Welcome to another edition of Ektoplazm’s North American Festival Guide, a resource for discovering outdoor gatherings loosely associated with the psytrance movement in Canada and the United States.

The following festivals have already taken place:

Stimula :: March 20/21/22 (San Luis Rey River, California)
Rastaliens/Braincell, Digital Talk, Naked Tourist

Temple of Radiance :: March 20/21/22 (B.C.)

Sacred Seed :: April 10/11/12 (LaFayette, Georgia)
Kiriyama

Vortex :: May 1/2/3 (Ovett, Mississippi)
Iguana/Naked Tourist, Mubali, Monks Of Madness

Mantra of Bliss :: May 15/16/17 (Deerfields, North Carolina)
Goa Gil

Junction 604 :: May 22/23/24 (Canton, Ohio)
Shapestatic, KiloWatts, Primordial Ooze

Sacred Earth :: May 29/30/31 (Black River Falls, Wisconsin)
Mubali, Primordial Ooze, Ekoplex, DJ Basilisk

GO4 P4RTY 4 :: June 5/6/7 (Pacific Northwest)

Gemini :: June 12/13/14 (Belden, California)
Onkel Dunkel, Mubali, Primordial Ooze, Ekoplex

Gaian Mind :: June 11/12/13/14 (Maryland)
Vibrasphere, Haltya, Headroom, Flip-Flop, Hemi-Sync, Distant System

Re:Leaf :: June 15/16/17/18/19/20/21 (Southern Ontario)

Brainfest :: June 19/20/21 (Manitoba)

Entheos :: June 19/20/21/22 (B.C.)

Saint Jean Basstiste :: June 19/20/21 (Quebec)

Shaman Tales :: July 3/4/5 (Ontario)

Freedom :: July 4/5 (California)

Orb :: July 9/10/11/12 (Echo Lake, New York)

Space Gathering :: July 10/11/12/13 (Quebec)
Space Tribe, Nystagmus/Anahata

Motion Notion :: July 16/17/18/19 (Drayton Valley, Alberta)
Andromeda, Amon Tobin, John ’00′ Fleming, Nystagmus/Anahata

Boreal Canoe Trip :: July 17/18/19 (Ontario)

Field Trip :: July 17/18/19 (Minnesota)
Psykovsky, Fria, Mubali, Primordial Ooze

Between Worlds :: July 24/25/26 (B.C.)

Eclipse :: July 24/25/26/27 (Ste-Thérèse-de-la-Gatineau, Quebec)
Deedrah, Zen Mechanics, Earthling, Species, Khainz, MOS, DJ Pena, Gaudi, Third Ear

No Name :: July 24/25/26 (Oregon)
Psykovsky

Oracle :: July 31/August 1/2 (Oregon)
Pitch Black, Bluetech, Androcell

Godizus :: August 1/2/3 (B.C.)
Mubali, Virtual Light

Desiderata :: August 6/7/8/9 (Echo Lake, New York)
Cosmosis, Space Tribe, Yab Yum/Ajja, Transdriver, G.O.W., JellyHeadz, Onkel Dunkel, Melorix

Shambhala :: August 7/8/9/10 (Salmo, B.C.)
Pitch Black, Adham Shaikh, Anahata, Ekoplex

World Bridge :: August 7/8/9 (Deerfields, North Carolina)
Catatonic Despair, Dragon, Secret Society, Freaks Of Nature

All Stars :: August 21/22/23 (Southeastern Ontario)

Back Field To The Future :: August 21/22 (Upstate New York)

Karma :: August 21/22/23 (B.C.)
Space Tribe

Synergy :: August 21/22/23 (Montana)

Anishnabe :: August 28/29/30 (Quebec?)

Astral Harvest :: August 28/29/30 (Alberta)
Commercial Hippies

Burning Man :: August 31 to September 7 (The Playa)

El Hal :: September 4/5/6/7 (Quebec)

Equinox :: September 18/19/20 (Deerfields, North Carolina)
Electrypnose, Mubali, Aerosis, Primordial Ooze

Symbiosis :: September 18/19/20/21 (California)
Hallucinogen, Atmos, Extrawelt, Perfect Stranger, Koxbox, Penta, Yotopia, Bluetech

Earthdance :: September 25/26/27 (The Midwest)
Electrypnose, Jellyheadz, Unwashed Tomato

Harvest :: September 25/26/27 (Ontario)

Another World :: October 3/4 (Minnesota)

Crystal Sky :: October 9/10/11 (Black River Falls, Wisconsin)

Venus :: October 9/10/11 (North Carolina)

Festivals in bold featured Ektoplazm live acts and DJs. Festivals with a strike were cancelled.

Other news: Natura isn’t hosting another festival until 2010 and AUM has been cancelled for this year.

Also worth checking: PsyNY’s 2009 festival guide.

For reference, this is the FINAL version 2.12 of the guide, updated October 28th, 2009. See you next year!

Here is another list of twenty progressive tunes that have been rocking the speakers here at Ektoplazm in recent months. Most can be purchased at the regular digital download shops but some might be released exclusively on CD.

Ace Ventura – Sao Paulo (Astronivo Remix) [Iboga Records]
Astronivo – Bonanza (SQL Remix) [Tribal Vision Records]
Astronivo – Nature Of Destiny (Brisker & Magitman Remix) [EchoPlast]
Audio Junkies – Dark Side Of The Mood [Vertikal Records]
Beckers & Hatfield – Keep On (Velkro & Ido Ophir Remix) [Sprout Music]
Boris Blenn – Soulmate [Electric Universe Records]
Chakra – Opacity (Chakra & Audio Junkies Remix) [HOMmega Productions]
Dousk – Blender [Vapour Recordings]
Even 11 & Blue Planet Corporation – City Slickers [Neurobiotic Records]
Extrawelt – Wippsteert [Cocoon Recordings]
Khainz – Kruemel [Echoes Records]
KiloWatts – Vanishing Waves [Thoughtless Music]
Loud – Subinya (Perfect Stranger Remix) [Echoes Records]
Özgür Can & AGS – Melodic Beat [Save Me Records]
Perfect Stranger – Clear Vision ’07 [Iboga Records]
Prime Suspect – Attraction (Extrawelt Remix) [Nachtstrom Schallplatten]
Saikopod – Electroid Sheep (Audio Junkies Remix) [Iboga Records]
S>Range – Ilha Bela (NASA Remix) [Iono Music]
Tegma – Robot, Don’t Hurt Me [Tribal Vision Records]
Vibrasphere – Waveguide [Tribal Vision Records]

If you enjoy these selections, perhaps you will want to have a look at my progressive chart from last October.

Shankar started to DJ deep house in 1999. After discovering Goa trance in 2002, he decided to change his style. His journey through psychedelic music took him from full-on psytrance into the deeper morning sound of progressive trance. Today, Shankar plays a blend of tech-house and progressive musical genres. Shankar is also a co-founder of Shakti Collective, a Toronto-based group devoted to promotion of quality progressive and psytrance music. Shankar has performed around the globe, from Copenhagen to New York and Prague to Montreal, rocking dance floors with fresh and unique sounds. He has also performed for some of world’s top music festivals such as Fusion (Germany) and Eclipse Festival (Canada) and shared stage with acts such as D-Nox, Beckers, Fitalic, Hallucinogen/Shpongle, POTS, Tegma, Vibrasphere, Antix, Atmos, Ticon and FREq. Shankar is also involved in collaborating with local Toronto producer Nexus7 on a vibrant new project, Aerodrömme. Expect killer releases very soon!

Photo credit: thinkincolor.net.

Shakti Collective Presents

Blossom
Saturday March 28th, 2009
10pm – 6am

PERFECT STRANGER
LIVE + DJ Set (Iboga Records, Israel)
http://www.myspace.com/perfectblt

Perfect Stranger is Yuli Fershtat, born 1970 also well known under the guise of BLT. The project “Perfect Stranger” presents a progressive dance music approach, with a comfortable pace, keeping it highly psychedelic, techy, atmospheric and challenging. Perfect Stranger’s fat and deep sound is designed to fit outside venues as much as to kick ass in a club surroundings. Yuli’s Live sets as his DJ sets are of a very high hypnotic value, and if you it gets you from the beginning, there is a big chance you won’t leave the dance floor till it has finished… so keep that bladder empty beforehand!!!

Aerodrömme
Live (Tribal Vision/Blue Tunes, Toronto)

Aerodrömme, a vibrant fresh Canadian act, was created by Boris “Shankar” Kurtzman and Steve Chan. The two members share strong passion for music. Steve Chan comes from a Hard-Trance/Full On Psy world, with his established project Nexus 7; while Boris Shankar arrives from a Progressive/Techno scene as a successful DJ for Tribal Vision Records. Aerodrömme’s sound can be described as a blend of progressive house and techno, with elements of progressive trance and electro. Prepare for some dancefloor killers from these guys.

DJs
Lexicon (Shakti Collective, Toronto) – returns after his exile abroad
Plan B (Shakti Collective, Toronto)

Visuals
VJ Scott Guy

Deco
Neuromantix

Venue
Vola Lounge
214 Adelaide Street West
Toronto, 19+

Tickets
$23 advance (more @ door)
available @ Shanti Baba starting Feb. 19
546 Queen St. West

email
shakticollective@gmail.com