Most Influential Goa Label

[abasio]

I was thinking about old-school Goa labels earlier and got wondering which ones really had the biggest influence on the scene.

Not necessarily the labels with the best catalogue, but the ones that were most important in shaping the sound, spreading Goa trance, introducing artists, or simply getting the music into people's hands.

These are the labels that came to mind:

Aurinko Records
Blue Room Released
BooM! Records
Ceiba Records
Concept In Dance
Distance
Dragonfly Records
Flying Rhino Records
Hadshot Haheizar
HOMmega Productions
Koyote Records
Krembo Records
Matsuri Productions
Nephilim Records
Nova Tekk
Phantasm Records
Phonokol
Polytox Records
POF Music
Psy-Harmonics
Psychic Deli
Return To The Source
Shiva Space Technology
Spirit Zone Recordings
Symbiosis Records
TIP Records
Tokyo Tekno Tribe
Transient Records
Trust In Trance Records
Twisted Records
Why Not Records

What do you think?

Which of these were the most influential for you, and are there any obvious labels I've forgotten?

I'm particularly interested in the difference between labels that were genuinely influential at the time and labels whose catalogues have become more highly regarded in retrospect.

And, of course: if you had to pick just one old-school Goa label, which would it be?

[acid being]

Flying Rhino's First Flight and Retrodelica compilations are totally fantastic. Obviously Twisted Records because Simon. I bought one or two things from Transient Records when I first stated collecting Goa as well. So those were the three I was most aware of at the time.

[abasio]

Flying Rhino and Dragonfly were the first two labels I started collecting. Some stunning releases on both. I was very partial to the Flight Series on FFR, GNotR, Technossomy as well were amazing. They were the main label that I was into that really evolved their sound. Their Re: evolution compilations still get regular play time. 

Dragonfly were pure Goa for longer and had great hits like Hallucinogen - Twisted, Pleiadians - IFO and Family of Light, The Muses Rapt - Spiritual Healing as well the Order Odanata series Also their chill out label - Liquid Sound Design was a regular in my post party sessions. Still love most of these releases. 

[staffan]

Butterfly studios was really special, Youth did a great thing with it. Many of the soon to be big acts was in that studio. Project II Trance released in 93 was probably the first Goa compilation.

So if I have to pick, it's Dragonfly, but you listed many great ones. :))

[Trolsk]

Since you're asking specifically for old school goa trance and labels with the biggest influence, you can narrow the list to the following:

• Blue Room Released
• Concept In Dance
• Distance
• Dragonfly Records
• Flying Rhino Records
• Matsuri Productions
• Phonokol
• Spirit Zone Recordings
• Symbiosis Records
• Transient Records
• Trust In Trance Records
• TIP Records
• Why Not Records

If you want to narrow it down even further the following would be enough:

• Blue Room Released
• Dragonfly Records
• Flying Rhino Records
• Matsuri Productions
• Phonokol
• Trust In Trance Records
• TIP Records

Many of the labels you mentioned released psytrance (like Koyote, Psyharmonics, Twisted) or goa trance records of relative minor importance (like Nephilim and Phantasm).

[abasio]

How about if you narrowed it down even further?

[abasio]

5 hours ago, staffan said:

Butterfly studios was really special, Youth did a great thing with it. Many of the soon to be big acts was in that studio. Project II Trance released in 93 was probably the first Goa compilation.

So if I have to pick, it's Dragonfly, but you listed many great ones. :))

I forgot that Dragonfly was a sub label for Butterfly Records, in my mind it is one of the greatest record labels ever so must have been its own entity.