Psytrance is a unique genre of music that combines elements of traditional trance with psychedelic sounds and influences. It has grown steadily within the global electronic music scene, and some of its most influential artists are now recognised as pioneers of the genre.
In this article, we look at some of these influential acts, their unique styles and their contributions to the genre. Each entry includes a few facts you may not know, and a Listen to link that takes you straight to YouTube.
Most influential psytrance acts
Space Tribe
United KingdomOlli Wisdom, otherwise known as Space Tribe, was a British music producer, DJ and artist. He is one of the pioneers of psychedelic trance and is known for being one of the first artists to fuse traditional psychedelic elements with modern electronic music.
His releases often feature intricate sound design, tribal elements and a strong focus on spiritual and cosmic themes.
Did you know? Before psytrance, Olli Wisdom was the singer in the theatrical goth band The Specimen and founded the famous Batcave club in London. The first Space Tribe tracks were made in the studio with Simon Posford (Hallucinogen, Shpongle) in 1995, and his debut album Sonic Mandala followed in 1996 on Spirit Zone. His brother Miki started the Space Tribe clothing brand in Bali in 1993, one of the first to specialise in fractal fluoro and cyber-rave wear. Sadly, Olli Wisdom passed away in August 2021.
Listen to: Space Tribe - “So Deep”
Infected Mushroom
IsraelInfected Mushroom is an Israeli psytrance duo made up of producers Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani. They have been pioneering the genre since the late 1990s and are considered one of its most influential acts.
Their sound is an eclectic mix of samples, distorted guitars and Middle Eastern melodies. Their music has appeared in video games, films and television shows, and their live shows are known for high-energy visuals and explosive sound.
They are widely credited with bringing the psytrance sound to a wider audience.
Did you know? The duo formed in Haifa in 1996, and their debut album The Gathering (1999) is credited with bringing Israeli psytrance to a wider audience. Their 2012 album Army of Mushrooms included a psytrance cover of a Foo Fighters song, and they have been ranked twice among the world's 10 best DJs by the UK's DJ Mag.
Listen to: Infected Mushroom - “Heavyweight”
Raja Ram (Shpongle, The Infinity Project, 1200 Micrograms)
United KingdomRaja Ram (born Ronald Gary Rothfield; 18 December 1940) is an English flautist, composer and DJ. He is best known as one of the original members of Shpongle, and as the founder of The Infinity Project and 1200 Micrograms.
He has been an active contributor to the genre since its early days in the 1990s, with numerous solo albums and collaborations with the likes of Simon Posford, GMS and his own son, Ananda. His style uses ethnic instruments and world music influences, and his live performances often employ visuals, special effects and elaborate costumes.
Did you know? Raja Ram is 85 and still performs, continuing to headline events around the world. Long before psytrance, he was a founding member of the psychedelic rock band Quintessence, who played the first two Glastonbury Fayres in 1970 and 1971. He also owns the label Tip World.
Listen to: Raja Ram and Tristan - “The Beautiful Garden”
Listen to: The Infinity Project - “Brain Bokka”
Listen to: Shpongle - “Divine Moments of Truth”
Listen to: 1200 Micrograms - “Shiva's India”
Simon Posford (Hallucinogen, Shpongle, Younger Brother)
United KingdomSimon Posford (aka Hallucinogen, Shpongle and Younger Brother) is an English music producer, composer and DJ who specialises in psychedelic trance.
He is widely considered one of the pioneers of the genre and has released numerous albums under various aliases. His best-known works are his trio of Shpongle albums, which combine tribal percussion, Middle Eastern and Indian influences and psychedelic soundscapes.
He has collaborated with a variety of musicians, including Simon Shackleton, Raja Ram and Benji Vaughan, and he founded Twisted Records to promote psychedelic music.
Did you know? Posford was born in 1971 in Chobham, Surrey. His debut Hallucinogen album Twisted arrived in 1995, and its opening track “LSD” has been described as the defining sound of Goa trance. Shpongle formed in 1996 with Raja Ram, and their debut Are You Shpongled? was released in 1998 on Twisted Records. Younger Brother began as a side project with Benji Vaughan.
Listen to: Hallucinogen - “LSD”
Listen to: Shpongle - “Dorset Perception”
Listen to: Younger Brother - “Psychic Gibbon”
Etnica / Pleiadians
ItalyEtnica is a project originally formed by three Italian producers in 1993. Maurizio Begotti and Max Lanfranconi still perform live and DJ sets around the world. They have also built up a massive discography, releasing as Etnica, Pleiadians and Tecnica.
Did you know? The group is usually credited to four friends, Carlo Paterno, Max Lanfranconi, Maurizio Begotti and Andrea Rizzo, who met through parties in Italy in the late 1980s. Their first EP came out on Brainstorm Records in 1994, and their debut album, The Juggeling Alchemists Under The Black Light, followed in 1995. In 1998 they moved their studios to Ibiza. Pleiadians started as a party-oriented offshoot and was relaunched in 2006 with the album 7even Sisters.
Listen to: Etnica - “Trip Tonite”
Listen to: Pleiadians - “The Pleiades”
Astrix
IsraelAstrix is an Israeli psytrance artist and DJ, real name Avi Shmailov. He is considered one of the most successful and influential psytrance artists of all time.
His career started in the late 1990s, when he released several tracks on the label HOM-Mega Productions. He is known for an uplifting style that combines elements of Goa trance and psytrance with melodic composition.
He has performed at some of the world's biggest festivals, including Boom Festival in Portugal, Ozora in Hungary and Universo Paralello in Brazil, and often collaborates with other artists in and beyond the scene.
Did you know? HOM-Mega Productions released his debut album, Eye to Eye, in 2002, and he placed 41st in DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs poll in 2006.
Listen to: Astrix - “Deep Jungle Walk”
Listen to: Astrix - “Poison”
Goa Gil
United StatesGoa Gil was an American DJ, musician and spiritual leader who is credited with spreading the psychedelic trance movement across the world.
He was known for his long-running, legendary full-moon Goa trance parties, and performed from the late 1980s. He was one of the original founders of the Goa trance movement, and his signature style of mixing Eastern and Western music inspired many DJs, producers and party-goers.
His parties took place in countries such as India, Japan, Canada and the United States, and he released several albums and appeared in documentaries and films. He was famous for very long sets, most infamously playing for several days in Switzerland in honour of LSD inventor Albert Hofmann's 100th birthday.
Did you know? Goa Gil passed away in October 2023, aged 72. Born Gilbert Levey, he died at home in California after a battle with cancer. He had moved there earlier in the year for lymphoma treatment. A samadhi temple is planned in Ujjain, India, where annual ceremonies will be held on the day of his passing. He remains known for his famous 24-hour sets.
X-Dream
GermanyX-Dream's album Radio is regarded as a pinnacle in the history of psytrance. The pioneering duo from Germany created a quick, hard, swirling style of psychedelic music meant for outrageous dancing.
Did you know? Marcus Maichel and Jan Müller are from Hamburg. They started writing music together in 1989 and first recorded as X-Dream in 1991, and they also record as Rough & Rush. They are associated with the label Blue Room Released, and run their own label, Gravity Plus Records. Radio came out in 1998.
Listen to: X-Dream - “Children of the Last Generation”
Astral Projection
IsraelAstral Projection is an Israeli psytrance duo from Tel Aviv, made up of Avi Nissim and Lior Perlmutter. Formed in the early 1990s, they are considered pioneers of the genre.
Their sound mixes trance, techno and progressive house, with samples that often include vocals and ethnic instruments. Their live performances feature visuals and elaborate lighting.
They have played major events around the world, including Glastonbury and Burning Man, and their music has appeared in film, television and video game soundtracks.
Did you know? The duo's roots go back to an earlier project called SFX, formed in Israel in 1989. Most of their releases came out on Trust in Trance Records, and they are still releasing music, with a new release, For All Mankind, in 2025.
Listen to: Astral Projection - “People Can Fly”
Juno Reactor
United KingdomJuno Reactor is a musical project founded in 1990 by Ben Watkins. It has explored a wide range of styles, from electro-industrial to ambient and progressive trance. Juno Reactor has released nine albums since its debut in 1994, and has collaborated with artists including Gaudi and Bill Laswell.
Watkins is often credited with popularising goa trance in film scores, and Juno Reactor's music has appeared in films such as The Matrix Reloaded. The project has performed at major festivals such as Burning Man, and its live shows often feature elaborate visual effects.
Did you know? Juno Reactor began as an art project, with Watkins wanting to make experimental, non-commercial work for art installations and film. He travelled with a portable DAT recorder and used what he captured to soundtrack a travelling art exhibition. His Matrix work was done with the franchise's composer, Don Davis, and the track “Mona Lisa Overdrive” comes from Reloaded.
Listen to: Juno Reactor - “Samurai”
Green Nuns of the Revolution
United KingdomGreen Nuns of the Revolution (GNOTR) was an act started in the mid-1990s by Dick Trevor (Dickster), Matt Coldrick and Neil Cowley. Their track “Rock Bitch” received airtime on MTV. Although the Green Nuns no longer release new material, Dick Trevor still plays retro sets.
Did you know? Trevor says the name came from a news story about the female bodyguards of Muammar Gaddafi. Coldrick and Trevor ran Blaglands Studios and released their early records on TIP Records in 1995. Keyboardist Neil Cowley, formerly of the Brand New Heavies, joined the project, and the debut album, Rock Bitch Mafia, came out in 1997 on Flying Rhino. It was played on radio by John Peel and Annie Nightingale, and the classic project ended in 1998.
Transwave
FranceTranswave is a legendary psytrance duo made up of Christof Drouillet and Frederic Holyszewski, from France. They emerged in the early 1990s, during the golden age of Goa trance, and quickly made a name for themselves with their unique sound and innovative approach to production.
Over the years they released a string of groundbreaking albums and singles, including their seminal album Hypnorhythm (1995), which is widely regarded as one of the most important psytrance albums of all time. They have collaborated with other major figures in the scene, such as Simon Posford and Electric Universe, and have played festivals around the world, from Boom Festival to Ozora.
The Goa trance duo went on hiatus, but they have since reformed and are performing at festivals again.
Did you know? The two met at a rave in France and formed Transwave in September 1994. They split in May 1997 and later reformed. Their best-known track, “Land of Freedom”, was remixed by Liquid Soul and released on Paul Oakenfold's Perfecto Fluoro imprint.
Listen to: Transwave - “Land of Freedom”
Growling Mad Scientists (GMS)
NetherlandsGrowling Mad Scientists (GMS) is a psytrance duo that has been active since the mid-1990s. They are known for a distinct sound that combines elements of Goa trance, psychedelic trance and progressive trance, using a variety of sounds and samples to create an intense, driving groove that has become a staple of psytrance.
GMS has released a number of albums and singles, and has produced remixes for other artists. They have performed at festivals around the world, including Glastonbury in the UK, Boom Festival in Portugal and Universo Paralello in Brazil.
The project is now continued exclusively by Riktam, following the death of Bansi in June 2018 from blood cancer.
Did you know? GMS formed in Amsterdam. Riktam (Shajahan Matkin) first travelled to Goa to experience trance parties, and the duo later moved to Ibiza in the late 1990s. In 2000 they founded the label Spun Records with partner Seth Hoffman.
Listen to: GMS - “Rounders”
Keep exploring: hear where these pioneers have led with our best psytrance artists for 2026/27, dig into the best psytrance albums of all time, meet the labels behind the sound, or catch the music live at the best psytrance festivals. To see the scene on film, watch the psytrance titles in our guide to music festival documentaries.
