Alberta

The following profile of the psytrance scene in Alberta is written by Darvin Knorr (DJ Nokturnal):

The psytrance scene began in Alberta with a legendary promotions group called Team Psyence who threw their first event Sanctuary in 1997. Over the next five years they brought in such acts as Taka (Solstice Japan), Mk Ultra (Electric Forest) and Chris Bow (Return to the Source). By the time they threw their last event Dia De Los Muertos in 2002 the seed had been firmly planted, inspiring other now defunct promotions groups such as the TeknoCollective, 3 Ohm and Mandala to continue to explore the culture and sounds of psytrance.

The present day electronica scene in Alberta is a diverse one, with a variety of genres being played at numerous club nights and parties throughout the cities of Calgary and Edmonton. Psytrance however tends to be found mainly at underground gatherings in Calgary and although the average attendances of such events are usually under four hundred people, those who enjoy this type of music are very passionate and loyal. There are currently four main promoters in the Calgary area and events occur on average every two to three months apart. The Calgary scene is blessed to have promoters, performers and patrons who all work together to support each other which results in each event being of a very high quality.

Current promoters such as Mistaya Productions, Wisteria, Katalyst Events and Area709 all strive to welcome new people into our community and to offer those who attend our events the highest quality experience possible. As well, gatherings thrown by both Mistaya and Wisteria have a very strong focus on intention community and the more spiritual aspect of the trance experience and include yoga practices, opening ceremonies and other consciousness raising efforts.

The Area709 promotions group is heavily focused on progressive psytrance with past events having featured acts such as Beat Bizarre and Ticon in incredible venues such as the Art Gallery of Calgary. The area709.com website offers numerous dj mixes free to download from its roster of very passionate artists and scheduled for 2007 is a new version of the website which will include online radio broadcasting of live and pre-recorded dj sets as well as a message board and online shop.

Alberta’s incredible natural beauty is not only home to some of the world’s finest powder and vertical climbing terrain, but also to one of Western Canada’s most loved outdoor festivals, Motion Notion. This psytrance focused event features a number of stages and also showcases numerous other genres. Thrown by Katalyst Events, one of Calgary’s most veteran promoters, Motion Notion lasts three days, takes place in mid July and boasts past acts such as Astral Projection, Cosmosis, Biodegradable and Eskimo.

Whether the psytrance community in Alberta will ever grow remains to be seen, but for now it is very much so alive and healthy, and ready to welcome any traveler who happens to stumble upon one of our very special gatherings.