Goa Trance – Best Tracks and Albums
- Asia 2001 – Live – 1996– [4] – Rakshas – Good stuff, and the 2 remixes from MFG round if off well.
- Asia 2001 – Ra – 1996 – I find that Asia 2001 is difficult to appreciate during home listening., and almost all his tracks seem to be meant for parties. Keeping this in mind, he has some great fast, trippy tracks.
- Astral Projection – Trust in Trance – 1996– [1] – Kabalah, [6] – People Can Fly, [8] – Aurora Borealis
Well to be honest, there isn’t any point in listing notable tracks, the whole album is a work of art. If you don’t like this, don’t bother going any further. The wonderful acid notes, the beautiful buildups and ecstatic melodies will give you a real high. - Astral Projection – Dancing Galaxy – 1997– [1] – Dancing Galaxy
- Astral Projection – Another World – 1999– [1] – Nilaya, [2] – Another World, [4] – Searching for UFOs – Israeli trance at its best, Astral Projection is arguably the best known Goa Trance project with its joyful, morning sound. Their unique style – uplifting and light Goa Trance – takes what is already a beautiful genre and makes it so uplifting that you actually feel like you’re flying.
- Bell Size Park – The Truth is There – 1996– [1] – Aqua Darkness, [4] – Horizons – Still a bit divided or including the entire album or just the good tracks. Definitely one or two fillers. However on the whole the entire album is trance that fills your head, takes it’s own time and allows you gratefully sink into it’s grooves.
- Blue Planet Corporation – Blue Planet – 1999– [2] – Crystal – This album is a must if you are into light, melodic music. The tracks on this album are almost hyper-melodic, lilting and beautiful =D
- California Sunshine – Imperia – 1997 – California Sunshine are known for a happy,uplifting sound, though some of their tracks get formulaic. Nonetheless, if you like the uplifting, morning sound, you should try them.
- Chi-a.d. – Virtual Spirit – 1997– [1] – Healing Magic, [3] – Astral Warrior, [7] – Paranormal Activity (Spooky) – This one is one of the best Goa albums ever, consistent throughout. If you want to nitpick, sometimes the vocal samples are used too frequently, but otherwise its a great piece of work.
- Chi-a.d. – Earth Crossing – Chi-a.d. is I think the most vundeservedly under-appreciated artist in Goa…his tracks are very good, full of innovation and highly recommended! Perhaps they could build faster though.
- Cosmosis – Cosmology – 1996 – the entire album– [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9]
Afterglow is great ambient goa and Key to the Innerverse is the best Symphonic Goa Trance track you’ll find. It really screams at the end. And the rest is very fast, trippy music, no track will disappoint, its guaranteed to give you that epic feeling. Cosmosis can venture into hard acid territory at times. For example, from 2:00 to 3:50 of Gift of the Gods the acid line is reminiscent of Josh Wink – Higher State of Consciousness. - Cydonia – In Fear of a Red Planet – 1999– [1] – Haunted World, [4] – Cactus
Dark Goa Trance release. - Darshan – Awakening – 1998 – Another good Dark Goa release.
- Dimension 5 – Transdimensional – 1997– [3] – Antidote, [10] – Flow – This has some fast, pulsating Goa melodies, but is less complicated and more uplifting then say IFO. If you loved this album be sure to check out the Magick Universe album made by the same people under the moniker Hunab Ku.
- Doof – Lets Turn On – 1996– [1] – Lets Turn On, [4] – Double Dragons – Enchanting and fantasical music, this album will carry you away, especially Double Dragons.
- E-Mantra – Arcana – 2009 – Newskool Goa – floating.complex.intense.dreamy.layers melding together.very much in the oldskool vein of things.
- Electric Universe – One Love – 1995 – the entire album– [1] – One Love, [2] – Out of Time, [3] – Orange Night, [4] – Galaxia, [5] – Equilibrio, [6] – Electronic Pulsation, [7] – Virtual Landscape, [8] – Visiting Venus, [9] – Nexus – This entire album is consistent, quality Goa, especially Electronic Pulsation and Virtual Landscape. Electronic Pulsation approaches Etnica in excellence.
- Elysium – Monzoon – 1996– [2] – Monzoon, [7] – Aliens – I like the entire album. It has this oriental, tribal feel like you’re in the middle of a lush rainforest standing next to a waterfall.
- Etnica – The Italian EP – 1995– [A] – Fractal Gates, [B1] – Chemical Trance, [B2] – Acid Shell – All 3 tracks on this EP are great, and as the names suggest trippy stuff.
- Etnica – The Juggling Alchemists Under The Black Light – 1995– [5] – Moon Influence, [6] – Spheric Koncept
- Etnica – Alien Protein – 1996– [2] – Chakra Active 8, [6] – Starship 101 – This is one of the best Goa albums of all time, its transcends the whole sensation of listening to music and makes turns it into an entirely different experience all together.
- Etnica – Equator – 1999– [1] – Be On Go, [5] – History – If you’re looking for downbeat, ambient and slower Goa which stil retains all its elements, this is for you. Etnica is my favorite Goa project. Their music is on a deeper level, profound and full of meaning. It is truely transcendent. It takes a lot of listening to appreciate it, but its more than worth it :D. To be honest, you can’t go wrong with any pre-2000 Etnica track. They are just so good. And this isn’t my opinion, ask anyone who’s into Goa.
- Goa Gil – Forest of the Saints – 1998– Bamboo Forest – Sadhu
- Goa Gil – Ceiba – 1998 – When it comes to Goa, you’re going to bump into Goa Gil sooner or later, he was huge in the initial Goa Trance scene. So I thought I’d put down a few of his mixes over here.
- Goasia – From Other Spaces – New school Goa Trance. If you like this one, try Dancing With The Blue Spirit too!
- Green Nuns of the Revolution – Rock Bitch Mafia – GNOR are a kind of “funky” Goa mixed in with hard acid.
- Hallucinogen – Twisted – the entire album– [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [Hidden Track] – The most famous Goa album ever. Hypnotic, fluid, trippy, twisting…the definitive Goa album and “LSD” the definitive Goa track. If I had to pick one Goa album everyone on Earth must hear, I’d pick this. This album will overwhelm your senses, LSD is beautiful, lilting and the layers all meld together to make it a journey though sound. Shamanix has a very recognisable vocal sample, “The way I feel, I don’t expect to go to sleep for a year, I’m on fucking fire!!” Exactly the way you would feel if you were on LSD and were listening to it. When you hear Solstice, keep listening after it ends, after about 5 minutes or so of silence, you hear some ambient Goa sounds, this is the ambient version of a track called “Angelic Particles”. I highly recommend getting the original too. Hallucinogen is a project by Simon Posford, and his sound is very twisted and effortless, spinning out rhythms and melodies with ease. Watch Hallucinogen – LSD
- (The) Infinity Project – Mystical Experiences– [3] – The Answer – Mystical Experiences isn’t just another New Age-ey name, they mean it! This is ambient Goa, but of a different kind than Shpongle, more Eastern and mystical. The Answer is one of the best tracks ever. The Infinity Project was a collaboration between Graham Wood and Raja Ram, who also plays the flute on some of the tracks.
- Jaïa – Blue Energy – 1998– [1] – Sommeil Paradoxal, [6] – Maï Maï , [8] – After the Rain – This is excellent uplifting, light, melodic Goa. Mai Mai is the best track on it, and Sommeil Paradox and After the Rain are good ambient tracks. You also get a hidden track at the end of After the Rain.
- Juno Reactor – Beyond the Infinite – 1995– [1] – Guardian Angel, [3] – Ice Cube, [5] – Samurai – Juno Reactor incorporates a whole lot of tribal influences and drumming sometimes making for very “heavy” tracks. The group is also known for its work on the Matrix soundtracks.
- Khetzal – Corolle – 2005 – New school Goa trance.
- Man With No Name – Moment of Truth – 1996– [2] – Floor Essence (Dayglo Mix), [4] – Evolution, [6] – Low Commotion – A Goa Trance classic ’nuff said.
- Message from God – The Prophecy – 1996– [7] – Hynotized
- Message from God – Project Genesis – 1998– [2] – Intelligent Machine, [3] – Project Genesis, [8] – On Mars – On Mars is a beautiful track, there is no discernible rhythm because MFG has managed to blend together the different tonal layers so well, that there appears to be a continuous stream of rhythm. Commonly abbreviated as MFG. Project Genesis is dark goa trance.
- Ominus – Ominus – 1997
- Paradise Connection – Paradise Connection – 1995– [5] – Longbaceglider on Solstice, [6] – Jeboa Electrogarden, [7] – Source of Emotion – A Boris Blenn production, the first 4 tracks aren’t bad, but the last 3 above-mentioned tracks are simply lovely, you can simply put them on, close your eyes and float away ^_^ Source of Emotion is just heaven, 20 minutes of bliss.
- (The) Pleiadians – Identified Flying Object – 1997 – the entire album– [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7] – The album is great. No, scratch that because this album cannot be described. Its up there with Twisted as the best Goa or Psy trance album of all time!! You just have to get this! I particularly liked Maia, Taygeta and Alcyone. Maia has such an eerie ending with a sinister choir that it makes you think you’re at the climax of an ancient shamanic tribal ritual. The Pleiadians are a project formed by Etnica with the same band members and the same sound. These tracks are extremely fast and trippy. The difference between Etnica and Pleiadians is the name, and that Pleidians stuff is faster and trippier while Etnica is more laid back and melodic.
- Shakta – Silicon Trip – 1997– [1] – Neuromancer, [5] – Spiritual Beings in Physical Bodies – High quality Goa throughout, none of the tracks will disappoint. There are an incredible variety of sounds in this album, keeping each track fresh even with repeat listens. Spiritual Beings in Physical Bodies is the awesomest, yummiest, trippiest, acid-ey, crunchalicious, mindtripping track ever.
- Shakta – The Enlightened Ape – 1999 – Shakta is one of the lesser known Goa artists bus has a very distinctive sound and is one of my favourites. The range of the psychdelic sounds he dishes out will have you marvelling.
- Shpongle – Are you Shpongled? – 1998– [1] – Shpongle Falls, [6] – Divine Moments of Truth – Again, Simon Posford at his best, this time collaborating with Raja Ram to produce some great ambient Goa. Shpongle is really the gold standard for ambient Goa.
- Tandu – Multimoods – 1997– [1] – Alien Pump, [4] – New Aura – This album finds frequenct mention on “Favourite album” discussions, and is another masterpiece from Ofer Dikovsky.
- Total Eclipse – Violent Relaxation – 1996
- Transwave – Backfire – 2007– [2] – Hypersphere, [5] – Cycles of Life – Yes! This is like a “Best of Transwave”. Très bien! Cycles of Life when the beat drops at 4:40…aaah!
- Ubar Tmar – Fusion – 1997– [10] – A Trip to Taketori – Haha, psychedelic madness, Ubar Tmar throws all sorts of stuff at you. Heck he introduces something new every 4 beats. Good stuff if you’re tired of the usual goa albums and want something fresh.
- X-Dream – We Created Our Own Happiness – 1997
- X-Dream – Trip to Trancesylvania – 1993
- Zodiac Youth – Devil’s Circus – 1997– [3] – Atoms (Angelfish Mix), [8] – Fast Forward the Future (Voodoo People Mix) – A very interesting album, with a variety of styles since each track is a mix by a well-known group. The Voodoo People remix of Fast Forward the Future has some awesome acid sounds. Don’t miss the hidden ambient track, which rounds off the album after the last track.
Often a release has this one really mindblowing track which stands out from the rest. So while the release doesn’t deserve a place, the track does. This is a list of tracks that stood out in otherwise average releases not covered above.
- A.B. Didgeridoo Oblivion – Vortex
- Alienapia – Dharmakaya
- Analog Pussy – Go Wacko – Excellent track. From the Psycho Bitch From Hell album which I liked initially but didn’t hold up on repeat listens.
- Andromeda – Crystal Kingdoms (Psycode Remix)
- Astral Projection – Mahadeva – This tracks needs no introduction, its on every top trance tracks list you’ll find. Etymological note: Maha means Great or Mighty and Deva means God in Sanskrit. This is one example of the India influence in Goa Trance.
- Astral Projection – Liquid Sun
- Astral Projection – Solid Electronics
- Astral Projection – Power Gen (Space Cat Remix) – This is one of my faves, and exemplifies how a light, euphoric Goa track should start.
- Ayahuasca – Ayahuascan Chant – Now, this track may be personal preference but I love this! The notes hit just the right chord with me and will take you away, as if through a cosmic journey.
- Battle of the Future Buddhas – Tigerhill
- Battle of the Future Buddhas – Lord of Dance
- Battle of the Future Buddhas – Marsmellow (Meditation Mix) – All from the Twin Sharkfins album, which is good dark forest goa.
- Boris Blenn – Rain (California Sunshine Remix) – A great track, melodic and uplifting…you really feel like its raining, and nature is all around you.
- Blue Planet Corporation – Overbloody Flood (8 minute version)
- Blue Planet Corporation – Juno Satellite
- Bypass Unit – Phaser Galaxy
- Canda – Luxman – A harmonious blend of Indian mysticism and Goa melodies
- Chakra & Edi Mis – Liquid Troll
- Charm – Brain Structure
- Chi-a.d. – Eye Am the I – The best Chi-a.d. track ever!
- Chi-a.d. – Biocandy
- Chi-a.d. – Pathfinder
- Chi-a.d. – The Flame of Eternal Life
- CMBR – Entangled Consciousness
- Cosmic Silence – Psy Spirit
- Cyberion – Strange Signals
- Cydonia – Animals
- Darshan – Warped Dimension
- Deedrah – Essential
- Doc Von Ooze feat. Boney Arse – Jerking Knobs (Microsurgery Mix)
- Edi Mis – The Big Glory – Nothing too complicated, a simple track with aesthetically placed notes.
- Endora – Joy
- E-rection – Out Here We Are Stoned (X-Dream Remix)
- Etnica – Tribute
- Four Carry Nuts – Nuts Without Sugar
- Genetic – Transmission
- Genetic – Floor
- Goasia – Reach New Land
- Goasia – Yin and Yang
- Hallucinogen – Angelic Particles
- Har-El Prussky – Sleepwalker
- Hux Flux – Perceptor
- Hux Flux – Time Slices
- Hypno – SR111 Flight
- Imperial Project – Parallel World
- Imperial Project – Acts of Violence – Both from the Remote Viewing album, which is pretty good
- Insectoid – Omniscient
- Juno Reactor – High Energy Protons
- Juno Reactor – Acid Moon
- Juno Reactor – Conga Fury
- Juno Reactor – Pistolero (MWNN remix)
- Kopfuss Resonator and DJ Jörg – Whipbird – Crazy, high frequency acid.
- Krumelur – A Glass of Milk
- Lord Shiva – Om Ganesh
- Mama Indica – Radioactive Rain – Hard acid Goa! Yeah!!
- Mama Indica – Talking Souls
- Manmademan – Drama
- Man With No Name – Teleport – This track is one of the most famous Goa Trance tracks ever produced. Man With No Name at his best!
- Mary Jane – Kairo
- Mary Jane – Inuendo
- Moodsyne – Frogs Breath
- Mushroomman – Dreamer
- Mushroomman – Crystadelic
- Mindsphere – Perception
- MWNN presents Yogi Bear and Grey One – Big Trouble in Outer Space
- N.D.M.A. – Vitan – On the surface there is nothing special about this track, but at the end of it, you feel so good.
- Neuwerk – Outland
- Noma – Another Time – An entrancing 10 minute long ambient tracks that gives you a real release.
- Nuclear Ramjet – Minas Morgul
- The Nommos – Amma – The Nommos is a project by Goa Gil and his wife Ariane which fuses tribal drumming and Goa. Amma really evokes a kind of New-Age tribal atmosphere and will send chills up your spine.
- Planet B.E.N. – Screwdriver
- Planet B.E.N. – Trippy Future Garden – If you like Planet B.E.N. slow, trippy builds and journey tracks then I recommend you try out the rest of the Trippy Future Garden album.
- Non Fiction – Prolog – The Next Generation
- Oforia – Timelessness
- Pan – Adios Amoeba
- Pharagoonescia – Pharatropic
- Paradise Connection – Synthadelic Glide
- Perfect Rainbow – Dream on Dreamer
- Perfect Rainbow – Exotic Eye
- Prana – Voyager III (Voodoo Remix)
- Prana – Message for Eastedge
- Prana – Boundless
- Prana & Athena – Future Space Travellers
- Psychopod – Universal Mind
- Quirk – Robatised
- Ra – Gates of Tiptareth – Ra is an ex-Dimension 5 member and this track is a lilting, carry-you-away ambient trancer. This was released on VA – Twist Dreams from Suntrip.
- Radiotrance – Plasma
- Sandman – Tripulogic – I was pleasantly surprised to hear the innovative bassline for a track made in ’96.
- Section X – Galaxian
- SETI Project – Pain of Anxiety
- Shakatura – All Hallows Morning
- Shakta & Moonweed – Micronesia
- Shakta & Ping Pong – Between the Nothing
- Shakta – The Future is Now
- Sheyba – Into the 4th Dimension
- Slinky Wizard – Supernatural
- Solar Plexus – Solarplanet
- Solar Plexus – The Landing (Epilogue) – These tracks are from their Images of the Fifth Dimension album, which is good, but not good enough to make it to the album list.
- Soluna – Dancing Spirit
- Sound Pollution – Where – After you hear this, you’ll feel that as far as trance goes, this track is “just right”
- Space Elves – Anjuna Beach
- Stanley Shanti & the Chillum Wallahs – Placid
- Subcouds – On Red
- Sundog – Shatterbox
- Sundog – Touch the Sun
- Talamasca – Believe
- Technossomy – Elektron Bender
- Technossomy – High Density
- Technossomy – Pyramid
- Technossomy – V.T.O.L.
- The Overlords – Sundown (Ionizer Mix) – Great track, it was released when Goa was in its formative years.
- The Light – Dusk – Make sure you get the 8:46 long version, not the shorter 3:46 version on NE. The first half of the track is ok, but the second half is really good.
- The Muses Rapt – Spiritual Healing
- Total Eclipse – Total Eclipse – Found on VA – Project II Trance way back in ’93.
- Total Eclipse- Sound Is Solid (both Original and Simon Posford’s Remix)
- Total Eclipse – Transparent Mind
- Total Eclipse – Can’t Do That
- Total Eclipse – Far Beyond Speech
- Transwave – Land of Freedom
- Transwave – Rezwalker (Black Thunder Mix) – Takes a bit to get started but its good after that.
- Trilithon – Trance Dance – An absolute gem from way back in ’91, pure acid bliss. Exemplifies the transition between new beat and goa.
- Tufáan – Probe (Green Nuns of the Revolution Mix)
- Unconscious Collective – Fluorostani Trancendance – This track is rather funky, so if you like GNOR, you should like this one
- Underhead – Orojuna
- Witchcraft – Magic Frequencies – This track sends shivers up my spine. Witchcraft is Chakra and Sandman.
- Zen Paradox – The Light At the End – A floating ambient track, check out the rest of the EP, of the same name, it appears on if you like the track.
- Zirrex – Enter the Psychedelic
That’s the list of the best artists, albums, and tracks of my favourite genre Goa Trance! Its a great introduction to the genre. There don’t seem to be any Goa Trance specific lists on the web despite the “Goa sound” being distinct from mainstream trance, hence this list. All feedback is welcome. If you’re new to Goa trance, it may be easier for you to go through this short list first which has a complimentary torrent.
If you feel I’ve missed out any noteworthy tracks, or have any other feedback in mind, don’t hesitate to drop a reply.
Some QnAs on Goa Trance and this guide.
Q. Argh! I’m not going to listen to all this. Give me the top 3 albums! Why can’t you order them so I know what I should listen to first?!
A. Here is a short list of the best Goa tracks.
It’s too difficult to arrange all this stuff in order. I ask you, which is best, Twisted, Trust in Trance or Alien Protein? Or maybe Let’s Turn On, or Cosmology? Because I haven’t the faintest idea. Well, okay, 3 albums you must get before anything else:
- Hallucinogen – Twisted
- Astral Projection – Trust in Trance
- Etnica – Alien Protein
For a general flavour of Goa you can try getting Dragonfly presents: A Voyage into Trance mixed by Paul Oakenfold
Q. What’s the history behind Goa Trance?
A. Goa Trance is a subgenre of trance that originated in Goa, India stemming from the hippie influence. It had its roots in psyrock and the mid-80s electronic music in Europe. Goa Trance was also called “Trance Dance”, hence the names of the Astral Projection and Cosmosis tracks. It slowly morphed into Psychedelic Trance around the turn of the millenium, and today there isn’t much Goa Trance produced.
Here is a map of all the sub genres of psy and goa trance by Anoebis of Psynews. It was originally posted here. You can’t see the whole thing properly so save it to your computer and then open it and zoom into the top left corner which shows Goa and its sub-genres.
Goa is a small (by Indian standards) state halfway down India’s western coastline and was a Portuguese colony for hundreds of years. It still retains signs of Portuguese influence, evident in the beautiful churches you’ll find there, which makes it distinct from the rest of India. Perhaps this made the Goans more tolerant of hippies. The story is that till the mid-70s hashish was legal and this, coupled with the beautiful beaches and the freedom, attracted the hippies. Anyway, till the early 90s, no one really cared about the drugs. Then it seems the police started cracking down and the scene shifted to other countries while Goa became a magnet for the usual tourist crowd.
Two albums which kicked the scene off were:
Project II Trance from way back in ’93.
Order Odonata Volume 1 from ’94.
The entire scene was managed by foreigners, mostly Europeans and Israelis. The only thing Indian about the scene was the location. You’ll find that all the major Goa artists are from Israel, France, England and Italy. This will be clearer when you look at the list of major Goa labels down a page. It is said that a major reason for the spreading of Goa in Israel were R’n’R visits paid to India by Israeli soldiers after their compulsory military service. For playback, in the late 80s, casette disks were predominately used, replaced by DAT tapes in the 90s. (Vinyl warped in Goa’s heat). The party scene grew through the late 80s into the early 90s as DJs explored the sound, pushing sonic boundaries to give ravers the trippiest experience possible, and out of this desire to explore that experience, through music and parties that built up through the night, came the Goa sound.
Cathedral of St. Cajetan in Old Goa
The “Goa sound” is acid-filled, with the bass comprising of a thumping kick, very melodic and ecstatic without sounding cheesy (!). Goa trance tracks are melodious, but the harmonics are very important too. They start off slowly with a plain melody. Then the kick is added, then synths and the melody becomes faster and faster with the acid notes becoming quicker and closely spaced. The track then rises to a climax, and the dénouement is rather short compared to the track’s length. Goa tracks are generally 8 minutes long and can stretch to 11 minutes in length. They frequently have vocal samples, often from movies, generally referring to aliens, space travel and other “New Agey” themes. For example, Identified Flying Object had theories on space travel on the inside cover.
Goa Gil drew a link between Goa Trance and ancient tribal ceremonies. Goa trance wasn’t just music to get you high, it was supposed to be a mind-altering experience.
For the mind altering experience some people at these parties were on drugs and their drug of choice was LSD, simply referred to as acid. To know the hows and whys simply listen to the vocal sample in Hallucinogen – LSD or read them here. A sample from the track is
“You’re introduced to LSD, an’ it’s not like taking some other drug for instance like marijuana or something, hm, well, you know, it’s altogether a new thing, and you actually can have a religious experience, and, hm, and it can be even more important than reading the bible six times or becoming a pope or something like that, you know… ”
Goa Trance parties generally started in the late evening and went on all night, ending the next morning, although parties in Goa could go on for days. This gave rise to a phenomenon singular to Goa and also Psychedelic Trance, a track is given a sub-genre by the time of the day it is most suitable for. For example, some tracks will be called “morning”. Another point to keep in mind is that one producer can or will have several seemingly separate projects, which is why its a good idea to use Discogs so you know which albums and projects to connect. For example, Ofer Dikovsky has worked under the monikers of Phreaky, Omputer, Tandu, Indoor, Sound Pollution, Oforia and Pigs in Space!.
Major Goa labels include:
- UK – Dragonfly, Flying Rhino, Blue Room Released, TIP Records, Phantasm, Celtic, Transient, Return to the Source
- Japan – Matsuri Productions ,Tokyo Tekno Tribe
- Australia – Psy-Harmonics
- Germany – Nephilim, Spirit Zone, High Society, Nova TekkIsrael – Brand New Entertainment (BNE), Trust in Trance, Phonokol
- The record label that has lead newskool Goa is Suntrip Records (France/Belgium). Avatar Records and DAT Records have re-released many old goa classics, besides Avatar’s “Retrodelic Vibes” series of goa compilations.
NOTE: Acid, as in referring to LSD the drug, and acid as in referring to music are two different things. For LSD click on the link. Acid in music refers to the high frequency, high pitched tweerps, bells, whistles, squeeks, squeals, whooshes etc.
Here’s great album cover from the Flying Rhino release, VA – First Flight
Q. What happened to Goa?
A. Well, essentially all Goa has been produced in 6 all too short years, 1993-1998 after which the sound became psychedelic. Psychedelic trance is much less melodic, has sharper distinct sounds instead of melodies which flow into each other and is darker. Goa Trance is more organic while psytrance is more mechanical.
A good illustration of the music around the time of transition of Goa into psychedelic trance is Koxbox’s Dragon Tales album and Children of Paradise – Urban Alien. Or, quoting sljiva for this,
“For a real contrast between goa and psy I would recommend checking Raja Ram’s two labels: TIP Records and TIP.World. TIP Records were releasing melodic, organic and eastern influenced trance prior to 1998 from artists such as The Infinity Project, Doof and Psychopod, while on the other hand TIP.World is some kind of psy successor of TIP Records and they release this metallic, cold and mechanical type of trance from artists such as Alien Project, 1200 Mics and Logic Bomb.”
Another case in point is Etnica. By 2000, it lost 2 members and went the psychedelic way. Essentially all genres need to develop further, artists began to explore and wanted to branch off themselves from the Goa sound. Some produced more listener friendly music, others preferred the dark, more twisted atmospheres of Psytrance.
However, thanks to the efforts of Suntrip Records among others, a new wave of Goa artists have come up in Filteria, Khetzal, Goasia to name a few. I find the newschool Goa artists lean towards the morning or uplifting sound to a greater degree than oldschool artists, this can give the feeling that their tracks have less substance.
I don’t want to give the impression that goa trance is better than psytrance. It’s just that there so much mediocre, run of the mill psy out there that finding good psytrance takes time. You just need to look really hard for it because its hiding underneath a heap of commercial releases.
Q. All Goa sounds the same, with the same acid TB303 sounds!
A. To really understand Goa or Psy Trance for that matter, I’d say you have to dance to it. Goa/Psy Trance party listings are next.
Otherwise it takes time to develop a liking for Goa. Give the tracks a couple of listens and some patience. The sounds will be the same to a new listener but with time you’ll appreciate the different melodies and the acid. Goa Trance is not “fluffy” or “cheesy” so if you’ve started off by listening to that kind of trance, it will take some time to appreciate Goa Trance.
If you’re new to Goa Trance or Acid Trance you could these tracks first:
- The Light – Dusk – Make sure you get the 8:46 version, not the 3:46 Northen Exposure one.
- Astral Projection – Mahadeva
- Blue Planet Coporation – Overbloody Flood
- Boris Blenn – Rain (California Sunshine Mix)
Q. Goa Trance and Psytrance party/festival listings?
A. Isratrance Party Listings – all world
Isratrance Festival Listings – all world
Psynews Party/Festival Listings – all world
Ektoplazm Event Listings – mostly focused on the States and Canada
Goatrance.de – focused on Germany for the large part
Psyevents – Parties in and around Austria
OzTrance & Australiens – Australia
Psytribe and Psycircle – California
Fractaltribe Listings – North America
Q. Where can I get these tracks and the artist discographies?
A. Dedicated Psy/Goa database at PsyDB
Discographies at www.discogs.com .
Tracks sold online Saikosounds or get them off Soulseek . There is also Psyshop which but people say Saikosounds is better.
Q. Are there any free Goa releases I can check out?
A. Few I’ve come across:
Golden Vibes I
Golden Vibes II
Pyramidal Trancedence
Q. I wanna know more!
A. Awright, here are some links
Isratrance – Big trance forum with lots of party listings
In-depth article on Goa Trance
Site which chronicles the origin of Goa Trance till its transition into Psytrance
Another article on Goa Trance, shorter and easier read then the other links
Psynews – Meet other people who have good taste ^^ and are into goa/psy
A tryst with Goa Trance
Another article from someone who was there
The first half is a good first hand feel of the party scene in Goa
What is Goa Trance? – History and Development of the scene
An article on the evolution of Goa after 2000 by one of the founders of the Suntrip label.
Road to Goa – Part of how it started in the 60s & 70s
The Rhetoric of Psytrance: Anix Gleo, Astroff, The Fusion, and Martin Cloud – PsyTrance in Russia
There some movies made on the Goa Trance phenomenon
Karahana Ganey Huga [Download] – Movie on the famous party in Israel.
Liquid Crystal Vision – Ok movie if you ignore the hippy mumbo jumbo, has some nice visuals.
Last Hippie Standing – Has Goa Gil in a leading role
Q. I want to hear Goa tracks with Eastern/Oriental/Tribal influences, and those tracks that marked the point where the Goa sound began to form.
A. Eastern/Oriental/Tribal influenced Goa tracks
-Shakta & Moonweed – Micronesia – This one rules them all, with the strains of a beautiful sitar starting the track.
-Shakta – Silicon Trip (album) – Many tracks have an Oriental/Indian feel to them.
–Canda – Luxman
-Sundog – Touch the Sun
-Bass Invaders – Nene Naha
-Chi-a.d. – Pathfinder
-Dogma – Sutra Sarma
-Pharagonescia – Pharatropic
-Elysium – Monzoon has this eastern-tribalish atmosphere
-Juno Reactor – Beyond the Infinite
-Juno Reactor – Navras – has a lot of Indian chanting, that complements the atmosphere of the track beautifully.
-Medicine Drum – Supernature
-The Nommos – Amma – The best tribal track I have ever heard. In the climax of the track you will find this crazy, primal female vocal sample \o/
-Juno Reactor – Beyond the Infinite (album) – Similar to Shakta’s Silicon Trip in that you will find many tracks with an Eastern/Indian feel to them.
-Mysterious Wizard – Visions of India
Oldest Goa/Proto-Goa/Goa-ish tracks
-Tangerine Dream – Pheadra (1973)
-KLF – What Time Is Love (Pure Trance Version) (1989)
-Dance 2 Trance – We Came in Peace (1990)
-A.B. Kazes – Out of Space Trance (1989) (album)
-Trilithon – Trance Dance (1991) (album)
-The Overlords – Sundown (Ionizer Mix)
-Megabeat – Twin Beats
In conclusion, I’ve written this from the point of view of introducing someone unfamiliar with Goa Trance to the genre. I hope you liked it, and it helped you get to know the genre. There are many more artists out there like Bypass Unit, Dogma, Electron Wave, Kopfuss Resonator, Kumbh Mela, Kode IV, Lords of Chaos, Metal Spark, Mindsphere, Moksha, Ka-Sol, O.O.O.D, Ololiuqui, Planet B.E.N., Psychaos, Psyko Disko, Quirk, Shakatura, Sandman, Shaolin Wooden Men, Tarsis, Ypsilon 5, Xenomorph that there isn’t really any end to listing albums & artists. Use Discogs to find other projects by artists you like (look up all the projects each individual member was part of, and the projects of members of those projects and so forth and you’ll quickly find a lot of releases to listen to) Psynews.org review section to discover more, Psydb and keep exploring the sound ^_^
Excellent introduction. I will enjoy. Thanks
Dear Mr Karan Gill, Thank you very much for creating and keeping the valuable articles about Goa Trance and Psytrance. It has allowed me to discover some amazing tracks that made me feel really happy. As listeners and lovers of Goa Trance we are very grateful. May you be well and happy. With metta loving kindness to you and your family.
Ravindra
A Buddhist Sri Lankan British Goa Trance lover.
What a kind reply! Thank you, and I’m very happy that Goa Trance continues to bring happiness to many. Indeed, I come back to this list to rediscover music from the years past :)
Q. Not sure if anyone can help, this is abit vauge… I’m looking for an album from around 1999-2001. Starts of light ocean sounds with a dolphin coming in. Then a trance backing comes up and progresses through to heavy trance/dance. Kinda feels rainforesty. The cd was completly yellow and may have been slinky…
california sunshine
california sunshine – avalanche
Zabra – Waterworld
Great intro. Hopefully more people will be imspired and learn to appreciate Goa. I was “caught” in the early nineties.. Been hooked ever since.
Thanks! Yes, I hope more people discover the music and it doesn’t fade away.
Oh my brotha you missed some seriously good goa albums not many know about. If you heard them you would easily cry tears of joy
Enlighten us then..
Eat Static and Koxbox, for a start
Koxbox’s Dragon Tales is on my psytrance list (http://www.karangill.com/psychedelic-trance/). I don’t have Eat Static on here or there though because nothing I heard grabbed me. Do you have recommendations for either?
where can I buy tracks by Pleiadeans and Filteria?I am having a lot of difficulty getting them and I don’t have iTunes
I use WIMP
You can find several Filteria releases here: http://www.suntriprecords.com/releases/
Releases from “Crop Circles” side of project of Etnica/Pleiadians are found here: http://www.datrecords.it/dat/releases/
I’m not completely up to date on the latest record labels. You could post on psynews.org asking for info on latest releases.
Hi Karan, I’m looking for an expert psytrance music reviewer, if you are interested, drop me an email
Orion, Aka jean borelli, one master of trance !
Nice — I liked 2:00 to 3:00 especially!
great intro- you forgot another great founder from Japan Tsuyoshi Suzuki AKA Prana
I have the following tracks by Prana on the list. Anything I’m missing? I have heard the albums Cyclone and Geomantik but didn’t think they were good enough to include in their entirety.
Prana – Voyager III (Voodoo Remix)
Prana – Message for Eastedge
Prana – Boundless
Prana & Athena – Future Space Travellers
nice work KG.
to name a few…. Prana – Black Rain, Alien Pets, Boundless (black cat rmx)…
Thanks! I listened to these tracks but decided not to add them. I appreciate the suggestions :) It’s been a while since I listened to Prana.
You should check out ektoplazm.com they have hundreds of albums all free & legal to download on MP3, FLAC & WAV formats including all CD artwork. They have all tastes of Psychedelic/Goa trance all in studio quality. If you can’t find anything on this site you like, you must be completely deaf. Enjoy
Ektoplazm is great! It’s amazing to have so much music free to download, as you say.
Nice job, I’m going to checkout all, I love so much this genre since a few years ago, sometimes is just hard to find good stuff without being distracted by psyshit.
(Btw Amas is in my top 5 of all time)
This blog is perfect…..have been listening to and collecting goa trance since ’95….started off with audio cassettes to MD to DAT for a short bit then to CD and then finally mp3. Thought i was part of a dying/dead breed….the recommendations on this blog are great…..
there’s an old goa track that started off with a guy saying ‘we must be in heaven man’ and later ‘there’s always a little bit of heaven in a disaster area’ from woodstock….dunno what that track is called but to me it captured the scene mid to late 90’s….almost like an anthem….
Googling reveals the track is Total Eclipse – A Little Bit of Heaven :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rOyPLehg5k Thanks for the rec — I’m going to give this one a few listens. Glad you liked you liked the recommendations. I don’t think goa will die — at least I hope not! My guess is that it’ll always have a small but dedicated fan base.
Thanks for the link….tried a sound match but found no matches….feel stupid for not trying google to begin with….
Hey Karan,
Love the list , but you seemed to miss on Midi Miliz- Non Standards, kinda leans on a more hardeer trance , but then again. Peace :)
Been hooked onto Goan Trance for quite sometime and gotta admit,its the best , feels a lot that Trance was at its peak and enjoyed its best years during the 90’s. By the way, BPC is so way ahead of its time, has to be the stone layer for Prog Trance.
Yep I agree. BPC is simply sublime and does feel like a foretelling of progressive trance. Also, I’m listening to the Midi Miliz album right now and it’s really good. I think I’ll add it to my psytrance list here: http://www.karangill.com/psychedelic-trance/ Great recommendation — thanks!
very good and informational article can you suggest some sites where i can find some very good
Goa trance
Ektoplazm.com has a lot of good, free goa and psytrance. You can get newskool goa and some older releases from labels like Suntrip.
Hey Karan, Goa still has me in its cuckold I suppose :) , no matter which genre I meander to i always end up coming back to it. By the way, I don’t suppose Chi A.D(what an artist!!) is underrated, I found him rather easily that too brimming with rave reviews in forum, but OOOD( gem of a find.) I think these guys are the most underrated artist in Goa/PsyTrance . Their full-on songs are so intelligent that they put even our present artist to shame.
Great list. Found some good stuff I hadn’t heard before, cheers! but you forgot to mention Hux Flux, i’m sure ;) (especially their earlier stuff from 1998 or so to 2003).
Good recommendation! I added Perceptor and Time Slices :)
Thx for this list. I’ve started in the 90’s from Astral Projection and Doof. Then Transwave and Etnica. Do you listen this one? Z To A – Next Stop Oblivion
Those artists are great. Astral Projection and Etnica especially have produced so much quality music. I did listen to Next Stop Oblivion but it didn’t make the list.
What do you think of the artist, Human Blue? Try giving a listen to the song “Travelling”.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I couldn’t remember the artist and title of one of my favorite songs ever, Subcouds – on red.
To bad spotify only has the phlatline rmx :)
Still i’m looking for one more song. I can only describe it as a women screaming at the end, and then the song explodes with these screams. Anyone?
Oh, and maybe one more for the list. Pergamon – Endorphin
Nothing like finding the track you were looking for. The Subcouds – On Red track is pretty great. I will give the Pergamon track some listens.
Yeah, keep ’em coming ;) I remembered another two who deserve to be on this list. Pretty much every track on these two albums is an absolute pleasure to listen to IMO.
Power Source – Cosmic Wave – 1999 &
Deviant Electronics – Brainwashing Is Childs Play – 1997 (his other two full-length albums, Green Room and Blunt Instruments are equally amazing! Whereas Green Room is a bit more mellow than Brainwashing but still firmly within the goa trance genre, Blunt Instruments is more ambient / downtempo drum&bass / breakbeats).
That Deviant Electronics album is one of my favorites! It’s on my psytrance list: http://www.karangill.com/psychedelic-trance/ :) I’m listening to the Power Source album right now.
Ah yes, I see^^ Well I’m glad you like it as much as I do ;)
Tank you for informations bro!!! nice
Crossing Mind is the best goa trance artist ever and he is not mentioned here
I assume the albums to listen to are “The Holographic Paradigm” and “The Inner Shift”? I will listen to them. Thank you for the recommendation.
I listened to some Crossing Mind but could not find anything that should be included. Psy Crise and Hypnotropic came closest.
What do you think of the artist, Human Blue? For starters try giving “Travelling” a listen.
Agreed. Human Blue “Ice” is a fantastic album.
Thank you for this awesome, insightful site! I have just discovered Goa and Trance and I can’t get enough. I’m hooked! I have started off with Ra and am now onto Astral Projection and haven’t found a bad song yet! My goal is to hear all the recommended songs you mention. Keep up the awesome site my friend!
Yes, there’s so much good music. Astral Projection had a lot of really great output, such as Mahadeva, and Kabalah. Keep listening!
you missed shiva shidapu
Any recommendations?
power of the darkside!!! Murky track but the last 2 minutes are one of the finest pieces of goa trance ever made. GOOSEBUMPS when played at loud volume!!
I have loved goa trance for many years, but it takes so long to learn about it. Now this post opens a new dimension to me, you have it all in here bro! There is a huge work involved in making this extraordinary post! I couldn’t be more grateful. Muchas gracias amigo mio :)
The thanks is to all the people who recommended good goa trance to me, and to forums like psynews.org :) Also, it looks like you’ve traveled a lot. I’ve been to Bagan, Angkor, and India. That part of the world is great to experience. Good travels!
Hi Everyone,
First of all, nice blog! Really, i’ve found a lost track thx to you!
I’m just like most ppl here a huge fan of goatrance music,
and i’ve got this one song with a thunder/lightning strike as intro…
Is there anyone who might know wich song i’m talking about?
Thanks! Is it California Sunshine – Rain?
Nothing like finding lost tracks :)
thx for the fast reply,
But no its not california sunshine..the sound in the intro is more like what you hear in this vid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6p86Kp6tDE
And yes, nothing like finding lost tracks, that feeling is awesome.
I will keep searching for it, somewhere i’ve got the track on cd, and i i find it, I’ll let u know here.
but my cd collection… is a mess :)
Maybe ,Talamasca -Jungle Storm
ow yes that’s the one… Ty Swaroop! love it!!
Good catch! Listening to it now.
Glad to be of any help. :)
Great contribution. I hope you guys can help me with some album I’m looking for ages. It must have been around 2000, I’d say ’97-2001. I clearly remember the overall tone of the release, it was not a very fast one. I’d reckon below 130bmp and very organic, almost tribal sort of. There were a lot of jungle sounds, birds, apes, sound of rivers – very naturalistic and organic goa music. The beat was all the way through very hypnotic and instrumental mostly. The cover was of drawn nature..possibly edited digitally, but very much looking like a drawing. It had an aztech/mayan flair with different ornamentals and depictions oriented square-wise. That’s about it..ah yes I picked that record up in some swiss music store and lost it at sonmme point. Would be freaking amazing if someone could help me with this xD
I’m trying to think of all the ambient goa. I guess we could start with Sphongle. Do you mean something like this? https://www.discogs.com/Shpongle-Are-You-Shpongled/master/7815
Hey Karan, thanks 4 reply! Shpongle is a good waypoint..alltough I’m certain, that it was smth different. The track that is closest to what I’m searching is probably “Divine moments of truth”..
I’m excited if we can find out more. Is there any repository where I could browse particular ambient goa..discogs?
Is it Boris Blenn-Paradise Connection? Album cover is one of my favourites, people forming a circle around Psilocybe taken from the Mayan culture
Elysium maybe?
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Ive been searching for a trance dance CD and I got at a random venue at a music festival in Sacramento, CA around 2001. I was young and I just can’t remember. It was the first “techno” music I had ever heard and it blew me away haha…
Blue CD in color and I could have swore it had the words voyage or journey in the title. I remember high pitched female vocals.. Any ideas? Please help me, Ive been hunting for years
It could’ve been one of the “A Voyage into Trance” compilations. Check out this link: https://www.discogs.com/label/349744-A-Voyage-Into-Trance
Thank you so much. I’m going to go through all of them and I’ll let you know. Its been haunting me. But I also remembered a possible detail if this helps… Im pprerty sure the 10th or 12th track was a reggae dub dance type of song…
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Well organized post!
Thanks
Thanks Vadim :)
i have been listening to goatrance since 90s and never been on any party. For me this music refers to sitting,precise listening and meditating.I actually like every kind of mind altering things(also psychedelics) and i do not need to move to achive that effect. So I found goa trance exclusively as very mind triping genre, not as dance genre-this may sound weird, but it is like it is. I listen to a lot of different psychedelic music, but goa has a special place in my heart. What about artist called Three state logic? It had two amazing tracks, Secret not for a long and Chromium Dioxide. New school goa has two very perspective artist-Cosmic Dimension, and Celestial Intelligence.Haven`t heard such a mind altering goa for a long time.
Yep I agree, I listen to a lot of goa trance at home. Listening to Three State Logic right now. If you like listening to goa, you might like ambient too. For example, have you heard Carbon Based Lifeforms? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RszchMVvbs
Yo, dunno if this is stil alive but I re-found this blog (asked about some track 3 years ago)
Just wanted to say hi!
And refound the track again :)
Hey! Welcome back :) My site and I are definitely still alive. Which track was that?
it was Talamasca – Jungle Storm
Don’t think I’ll forget it now… and if I do I know where to find it ;)
“Hyperion – Sunflower” has always been my favorite Goa track of all time. A true stormer of rhythmic/melodic trance with build and breakdown only bested or equaled by tracks you could count on both hands. Deserving of this list w/o a doubt.
Thanks! I’m listening to Sunflow right now :)
I failed to mention what a nice list you’ve assembled. Thanks for all the recommendations. I’ve learned a lot and have missed more than a few great Goa releases.
One more to add to the single list. Nuclear Ramjet – La Chevauchée Fantastique
Sorry for the slow reply — I actually listened to the full “Age of Aquarius” album, and I thought “Minas Morgul” has that Goa feel to it, building over 12 minutes, with the deep, resonant kick drum and the many layers weaved together to create that journey feel. Added! Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll continue to give La Chevauchée Fantastique more listens.
Great list, however a correction – you said The Infinity Project “was a collaboration between Simon Posford and Raja Ram” but it is mainly Graham Wood with Raja Ram, with Simon Posford credited on a few tracks on both albums.
Thanks for catching that! Fixed :) Please point out any other inaccuracies / areas for improvement.
Can anyone help me with a track that i’ve been looking for for over 20 years. Had it in a Minidisc back in the 90’s. Obviously no lyrics or quotes in the track but i found a 15-20 secs of it at the end of Voyager-III by Prana from about the 5:50 second mark.
Would be very very thankful and obliged to anyone that could give it a listen and help.
Thank you in advance.
https://classicgoatrax.bandcamp.com/track/voyager-iii
To confirm, would that be starting at 5:50 from this track: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=05-zls2yzq4 ?
No rather try this link from around 5:50 mark. https://youtu.be/xZpztaiFj_M?si=bL7fHe0FNa_NyNG5
Thank you.
Oh, I like the dark goa vibes :) In the style of Cydonia – Animals. I don’t recognize the snippet unfortunately. Will keep it in mind.
Thought i would share some gems i came across from the 90’s. Looked hard to find them and finally they’re available in FLAC format :)
Give a listen to the album and especially Cathexis by Rhythmystec. Its an absolute classic.
https://suntriprecords.bandcamp.com/album/mystique-of-the-metaverse
This is a MFG track that was part of best of Israel mix but finally found the full version and that too in high def….
https://mfgmusic.bandcamp.com/track/shape-the-future-original-mix
Listened to the album! Great tracks :) Insectoid – Omniscient stood out to me and I added it. I really the beginning of the MFG track, and the Original mix of Shape the Future comes together better than the Future mix.
DAMN. Never thought I’d see a list of goa tracks that match so much with the trance I’ve been listening to my whole life. Some great stuff to be found here, THANKS. Hard to add anything but here are some that you guys might also like.
Quadra – Karana Agama (insane buildup)
Chynacid – Chinese Acid
Gataka – Deeper Level (with aquatica)
Das – Paros 2000
Abnormal – Inferno 9
Dynamo – Acid Daze
Oryx – Yogi
Savastano – Coppertone
Synchro – Jelly
Typhoon – Overture
Transwave – Anahata
Chynacid – Chinese Acid
Cydonia – Freakshow
Dynamo – Here they come
Luminus – Baby’s Fairytale (Crying Mix)
MFG – Magnetic Activity
Solaris – Out There
System 9 – T-Rex
Talamasca – Sinai
Shiva Sidpao – Power of the Darkside
I often come back here myself to redicover tracks that I’ve forgotten about :) Nice recommendations, I hadn’t heard of some of these artists before. At the risk of being pedantic, some of these tracks like Dynamo are more psytrance than goatrance. Here’s my psytrance list here: https://www.karangill.com/psychedelic-trance/
Btw Dynamo – Acid Daze samples People Can Fly from Astral Projection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdfTSS-ZCZI
Back to listening!