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Features Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! 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! A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino 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! Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! 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! 'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! 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!

Halcyon takes over Matter - Reviewed Reported by Agnes Klos / Submitted 13-04-10 20:09 Halcyon in just three events had gained the recognition which other parties strive for years. After the storming success of HOMmega’s debut at Matter in August 2009 with such artists as Astrix, Ace Ventura and Xerox & Illumination, the second party in November took clubbers by storm. It welcomed the most well known psychedelic band on the planet – Infected Mushroom. No wonder the excitement hit the roof when the third gig was announced in March 2010. Join Agnes Klos who checked out the first Halcyon showcase event of 2010. To begin with, I was curious to know what the word ‘halcyon’ meant. I opened a dictionary and here is what I found out: “A halcyon is a mythical bird - often identified as a kingfisher - said to breed in a floating nest at sea during the winter solstice, during which time it charms the wind and waves into calm. The term originates from the Greek myth of Alcyone.” Halcyon also means peaceful and tranquil, all characteristics which I associate with good psychedelic trance. Since I missed the first HOMmega party and only attended the second Halcyon, I was head over heels when I heard the news about Halcyon throwing another bash at Matter in March. The first one must have been a smashing hit as it presented an exclusive showcase of the world’s number one psychedelic trance label, the legendary HOMmega Productions from Israel. It also was the official launch party for the HOMmega recordings ‘Heat Seekers’ compilation, ‘New Order’ and Remix Albums Ace Ventura and Xerox & Illumination. The second Halcyon party featuring live acts from Infected Mushroom and Eskimo attracted a sheer crowd of music-lovers. It did not seem easy to beat the previous line-ups with the third party. However, on 12th March 2010 Halcyon unleashed yet another most-anticipated psychedelic happening, with some of the very best acts the psy scene has to offer both in the form of international and underground artists. London's premiere dance music venue Matter quickly filled with music hungry party-goers even though it was not even midnight. The clubbers were allured by a massive line-up featuring a live act from Hallucinogen and his DJ set under the name Shpongle, which guaranteed blastering out the finest psy-trance. The crowd was mixed aged and mixed agenda. Some clubbers were wearing cyber-clothes and some came to the party driven by pure curiosity. Unfortunately, the vibe at Matter has more of a concert feel than a rave. The atmosphere is very different from the one in London clubs. Majority of Matter clubbers are waiting for the main acts and then sitting down, chatting or simply going home. London clubbers appreciate the party as the whole, maybe because they have a bit more knowledge about the music scene. The age thing is also an issue at Matter. There are heaps of young people, travelling from all around and outside of London who do not really know how to party till you drop. They are wearing shiny classy clothes, high heels or sweat shirts and expensive trainers for boys. Sometimes it feels like a high school all over again. The audience looked more like fans of commercial house/techno sound than fans of psytrance music. However, when a tune was dropped, I was happy to see that everyone went for it. The production at all Halcyon events had again proven to be top-notch. There were two enormous white balls hanging at each end of the main room. Between them star-alike flowers hovered over clubbers heads and on the stage four spiky horns grew around the DJ booth. The outstanding visualisations were enhanced by the skilful VJ’s play with light, smoke and lasers. As a result, the scenery was being transformed into an ocean of purple, red and blue waves, changing accordingly to the music. In addition, it was a real thrill to see joyful performances by big white rabbits dancing on the stage. Afterwards the audience was entertained by female dancers in silver bikinis. Although I usually enjoy girls as dancers I did not like the idea of them dancing with scary clown masks as they resembled muscular guys. The mighty main stage of Matter was opened by a groovy set by Matt Loraine, Antiworld resident who in the past had performed next to the world’s most famous psy trance DJ's including Astrix, Delerious and Pixel. He also rubbed shoulders with such giants as Infected Mushroom while performing on the main stage at Psychedelic Brixton Academy 2008. Matt’s set heated up the crowd slowly for the night to come. When the resident Liquid Ross overtook decks at 11pm everyone was getting excited for Ticon’s act. These two talented producers from Sweden known as Ticon have over the last decade gained a sound, well-respected reputation as an innovative but at the same time lush sounding international trance act. Unfortunately to my disappointment, the first few hours until 2am in the main room including Ticon and followed by Shpongle DJ set (who was later performing as Hallucinogen), seemed slightly slow and down tempo. Maybe it was the plan but I needed a stronger kick to begin my evening. Therefore, I moved to the Room 2 which was hosted by London's finest electronic music collaboration team Alpha Omega, showcasing the freshest electro breaks and progressive techno. Here the beat throughout the entire beginning of the night, brought by DJs such as Geo, Tim Healey and Atomic Drop, was energetic and up-for-it. Also, the intimate space with stunning flowers filling the entire ceiling encouraged clubbers to shake their bodies on the dance floor more freely than downstairs. Although electronic tracks served in Room 2 were good quality I was not completely happy. As a psychedelic trance fan I wanted to spend time only in the psytrance main room that evening. I was forced to change my plans as the music was too sleepy there till 2am. The core of the problem revolves around the fact that electro, techno, break beats are widely common in all London pubs, clubs and bars, while psytrance is not that common indoors. If there is a rare psytrance party in a club I do not want to spend my time in a room filled with electro or techno as I can hear it anywhere in London. The back to back set from HarderFaster DJ of the Year 2009 Phil Lankester aka Libra 9 who played with London-based Andi Leppard turned up the speed of the party. Libra 9 who is followed by his devoted fans has proudly earned his residency for Halcyon at Matter. He is known for unleashing his fierce psy sounds onto eager clubbers. However, from my point of view, the b2b set was a bit too polluted by elements of other electronic music genres. Afterwards the rare London live act from the founder of the English-based label Twisted Records Simon Posford aka Hallucinogen at 3am was exactly what everyone had been waiting for. His precision and attention to details were clearly visible throughout the entire performance. Hallucinogen was followed by brilliant Dejavoo who really perked me up. I heard Dejavoo at Halcyon in November and again I was not disappointed to see them perform live. Dejavoo is created by Dj Kristian and a computer wizz kid Franchesco who aim to establish their own psytrance sound. With their performances at such big festivals as Glade and Boom in Portugal this year, they are definitely worth keeping an eye on. The heat in the main room diminished when Eat Static took over the decks. The sound of Eat Static (previously a band) is known for incorporating drum and bass, breakbeat, latin, garage and ambient styles into their music. Merv Pepler who performed shirtless on Matter’s main stage represents nowadays the group on his own. Even though his set was energetic the sound was too sci-fi influenced for my taste. It gave me a chance to go upstairs and catch the last sets by Mary Miss Fairy and Hedflux in Room 2. The entire evening would not be worth the travel to O2 Arena if not for the very last set at the main stage by Peter Zeus b2b Fabry. They introduced such a powerful sound to the entire party that their b2b set literally ruled over the rest. It was such a joy to finally hear the beautiful unpolluted psychedelic trance sound. The beat was so distinctive and precise that I danced till my feet hurt. It was just a huge shame that at that point heaps of clubbers had already left home, among them some of my friends, disappointed that they did not hear much of progressive psytrance. I wish more of psytrance fans enjoyed the last set which was so energetic and full of life that everyone who was left in the main room went into frenzy on the dancefloor. You could hear people stomping their feet and see clubbers closing their eyes, all of them begging for more at the very end. Unfortunately, we had only one hour to enjoy Peter Zeus b2b Fabry. Despite sincere requests, the management refused to keep it going for one more track. After the event, the main promoter Paul Jack who represents Proactive Records, said: “Our last Halcyon event in mind my mind was another huge success with the event overall being very close to selling out and Hallucinogen delivering a stunning performance. It seems overall everything went to plan. Posford smashed it up firstly with an excellent Shpongle set, Eat Static kept you rocking till the every end and white rabbits on stage kept us all entertained. No major issues on the night but maybe a few new ideas for things to improve or change at upcoming events...all will be revealed!” Halcyon events like to build a musical journey showcasing the very best of all kinds of psytrance, which means that the night will not focus on one style of psytrance in particular. If you like variety or you are indecisive it is a perfect event. However, if you know your style and you have your favourites you might end up enjoying separate sets but not the night as a whole. Photos courtesy of Agnes Klos. Not to be reproduced without permission. : : : Follow HarderFaster on Share this :: : : : Follow HarderFaster :: Other Features By Agnes Klos: Back2Basics - 10 Years of Party Productions & Tomorrowland Stage Hosts Atmosphere Records - The opening of IBIZA 1936 Entering the world of Waldfrieden in Germany with DJoanna Piracy is not a crime – sail away with Feestgedruis! Progressive flavours with DJ R'Deem ahead of Neelix party 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. Comments: From: Mark Day on 13th Apr 2010 21:53.13 Really good review...reflects my point of view as well. Thank you From: Hanky on 13th Apr 2010 22:08.31 I wasn't at the night, but that seems like a really good, honest and well thought out review. Well done! From: Tara on 14th Apr 2010 10:31.43 Great honest and constructive review of a wicked night Yep Peter Zeus b2b Fabry from PointZero Records definitely finished the night on a high - hope to see them both on more line-ups soon! Looking forward to the next Halcyon on May 21st with Talamasca, Atmos, Beatnik, Infected, Andy Forse b2b Matt Loraine and of course the ressies Phil & Ross

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