Exclusive PsyTribe Mix for EDC Vegas 2017

From: Los Angeles, CA

The crew: Founded by Andy Barakuda in 1997, the Psychedelic Tribe has spent 20 years finding spaces in which to commune with the many permutations of the psychedelic trance sound that first spoke to Barakuda as a college kid in Greece. Moving back to L.A., where he was born, Barakuda set out to nurture a Southern California scene that “wasn’t just worried about what was sexy, but was more into an energy you could equally meditate and dance to and be yourself in.” Helping bring that to EDC Las Vegas will be Barakuda alongside PsyTribe residents Swell, Spyros, Brian Sentient of Zero One Music, Emok, Celestial, Samtabul, plus Smoke Sign and Nikroma of Zenon Records.

When & where: Sunday, June 18, on the Kalliope art car

Why you should care: Because you want to escape society for community and dance like nobody’s watching to the flushed capillaries of fully oxygenated psytrance. Branching off from the genre’s main cultural artery—the Goa parties of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s that inspired a generation of travelers—and transcending a commercial phase in the mid-‘90s, are a network of sounds originating from Scandinavia, Israel, the UK, America, and beyond and ranging from 135–150 BPM. “We like to cover all spectrums and always keep it quality,” says Barakuda.

For fans of: Talent appearing at EDC Las Vegas that PsyTribe has presented, and even debuted domestically in some cases, includes Infected Mushroom, Astrix, Ace Ventura, Veni Veci, Waio, and Freedom Fighters. A fixture in the international psytrance circuit, PsyTribe plans to bring the same stomping-the-dust intensity to the EDC art car, offering a vibe Barakuda describes as “transformative,” adding, “If you want to bring your freak out, you’ll fit in.”

Sounds like: A tranquil beach, forest, desert or ancient lake, swept by resonant bass, dream-state melodies, irrepressible percussion, and whipping sound design.

Take a spin: Mixed by Barakuda, Insomniac’s PsyTribe sampler is “all out and shows how we usually do things: underground and cutting-edge,” says the DJ. Transitioning from the Zenon sound to darker, techier selections, Barakuda isn’t afraid to drop into more funky and full-on BPMs before closing things out with some progressive acts.

EDC Las Vegas 2017 takes place Friday, June 16, through Sunday, June 18, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. For more information, visit the official website.