Five bands, 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Each section sits where its subject lives in the mix. Air at the top, weight at the bottom; the rail on the left is the same map, held to the side while you read.
Clicking a band drops you into it. Every piece is also reachable from Browse all, with no menu required.
Artwork
Fluorescent ink, fractal pipeline, stage décor as temporary architecture — the visual language that travels with the music.
2 – 8 kHzHIGH · 04Labels & Records
The catalogue decisions, label philosophies and release strategies that shaped how the genre circulated.
500 Hz – 2 kHzMID · 03The Floor
What actually happens in the room — rigs, acoustics, the relationship between sound system design and the music it plays.
120 – 500 HzBODY · 02Goa & After
The history of where psytrance came from and how it splintered — beach parties, legal crackdowns, genre forks.
20 – 120 HzSUB · 01The Sound
How psytrance is actually built — the kick, the bass, the synthesis chain, the mix decisions that define the genre.
Anatomy of a Kick: Click, Body, Tail
The psytrance kick isn't one sound — it's three, and the one you think matters least is the one that defines everything.
Read it- Filed under
- The Sound
- Length
- 6 min read
- The argument
- The tail is the genre marker. Nobody builds a scene identity around a click.
Recently filed
Eight pieces from across the spectrum. Slugs carry their band so you can see the register before you click.
BODY · one-beach-circuit-eight-genresOne Beach Circuit, Eight Genres
How a single stretch of Anjuna coastline became the root system of a genre tree that now has eight distinct branches — and why each fork was…
MID · what-a-good-floor-at-4am-actually-sounds-likeWhat a Good Floor at 4am Actually Sounds Like
When everything is right, you stop analysing and start moving. Here's what "right" actually means, technically and socially.
SUB · the-gate-that-made-the-genreThe Gate That Made the Genre
Pull the sidechain and the track dies. That pumping notch cut into the bass by every kick drum is not a production choice — it's the floor.
AIR · decor-is-architecture-on-a-rope-budgetDécor Is Architecture on a Rope Budget
UV fabric, suspended geometry, and the problem of making a field feel like a room.
BODY · why-145-bpm-heldWhy 145 BPM Held
Every adjacent genre drifted. Psytrance didn't. The answer is less mystical than the scene would have you believe.
MID · the-rig-explainedThe Rig
Every speaker stack at a psytrance party is a purpose-built argument about where the energy should live. Here's what's actually in it.
HIGH · how-a-label-sounds-like-itselfHow a Label Sounds Like Itself
Before you read the catalogue number, you already know whose release it is.
AIR · fluorescent-ink-is-a-printing-constraintFluorescent Ink Is a Printing Constraint
Why the neon-drenched aesthetic of psytrance art isn't a style choice — it's a workaround.
The Rig
Supporters
ASGMax — one pass, every studio.
PAWG — the bass speaks for itself.
GenderX Films — fluid like Goa.
Yes Father — devotion at every BPM.Every band, top to bottom
Air first, weight last. The order is the mix, not the calendar — nothing here expires.
Artwork
Fluorescent ink, fractal pipeline, stage décor as temporary architecture — the visual language that travels with the music.
Labels & Records
The catalogue decisions, label philosophies and release strategies that shaped how the genre circulated.
The Floor
What actually happens in the room — rigs, acoustics, the relationship between sound system design and the music it plays.
Goa & After
The history of where psytrance came from and how it splintered — beach parties, legal crackdowns, genre forks.
The Sound
How psytrance is actually built — the kick, the bass, the synthesis chain, the mix decisions that define the genre.
Where the circuit runs
Places this writing keeps returning to — the scenes, catalogues and rooms behind the pieces above.
The Rig
Supporters
Brazzers Exxtra — raw volume.
Asshole Fever — pure European heat.
Mommys Boy — lets the pro steer.
Little Asians — supports the scene.