Author : Jennifer Stone
Image Source: coloradosound.org
Psychedelic music is loved by music lovers around the globe yet it is often stigmatized as most people consider that the music genre has something to do with drugs and hallucinogens. Yet, psychedelic music has always thrived through the music industry and later on gave birth to many other cross genres like Psychedelic Rock, Psychedelic Folk, and many others. However, what is most profound in the industry is nothing but psychedelic rock which spread its wings wide and far. Thanks to bands like Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, and many others who not only pioneered the genre but also popularized it among the mass listeners.
Psychedelic Music contains a variety of elements and qualities of psychedelia which makes it highly captivating for everyone. The genre is much faster than explored till now and its roots can be found back in the 1950s. However, it became most popular in the ‘60s and ‘70s, especially in California, America as well as many other parts of Britain. Later on, many of the psychedelic rock bands were labeled as progressive rock as they added more ethereal and lengthy instrumental improvisation to music. Although this genre is one of the most popular music genres around the world, it can have different meanings to different people as the connotation can become very dynamic and subjective. So, the biggest question is;
What makes Psychedelic music Psychedelic?
According to music experts, it is fairly difficult to describe the genre as there is no powerful or particular sonic element that makes it psychedelic. It is more about the feelings that are created or expressed through the song that channelizes through listeners like musical transcendence, a musical composition that can create a cerebral sensation. With a fair amount of rock influence in psychedelia, a lot of people think it is a subgenre of rock. Many bands that are labeled other rock n roll have produced songs that can be identified as psychedelic since those elements are used in psyche music later.
A fair example would be The Beatles as the band has offered some of the most intriguing psyche tracks such as ‘Within You, Without You’. They only used a sitar for the composition and made some improvisation in their singing style which offered the psyche essence. However, they also used sitar in ‘Norwegian Woods’ but it does not offer a psyche essence. Evidently, it is not easy to clearly define a track as psyche music since it is more about the feelings that the song produces rather than the elements.
It is not just music composition but psyche music can also offer a philosophical musical approach which makes it more engagingly poetic and abstract sometimes. And for music, not only rock but music enthusiasts can also find ample folky essence in it. Therefore, defining this genre can appear a bit disorienting sometimes. There are many styles and elements that music artists have used all these years to create a psychedelic essence such as phaser and flange effects, not-so-typical time signatures, surreal lyrics, different organs and mellotrons, and the list goes on. However, if seen chronologically, these elements were more used in classic psyche rock rather than neo-psych as they are more into reverb and autotunes. Therefore, it is fairly impossible to say what makes psychedelic music psychedelic. However, it is more like innovation rather than any cliched element.
Is Psychedelic Music Related to Drugs?
This is where the stigmas and stereotypes arrive as many people consider Psychedelic Music to be the music for drug addicts. Let’s break the typical myth! A song does not become psychedelic because the artist or the listener is on acid. It comes from the heart and deeper emotions based on how the song makes you feel. There is a sense of elevation and transcendence, like something very comforting and mind-blowing at the same time.
There are fair reasons why people associate psychedelic music with drugs as the genre was most popularized in the mid-’60s and ‘70s when San Francisco, California was a hub for hippies and other people influenced by LSD or Acid as well as recreational substances such as marijuana. For the musicians of that time, drugs were nothing but a daily dose of optimism that helped them create artistic anomalies. They are not afraid to experiment and they are unapologetic of their creations. The conflicting ideas and shattered norms can be found in their music as well. Starting from Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Syd Barrett, Brian Wilson, Grace Slick, and many others; the influence of drugs was quite high among the rock stars of the industry. Not just the artists but many concertgoers used to take doses just to feel an otherworldly musical experience. However, that has nothing to do with psychedelics.
Is psychedelic music made in the modern era?
No matter how bizarre and filled with oddities, psychedelic music has been successfully made through all these years since people just love it! Even though the era has passed, you can still find people grooving with psychedelic music from the past. Whether it is Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” or Pink Floyd’s “Time”; these psychedelic songs are timeless.
As mentioned before, neo-psych bands have maintained their spot with new musical creations. Let’s find out some of the best psychedelic bands and artists in 2024.
- Black Sky Giant
- J. Kaufmann
- Harvey Mandel
- SLIFT
- BREATHS
- Hazehound
- Tommy Awards
- Ty Segall
- Grave Speaker
Through all these years psychedelic music has strived through the music industry with the love from the music lovers and it is going to stay that way only. The musical sensation that this genre has created cannot ever fade as it has created something different than traditional musical works. And the best part is that it does not any drug for its sustenance.
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