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Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works.
Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain!
Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September!
NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases!
Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup!
Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast!
Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music!
SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023!
The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023!
NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music!
Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project
The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22!
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New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik!
PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records!
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N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood!
Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna
A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022!
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DJ talk with Psyrenzo ahead of his debut set at Tribal Village, the Steelyard this Friday 14th January 2022!
TENZO aka Overdrive talks freely about launching his new act which will be showcased at Tribal Village, Steelyard on 14 January 2022!
A long overdue catch up with JourneyOM ahead of his next Tribal Village party this Friday 14th January 2022 at the Steelyard, London!
Goa based party animal and artist extraordinaire Nirmal talks punk concerts, metal sculptures, flying and rippin' it up on a High Tide!
DJ Wired talks to us about the Rise of the Hope and parties, ahead of his upcoming set at Tribal Village on 14th January 2022!

Breaking into your Unconscious Mind(s)

Reported by Psylicious / Submitted 04-06-13 12:27

Beneath the psychedelic umbrella lies the sub genre of psy breaks, a captivating sound that offers another element and dimension of depth within the scene of all things ‘psychedelia’, allowing musical genius and boundaries to be pushed even further.

I recently caught up with Unconscious Mind(s), the creation of UK producer Darren Slaney-Hutchins, who fuses together the energized, mind-bending and captivating sounds of psytrance and solid grooves of breakbeat.

Together with Adam Goodlet (one half of successful Freeform/Hardcore act Ephexis), Darren started the independent label; Psychoactive Records, providing an outlet for psybreaks and psytrance.

It’s time to release your ‘unconscious mind’ as we delve deep within and discover here on HarderFaster for the very first time a colourful foundation and future that is the make up of Unconscious Mind(s)…..


Hi Darren, welcome to HarderFaster and many thanks for taking the time to talk to us, for what I believe is your first interview feature here?

Yes it is, thanks for asking me to do this, it's always a pleasure to be able to offer a deeper insight into what I do and why!



Your Live act Unconscious Mind(s) holds a niche within the realms of Psychedelic Breaks, just one of many 'sub genres' within the Psychedelic scene. How would you define your sound and what inspired you to take this path with Unconscious Mind(s)?

I personally see my sound as a fusion of psytrance and breakbeat which is why a majority of my material has heavy euphoric overtones and has a dark raw progressive nature. This is where I differ I guess from some other psybreaks artists who produce breaks with a psychedelic edge. I have been passionate about music my whole life and spent many years honing my production skills writing various styles, one of which was psytrance - a genre which immediately captivated me due to the limitless possibilities. About 4 years ago I saw an amazing act at the Glade Festival - "Mood Deluxe" who was pushing a sound I'd never heard before with an outstanding EP; "Satanic Radio" (the title track being one of my favourite tunes of all time!). I had no knowledge of breaks or psybreaks but on hearing this set I was inspired to write a psybreaks track and "FDPsybreaks" was my first effort!

So prior to producing Psy Breaks what other production styles have you been involved with and how has this transitioned to what you are now doing?

I've had a massively varied musical performance background, from grunge to opera, metal to classical and everything in between! I've written tracks of various styles including Acoustic Rock, Metal, Techno, Freeform, Hardcore, Psytrance and even Jazz and Pop for short commercials!!! As for how this has transitioned into what I'm doing now I feel I'm drawing on all the musicality that I've encountered throughout the years, including incorporating the guitar into my live shows, I'd also love in time to introduce live drums and more!


Wow, I can imagine there is a lot of creative flowing between you both then? With this in mind, Unconscious Mind(s) has won support from some of the big players such as Far Too Loud, Hedflux, Beatman & Ludmilla, Kickflip and Retroid to name a few, surely with support such as this, it keeps you focussed, motivated and consistent with your sound and unique style?

Yeah the level of creativity has really risen over the years and I absolutely love it! Feedback on material from other artists is valuable and an honour for sure, especially from people you really admire who are creating absolutely mind-blowing tracks themselves. Focus and motivation for me is really driven by the passion I have for what I do, bringing expressions to life in the form of music and whats great is that different people interpret those expressions in many different ways. I think consistency can be tough for an artist when developing an identity but judging by the amazing feedback and how my music now translates on the dance floor I'd like to think I'm getting there!!



I'm sure you are getting there! With strong releases on labels such as Ayra Records, VIM Records, Sabretooth Records and Logariddim Records to name but a few! What has been your 'high light' release to date and what is the main criteria you look for with your own label Psychoactive Records? Does Psychoactive Records differ from other labels you have had releases on?

Tricky question, I've had quite a few personal favourites released that I would consider 'high lights' for various reasons - remixing the Beatman & Ludmilla and Blazer tracks for Ayra was quite an honour and the Adam Faz remix I did for VIM was special as it had a limited vinyl press. However, if I had to choose one 'high light' release I think it would have to be FD Psybreaks, I always get such a great response to this track and has now been released four times, originally on Ayra, picked up for a compilation on Sabretooth, re-released on Psychoactive and then re-released a few weeks ago again by Ayra on a massive label compilation for them to celebrate winning 'Best Label' at the Breakspoll Awards 2013. With our own label we're really looking for quality and passion, music that really grabs you and makes you think and with two of us it makes decision making so much easier! I think all labels differ a little in what they do and how they do it, it's great to see labels trying to blur the boundaries of genres and not being scared to try something new, Psychoactive differs in my opinion by adding more musicality and at times more melody and this direction I think is drawn from our musical backgrounds.


So in your own opinion, where does psy breaks fit into the psychedelic scene and do you think there should be more blurring of the boundaries in order to take it to another level? After all psy breaks is a relatively 'newer' sub genre, where can you see its future?

Well I think the psychedelic scene by its very nature is so expansive that many different sub genres really have their place within it. Psybreaks has been around for quite a while but the explosion of talented producers in recent years has really pushed the sound to the forefront. It's really exciting to be a part of it and even within the psybreaks scene itself there are a multitude of differing styles which is great for the listeners and DJs alike. It'd be great to see as much blurring as possible, if there are constraints imposed by the limits of genres then this could stifle creativity and ultimately passion!!!! Music over the years has been broken down time and time again to categorise it which again is good for people to find what they want but not always so good for artists. As a producer I find that sometimes a track will not fit into a specific genre and choosing which one to classify it as can be tricky!! An example of this within our label is some of the releases from Peak and Re:Creation where you find one track with both psybreaks and psytrance sections, so what should it be classed as?! Hahaha, we sometimes just state Electronica sometimes to be safe!! The future of psybreaks looks brilliant with so many great producers now on the scene and DJs experimenting with these sounds, so much inspiration and such a great number of artists hailing from these shores pushing their sounds around the globe!



As a live act what are people expected to see from you and what gives you, your unique edge on the stage with Unconscious Mind(s)?

Tons and tons of energy!! All the work in the studio is made worthwhile being able to bring the sounds to the stage and I get such a buzz from performing my material. With the live act I try to bring as many elements as possible to the set which (stage size permitting!) sees me playing live guitar, synth and sample triggering - in time I'd also like to add live drums to the act but again this is fully dependant on the size of the performance area and other technical aspects. I've been in clubs and heard my tracks played which is fantastic but when the DJ is stood there unmoved by the material they are playing they don't appear to be connecting to the music themselves, I find that when I perform I can't help but feel the energy and power letting myself go and this translates amazingly to the dance floor. I've had a large number of bookings where promoters and partygoers have commented positively on the passion I show during my performances!


So with 2013 well under way and a spring in the step of your 'unconscious mind', how has the year been for you so far and what do you have coming up in the near future?

Really good so far, very busy with our label and we've got a host of awesome releases already scheduled well into next year! As for my own material my first tracks of the year were very well received; "Superflow" and "Binaural Insanity" on Psychoactive. In April I have two remixes coming out, one for VIM records which is a remix of Macho who is a wicked Slovakian producer and another on our own label which is a remix of a Re:Creation and Phase13 psytrance track. Other things in the pipeline include a number of collaborations, a track with Acidova for Rune Recordings, a track with Peak, later in the year I'll be doing something with DaVIP whose sounds I really admire, and shortly I'll be starting a remix for a new Australian breaks label. There's much more to come release-wise from me this year and hope to be busy bringing my sounds to people all over the world in person!! After all the hard work in the studio it's fantastic to be able to hit the stage and meet the people who enjoy the sounds and captivate new listeners!



Captivation of new listeners and followers is so important these days, especially in a very saturated climate we all work within. So for the benefit of the readers Darren, where can Unconscious Mind(s) be found on line?

For up to date news and information on what I'm up to then please like my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UnconsciousMindsUK and for track previews including free downloads follow me on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/unconscious-mind-s

I'll also be launching an Unconscious Mind(s) website shortly, news on this will be posted on my Facebook and Soundcloud pages so follow and like to keep informed of details. If you want to keep up to date with information on our label "Psychoactive Records" then like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PsychoactiveRecords and follow us on Soundcloud for latest previews including exclusive free downloads (over 20 free tracks currently available from psybreaks to psytrance to psyglitch!!): https://soundcloud.com/psychoactive-records



Darren, it’s been great to catch up with you and many thanks for your time. Before we go any words of wisdom from your Unconscious Mind???

Well it's been a pleasure and an honour to be interviewed, so thanks ever so much. Word of wisdom are not really my thing as I generally do all my talking with my music, but a phrase I used on the inlay of my debut album is still something I try to live by: "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment!"

Information & Bookings: http://www.psylicious.com/acts/unconsciousminds

Images courtesy of Darren Slaney-Hutchins & Psylicious Management. Not to be reproduced without permission.
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Other Features By Psylicious:
Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino
Initiating a ‘Digital Domain’ with Savage Circuit
Expanding Your Senses with Odo7
Talamasca ‘Make Some Noise’!
Into the Sunrise with Cosmosis
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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