Regen presents: Goa Gil
R.E.G.E.N were very happy to have presented a once in a lifetime experience. Goa Gil (Avatar Records / Nommos), one of the founding fathers of the psychedelic trance movement had, for the first time in Australia played one of his legendary 24 hour DJ sets at our spectacular outdoor location in the Southern Highlands of NSW.
“….Dance is active meditation. When we dance we go beyond thought, beyond mind and beyond our own individuality…..” – Goa Gil
Set upon a mountain top overlooking breathtaking 270 degree views of deep gorges and lush national park just 2 and a half hours south of Sydney, Goa Gil guided us through this shamanic dance experience from sunset Saturday 15th December all the way through to Sunset Sunday.
Add to this R.E.G.E.N’s top level production, psychedelicly stunning decor, mind boggling visuals by VJ Damage, and our very phat 30k sound system tweaked twisted and tuned by Secret Weapon made this an amazing event that will remain etched in the memories of those who attended.
Goa Gil has a rich psychedelic history.
Gil grew up in the middle of the San Francisco music scene of the sixties; he then left to journey to India in 1969 and set up a gathering spot at Anjuna Beach called the Music house. There jet set nomads, vagabond hippies and dedicated travelers gathered during the Christmas holidays and full moons to party, make music and exchange stories.
In the early 80s Gil began traveling again and on trips to the U.S and London he discovered Electronic body music (EBM), German New Wave, Industrial, Hip Hop, and other new forms of electronic music. Returning to Goa, Gil and his cronies set to work bending those futuristic sounds to fit their own concepts, creating the musical model for Goa Trance which would later become known as Psychedelic Trance.
Having been a musician all his life and then doing intense Yogic practices with Gurus in the Himalayas he tried to unite the two, (Music and Yoga), into One Spirit befitting this Age. The result was the Goa Full Moon parties, and his concept of "Redefining the Ancient Tribal Ritual for the 21st Century". Taping from records, Gil edited out the vocals, keeping only the interesting synth and drum machine parts of songs, effectively engaging in a primitive form of sampling that resulted in a continuous psychedelic electrotribal groove. The sound spread: Gil started releasing CDs in 1992 as a member of Code IV and then moved on to form The Nommos with his wife Ariane. He has also released a steady stream of DJ mix CDs. His focus is in trying to use the party situation as a medium to uplift the consciousness of the participants through the Trance Dance Experience.
He says: "Since the beginning of time mankind has used music and dance to commune with the Spirit of Nature and the Spirit of the Universe... We are trying to use Trance Music and the Trance Dance Experience to set off a chain reaction in Consciousness... Through the Trance Dance Experience hopefully people will become more sensitive and aware of themselves, their surroundings, the crossroads of humanity, and the needs of the planet... With this Awareness comes Understanding and Compassion? THAT is the need of the hour, and the true Goa State of Mind !!!"
He met Ariane in Goa in 1985. They have been together constantly ever since. Ariane's keen interest in African Djembe drumming and West African Traditional Dance has also had a big influence on the development and direction of Gil's musical tastes and concepts. Gil & Ariane’s current musical project is The Nommos, and their goal is to combine Psychedelic Trance with West African Traditional Drumming in the True Spirit of the Ancients.
Goa Gil is a recognized sadhu of the June Akhara order and is featured in the movies “Last Hippie Standing” and “Liquid Crystal Vision”. He is also included in the Book of the Hippies. He is considered by many as the Godfather of trance.
www.goagil.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXoMx0jvvXE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Udp6A7TtXWI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH63yhfviZk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EztOqZNB6_I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=380iqaMMXjI