Top Psychill / Psybient / PsyDub DJs
Here is a list of my favorite psychill , psybient, psydub and generally psychedelic downtempo DJs. I've focused here on DJs that are more focused on DJing than production per se. There are a number of excellent DJs that also produce music such as DJ Zen, Alex Patterson, Darren Sangita and Greg Hunter to name a few. So I wanted to give a bit of exposure to the guys who are out there spinning tunes just for the love it. Let's begin ...
AuroraX
Desislav is a Bulgarian DJ and producer involved in electronic music for 12 years. For the last five, AuroraX has initiated development and production paralleled with Dj-ing around the Bulgarian and foreign psychedelic/ambient festival scenes. Many of his mixes are available for listening on online-radio stations such as Digitally Imported, Eilo, Morbomusic, Chillout Zone and more. His mixes typically include a lot of spacey ambient sounds such as your might here from Ultimae Records and Altar Records. Very deep, emotion galactic journeys that you can chill out to again and again.
http://soundcloud.com/aurorax
https://www.facebook.com/pages/AuroraX/148796815132229
DJ Samsara
Christian Borgmann aka DJ Samsara from Denmark, has been actively promoting psychedelic chillout music for many years now and is also well known as the man behind a number of charity albums of chillout and psychedelic trance music that he curated on labels Critical Beats and Random Records. As a label DJ for Altar Records he is often found DJing at the biggest psychedelic festivals around the planet. His mixes make use of idm, glitch, ambient, psybient, psydub and more . Much like AuroraX, his mixes are long spacey journeys so expect to hear artists like Aes Dana, Carbon Based Lifeforms, Asura etc.
http://soundcloud.com/dj-samsara-altar-records
Crispy / Leave Trace
Chris Haines aka Crispy is author of the Splendid Beats podcast/website where he hosts a huge collection of wonderful psybient, psychill, psydub and ambient mixes. His blog is well worth following as he also talks about other areas related to the scene as well as his own ongoing production efforts under the Leave Trace moniker. He was very active on the DI.FM psychill channel where he mixed up all kinds of psychedelic ambient styles into each set that proved incredibly popular with online listeners.
http://splendidbeats.com/category/downloads/
Shoom and Bloodwing
Speaking of DI.FM Psychill, that popular online psychedelic chillout radio station would never exist without the efforts of our next DJs. Shoom and Bloodwing. As directors of the Psychill,Goa/Psy and Progressive Psy radio channels they have done more for introducing new psychill sounds to people on-line on a daily basis than just about anyone you care to mention. In that last few years they have played out at many festivals and shows throughout the U.S. In early 2013 Shoom joined Suntrip Records as a label DJ.
http://www.goa-shoom.net/mixes/
Gagarin Project
Mixing up spacey psychill journeys or deep psybient meditations, Gargarin Project has been filling up peoples iPods with an endless amount of quality psychedelic tunes for many years now. Never one to slow down, he has a number of projects on the go at all times including his latest adventure, the newly formed psybient.org portal where he promotes new artist albums, interviews and more.
http://soundcloud.com/gagarinproject
http://psybient.org
Stony "Kush" Morin
One of my all-time favoritre Djs for sure. Kush mixes psychedelic down-tempo, world beats, psychedelic dub with a little psy glitch here and there. His music flows seamlessly and has so much funky psy-bass action. You can't help but think each tune he selects is just perfect for the mix. I haven't heard any new mixes from him in a while but you can still hear a few of his older ones online at the following link :
http://soundcloud.com/djkush
Johnny Blue
The godfather of psychedelic ambient DJing, Johnny Blue is a institution. Known all over the world, this guy has amassed a huge catalog of mixes online ( not to mention the countless festivals and parties he has played at ). From humble beginnings with his Psylent Harmony website, then as a promo DJ for Peak Records to his current role as A/R manager at Mikelabella Records, Johnny Blue has trail-blazed his way into the hearts and minds of listeners across the globe. A crowd favorite where ever he plays you can catch him next year at the 2014 editions of Tree Of Life and Boom festivals.
http://www.psylentharmony.net/
http://soundcloud.com/johnny-blue
Gunter Bunt
German DJ Gunter mixes up a variety of styles including psybient, psydub, ambient, downtempo and more. He is always on the look out for the best tunes for his mixes and is an excellent source of knowledge on new music including stuff a little eclectic that you may never have heard of before.
http://gunterbunt.podomatic.com/
Klinz
One of the most pleasing finds on SoundCloud for me is the music of Jason Bone aka DJ Klinz. When I'm in the mood for something a with some spicy tribal bass flavors, a bit of psystep or psybient with a groovy feel then he never disappoints. His psyglitch and psystep mixes reflect a lot of my own selections when I do those kind of mixes but he always has a number of tunes I've never heard of. So he is always someone I can rely on for something a little new and interesting. If you like deep bass mixed with ethno ambiance - he is the man !
http://soundcloud.com/dj-klinz
Schofield
"Schofield (aka Ross Veenstra) currently finds himself based north of the river in Melbourne, Victoria, and has been a lover of music since he first discovered that he had holes in the side of his head". So reads the brilliant intro to DJ SchofiledJ's profile on his SoundCloud page. I love this guy. I grew up not far from Melbourne myself and regularly attended Australia's leading psychedelic festival - Rainbow Serpent where Schofield has been a regular fixture for the last 7 years or more. His mixes combine all kinds of psychedelic electronic downtempo as he sources his tunes from a huge personal collection of material that he has purchased over the years, supporting many, many artists at the same time. One of the friendliest DJs you can meet, he is very active on the Isratrance Chillout forum where he gives advice of ambient music. Be sure to catch him next Rainbow Serpent Festival 24-27 January 2014.
http://soundcloud.com/voonbag/
https://www.facebook.com/schofield74
Dopese
Dopese has been spinning psybient tracks for many a year now and runs a nice blog too where you can listen to his latest mixes and read his thoughts regarding psychedelic culture and lifestyle. His mixes combine various genres including psydub, psychill, ambient and downtempo styles. So if you are looking for a bit of variety then definitely check him and his blog out.
http://soundcloud.com/dopese
http://my.opera.com/Dopese/blog/
Rox
Rox was one of the first psybient and psychill DJs to build a considerable web presence with his Rox-Unreal website. Rox's mixes are highly sought after due to the care he puts into each production that lifts each mix to a level above the previous one. I especially like the more oriental tribal mixes that combine the sounds of the middle east with slick downtempo beats and bass. Wonderful stuff. The website is down for the moment and going through a rebuild but you can still access the mixes themselves at the link below.
http://www.rox-unreal.net/mixtest.html
Matt With An S
Matt makes awesome mixes full of psybient hits. No mess, no fuss. Consistent quality. I only wish he would do it more often haha ! Another member of the DIFM family, Matt's mixes have been widely praised due to his meticulous track selection and mixing skills which creates seamless flowing audio carpet rides.
http://soundcloud.com/matt_with_an_s
http://matt-in-orbit.com/?cat=9
Sukhush
Sukhush is DJing husband and wife duo from the US that makes use of live flute played over the top of their mixes which comprise of a variety of psybient, psychill and psydub sounds. They are members of Altar Records so expect to hear a fair amount of excellent Altar hits in their playlists. They have a few sets online so check them out when you get the chance.
http://soundcloud.com/sukhush
Maggie Houtz
DJ Maggie is another US based DJ who can be heard mixing sets around southern California area at festivals and underground parties. Her mixes are quite varied from one to the next so you can hear a full mix of downtempo lounge stuff one month and then a psybient glitch fest the next. Which is great I think as it exposes you to a lot of new music. Her mixes are always perfectly blended so you can sit back, relax and escape. She also runs her own blog, Softly Lit Studios, where she shares her mixes and talks about her photography and travels.
http://soundcloud.com/dj-maggie
http://softlylit.com/
Reiki healer, meditation practitioner and all-round nice guy DJ Soma from Finland is a bit of a legend on the Istratrance Ambient and Chillout forum where he started uploading and sharing mixes as far back as 2004. Since then he has opened the minds of countless listeners all over the globe with his top-class ambient mixing which you can here on his blog listed below. His blog is an excellent read full of hundreds of album reviews, notes and more.
http://soundcloud.com/djom
http://musicandhappylife.blogspot.com
DJ Nod is based out of Brixton, observing and participating in the global bass music scene both at home in London and through his world-wide travels. Since his move from the USA in 2009 he has played events across the globe, ranging in size from massive festivals such as OZORA and Hadra to smaller events in the US, Europe, and Japan. During this time he has become known for his smooth mixing and heavily psychedelic track selection, skirting around the edges of dubstep and other bass-driven music to procure a wide range of sub-shaking sounds.
http://www.djnod.net/
Andrew Ross Collins started chillout label Interchill back in 1995. The label has gone on to release over 30 albums of quality ambient music and has become a firm fan favorite. Andrew, along with label DJ Nick showcase their label's sounds around the world at international trance and chillout festivals, ambient music events and online DJ portals. Interchill maintains diversity while drawing a continuous thread through a wide variety of sounds and styles, bringing together the cutting-edge in dub, world-fusion, psy-chill, ambient, lounge and all points between. Their music has been a big influence on me and I regularly feature Interchill sounds in my own mixes on this blog. Long may they live and prosper !
http://soundcloud.com/interchill/sets/
http://www.humble2.info/
Arguably the planets busiest traveling psychedelic ambient DJ, Bayawaka ( Golan Aflalo of Enig'matik Records) has played and continues to play and an enormous number of festivals all over the planet. He mixes up flowing journeys of psybient, psydub and psystep sounds to create bass heavy chillout music that is perfect for outdoor forest tribal action. Check out his soundcloud page where he has a handful and excellent mixes to listen to.
http://soundcloud.com/golan-28
Travis is author of the Hidden Places Music blog and mixes up music from deep ambient drone to bass driven ethnopsy. Check out his blog where you can read more about the intention behind each of the wonderful mixes he produces such as a celebration of the winter solstice or explorations of timewave theory. Travis is also a big fan of netLabel music so if you want to find some free, independent music then follow his blog for some good tips.
http://www.mixcloud.com/hiddenplacemusic/
http://hiddenplacemusic.blogspot.com/
Chillumafia are the DJing duo of Damon (Poland) and Yadim (India). They have been around for about 10 years mixing all kinds of music across the US ( Burning Man ), India and Europe (O.Z.O.R.A./ BOOM). Chillumafia's sound today is a mix of hedonistic grooves from the West and chill beats from the East expressed with a range of styles from ambient to dance, from traditional to futuristic, bringing remixes, live production and guest musicians into the sound system.
http://chillumafia.com
http://soundcloud.com/chillumafia
Paulo Saraiva aka Spirit Hood joined the psychedelic music scene in the mid 90's devoting his time to producing psychedelic raves, parties & festivals. Soon after he discovered the art of DJing, by 2006 he became enamored with the pysbient, psydub & psychill music genres. A regular fixture on the international festival circuit, his mixes are a blend of mind altering psychedelic downtempo.
http://soundcloud.com/spirit-hood-project
http://softlylit.com/
DJ Soma
Reiki healer, meditation practitioner and all-round nice guy DJ Soma from Finland is a bit of a legend on the Istratrance Ambient and Chillout forum where he started uploading and sharing mixes as far back as 2004. Since then he has opened the minds of countless listeners all over the globe with his top-class ambient mixing which you can here on his blog listed below. His blog is an excellent read full of hundreds of album reviews, notes and more.
http://soundcloud.com/djom
http://musicandhappylife.blogspot.com
DJ Nod
DJ Nod is based out of Brixton, observing and participating in the global bass music scene both at home in London and through his world-wide travels. Since his move from the USA in 2009 he has played events across the globe, ranging in size from massive festivals such as OZORA and Hadra to smaller events in the US, Europe, and Japan. During this time he has become known for his smooth mixing and heavily psychedelic track selection, skirting around the edges of dubstep and other bass-driven music to procure a wide range of sub-shaking sounds.
http://www.djnod.net/
Andrew Collins and Nick Edell
Andrew Ross Collins started chillout label Interchill back in 1995. The label has gone on to release over 30 albums of quality ambient music and has become a firm fan favorite. Andrew, along with label DJ Nick showcase their label's sounds around the world at international trance and chillout festivals, ambient music events and online DJ portals. Interchill maintains diversity while drawing a continuous thread through a wide variety of sounds and styles, bringing together the cutting-edge in dub, world-fusion, psy-chill, ambient, lounge and all points between. Their music has been a big influence on me and I regularly feature Interchill sounds in my own mixes on this blog. Long may they live and prosper !
http://soundcloud.com/interchill/sets/
http://www.humble2.info/
Bayawaka
Arguably the planets busiest traveling psychedelic ambient DJ, Bayawaka ( Golan Aflalo of Enig'matik Records) has played and continues to play and an enormous number of festivals all over the planet. He mixes up flowing journeys of psybient, psydub and psystep sounds to create bass heavy chillout music that is perfect for outdoor forest tribal action. Check out his soundcloud page where he has a handful and excellent mixes to listen to.
http://soundcloud.com/golan-28
Travis Nobles
Travis is author of the Hidden Places Music blog and mixes up music from deep ambient drone to bass driven ethnopsy. Check out his blog where you can read more about the intention behind each of the wonderful mixes he produces such as a celebration of the winter solstice or explorations of timewave theory. Travis is also a big fan of netLabel music so if you want to find some free, independent music then follow his blog for some good tips.
http://www.mixcloud.com/hiddenplacemusic/
http://hiddenplacemusic.blogspot.com/
Chillumafia
Chillumafia are the DJing duo of Damon (Poland) and Yadim (India). They have been around for about 10 years mixing all kinds of music across the US ( Burning Man ), India and Europe (O.Z.O.R.A./ BOOM). Chillumafia's sound today is a mix of hedonistic grooves from the West and chill beats from the East expressed with a range of styles from ambient to dance, from traditional to futuristic, bringing remixes, live production and guest musicians into the sound system.
http://chillumafia.com
http://soundcloud.com/chillumafia
SpiritHood
Paulo Saraiva aka Spirit Hood joined the psychedelic music scene in the mid 90's devoting his time to producing psychedelic raves, parties & festivals. Soon after he discovered the art of DJing, by 2006 he became enamored with the pysbient, psydub & psychill music genres. A regular fixture on the international festival circuit, his mixes are a blend of mind altering psychedelic downtempo.
http://soundcloud.com/spirit-hood-project
6 comments :
Don't forget yourself PsyAmb !
Great list. Should keep me busy over the holidays.
Shoom for sure
That's an excellent list, and I look forward to checking out the names I haven't heard before.
Oh, and thanks for including me. :) Ross (Schofield)
I'm honored to be on your list. Its funny I have been listening to your mixes for years as well. Great selection of Djs, you really picked some of my favorites and good friends. -Klinz
Excelent top! Johnny Blue is my favorite DJ from the list! :D , thanks for posting it :D (From: Venezuela)
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