This changed my fucking life

This changed my fucking life

Goa and related stuff like Shpongle is one of those things I've given a fair shot so many times in my life and can never get into it. Not judging if you like it, that's great.

I think it's just too on-the-nose for me. I actually really like my stuff psychedelic but I consider everything everything inherently trippy already, so while I like music that is aware of that capacity and heightens it even more, I'm not too into when it has too many needless bells and whistles when it's already supposedly doing the job. I also can't get into the whole design and aesthetic. It's one of those cases of something being seemingly so close for me and yet so far in key details that are pretty constant deal-breakers for me. Like, I can really enjoy schlock and kitsch, but there's like a certain middlebrow zone of middle class kitsch that thinks it's deep and spiritual and psychedelic but is so tasteless. I mean I can get into tacky rnb that is weird despite itself, or hardcore techno which is obviously super kitsch and psychedelic in that way, but then there is the whole Burning Man / goa trance / Tool / Alex Gray zone of upper middle class techies with shitty aesthetic taste, in furry or shiny pants, Indian vests, tribal tats, Steampunk goggles, and a fucking fedora with a tall feather in it. That's a zone of kitsch / 'bad taste' without any actual sublimity. I can trip out to a detergent box, to mallgoth anime series, to early 00s teen movies, to the most ratchet shit... but I can't get with a fucking goateed, athletic masseuse guy in a top hat dancing to Infected Mushroom under a rainbow tent.

Also, just the sonic psychedelic aspect, besides those kind of croaking / squawking sounds, are these kind of 'mandala pattern' structures that seems to be most of goa and psy's gimmick and claim to trippiness, literally like just listening to the equivalent of a fractal poster. Plus usually some Eastern modal riffage to signify the spiritual dimension which again is like when they superficially throw a Bodhisattva onto one of those posters. Whoaaa.

It's all about getting shpongled, my dude.

Totally agree with you, they seem superficially psychedelic, kind of standarized, unlike say Hawkwind or Gong

The 2005 LP is my favorite from them. Actually, I was kinda disappointed when I listened to rest of the discography because imo it doesn't reach the same level of greatness.
The self-titled is great too though.

The scene you just described fascinates me for some reason.

>someone literally asked me irl if I was sphongled irl
never cringed so hard in my life desu

>Gong
Well fuck, I'm a frog and this is the first time I hear about this band, I have to check this out.

wtf, I'm listening to the last Roe Jogan and he just mentionned Shpongle. what a coincidence.

You guys swallow the shpongle pill yet?

Besides Shpongle, what are your favourite psytrance (and related) acts?
I really like Filteria and Cosmosis.

Merkaba

Solar Fields

This changed my fucking life

The label it's on released dozens of records with covers with similar layouts, it kinda put me off (it's usually not a good sign).

ultimae's album art layout is standardised and it's pretty shit but the music is decent if a little derivative

Many labels do the same thing and it can be interesting (see Sacred Bones), but here, it really gives the impression that you are about to listen to some pretty generic ambient music.

Are there good books/documentaries about the Goa/Trance scene?

............. Bump

don't die

You need to listen to it while tripping. I think they're too cheesy when I'm sober, too, but they're perfect for soundtracking an acid trip.

Though even when tripping I draw the line at Divine Moments of Truth.

I used to be heavy into the goa scene and to be honest it's a fucking cringe fest, the people are fake as fuck.

How so?

This is exactly how I feel, you worded it so well, user. GAS is the superior electronic music to trip to, I'm so excited to be seeing him live.

I really enjoy sphongle when I don’t focus on their aesthetic but I can’t listen to them in major doses or the intentional “cheese” starts coming through.
I remember reading an interview saying one of the members who helps make the music has a specific job of “finding oddities & new sounds to make the music sound oriental”. I feel that sums up a lot of their music. Enjoyable but it fits a niche.

Well said

this is a must listen

They all claim to be spiritually developed people but the core goa scene was full of people gossiping about eachother, ripping eachother off for drugs, talking shit about people at parties who were too "normie" not enlightened weekend hippies like them, getting chicks high just to try to bang them etc

Sounds like your typical raver from my country. I guess there are shitty people everywhere.

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