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Behind the music - conceptualism in Goa trance


Richpa

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We all know about I.F.O. it's for sure one of the best psychedelic trance records released and it's probably one of my favorite conceptual albums of all time in all genres. Now, 15 years later I'm still enjoying Goa trance music, but somehow I think that many artists doesn't want to pay more attention to story behind the music, something that will send some message through some story or idea. I'm not that much familiar with old school Goa trance like I'm with newer production, but I think that back than artists made albums with more details regarding the story, regarding the track names, listing and album names. Nowdays (at least from my point of view), all that is based on good old 'classical' elements such as aliens, extraterrestrial-lifeforms, distant planets, hindu god-pantheon, psychedelic drugs, elements of nature, etc.

 

I'm not saying that thoose elements are something that shouldn't be used, afterall, my own compilations are based on some of thoose, but I'm trying to say that maybe, we all should explore details a bit more. Pleiadians showed what does their name means, they perfectly represented feeling of the distant stars through music and that is something that I appriciate, especially because they made a conceptual piece of art. Something with similar idea (but only with drugs) 1200 Mic's made.

 

Offcourse, I started this topic as a place where we all can speak about new ideas regarding the themes and concept in Goa trance, is there any space for a new ones, is it possible to expand Goa trance music on to other fields. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if some artist decide to use his sound as a weapon against injustice, political corruption or something similar, it doesn't matter if Goa trance isn't something that doesn't have 'words' but I'm sure it can bring out some focus on some issues. Or why there isn't any Goa trance release that 'speaks' about hunger, deforestation, or animal killing (last one was actually mentioned in Somnesia & Space Elves TAE Remix, kudos to them). I mean, it's cool to have positivity in music, especially in Goa trance, but with that same positivity you can send some message, there is no need to almost every song 'speaks' about sunrays, moonlight, deep space, colorful rainbows.

 

Speaking from my point of view, I tried to deliver DG compilation in 2010 as something that speaks about Illuminati and multidimensionality, and it was hard to complete story like that, especially when you work with 9-10 different minds, but now, I'm really happy to be able to work with Arronax on his album and story for it and I'm glad that he also aims for something conceptual, something that will tell story with each track. Lunar Dawn's album also will represent Slavic pantheon and IMO that's cool concept for Goa trance, especially because it's something new and fresh.

 

Very good example of conceptual can be found in Ra's album 9th, I think that they wanted to give listeners their view of mediumship and chanelling, especially with beings which are out of our realms, pretty much something that has been described in The Law Of One.

 

Hopefully this topic will give good and healthy discussion regarding the topic title and I hopet we will give some fresh input regarding the ideas for possible new concepts and themes in Goa trance music and I hope a bit more courage to artists for their future works, so maybe some of them will start to devote more details to 'behind-the-music' stuff.

 

Edit - some other releases that I find pretty much conceptual are Crystal Skulls compilations and The Mystery Of The Yeti, feel free to list yours.

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To me, Goa was and always will be music that is deeply related to the spiritual. I don't think that, say, politic messages about crime (a la hip hop), can blend with Goa.

 

IMO, the path to be followed should be completely different from the one you are suggesting: keep looking at the stars, at the invisible, to the nature - that's the best message and inspiration.

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I think Astral Projection had intended Open Society to contain political or social messages. I think it could work if it says something about who we are and what humanity is about. One thing that would be really cool is if an album had a story or narrative that was conveyed to the listener through short simple voice overs, song titles, artwork even a little booklet that came with the album describing the story. And yes I agree that in terms of conceptual albums, Ra's 9th is the best. Everything about that album from the intro to the bonus track at the end is a journey and it should absolutely be viewed as such.

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I agree that conceptual albums can be a good thing, but...

 

Honestly, I wouldn't mind if some artist decide to use his sound as a weapon against injustice, political corruption or something similar, it doesn't matter if Goa trance isn't something that doesn't have 'words' but I'm sure it can bring out some focus on some issues. Or why there isn't any Goa trance release that 'speaks' about hunger, deforestation, or animal killing (last one was actually mentioned in Somnesia & Space Elves TAE Remix, kudos to them). I mean, it's cool to have positivity in music, especially in Goa trance, but with that same positivity you can send some message, there is no need to almost every song 'speaks' about sunrays, moonlight, deep space, colorful rainbows.

 

I strongly disagree about this. Caring about the world's evils is good and all, but psytrance music (as distinct from psytrance culture more generally) is just not the right place to preach about stuff. Psytrance is not punk rock for angry teenagers who think they know the solution to all problems, it's hedonistic music for people who want to dance and have a good time.

 

The only example that comes to my mind of an overtly political psytrance producer is Vegetal, and the result is just horrible - good music utterly ruined by a social conscience. Who on Earth wants to hear someone talking about a Turkish massacre while they're partying and quite possibly tripping? Add to that the fact that politics is usually highly divisive and you have a recipe for instantly destroying the loved-up atmosphere that characterises the scene.

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I agree that conceptual albums can be a good thing, but...

 

 

 

I strongly disagree about this. Caring about the world's evils is good and all, but psytrance music (as distinct from psytrance culture more generally) is just not the right place to preach about stuff. Psytrance is not punk rock for angry teenagers who think they know the solution to all problems, it's hedonistic music for people who want to dance and have a good time.

 

The only example that comes to my mind of an overtly political psytrance producer is Vegetal, and the result is just horrible - good music utterly ruined by a social conscience. Who on Earth wants to hear someone talking about a Turkish massacre while they're partying and quite possibly tripping? Add to that the fact that politics is usually highly divisive and you have a recipe for instantly destroying the loved-up atmosphere that characterises the scene.

 

I agree with Rotwang and would like to add to it:

Where energy is focused, energy builds up.

If you focus the high energy of psytrance on politics and negative things, then the energy of those negative things grows...

 

Psytrance DANCE is a return to primal roots.

Would you address your political concerns into your rain dance?

No. These things are not actually important and do not deserve the attention that such things receive by the population at large...

 

I am sure your mental masturbation is meant with good intentions, but you aren't aware how important it is for positive energy to GROW for the sake of GROWING to make the world a better place.

No matter how hard you try, putting more politics into politics will not make politics any less full of shit....

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It could have something to do with the move away from albums. Psytrance is still clinging tenaciously to the album format (thankfully IMO), but much the general public buys in singles these days. And even if someone gets an album, it might very well end up split among several different playlists on a person's iPod. Overall there's less of a focus on albums these days, and I imagine that carries over to artists and their naming conventions.

 

I agree, though, that conceptual albums are cool and I'd like to see more.

 

I strongly hope people don't start politicizing psytrance.

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Rotwang has already written everything I wanted to write when I read the op :(

 

Well it's nice that I managed to write something that people agree with for once. Makes a change from all the fights I start.

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I agree with Rotwang completely, the need to have political messages in psytrance is non-existent. Mainly because the idea of creating some other-worldy ambience just doesn't merge well with adding worldly problems to the equation. That being said, I love conceptual albums a lot and wouldn't mind if the new goa producers would conceptualise a bit more ^^

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I found the 3rd album of Xenomorph to be pretty conceptualistic (is that a word?) as well .... and it's also full of political and economic statements ... to me that's rather unique in psytrance .... but I agree that psytrance is not the medium for this .... If you have something meanigful to tell about this sort of things there are plenty of other media for that ...besides when you incorporate these messages in psytrance you will risk to be ridiculised as well ...

 

anyway ....

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Personally I don't like music to carry a political message.

For a start, if I don't align with the message's point of view, I can't enjoy the music.

Psytrance / Goa should be primarily music to dance to and allow the listener to take whatever else they can perceive from it.

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i wouldn't mind if some sort of political-cultural content appears in psytrance if it would be done in a subtle and positive way. i think nobody wants to hear endless anti-war lyrics and statements, but comments about different kind of human organization, different state of mind, different approach to socio-cultural issues could be smartly used and i think you can already hear them in some songs - although i can't remember any at the moment :wacko::)

 

the concept album which comes to my mind first is Talamasca's Zodiac even though i don't hear/feel too much connection between the tracks and their titles

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i wouldn't mind if some sort of political-cultural content appears in psytrance if it would be done in a subtle and positive way. i think nobody wants to hear endless anti-war lyrics and statements, but comments about different kind of human organization, different state of mind, different approach to socio-cultural issues could be smartly used and i think you can already hear them in some songs - although i can't remember any at the moment :wacko::)

 

completely agreed......

 

A great concept album is X-dream´s "We Interface", about how the comunication patterns in our society are nowadays.

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completely agreed......

 

A great concept album is X-dream´s "We Interface", about how the comunication patterns in our society are nowadays.

 

Well, it is their worst album so far. Being a hard fan of X-Dream, it's the only album I can't listen to. Was it the "poetry", the lyrics that irritated the fans? I think it's because of the "message" spread through the album. A clear example of how themed tracks don't work well with trance. For the "message" usually needs a medium - a voice singing it. We already have IM throwing caca from the stage. Talking of singing psy artists, that American girl should stop doing that grotesque act with X-Dream, and open a boutique in Syria or become a monk in India. Whatever :angry: .

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Ah, but that's more like sociology, not politics. I think psychedelics go well with sociological discussions, and as such psychedelic trance might also.

 

The line between them both ist quite thin. Just the slogan "we are one" could be take as an anti-racism call, and that is politics. To my understanding psytrance was always into what I would call passive activisim, politically awared, but not politically involved. It would be a pitty that parties and scene dilute into just another clubby genre and loose the spiritualism and principles.

Some well choosed messages spreaded in some tunes won´t get anyone out of the trance experience. It might even boost it.

 

 

Well, it is their worst album so far. Being a hard fan of X-Dream, it's the only album I can't listen to. Was it the "poetry", the lyrics that irritated the fans? I think it's because of the "message" spread through the album. A clear example of how themed tracks don't work well with trance. For the "message" usually needs a medium - a voice singing it. We already have IM throwing caca from the stage. Talking of singing psy artists, that American girl should stop doing that grotesque act with X-Dream, and open a boutique in Syria or become a monk in India. Whatever :angry: .

 

Ok, you don´t like the album, you made your point clear....... :blink:

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I see that for some people the message that is ALREADY in psy / goa is over their heads...

 

psy / goa is happy (+)

politics is NOT happy (-)

(+) x (-) = (-)

 

I want to be happy(+)

therefore I think psy and politics should not be mixed

 

concept albums are fun though...

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I found the 3rd album of Xenomorph to be pretty conceptualistic (is that a word?) as well .... and it's also full of political and economic statements ... to me that's rather unique in psytrance .... but I agree that psytrance is not the medium for this .... If you have something meanigful to tell about this sort of things there are plenty of other media for that ...besides when you incorporate these messages in psytrance you will risk to be ridiculised as well ...

 

anyway ....

 

Still, that album is great - from music to concept and message. More like that wouldn't hurt anyone I guess. There is a lot of releases which don't follow that trend and good thing in psytrance is diversity - of music, ideas and messages, by that I mean that more conceptual and releases which 'speaks' about some issue or problem are welcomed in my case. Anyways, thanks for your opinions regarding this subject and suggestions for conceptual albums/compilations.

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