20 classic albums that every psychill lover should know

20 classic albums that every psychill lover should know

Psybient, also known as “Psychill,” “slow trance”, or “psychedelic downtempo” has grown exponentially since psytrance luminaries such as Man With No Name, Dimension 5 and others experimented with fusing psychedelic effects and goa trance melodies with slower, more hypnotic beats in the 90s to create goa ambient .

Today, psybient is more varied and vibrant than ever, incorporating dub, glitch, bass, and progressive elements in a never-ending cycle of musical creativity and evolution.

Soon Planet Dog, Silent Records, Organic Records, Waveform Records and other visionary labels were introducing us to psychedelic downtempo artist such as The Higher Intelligence Agency, Children Of The Bong, Mysteries Of Science, Jake Stephenson, and other pioneers of the psybient scene.

1998 Celtic Cross album cover

As the millennium came, psybient came into its own with artists such as Asura, Carbon Based Lifeforms and Aes Dana and others crafting a more polished “slow trance” sound, which was still chillout but at home on the dancefloors and chill tents of psytrance festivals everywhere. Other artists, such as Shpongle, took psychedelia to the next level, referencing hallucinogenic drugs and visionaries such as Alan Watts, and Terence McKenna, in their music.

2005 Bluetech album cover

Today, psybient is more varied and vibrant than ever, with artists such as Ott and Bluetech and others pushing the boundaries of psychedelic chill by incorporating dub, glitch, bass, and progressive elements into their music in a never-ending cycle of musical creativity and evolution.

We’ve selected 20 classic albums that every psychill fan should know. It was a very tough choice, as there are so many classics to choose from. We tried to include early practitioners such as Celtic Cross, and well-known classics by Shpongle, Ott, The Kumba Mela Experiment, and others. We’ve also included relatively new artists such as Carbon Based Lifeforms to show how vibrant the psybient scene is today. Let us know what you think, and suggest your own!