Noise And Psychedelia

[Andrew McIntosh]

The term "psychedelic" is often used as a description of some Noise, and I've used it often enough myself. I'm wondering what people think of the term and the concept when used in Noise. Is it a bit lazy? Does it have meaning? Can Noise generally be regarded as part of psychedelic music as a whole?

I think Haare have been the most often cited project as Psychedelic Noise. I also think of Alfarmania; the stressed sounding layers of sound that seem to weave in and out of each other gives me the impression of listening to an extended bad trip, which I get the impression is a lot of the point with that project. CCCC could well fit into such a category as well, and considering the influences of modern Jazz and psychedelic rock on a lot of Japanese Noisepigs (Masonna also springs to mind) it's hardly surprising that there'd be a fair bit of Japanoise that could also fit the description. Perhaps Psychedelic Noise can be regarded as more restrained and intricate, rather than harsh and immediate? Maybe for some.

To me, the use of different layers of constantly moving and/or changing sound are what responds to my mind as "psychedelic"; the mental imagery of too many things happening at once, too many strange, un-normal things. It's something I like in a lot of my own sound and something I like in others. But it's a widely used and mis-used word.

[Zeno Marx]

Good thread.  One of my favorite elements of music.  At times, indescribable and intuitive-only.  For me, within noise and experimentalism, the monolithic structure is more apt at delivering psychedelia.  I need to be able to settle in and become relaxed, or find the calm, so it can build that psychotropic kinesis.  I'm feeling lazy, so I'm going to drop the irritating list.

Facialmess (early; /Hermit C-60)
Merzbow (often when he is at his finest; Pulse Demon being one glaring example)
Sadistic Lingam Cult  (Cult of Religion; Triumph of the Will from Black Noise; Winds of God)

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Psychedelic is one of the words, you always hear in use, but since it is so common, at least I just associate it with certain bands/sounds, and simply that's it. I recall in days before internet when I asked someone what IS "psychedelic" in terms of music, there came some list of bands as examples, but couldn't really say what this word actually means. Now when you got dictionary, or things like wikipedia in reach of click of button, you can quickly see what is "psychedelia", "psychedelic rock" or "psychedelic music" etc.

If just cutting one piece here:

The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή (psyche, "soul") and δηλοῦν (deloun, "to manifest"), translating to "mind-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly ordinary fetters. Psychedelic states are an array of experiences elicited by various techniques, including sensory stimulation, sensory deprivation as well as by psychedelic substances. Such experiences include hallucinations, changes of perception, synesthesia, altered states of awareness, mystical states, and occasionally states resembling psychosis.

I was just listening Incapacitants "new movements in dmpd" cd, and also that, at least to me, is highly psychedelic. In the surface, it appears to be "just noise". Which it of course is, but when you sit down, close your eyes, especially very tired after day of work, and in border of sleep, you are semi-conscious, or should it be said ultra conscious, suddenly all the fast modulation of sound, details and swirls, tones of feedback and sudden turns open up in very different way. For psychedelic experience, I don't require some re-creation of summer of love wahwah & jamming guitar drones, but these qualities are found in many textured (harsh) noise what you can accidentally pass as monolithic noise piece, but with methods of as simple sensory deprivation as just mentioned, it is mind altering experience. Perception of some noise piece can entirely change, from think it as dull boring noise wall into work of genius, since allowing you to experience it fully, gives much more. One of my all times favorite release to be experienced in utmost silence, in border of consciousness, is The Haters "Ordinarily Nowhere" CD first 3 tracks. Especially tracks 2 & 3. "Fireback", the piece that works on several layers, and it has it all. Crackles, distortion, tonality.. it's lo-fi to some extent, but with amazing texture, what basically opens up well only when listened carefully how the change of repeating patterns oscillate, and how the sounds start to interact to create changing harmonies. That song, to me, is possibly best song ever to combine "wall of noise" and psychedelic drone. And as far as I know, this cd is actually Emil Beaulieau playing Haters debut LP on minutoli in times when he did those 4 discs of stuff. GX added 4th track and couple small sounds and it became this masterpiece. So think of the perfect sounds of "In the Shades of Fire", but transformed into more layered monolithic pieces. I'm listening this right now, and despite I have heard it probably 100 times by now, it still captures my ears instantly and I feel just gazing out of window, seeing smoke rising in the sky, blown by fast wind... instead inside this computer window.

[ImpulsyStetoskopu]

I think that genre old school industrial (in my world the name is industrial avant-garde rock music) is based on psychedelia in rock music. If so, in my opinion, industrial noise should be considered in this way too, though it must not be as rule. I love psychedelia in every form music, in pop music too, especially in 1960's. I would like to especially recommend Jason CRUMER's side project NOW IN DARKNESS WORLD STOPS TURNING. I see many esthetic aspects of psychedelic music in HIJOKAIDAN, MASONNA and AUBE (both more in electronic music vein). Besides BLACK DICE (of course not in all, but at least some of their more noise recordings) and FOSSILS.

[heretogo]

I'm also a sucker for all things psychedelic, whether it be fuzz-driven psych rock or mind-bending trippy noise structures. But it's one of those terms that is quite difficult to define exactly, you just somehow feel it when it's there in the music. This happens especially with noise because of its fairly abstract nature. Within rock/pop it's quite easy to exploit the tried & tested techniques, sounds and effects of psych rock and the listener will most definitely make the connection. Often the result is not really psychedelic in the real sense of the word but the seasoned psych fan associates these familiar sounds with the altered states of mind. This is true also for some psychedelic noise, the effect is just gained by just lifting certain elements/sounds from psych rock and that's all there is. On the other hand, one can easily find noise albums which on the surface bear no similarity to psychedelia and still achieve that effect when listened to properly (like Mikko was saying earlier). For me at least, this later category is the most fulfilling one, they penetrate deeper into my mind and can actually have a real effect on my state of being. The standard psychedelic sound is very cool and I rarely grow tired of it but it's not enough for a proper head-fuck. Of course there are also artists who combine both of these things. I'm just now listening to the new Haare tape on Cathartic Process and this is a pretty good example of a sound that is psychedelic both on the surface and also beyond.

[Kristian]

Love Psychedelic Noise myself and tend to gravitate more towards the Free form Space noise that is prevalent in Japan................ASTRO you simply cannot go wrong with.............at their best they are like the aural imaginings of the universe birthing new stars and imploding others..................PAIN JERK often uses old 1970's synths put through hardcore distortion and the raw materials are extremely cosmic before being twisted into a new forms of sound.....................CRACKSTEEL are also very Harsh but laced with Motorik and Komische sounds that flit from speaker to speaker like audio hallucinations during an LSD trip.............MASONNA's work is maybe the most discernable for Psych out infulences other than MERZBOW who has some entire albums based on samples of riffs from Hawkwind and other other artists Such as AMON DUUL and VAN GRAAF etc.

Whilst not Harsh noise per se NURSE WITH WOUND are modern Psychedelicism and most of his work is of high quality....................

FIRE IN THE HEAD side project SKY BURIAL is also worth a look in too.

[Jaakko V.]

Not sure if this is the right thread for this suggestion, but a book I think some of you might find interesting:

Gilbert Rouget: Music and Trance: A Theory of the Relations Between Music and Possession

http://www.amazon.com/Music-Trance-Relations-Between-Possession/dp/0226730069

Ritual trance has always been closely associated with music—but why, and how? Gilbert Rouget offers and extended analysis of music and trance, concluding that no universal law can explain the relations between music and trance; they vary greatly and depend on the system of meaning of their cultural context.

Rouget rigorously examines a worldwide corpus of data from ethnographic literature, but he also draws on the Bible, his own fieldwork in West Africa, and the writings of Plato, Ghazzali, and Rousseau. To organize this immense store of information, he develops a typology of trance based on symbolism and external manifestations. He outlines the fundamental distinctions between trance and ecstasy, shamanism and spirit possession, and communal and emotional trance. Music is analyzed in terms of performers, practices, instruments, and associations with dance. Each kind of trance draws strength from music in different ways at different points in a ritual, Rouget concludes. In possession trance, music induces the adept to identify himself with his deity and allows him to express this identification through dance.

Forcefully rejecting pseudo-science and reductionism, Rouget demystifies the so-called theory of the neurophysiological effects of drumming on trance. He concludes that music's physiological and emotional effects are inseparable from patterns of collective representations and behavior, and that music and trance are linked in as many ways as there are cultural structures.