Psytrance scene in Croatia

Croatia is the place if you are looking for underground. A country with beautiful nature, a magnificent coastline and a rich cultural heritage. Located in Central and Southeastern Europe, this small country is home of friendly people and real Trance vibes. The beginnings of Psytrance culture can be traced back to the mid 90s when DJs Marino and Space Lilly were considered true originators of the local scene.

Towards the end of millennium the launch of the Astralis club event became the single most visited Trance happening in the late 90s. Consequently, a group of young followers joined forces and worked on producing smaller and more underground vibed events, putting a mark on the upcoming decade of the psychedelic scene in the cities of Pula and Zagreb, two major spots for Trance in Croatia.

The ‘00s saw parties like Tribalizer by Attack crew, Spin Cycles and Gotcha by Substructure Media, and open air events in woods by Soundforms. Laying the foundations for true underground gatherings in Zagreb. The scene in Pula was led by Marino and Mars Room, the group responsible for the long-running festival Future Nature. Musical projects such as Mokk, Shuma, Vox and Parrket were created, people started to connect via Trancepleme website and the biggest festival of that time was organised: Underwater Overground. Around 2005 the scene receded a bit but after a short dry period new energy has been brought by Ministarstvo Psihodelije. Since then, new organisers started to appear, the crews from cities Osijek, Rijeka and Knin joined, the scene was back to full power. Parties are held in clubs, abandoned buildings, river channels, woods, under the bridges and most of them are illegal.
Nowadays, there are new djs and producers, while old and new promoters collaborate more.

Here‘s what you should know if you‘re looking for Trance events in Croatia: during the summer, outdoor parties in Zagreb are held in the woods and meadows. Many of them are organised by groups of friends and have no commercial intention. The quality of most national djs is excellent and the music ranges from Progressive Psy to Night Psytrance/Fullon. You can forget about commercial sounds, big names, offbeat bass lines etc. Oldschool Goa sound can be also found on some annual or thematic gatherings. Probably all important international artists are playing here.

The festivals are held mainly in Pula, Life Celebration and Future Nature in a beautiful, old Austro-Hungarian fortress by the sea – already hotspots on the world map of psychedelic events. Further summer festivals worth mentioning are the 2nd Momento Demento and Lost Theory with its 3rd edition this year. Besides music, there are high quality video artists, performers and deco teams. There are no special music shops for Psy culture. The average ticket price is 4-7 EUR, drinks are 2-4 EUR , and the drug policy is strict. Though, in 2013 the possession of cannabis will be decriminalised. If you are around, drop by.

Text by:
Hrovje, Plasma Corp.

Live acts

https://soundcloud.com/search?q=Psilocybian

Websites

losttheoryfestival.com
modemfestival.com

DJs

VJs

Lite Motif Video on facebook

Parties

Ministrstvo Psihodelije, Oddvod, Pistolero, Soundforms, Psyebancia, Regeneration, Momento Demento, Marsroom, Psycordia, Trance Teleport, Tamna Tvar, Tripping Trolls