When it gets DARK...

[MakkaPakka604]

Upfront embracing the darkness. I love my black & death metal, especially mystical bands like Origin etc. It's why I enjoy a lot of the dark psy, it adds a much deeper mythical feel to the trip. Especially quality stuff like Sanaton, Parvati, Mighty Quinn, Moon Koradji, Tantrumm, Osom, Kamino & Dark Prisma labels.

[Padmapani]

Upfront embracing the darkness. I love my black & death metal, especially mystical bands like Origin etc. It's why I enjoy a lot of the dark psy, it adds a much deeper mythical feel to the trip. Especially quality stuff like Sanaton, Parvati, Mighty Quinn, Moon Koradji, Tantrumm, Osom, Kamino & Dark Prisma labels.

i have absolutely no problem with most kinds of metal (but prefer doom metal to black metal any day) and love dark and hard dnb and techno/tekno, but i don't see why it would help me enjoy darkpsy. do you really see a deeper, more mystical atmosphere in your favourite darkpsy tracks than in for instance x-dream - psychomachine?

 

that reminds me of another question i wanted to ask the darkpsy enthusiasts: do you think that darkpsy is "hard" music? (in a sense of raw power that "kicks you in the stomach" like a darkstep bassline, deep metal riff or distorted 909 kick does)

[MakkaPakka604]

There's a lot of technique in the well written darker side of this genre. Too bad there isn't much of it. I can't go in to to much detail as I'm lazy on holidays, but give me a Sanaton set over Psychomachine style outdoors at 4-8am any day especially on a foggy winters morning.

[MakkaPakka604]

Also, dark psy for me isn't hard at all. Not like say a tech trance sound or the London Acid Techno sound.

 

It's more like a deeper style of the more psychedelic 90's stuff. Like early Infected or Tandu.

[Rotwang]

that reminds me of another question i wanted to ask the darkpsy enthusiasts: do you think that darkpsy is "hard" music? (in a sense of raw power that "kicks you in the stomach" like a darkstep bassline, deep metal riff or distorted 909 kick does)

No. I think it's psychedelic music, which kicks me in the brain rather than the stomach.

 

I also think it has very little in common with metal (which, with a few exceptions, I don't care for at all). The idea that darkpsy is supposed to be the psytrance equivalent of Burzum is nonsense, and I wish it would go away.

[Padmapani]

Also, dark psy for me isn't hard at all. Not like say a tech trance sound or the London Acid Techno sound.

No. I think it's psychedelic music, which kicks me in the brain rather than the stomach.

 

I also think it has very little in common with metal (which, with a few exceptions, I don't care for at all). The idea that darkpsy is supposed to be the psytrance equivalent of Burzum is nonsense, and I wish it would go away.

 

interesting. that's something where i agree with you, i don't think it's hard music at all, even though it sometimes sounds to me like it's trying to be. iirc there were quite a few compilation covers with "evil" or "satanic" album covers and sometimes even track names, which seemingly reinforces the idea that it should be hard music and is probably responsible for the black metal of psytrance image.

 

but i don't think hard music (in this sense) and psychedelic music are mutually exclusive.

[Rotwang]

iirc there were quite a few compilation covers with "evil" or "satanic" album covers and sometimes even track names,

What, covers like these?

 

 

Track names like "Horrorgram", "Deranger", "Psycho" or "Deeply Disturbed"?

 

(Hint: none of the above examples is darkpsy.)

 

which seemingly reinforces the idea that it should be hard music and is probably responsible for the black metal of psytrance image.

We've been through this many times. Of course there are some darkpsy artists that use Satanic/horror imagery, as there are artists in other psytrance subgenres who do so. It may even be the case that most of the psytrance artists using horror imagery make darkpsy. That doesn't change the fact that the large majority of darkpsy artists do not use horror imagery, and that in fact their work has nothing to do with evil or Satanism.

[MakkaPakka604]

Off topic. Burzum is a racist idiot who cannot make music to save himself so just like dark psy fan Rotwang doesn't like to compare him to dark trance plz do not associate all black metal with him or the other idiots like Mayhem. There are some very talented & intelligent black metal artists out there, especially like Immorrtal who are not even singing about satanism etc.

 

On topic each to their own. I see manny similar elements. And many of the dark psy artists I've met were either into hardcore gangsta rap (Mubali whom I spent hours with in Japan) or heavy metal.

 

Then there is Infect Insect who's attitude towards Jewish people would make Hitler shameful.

[Rotwang]

Off topic. Burzum is a racist idiot who cannot make music to save himself so just like dark psy fan Rotwang doesn't like to compare him to dark trance plz do not associate all black metal with him or the other idiots like Mayhem.

As it happens I was talking with a guy who's mates with Varg a couple of days ago. He said he's a nice guy in person, which I could believe (even though I strongly disagree with both his views and his actions).

 

There are some very talented & intelligent black metal artists out there

I don't doubt it. I never intended to tar all BM with the same brush (in fact I didn't offer any opinion on the genre other than that I don't care for most metal), Burzum was just the first artist I thought of.

[Padmapani]

What, covers like these?

[...]

 

Track names like "Horrorgram", "Deranger", "Psycho" or "Deeply Disturbed"?

 

(Hint: none of the above examples is darkpsy.)

 

 

We've been through this many times. Of course there are some darkpsy artists that use Satanic/horror imagery, as there are artists in other psytrance subgenres who do so. It may even be the case that most of the psytrance artists using horror imagery make darkpsy. That doesn't change the fact that the large majority of darkpsy artists do not use horror imagery, and that in fact their work has nothing to do with evil or Satanism.

no, covers like this one:

 

and those track names are pretty flower-power-sunshine compared to a track named "three monsters in hell" from an artist named "satanic mutant" on an album called "monster troll in hell" http://www.discogs.com/Satanic-Mutant-Monster-Troll-In-Hell/release/1803208.

 

of course i know that this is a small minority, not representative of the genre and not exclusive to darkpsy. i did notice it being more frequent (also, more importantly, more discussed in the community) in darkpsy as opposed to other styles of psytrance a few years ago, but according to my perception this "trend" (of a minority) has already died down.

so actually i was only suggesting that this could have had an impact on the psy-public's perception and could be responsible for the undeserved "black metal of psytrance" image.

[Rotwang]

so actually i was only suggesting that this could have had an impact on the psy-public's perception and could be responsible for the undeserved "black metal of psytrance" image.

Sure. But the fact that many people make the same mistake doesn't make it any less of a mistake. In order for a reasonable person to conclude that darkpsy is evil or Satanic, that person must be aware of examples like the ones you give (or less obscure examples such as Horror Place or Devil's Mind Records) and yet somehow unaware of Kindzadza, Psykovsky, Enichkin, The Nommos, Ocelot, Alien Mental, or any of the other darkpsy artists who are far more well-known than the likes of Satanic Mutant (who?) and who don't fill their album covers or track titles with horror shit. Of course, most of the people pushing the "darkpsy is evil" myth are aware of those artists, and are not reasonable (I'm not saying that you are one of them, since you've made it clear that you aren't). I get sick of reading it; it's insulting, it isn't true, and it's used as an excuse to bash a genre I like by people whose real beef with darkpsy is this:

 

 

 

[Ormion]

As a guy that listens (and buys) pretty much anything by darkpsy I can tell you that the darkpsy artists that use satanic references in their music is less than 5%.

[PsycheDanic]

Regarding psytrance and (black) metal being compared to one another, I think this is perfectly valid. In my opinion, similarities regarding the actual music, the atmospherics conveyed in the music and the aesthetics. One of the drawing factors for me getting into psytrance was the 16th note kick and bass - there is a definite similarity to be found in the psytrance k&b and the double pedal kick drum in metal, as well as quite a few general rhythmic similarities. I also find similarities in the atmospheres of forest trance and a lot of black metal - the emphasis on similar aesthetics such as forests and trolls really helps, as well as the main geographical features of both styles (Scandinavia). I can hear this in the music, though, and others have agreed with me in the past.

 

i have absolutely no problem with most kinds of metal (but prefer doom metal to black metal any day) and love dark and hard dnb and techno/tekno, but i don't see why it would help me enjoy darkpsy. do you really see a deeper, more mystical atmosphere in your favourite darkpsy tracks than in for instance x-dream - psychomachine?

 

that reminds me of another question i wanted to ask the darkpsy enthusiasts: do you think that darkpsy is "hard" music? (in a sense of raw power that "kicks you in the stomach" like a darkstep bassline, deep metal riff or distorted 909 kick does)

 

 

This is a difficult one. Sure, the kick isn't fat distorted like it is in speedcore, but I do believe that psytrance can be hard music - just in a different way to how hard is usually defined in electronic music (fat, distorted kick drum). For example, I find this track by Sator Arepo to be very hard.

 

 

I think the word 'intense' is a better adjective to describe more extreme styles of psytrance. The music can be very overwhelming due to all of the layers combined with the heavy low end prominent in dark psy. I don't experience this overwhelming feeling with any other style of music, to be honest. It encompasses my whole body and mind. Very hard to describe, but I certainly don't experience this with any other form of electronic music.

[PsycheDanic]

Oh, and to answer the question, when there's dark (preferably forest), that's when I emerge. Freqs of Nature (both last year and this year) was a haven due to the forest floor continuously blasting out amazing forest, dark and hi-tech. <3

[Rotwang]

Hi PsycheDanic. I don't suppose you happened to go to Forgotten Ritual in 2007?

[PsycheDanic]

Oops. I forgot to include the Sator Arepo link in my previous post, so I have edited it.

 

Hi PsycheDanic. I don't suppose you happened to go to Forgotten Ritual in 2007?

 

Hey there!

Nah, I got into psytrance in 2007 and the only festival I attended was a tiny one here in England called Offworld. How come you ask?

[Rotwang]

Nah, I got into psytrance in 2007 and the only festival I attended was a tiny one here in England called Offworld. How come you ask?

Because when I was there I met a guy from London called Dan who liked darkpsy. Figured you might have been that guy.

 

e: That was my 8008^th post. LOL BOOB

[PsycheDanic]

Because when I was there I met a guy from London called Dan who liked darkpsy. Figured you might have been that guy.

 

e: That was my 8008^th post. LOL BOOB

 

Fair! I wonder who that could have been. *Tries to think of other Dans who live in London into dark*

 

(.) (.)

[Negrosex]

[...]

 

the great majority of psytrance is night music, so why do we only have the option of listening to one single genre from a great multitude when it's dark?

 

I agree, if someone wants to produce music to be played at night and it has to fit into such a narrow genre it´s limiting. It should be the other way arround. More room for experimentation, more fun.