If you enjoy trance parties in South Africa, it helps to know the producers and releases that shaped our psychedelic history.
If you've never heard of parties like Alien Safari and Vortex, labels like Nexus Media and Nano Records, or producers like Artifakt and Slug, now is the time to catch up. To see the scene on screen, watch Under the African Sky, one of the films in our guide to music festival documentaries.
Each entry below explains why the release matters, and the Check out link takes you to a track on YouTube so you can listen straight away. The list runs in order of release, from 2002 to 2009.
30 influential South African psytrance albums
VA - Africa in Trance
Microdot Records, 2002This early 10-track compilation features South African legends such as sHiFt, Rabdom L, Damage and Artifakt.
Why it matters: It was one of the first compilations to put local producers under one banner. Many of the names on it went on to build the labels and sounds that shaped the scene for the next decade.
Check out: Rabdom L - What a Lag on YouTube
VA - Alien Safari
Afrogalactic Records, 2002The Alien Safari party has played an important role in the history of South African psytrance. The 2002 compilation, released on the now-defunct Afrogalactic Records, has nine tracks from the likes of sHiFt, Damage, Xatrik and Rinkadink.
Why it matters: It was the first in a series, followed by Alien Safari Reloaded in 2003 and Wild Spirits, Strong Medicine in 2004. Alien Safari is still one of the country's best-known long-running psytrance gatherings.
Check out: Rinkadink vs Razzmatazz - Upturned (Remix) on YouTube
Protoculture - Refractions
Nano Records, 2003Protoculture's debut LP on Nano Records was a huge hit for the artist and the label. The South African producer later changed direction, and it's good to see him back making psytrance as Shadow Chronicles.
Why it matters: Nano Records started on Cape Town's outdoor dance floors in the early 2000s and grew into one of the country's best-known psytrance labels, with a UK base and around 60 releases by 2012. Refractions is an early landmark in that story.
Check out: Protoculture - Avalon on YouTube
VA - Bush Martians in Wonderland
Psytation Entertainment, 2003Not much is known about the short-lived label Psytation Entertainment, but this nine-track compilation has bangers from Broken Toy, Rinkadink, Hydraglyph and Artifakt (as Pseudo).
Why it matters: The line-up reads like a who's who of the early scene. Rinkadink, who moved to London in 2000 and now lives in Japan, is a good example of how far South African producers carried the sound.
Check out: Rinkadink - Soyo Kaze on YouTube
sHiFt - Red Line
Timecode Records, 2003sHiFt's debut Red Line is made up of nine hard-hitting night-time psytrance tracks. Over the years the South African veteran released several full-length albums and co-founded Nexus Media.
Why it matters: sHiFt (Chris Hoy) helped start Timecode Records with Artifakt, Phyx and Rabdom L, then launched Nexus Media in Cape Town in 2003. Few people have done more to build the scene's label infrastructure.
Check out: Shift - No More Humans on YouTube
Xatrik - Project A
Digital Psionics, 2004After a few appearances on compilations, Xatrik released his debut LP on the Australian label Digital Psionics. This wild, multi-layered style of psychedelic music opened a few eyes across the border.
Why it matters: Greg Hamber is one of Cape Town's early night-time psytrance producers, and his groove is instantly recognisable. Landing an album on an Australian label gave South African dark psytrance a foothold overseas, and he later teamed up with Lost & Found as Multistate.
Check out: Xatrik - The Scary Door on YouTube
Rinkadink - Rabbit From the Dark Side
Alchemy Records, 2004Rinkadink is still blasting the international circuit and is based in Japan. His early release Rabbit From the Dark Side is widely regarded by avid psytrance fans. It's brilliant, twisted psychedelic music that still sounds fresh today.
Why it matters: Werner van Jaarsveld is known for fast, bass-heavy and experimental psytrance. Alchemy Records, an influential psytrance label established in London in May 2001 by DJ Shane Gobi and Stuart Bates (with support from DJ Spencer), gave him a respected international platform, and this album captures the sound that made him a favourite on the circuit.
Check out: Rinkadink - Hope Was Closed on YouTube
Artifakt - Artifakts II
Timecode Records, 2005South African producer and Timecode Records owner Matt De Nobrega consistently pushed the boundaries of psychedelic music. Artifakts II is his second LP and really showcased his range as an artist.
Why it matters: Artifakt also masters a large share of South Africa's psytrance output, so his fingerprints are on a huge slice of the scene's sound. This 13-track album was released on his own label.
Check out: Artifakt - Ohm on YouTube
VA - Midnight Storm
Nexus Media, 2005sHiFt put this massive compilation together, selecting South African artists such as Twisted System, Artifakt and Brethren alongside international artists such as Azax Syndrom, Scorb and R.A.M.
Why it matters: It shows that Nexus Media was looking beyond South Africa from the start, mixing local producers with international names to put Cape Town on the map.
Check out: Artifakt - Retch on YouTube
Corona - Photosphere
Sanskara Records, 2005Corona's debut album Photosphere has nine tracks that absolutely thump the daytime dance floor. Two of them were written with South African producers Hydraglyph, and they're a real treat.
Why it matters: Sanskara Records also released Hydraglyph's Kinetic a few weeks later, which ties this album into the Cape Town full-on scene.
Check out: Corona - Riseup on YouTube
DMMT - Africa Bombastic
Freefall Records, 2005Dave Mac still performs as a DJ in South Africa and has played Boom Festival in Portugal, but few people know he also released an album with Martin Treurnich as DMMT.
Why it matters: Influence isn't always about fame. This 11-track album is a good starting point for anyone digging past the big label names.
Check out: DMMT - Africa Bombastic on YouTube
Phyx - Kiss the Blade
Timecode Records, 2006Ian Summs (Phyx) has had an extensive psytrance career, with projects such as Brethren and Twisted System. Fans of Timecode music won't be disappointed by this debut album.
Why it matters: Phyx co-owns Timecode and sits at the centre of a web of side projects, so his solo debut is the key to understanding the label's sound.
Check out: Phyx - Conundrum on YouTube
Brethren (Phyx vs Tickets) - The Legend of Cane
Nexus Media, 2006Released in the same year, The Legend of Cane sees Phyx team up with his brother Tickets under the alias Brethren on Nexus Media.
Why it matters: It shows how closely connected the scene was. The same people kept reappearing across labels and aliases, and this album brought the Timecode family over to Nexus Media.
Check out: Brethren - Russian Roulette on YouTube
Hydraglyph - Kinetic
Sanskara Records, 2006This album still gets plays, especially the track Electric Feed, which includes a Trent Reznor sample. It's a brilliant full-on album and a personal favourite.
Why it matters: Hydraglyph is a Cape Town duo, Mark Ackermann and Andrew Morgan, and Kinetic was released to international acclaim in early 2006. It helped put South African full-on on the global radar.
Check out: Hydraglyph - Electric Feed on YouTube
Multistate (Lost & Found vs Xatrik) - Collaborating With Machines
Timecode Records, 2006Gerhard Olivier and Greg Hamber teamed up for one full-length release under the Multistate alias. The ten tracks showcase each artist's unique style.
Why it matters: It's a clear example of the scene's collaboration culture, bringing together two of Cape Town's distinctive night-time sounds.
Check out: Multistate - Nefarious on YouTube
Twisted System - The Core
Timecode Records, 2006A massive collaboration between three psytrance artists: Chris Hoy (sHiFt), Craig Hudson (Rabdom L) and Ian Summs (Phyx). Both of the trio's albums, The Dealers and Core, are highly regarded.
Why it matters: Twisted System brought together three of Timecode's founders, which makes it something of a South African psytrance supergroup.
Pitch Hikers - Twilight Zone
Nexus Media, 2006When Nexus Media co-owners sHiFt and Slug work together on music, you know they mean business. Twilight Zone was the first LP, followed by String two years later.
Why it matters: It pairs the two people running one of the country's most important labels, so it shows what the Nexus Media sound was aiming for.
Check out: Pitch Hikers - Peaches on YouTube
The Commercial Hippies - If You Can't Stand the Heat
Nano Records, 2006This is the debut LP from South African progressive psytrance duo The Commercial Hippies, after a few appearances on compilations. The album didn't disappoint and has a number of dance floor bangers.
Why it matters: The duo is an early example of South African progressive psytrance, and their catalogue is still available through Nano Records.
VA - What Is Psychedelic?
Vision Records, 2007A short-lived South African label released this ten-track debut compilation, with artists such as Artifakt, Noiseanomalie, Hiyarant, Lost & Found and Parana.
Why it matters: Short-lived labels like Vision Records captured a snapshot of the 2007 underground, and introduced names such as Hiyarant who later made their mark.
Check out: Lost & Found - Acid Pants on YouTube
Frozen Ghost - Edible Techniques
Yabai Records, 2007This second album from Frozen Ghost is a pure dose of South African psytrance, with some crazy sounds that will grab your attention.
Why it matters: Released on the Japanese label Yabai Records, it shows how far the South African sound was travelling by 2007. Frozen Ghost later teamed up with Hiyarant as Dirty Motion.
Check out: Frozen Ghost - Ned's Mental on YouTube
Zion Linguist - Subliminal Message
MMD Records, 2007Zion Linguist went on to focus on an academic career, but his debut album Subliminal Message, on the label he co-founded, shows why he became a popular name on the festival circuit.
Why it matters: MMD Records, which Zion Linguist co-founded, became a home for the next generation of South African producers. It also released Damage's Bad Creationz and the Stereo Neferia compilation.
Check out: Zion Linguist - Primal on YouTube
VA - The Turning
Timecode Records, 2007The Turning is the follow-up to the recent New Blood compilation, a musical escape into the shadowy unknown that moves from aggressive dark textures and stormy moods towards eerie groove and epic melodies.
Why it matters: It is a showcase of Timecode's darker side, and a good way to hear what the label stood for in the late 2000s.
Check out: Artifakt - Nosferatu on YouTube
Broken Toy - The Low Down Dirty Sound of Broken Toy
Alchemy Records, 2007Broken Toy might release a track here and there nowadays, but this was the last full-length from the South African producer. It's a great ten-track collection of some of his early work.
Why it matters: Like Rinkadink, Broken Toy released on Alchemy Records, the influential London psytrance label founded in 2001 by DJ Shane Gobi and Stuart Bates, which put South African producers in front of an international audience. His influence also lives on in remixes, such as his rework of Headroom's "Will Never End", which links two generations of South African producers.
Check out: Broken Toy - Down on the Farm on YouTube
VA - Dark Side of the Mind
Vision Records, 2007Ten tracks from international artists such as Rubix Qube, Kode Six, Zion Linguist, Frozen Ghost and Hiyarant, who represent South Africa. If you're a fan of Nexus Media or Timecode Records, this should be in your collection.
Why it matters: It shows the exchange between local and international artists at the time, with South African producers sharing a tracklist with global names.
Check out: Rubix Qube - Exhale on YouTube
Headroom - Artelligent
Nano Records, 2008At the time, Headroom wasn't as big as he is today. His Artelligent LP really showcased his raw production skill for making well-crafted, dance floor-friendly tracks.
Why it matters: This is the album that put Headroom on the map, and it was another important release for Nano Records. He has since become one of the best-known names on the local scene.
Check out: Headroom - Will Never End on YouTube
Slug - Hardwired
Nexus Media, 2008It's hard to sound psychedelic when you're named after a slimy snail, but Slug's final album Hardwired proved how hard the Nexus Media co-founder could slam.
Why it matters: As half of Pitch Hikers and a label co-founder, Slug helped define Nexus Media's sound. Hardwired is the sound of a producer at his peak.
Check out: Slug - Zombie on YouTube
Dirty Motion (Frozen Ghost vs Hiyarant) - Dirt Emotion
Yabai Records, 2008Dirty Motion was a collaboration between Frozen Ghost and Hiyarant, and their debut album was released on the Japanese label Yabai Records. It's an absolute full-throttle pounder of nine tracks.
Why it matters: This is the second South African act on this list to land on Yabai Records, which shows how strong the pipeline from Cape Town to Japan had become.
Check out: Dirty Motion - Dogs of War on YouTube
Deliriant - Chemistry
Nexus Media, 2009Deliriant has built up a solid discography over the last decade, and it all started with his debut LP Chemistry on Nexus Media. A serious remix of a sHiFt track is thrown in for good measure.
Why it matters: A younger producer remixing the label's co-founder shows how Nexus Media passed the baton to a new generation.
VA - Stereo Neferia
MMD Records, 2009This nine-track compilation, put together by MMD Records co-founder Zion Linguist, features some of the best South African artists of the time, including Rubix Qube, Super Evil, Lost & Found, Deliriant and Hiyarant.
Why it matters: It works as a roll call of the late-2000s scene, and a good place to find the next producer to follow.
Check out: Super Evil - We Want Your Soul on YouTube
Damage - Bad Creationz
MMD Records, 2009His debut album had mixed reviews, but his second LP, Bad Creationz, made Damage a popular name and eventually led to him playing regularly abroad.
Why it matters: Damage appeared on the very first album on this list, Africa in Trance, so his career follows the scene's growth from 2002 to the end of the decade.
Check out: Damage - Crowd Fucking Rocka on YouTube
