Dark Psytrance
The fast, dark and distorted end of the psychedelic trance spectrum.
History
Dark psytrance is the heavy end of psychedelic trance s1. It is also called dark psy or darkpsy s1. The music is fast, usually starting at about 150 beats per minute and often going faster s1. It uses deep, distorted sounds and a serious or frightening mood s1. Producers often sample horror films instead of the science-fiction samples used in other psytrance s1. The style became recognisable after 2003, with artists in Germany, Russia and Brazil leading it s1. German producer Xenomorph released the album Cassandra's Nightmare in 1998, which influenced the sound s1. The album Radio by X-Dream, also from 1998, is another early influence s1. Dark psytrance is often played at night, and some related styles are called forest or hitech s1s2. The music is mostly instrumental, though speech samples are common s1. It has a smaller audience than full-on but a dedicated one s2.
Sound
- Very fast tempos
- Dark, distorted bass and leads
- Horror-film speech samples
- A serious or frightening mood
- Complex, busy percussion
Key figures
- Xenomorph — German producer whose 1998 album shaped the style
- X-Dream — German duo whose album Radio was an early influence
- Kindzadza — Russian producer in the dark psy scene
- Psykovsky — Dark psytrance producer with a large catalogue
Labels
- Parvati Records — Copenhagen , 2000
- Vertigo Records — Moscow , 2003
- Osom Music — Moscow , 2008
Defining tracks
Connections
Came from: Psytrance
Sources
- Psychedelic trance — Wikipedia
- List of trance genres — Wikipedia
- Psykovsky - 10 Essential Tracks — Trancentral (2018)