ABSTRACT
Psytrance culture in America is marked by an opposition to mainstream society and a desire to cultivate alternative ways of life within a global “underground”. In their ideal form, these parties are intended to be anarchical in nature-no gods, no masters, anything goes, do what thou wilt. Attendees are active participants in a performative space where electronic music, psychedelic art and ecstatic dance coalesce. Modern technologies are utilised in conjunction with tribal sensibilities to create collectively imagined worlds, where animal spirits of the ancient primordial forest dance with space aliens of the distant stars. In this nebulous liminal space, culture and nature are interwoven in a timeless ritual that evokes re-enchantment with the world and a sense of collective connectivity.
