Twisted Records

18/07/2025

A powerful stormer of a track this Flashback Friday: Thugs in Tye Dye, which was the B-side for the 1996 Space P***y single - the last Hallucinogen single released on Dragonfly prior to the founding of Twisted Records in the autumn of that year.

In contrast to the high-energy track on the A side, Thugs In Tye Dye is a deep, dark night-time stormer, the title suggesting the rougher edge of hardcore Goa dancers in bright UV-reactive clothing.

The growling sounds come from recordings made by Simon’s friend Danielle Buntman at a camel fair in Rajasthan, and these are complemented by a powerful kick, deeply-voiced distorted climbing motifs, and a catchy riff with a classic Hallucinogen interval that is simultaneously probing and uplifting.

A massive track that embodies both the deep intensity and energizing qualities of the best of 90s Goa psychedelic dance music.

Check the comments for the link to the video featuring the latest mastering of the stormer!

21/06/2025

Happy Summer Solstice, Twisted fans! In celebration of the longest day of the year, we are sharing the classic track Solstice by our favourite four-on-the-floor artist Hallucinogen, from his iconic album Twisted ... but with the updated mastering from the more recent vinyl edition (check the comments for the link). A few details from 'Goa historian' DJ Solitare:

Solstice was second track that Simon Posford produced as Hallucinogen in 1993 - but that was an earlier version which remained unissued until it appeared on a Flying Rhino compilation in 1996.

As Posford had refined his production and composition techniques when it came time for him to produce his debut album for the Dragonfly label in 1995, he decided to remix this track, and it ended up closing the album (other than the secret ambient track, of course). However, by the time that he remade this track, he was unable to locate the vocal sample that was a key feature of the earlier version, so he instead reworked that melody using synths. (He dispensed with the humourous spoken sample in that earlier version that didn’t quite maximise the emotional musical content of the track.)

The beauty of the melodic and harmonic flavour of this track is wonderfully complemented by the intense build-up throughout the track and at its climax, as well as the hypnotic nature of some of the riffs - an exquisite musical masterpiece in every way.

Check it out on our YT, linked in the comments!

04/06/2025

A midweek boost from our archive of classics: the vivacious, ecstatic, bouncing-off-the-walls Hallucinogen belter 'Snakey Shaker'. This classic his 2nd album is a truly innovative creation, with unparalleled drive and groove.

In this stellar track, soundsmith Simon Posford uses a three-beat riff in the ‘four on the floor’ four-beat framework. The pattern repeats four times in a row, starting on a different beat each of the four times, before the cycle begins again. This creates a framework shift in how the listener/dancer experiences the melody, due to the different emphasis four times in a row - a truly inspired psychedelic blast!

The triumphant primary riff, catchy three-beat melody, rhythmic momentum, and tight engineering make this a truly landmark Hallucinogen creation at this key evolutionary time in his musical output.

Check out the latest mastering of this classic linked in the comments and enjoy a midweek stomp!

23/05/2025

'The Lost Jungle Of Booshi' is latest from Cosmic Trigger, crafted together with the one and only Raja Ram. The two musicians dance the line between inner and outer worlds in this genre-defying number with smooth synth melodies, creative instrumentation, chunky percussive elements, catchy riffs, and - of course - Raj's gorgeous flute playing.

Check the streaming link for this beauty in the comments thread, plus another link to this evocative number on our YT channel.

Listen to The Lost Jungle of Booshi by Cosmic Trigger, Raja Ram.

14/05/2025

A classic from the Hallucinogenius to help you blaze past any midweek doldrums: his legendary stormer Shamanix!

This iconic track was on TIP’s first compilation, Yellow, which was issued in December 1994 - a groundbreaking release on which the Hallucinogenic soundsmith Simon Posford worked on 7 of the 11 tracks.

This published version is a completely different reworking of an earlier unreleased mix that was much slower and less intense than this revered volcanic stormer. This is a truly unique number that has a lot of distinctive elements, with synthesized voices, exclamatory screams, rhythmic vitality, and a phenomenally exploratory storyline. Clocking in at ten minutes - extremely long at the time (and even more so now) - this masterpiece is distinctive for its emotional depth, relentless drive, and explosive atmosphere.

At a time when ‘Goa’ music was becoming more polished and streamlined, in this track Posford retained some of the somewhat ‘rougher’ edge that characterised a lot of the earlier music in this genre, which together with the high pace and musical content contributes to its emotional expansiveness.

The link to our latest YouTube upload - shared in the comments thread - features the latest remastering by Kevin Metcalfe that was put out on vinyl in 2023. Check it out and have a great midweek stomp!

29/04/2025

Happy Trancey Tuesday, Twistednauts. Another share from our classic catalogue and one of the most popular of all Hallucinogen tracks - Angelic Particles - in its most recent mastering (linked in the comments).

This legendary number was composed with Nick Barber (aka Doof), the only one that he co-wrote with Simon Posford that was released as a Hallucinogen track - several collaborations were issued as Doof, and an unpublished collaboration used the project name Earglobe.

The original working title was Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction, and the sessions led to two mixes, plus the famous ’secret track’ ambient mix that closed the Twisted album; each artist additionally did a live desk mix. The final approved mix was issued in 1995 on a TIP vinyl single (where it was misspelled Angelic Particals) and then on the label’s 2nd anthology release, the Orange Compilation.

This is among the most beautiful of all Hallucinogen tracks, with a sumptuous voice gated in a syncopated rhythm. The high-energy power and beauty of this track has made it a long-time favourite - even though Simon noted that this was produced when he had a substandard mixer for a short period.

The graphic here was used when Simon put it on a mobile app that he operated for a year or so. The link to the newly remastered version from the recent Singles vinyl (and digital) set is in the comments thread.

19/04/2025

Happy Bicycle Day! As we celebrate Dr Hoffman's inaugural chosen trip, here (linked in the comments) is the track that started off the Hallucinogen journey.

L*D was Hallucinogen’s breakthrough track, released as a Dragonfly single in 1994. An earlier version was produced in 1993, the first solo track that Simon Posford created at Butterfly Studios, where he was working as an engineer at the time; the earlier version circulated amongst DJs on DAT, while the legendary released edit known from the Dragonfly single, Order Odonata compilation, and Twisted album came a bit later, with a sleeker sonic framework and some different structural elements. (His track on the B side, Alpha Centauri, was also an updated mix from an earlier unreleased version and it is that second mix that also appeared on the Twisted album.)

It was the release of this track that led to Posford choosing the project name Hallucinogen. He noted that the Dragonfly white label test pressing for the single had already been produced when he was given ten minutes to come up with a band name. He notes, “I couldn’t think of anything but since the track was called L*D (because of the samples), I went with the name Hallucinogen purely because it seemed appropriate for the track, totally oblivious that I would ever produce another tune under that moniker, let alone that it would provide me with a career. If I’d known this, I would have put some more thought into the name!”

The familiar opening features Ken Kesey speaking about the use of L*D (“I believe, with the advent of acid, we’ve discovered a new way to think...”), while another finds a young female follower of Timothy Leary talking about how it’s “…more important than reading the Bible six times...”, in addition to the sample “He's losing his mind and he feels it going", which comes from a 1960's US Navy film about the dangers of L*D.

This all-time classic track still gets ecstatic response on the dance floor more than 30 years later, and now sounds better than ever with this new remastering by Kevin Metcalfe that was released on vinyl in 2023.

Find a link to that transfer on YT in the comments, as well as to other options!

12/04/2025

Our latest video to drop is the beautifully fresh master of the Hallucinogen classic Space P***y.

This was the title track of the last Dragonfly single that Simon Posford released in mid-1996 (the original cover shown in this post) prior to the formation of Twisted Records that Autumn, and it is an exceptionally creative one.

This was an experimental track in several ways, one novel quality being its high pace of 156bpm; at the time of its production, tracks were generally getting faster, so while this was significantly more accelerated than most others at this period, Space P***y was an attempt by Posford to see just how fast he could go while maintaining clarity (he couldn’t make the kick too heavy in order to accomplish this goal).

He also wanted to try reverb on bass - “you should never do it because it’s a nightmare!” - in order to create the atmosphere of warehouse parties that were popular in the UK and the global underground dance culture.

Equipment fans will be interested to know that the opening cat-like sound from which the title derives is a slowed-down Eventide, with other equipment used including the ‘inevitable’ Roland 101, a 303 which was panned left and right, Simon’s beloved Oscar, a Kurzweil, and a sampler. Some of the atmospheric sampled sounds used include noise from a camel fair in Rajasthan and the sound of masking tape being peeled off.

Check the comments for the link to the beautifully remastered track from our Hallucinogen: The Singles collection.

08/04/2025

We've been updating our YouTube channel to include some of the greatest hits from the Hallucinogen catalogue - using the recent remasterings from our deluxe vinyl editions - and with bonus trivia details and descriptions in the text under each video provided by Goa historian DJ Solitare.

The latest to be shared is Magik, which first appeared on TIP's Beyond Colour comp in 1998. It features a distinctive Hallucinogen bounce to the baseline, a balance of synthesised and ethnic music samples (with patented Hallucinogen gating - that chopped-up effect), creative voice modulations, some incisive laser-zaps, and the mesmerising harmonic and melodic framing that have been a significant part of the allure of Posford’s musical output.

The track features a number of spoken samples taken from various filmed productions, largely with a sci-fi theme - including the title-inspiring ‘They’ll be absolutely maaaaagik’ - though there is one more personal addition: a voicemail message to Simon from Riktam (from the legendary project GMS) saying among other things, “Where aaaaaaaare yooooou?”

Give this gloriously remastered classic a listen - and check the comments thread in this post for a link to our latest video uploads ... and stay tuned for more!

This ever-popular track first appeared on the TIP label’s Beyond Colour compilation that was issued in 1998. It features a distinctive Hallucinogen bounce to...

18/11/2024

Hallucinogen- The Singles (Remastered 5xLP set) now available:

23 track album

15/11/2024

06/10/2024

💋 New short film I made with RunwayML using the track Pollen Count from my new EP called Oneiric ..😵

Short film made by Benji Vaughan using his track ‘Pollen Count’ from the EP Oneiric.https://open.spotify.com/track/3HR0aQFHTZY27NTiXDF2tT?si=KJ3o76fNSWKIoHF4...