name of being 'modern'. Again, I don't see the point. Music made in the 1990s already sounds 'modern', and still sounds great over a rig. Has anyone ever not danced to a good track because the bass doesn't dominate the mix, or because it wasn't compressed within an inch of its life? I was enjoying my raw sugar cane and they refined it, colored it, and sold it back to me as pixie stix. This rant prompted by last night's party and a terrible, terrible remix of "Guardian Angel". I'd like to find constructive solutions to this, but I think the current paradigm of electric, atonal noises has to implode first. People have to stop adoring artists and DJs who fall back on this stock sound, and recognize that it's not psychedelic nor trance inducing. The best you can say is that it's rhythmic, but other genres are rhythmic too and use a wider palette of different sounds. OK I'm going to sleep now, we'll see if any of this makes sense in the next day. PS: Prana's "Cyclone" doesn't get enough love. Long flowing melodies, polyrhythms, organic ambience and real depth. More psytrance should have gone in that direction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rotwang Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 There's nothing like a melody or harmony, and as a result, the tracks are almost identical to each other. If melody and harmony are the only elements of music you're able to recognise then yes, you would think that. But obviously the people who enjoy the kind of music you write about enjoy it for reasons other than its non-existent melodies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elysium Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I tend to avoid parties with music I know is not my taste. Much easier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veracohr Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I don't go to many of my local parties because usually music without melody dominates. I can dance to maybe one song like that before it just gets annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mars Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 I tend to avoid parties with music I know is not my taste. Much easier same here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Procyon Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 MO: you should study line-ups more carefully (in a sober state, I mean) before you open you wallet and trash your hard-earning euros. Right now, a 60 km radius from my house two full-onish parties are going on. One is pure crap, you can infer from the names, all wannabe DJs and their associates playing exactly what you heard yesterday night. The other is a little darker, so I guess with some quality. But I think good melodies are getting harder to find in psychedelic trance, no matter what subgenre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walkabout Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 If melody and harmony are the only elements of music you're able to recognise then yes, you would think that. But obviously the people who enjoy the kind of music you write about enjoy it for reasons other than its non-existent melodies. Hey, I like noises too. By 'anything like a melody/harmony' I mean tonal variation. It doesn't have to be melody or harmony in the conventional sense but can be timbres/textures, like darkpsy. But in darkpsy the artists tend to have their own style and play around with the sounds they use, whereas peak time full-on has been using the same buzzy electric sound for years. I can tell the difference between for example a Savage Scream and an Ocelot track, but I couldn't tell you the artists behind two night full-on tracks because they're all made to a certain standard. AFAIK people enjoy it because it's fast and energetic. And that's fine. I like fast stompy dance music. But if you don't have something to go with the energy, then it is sugar icing without cake. I tend to avoid parties with music I know is not my taste. Much easier The party wasn't all bad. I was really grooving on the music played in the first few hours, which was dark, kinda tribalish progressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elysium Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 he party wasn't all bad. I was really grooving on the music played in the first few hours, which was dark, kinda tribalish progressive. But did they not have a flyer telling you who was going to play? Normally when I go to a party I make sure I know what the Djs play to avoid feeling I wasted my money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ion1zed Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 @ OP: Do you have an example? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frozen dream Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 i've seen people enjoy darkpsy... oh i've seen it! darkpsy of the worst kind!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psymetal&bass Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 i've seen people enjoy darkpsy... oh i've seen it! darkpsy of the worst kind!!! Are you talking about stuff like RAWAR? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisk Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I have totally had this experience at some parties recently... some artists and DJs are completely allergic to anything resembling a hook and yes, all the songs quickly blur together into an unrecognizable mish-mash of beats and breakdowns. This tendency to focus on one specific sound with the "perfect" kick drum and bass line setup is really missing the point... but at least it's a little better than five years ago when DJs were obsessed with unreleased music, no matter how awful it sounded. I'm hoping this emphasis on monotone night music is just a fad. Luckily it's not something I hear everywhere nor does it usually persist for more than a set or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRS Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 i agree, this "night" full on gets boring fast, it's all energy no flow. in that sense it's the polar opposite of the modern prog psy, which is also not good for a dance floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nectarios Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay1OUyDRwP0&feature=player_embedded /spam Peace out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisk Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 This is something I enjoy in the middle of night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yot8jaZLNHc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ion1zed Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 This is something I enjoy in the middle of night: http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=yot8jaZLNHc Good choice! How about this? Sadly, I don't hear this kind of music that many times on parties around here. http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpqBVqzHu9c&feature=related Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psymetal&bass Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Good choice! How about this? Sadly, I don't hear this kind of music that many times on parties around here. http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpqBVqzHu9c&feature=related How is that rare? 99% of the psytrance tracks on my harddrive sound exactly like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veracohr Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay1OUyDRwP0&feature=player_embedded I liked that song except for the bass line. Of course this is a full-on topic so it's understandable, I just feel it could have been a better song without a full-on bass line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nectarios Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 I liked that song except for the bass line. Of course this is a full-on topic so it's understandable, I just feel it could have been a better song without a full-on bass line. 16th basslines are a love/hate thing. I love them still. Its not the bassline that makes a tune "full-on", its the rest of the music. Tristan for example uses 16th basslines for the most part, his music is nothing like Kindzadza's for example. Full on to me is the cheese brigade, the circus leads, odd breaks, glitchy mayhem....all the things that make the music cheesy, chewed up and ready to digest, the non hypnotic stuff...but that is me talking according to my taste. Here's another track that we've played during the night and went down a treat, no 16ths this time. And here is another 16th bassline tune that has destroyed the dancefloor during the night. ! Peace out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ion1zed Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 How is that rare? 99% of the psytrance tracks on my harddrive sound exactly like that. Which is a good thing. I meant that it is rarely played at parties around my location, not that the music itself is uncommon. Any recommendations apart from the Wildthings acts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuisBSF Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 I really like Psymmetrix and Synthetik Chaos, both in Bom Shanka: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70C5KIL5VA4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4NNRsVR2Zo Slightly quicker than Wildthings stuff but not hugely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRS Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 This is something I enjoy in the middle of night: http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=yot8jaZLNHc yeah. this is an excellent example of good energy and flow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veracohr Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 16th basslines are a love/hate thing. I love them still. Its not the bassline that makes a tune "full-on", its the rest of the music. It's not just the 16ths, it's the dominance and repetitiveness of the bassline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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