Psytrance in Germany (North) – More than Offbeat

Since psytrance was in its babyshoes and set it’s roots in Europe, Northern Germany became a hotspot for this new sound known as Goatrance. If you ride on the infamous Goa Highway A24, almost every exit can bring back memories of legendary events.

Until today it remains the heartland of Germany’s festival scene. But the north has way more to offer then just the festivals and there is action during all seasons of the year. There are active local scenes from ranging from the Dutch to the Polish border. Bremen, Kiel, Hamburg, Schwerin, Rostock, Berlin are just examples of hotspots the North has to offer.

Lots of Partys

You can party on a ship for example in Bremen or Hamburg on the MS Treue or MS Stubnitz or have a free party in a public park like the OV Silence Summer Opening (and Closing) or visit some clubs like Edelfettwerk, Grünspan or Juice Club which have regular Trance nights (from different party organisers) and afterhours on weekends and holidays. Other events are Psy Spirit, Klangkontakt, Spirit of Moksha, Gemischtwaren, Solartech, Psyonara, Tayat. The list is simply endless and while new parties pop up there are events, which are already running for decades. The downside of all this, not only in Germany, is that in many cases there are too many events on a same night, which causes conflicts between local organizers that barely break even. It would be beneficial if crews would work together more, collaborate or at least communicate instead seeing themselves and treating them as competition. This development is blocking new innovative events and a growth for everyone. Sound wise Northern Germany is pretty diverse ranging from classical Hamburg Offbeat, to progressive, Full on to Nighttime music and even Hitek. Many parties focus on a just a particular style of psytrance and it helps to properly study the lineup to not end up disappointed or get lost in monotony.

The Goa Highway

But lets go back to the more colorful spectrum of our scene, which leads us back to the A24, the epicenter of the German festival season, with events on almost every weekend from mid May till mid September, including some oldest ongoing Festivals like Antaris (in its 23rd edition!) and Voov (with a new old name and a new team) which have an excellent reputation and attract many international visitors. Also Psychedelic Circus and Indian Spirit are well known on international level. And there are some new kids on the block such as the Second Horizon Festival, Earthquake, Forest Explosion, Freqs of Nature (formerly Fullmoon Festival), Simsalaboom, Psychedelic Experience among others that have a special charm. Berlin’s Soundviecher organizes the annual Goa Gil Open Air in June for his devotees and lovers of psychedelic marathons played of DAT tapes for 24hours+. The New Healing Festival in it’s third year seems to develop into something special, combining New Age themes and alternative healing topics with psychedelic trance. But also the festivals have their downsides, which have to do a lot with the individuals who attend these: brainless over consumption of substances and littering unfortunately made it into this Millennia and piles of trash and ongoing ambulance activity can ruin the vibe for everyone. Treat yourself, nature and others with respect! The scene is fragile and the action of an individual can affect everyone. In this sense have a nice and healthy summer!
Daksi, Bim & Manjula