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Psychedelic trance or psytrance is a form of electronic music that evolved from Goa trance in the early 1990s when it first began hitting the mainstream.

The original Goa trance was often made with popular Modular synthesizers and hardware samplers, but the preference in Psychedelic trance has moved to sample manipulation and storage in VST and AU software sampler applications. The use of analog synthesizers for sound synthesis has given way to digital "virtual analog" instruments like the Nord Lead, Access Virus, Korg MS-2000, Roland JP-8000 and computer VST and AU plugins like Native Instruments Reaktor. These are usually controlled by MIDI sequencers within Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) applications.

Psytrance saw wide success in the Tel Aviv dance scene, and moved on to nearby places.

The name psychedelic provides an umbrella term for the many divergent styles of psychedelic electronica, including: Goa; melodic; dark; progressive; progressive trance; suomi; psybreaks; sometimes even psybient; and "classic" psy. Some of these styles have very little similarity except that they are all a psychedelic variety of electronic music such that many in the scene believe the name "psytrance" is completely meaningless. Most people who have been with the music and the surrounding scene for years, simply refer to the breed of electronica as "psychedelic". Referring to it as "psychedelic" also distinguishes the style from the 'clubbier' trance music and reinforces the roots of Goa trance in the psychedelic community.

Psychedelic trance used to be distinguished by a fast tempo, in the range 140 to 150 BPM. The emphasis in melodic psychedelic trance is placed strongly on purely synthesized timbres for programming and lead melodies.

Psychedelic trance has a distinctive, speedy sound. High BPMs (generally between 120 and 150 BPM) tend to be faster than other forms of trance or techno music. Psychedelic trance uses strong bass beats that pound constant throughout the song, and overlays the bass with varying rhythms using drums and other synthesized instruments.^[1] Psychedelic trance songs tend to be long pieces of music, reaching lengths upwards of 10 minutes. This gives the music time to develop slowly, building up to a climax before breaking back down to rebuild again. Layering is used to great effect in Psychedelic trance, with new musical ideas being added on at regular intervals, often every 4 or 8 bars. This buildup will happen till a climax is reached, and then the song will break down and start a new rhythmic pattern over the constant bass line.

• Psybreaks
• Full On
• Goa trance
• Dark psytrance
• Suomisaundi
• Psychedelic music
• Psychedelic art
• Psychedelia
• Trance music
• Progressive psytrance
• Ambient music
• Psybient
• Doof
• List of electronic music genres

• GOABASE, global resource of upcomping Psy events
• Psychedelic trance Open Directory Project
• Isratrance - Archive with information about most of Israel's Psychedelic Trance/Goa Trance artists.
• Oztrance - Australian Psytrance Forum
• Goasapiens.com - Serbian Psychedelic Trance Community.
• Trippy Trance - Everything to do with psy trance around the globe.
• Australiens - Australian Psytrance Portal
• 3am - South African Psytrance Portal
• Monkeysfist - Psytrance Blog
• Elektronika - Mexican Psytrance Portal
• Psychedelic Mind Expander - database of Goa and psychedelic trance artists, labels and releases.
• Psynews - online community and review database.
• Chaishop - emag and host of a weekly podcast.
• Ektoplazm - review database and free music source.
• Bassline.gr - Psychedelic/Progressive Trance and Chillout web radio.
• Bomelakiesie- South African Psytrance Community.
• Trancemuta- Mexican trance community.
• Spacesheep- Romanian Psyrance/Psybient/Goa portal.
• Psyshine- Turkish Psytrance Blog / Psy-life, music, culture, news worldwide.
• PsyDj - New Zealand Psytrance / Psy-life, music, and culture from New Zealand.
• Psyks- Kosova Psytrance Community

• Alladin Project, a psytrance community in New York City
• 28THDAY, a psytrance community in New York City
• Tsunami, a psytrance record label / party organizer in New York City
• PSYNY, a psytrance community in New York City
• Psytribe, a psytrance community in California/Nevada
• Green Sector, a psytrance community in California
• Terrakroma, a pstyrance community in Los Angeles, California
• Chilluminati , a psytrance community in Chicago
• Trance Psyndicate, a psytrance community in Central Illinois
• Overmind Works, a psytrance community in Arizona
• Atlpsy, a psytrance community in Atlanta
• TOUCH Samadhi, a psytrance community in Asheville/NC
• Organica, a psytrance community in Second Life
• Gaian Mind, a psytrance community in Philly
• Mindoutpsyde, a psytrance community based out of Iowa City

• Psysurfeur.com - Psytrance Goa Video and DVD - Psychedelic Culture.
• Goaplace.com - The new Media and Party-Server
• eventnow.tv - Psytrance party videos and DJ mixes

• Psy Trance Link Pages - Psy Trance Link Section of Flying Rhino featuring all things psy trance
• Psychedelic trance mp3 - Psychedelic trance site
• How the Hippies Discovered EDM - history of psychedelic trance
• Psytrance and the Spirituality of Electronics - a formal description of the musicology and structure of Goa and psychedelic trance.
• Sampling Paradise: The Technofreak Legacy of Golden Goa - Goa Trance in the mother ship and a complete outlook of the scene.
• A Decade of Psychedelic Trance - a synthesis on the history of Goa Trance.
• A Psykotropic Trip Through Tribedelic Transcapes - an article that explores the phenomenon of Goa trance.
• Goa Stories - An interesting collection of articles about Goa ranging from the history of the freak scene, the phenomena of Goa Trance and the corruption of the police
• Nativos - Psytrance and Psychedelic Collective. Psychedelic Culture.
• Psytranceradio.net, Psytranceradio Psytrance on Net Hamburg Hometown of Goasound
• Philosomatika, Philosomatika is a 24/7 streaming radio station exclusively playing Goa & Psychedelic Trance
• microdots.org, Microdots is a 24/7 streaming radio station exclusively playing Psychedelic Goa Trance. You can request tracks online from a collection of more than 400 hours of music.