EDITION #4 DEC 2015
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MUSIC, ARTS , CULTURE AND TRANCE!
SKOT
DECEMBER 2015
SOME KIND OF TRANCE
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DECEMBER 2015
EDITORIAL
Fotografia por Bianca Meireles Revolution Festival 2015 - Urubici, SC
A year has passed. A bit more to be honest, thirteen months ago, we launched our Edition 0 at Orion Festival 2014 on November 22. Many things have changed since then, either in life of everyone who participates in the magazine, in the lives of readers who follow us and even the lives of those who have never heard about Skot. The universe is constantly changing and adapting and our magazine is always looking to keep up with changes that the universe suggests. The evolution of content and the way we approach is the result of connections and learning we experience during these 13 months since our launch edition. This edition is a little more special than the others; a little smarter, wiser and mature. From this edition, we have consolidated “Some Kind of Trance” as the official publication of psychedelia in Brazil and definitely show our first birthday’s child to the world. All you have a good trip. With love, Bruno Martins Boss Editor skotmagazine@outlook.com fb.com/brunosoaresmartins
This publication was concepted with love. Before discard, consider donate to a friend. SKOT #4 / 3
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EXPEDIENT
Boss Editor Bruno Martins Art Editor Egberto Esmerio Photography Bianca Meireles Felipe Paes Translation Ana Carolina Lahr, Bruno Martins, Marcio Ortiz e Natalia Faustino. Collaborators Aline de Moura, Ana Carolina Lahr, Bianca Motta, Felipe Paes, Giovane Dias, Iago Dutra, João Victor Carvalho, Kelly Ferraz, Luamar Andrade, Marcos Gerlach, Marcos Vinicius de Matos, Pedro Henrique Farias, Stephen Federolf, Tanara Rodrigues e Wendy Girondi Cover Artist Tanara Rodrigues
Photographic Support Bianca Meireles fb.com/biancameirelesfotografia +55 48 9841.7264 soumagibi@gmail.com Rodrigo Della Fávera fb.com/rodrigofavera +55 21 98245.1751 rodrigotallica@hotmail.com Felipe Paes fb.com/photopaes +55 51 8495.0415 contatofelipepaes@gmail.com Invited Photographers Yonatan Benaksas fb.com/yonatanbphotography
Printing Gráfica Odisséia
Murilo Ganesh fb.com/muriloganesh
Contact Articles and Story Suggestions skotmagazine@outlook.com
Julia Castro fb.com/juliabio
Correspondence Rua Presidente Vargas, 520 Jardim América São Leopoldo, Rio Grande do Sul Brasil - 93035-190
Jorge Martin Lerose fb.com/chinchulive SKOT Online fb.com/skotrance soundcloud.com/skotrance www.skotshop.loja2.com.br
SKOT is a quaterly publication of Some Kind of Trance Publisher.
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INDEX
DECEMBER 2015
Letter to the Reader by Luamar Serpa What to expect from UP13? by Bruno Martins Ozora Festival 2015 by Ana Carolina Lahr Chill Out Festival 2015 by Filipe Plada Psybient.org Connection - Chill in Brazil by Allix IACCHUS The Festival Calendar Samsara Festival 2015 by Bruno Martins Commented Photography - Chinchulive by Bianca Meireles e Felipe Paes Festival Terra Azul 2015 by Kelly Ferraz Scenography - Thomas Goebel by Stephen Federolf Earthdance - Porto Alegre 2015 by Aline de Moura Trance on the streets by Wendy Girondi Jajá’s Column by Iago Dutra (aka Jajá) Espiritualidade - Shamanism Pt. 1 by João Victor Carvalho
08 10 12 18 20 24 26 32 38 42 48 51 55 60
Have a nice trip... SKOT #4 / 7
Photography : Murilo Ganesh Ozora Festival 2015
LETTER TO THE READER
There is a psychedelic wind in the air… And it comes from Bahia! Aho! It is Festival time! If you are already in Pratigi we wish you an excellent and enlightened celebration! If you couldn’t be there this year we hope you get enlightened wherever you are! The New Year is arriving and it brings new expectations and perspectives. There were many unsolved issues in 2015, so how about enjoying the new cycle to donate something more to the Universe? We are always looking for the evolution, it is true. And spending the new year’s eve in a Festival can be a very rich experience if well enjoyed. In few days (or many, depending on your point of view) you can understand what is really necessary to live and be happy, starting a new cycle with this idea in mind. Taking this as a New Year premise will allow you to be yourself without masks. You can let the wandering go and open the doors to a new one. Beginning a new year in a Festival means you can renovate artistically: the movement will turn into a dance, and the chat into poetry. Finally, we ratify the peace, the Love and the respect. Begin a new year in a Festival means take care of your mind, your soul and your world. Welcome 2016, full of light and love to everyone!
Text: Luama Andrade fb.com/LuamarAndrade
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Translation: Ana Carolina Lahr
DECEMBER 2015
Faรงa como a SKOT! Compre online os seus impressos! odprint.com.br SKOT SKOT #1 #4 // 99
Every two years, the world is received in the bahian beaches, not only to enjoy the natural beauties that have been known since the discovery by our tourists, but also to honor the largest alternative culture festival in Latin America. In its thirteenth edition, Universo Paralello shows evolution and increasing importance within the Brazilian electronic and cultural scene. Even more special than other issues, beyond all experience and unique experience we have in the festival, in this issue we will have big names of the world scene, such as Raja Ram, GMS, Astrix, a unique and special presentation of Hilight Tribe and the distinguished attendance of Criolo, for the second time, and Emicida.
molds and defines the steps to be followed in the coming years. The reference as our scene evolves and has yet to evolve. In my personal opinion, we are moving a lot, a development that reflects the society we live, in smaller events and spread throughout Brazil. In a quick interview, we talked a bit about the event with Swarup, one of the festival mentors and partner of Vagalume Records, accompanies an appetizer of what will be our
Hundreds of artists, all with unique skills in what they do, since the mixing to the artistic performances on stage. A range of art and culture to fill the eyes of all those who venture to enter the land of Pratigi! More than just a festival, the Universo Paralello reflects the brazilian scene, where Photography : Lucas Chaves
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special edition that will launch in May 2016. Skot -What is the origin and meaning of Universo Paralello? Swarup - The project was the idea of a good friend of mine who dreamed of making a cultural space within your farm: the Universo Paralello. Silvio Romano did not live to see his dream come true, but perhaps watch from the stars. In 2000, when I 1st New Year’s Eve in Chapada dos (GO) to redeem the name. Skot -In your opinion, what is the function of Universo Paralello within the brazilian electronic scene? Swarup - Undoubtedly it is an opportunity to present great artists and new talents, besides contributing to the underground scene of the country. Skot -What the Universo Paralello team wants to show to the public at the UP13? Swarup - Ah! This is secret. We even avoided to publish a lot of photo or info assembly to the surprise actually be true. Expect the best (laughs).
Text and interview : Bruno Martins Photography : Lucas Chaves e UP Collection
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OZORA FESTIVAL 2015
A DREAM AT THE PIRATES PARADISE My journey through the trance lifestyle could be summarized in a call. It started when I have decided to express myself on the art environment. The real world was never enough on my inspiration and soon enough I got close to the magic beings. I had never experienced any kind of trance Festival before, but I was suddenly called and got into that. Until now it was five festivals already: three in Brazil and two in Europe. That is how I got to Ozora, the bigger trance festival in Hungry and one of the biggest in Europe. I’m so glad to be part of this experience so early in my journey and be able to share this at SKOT. Do not expect deep musical considerations from this report, on the other hand remember that there is no theory for the feelings. Welcome to the Pirates Paradise where the dust covers the Brazilian color and the psychedelia runs through Jack Sparrow veins‌
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Photography : Yonatan Benaksas
DECEMBER 2015
It had been 2 hours since the shuttle bus had left Budapeste. A bag with a speaker had started the party but it was just when we saw the “Welcome to Paradise� sign in the dark that we had realized how close we were from that gate which had promised transporting us to another world. The Gates were open since the previously morning and the official opening would happen on Monday, on August 3rd. We arrived in Ozora, namesake of the city, on August 2nd at 2am and the place was already crowded. I could feel the anxiety screaming inside for two reasons: that was my first big festival and I would prove my soul as an artisan.
Although, the main surprise was to find out that the music isn’t the only show at Ozora Festival. Actually, it could be the start, the middle or the end but not necessarily the main character. In this place you can feel the trance in any action even dancing or cooking at the communitarian open-air kitchen. You can spend hours learning new hand skills at Artibarn workshops or find another joy in acrobatics classes at Circus during the day. At the night it would turn into a gothic show exuding the cultural differences when you realize that instead a red nose and colorful clothes the clown has a hunchback and choose black as his favorite color (that was
People waiting for the moment to get inside blocked the entrance and I realized the mess had a name: in few hours Goa Gil would welcome us with his enshrined 24h performance. Beside this gift, there were others reasons to make the 11st edition so special such as it be the first time the event officially had seven days long. Four stages around the area alternated the psychedelic music during the party presented by DJs and bands and in the end of night the Main Floor sight view at Mirador gave happiness to those who had tired feet and healthy soul. To those who wished recovering the energy it was enough to follow the party: the Pumpui Stage turning into Cinema; the Dragon Nest bands leaving the place till the birds start singing again.
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OZORA FESTIVAL 2015 Photography : Yonatan Benaksas
one of the best unexpected meetings I had there). There is also a garden (7 Head Garden), lecture and holistic activities places (Chambok House, Pyramid); an open air area to the fire lovers practice, teach and learn (Fire Space); and also the usual place to recover body and mind where you can get water, duvet or a condom if it’s what you need (Haven). Ludic places are also there to make you get into the parallel universe such as the Labyrinth, The Weel of Wisdom and the beautiful Ents at the Artizan Bazaar entrance. Universo Paralelo is the only festival that could get close to Ozora in Brazil when we talk about dimension. I have never been there and couldn’t compare the infrastructure. However, I can say that Ozora has a huge and experienced team behind the scene working to offer the best to the public. Fortunately, my point of view is shared by people who have been in this scenery for many years, such as Arson Malabares team, a Brazilian couple, which represents the country with amazing fire spectacles. This year, they had the chance to represent the country for the second time at Ozora for
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Ozora Festival August, 01 to 08 of 2015 Ozora, Hungary
being a part of the opening show and others moments. “Being at Ozora is a feeling of an explosion that I can’t explain. We are treated in a very special way since the beginning. They take care of the meals, the camping, the presentation, and the kitchen. I can say there is no place like this in terms of organization. As part of the public I could say it is an amusement park”, tell Ingrid in a quick chat while prepare herself besides the husband Merréu for the third presentation on the festival this year.
DECEMBER 2015
my website www.magictalecollection.com (at LifeStyle Blog page) and be aware of the tips that I wish I had had before living this adventure!
I also felt this explosion of feelings to be part of it. The truth is that being part of such a big Festival opens our mind and makes us get through the fears till you feel you overcome it. It’s a multicultural opportunity to make new friends all over the world and sometimes get closer to your natives. At the end, if your dream is to be closer to this universe I would strongly recommend you to invest in this journey, as it could be one of the best decisions in your life. Although my words are much more than these pages, I can finally say those were seven magic days and I still have many memories to share. Read more of this in love review at Photography : Murilo Ganesh SKOT #4 / 15
REVIEW
Find below some tips and considerations to make your trip even more amazing - It’s a tradition to wait for hours at the Entrance queue to switch your online voucher so If you wish to avoid this waste of time you can buy the ticket at the Entrance. Of course you will pay a price a bit higher but it is still an option; - Although It is allowed to bring your food and drinks (including alcoholic) at the Festival, the local structure offers bakery, grocery and a fruit shop full of options and good prices. To those who prefers the food “ready to eat” there are four local restaurants with an extend menu. Meat, fish, French fries, rice, pasta, bread cheese and others temptations are found and well served for less than 10 euros (remember not all the restaurants have the same Menu and the best is the one neighbor to the Fruit Shop). However , to eat in those places you have to be willing to wait in another queue. If your time is short or you are so hungry, there are many options at the Market Area where you find food from all parts of the world and many vegans restaurants. The prices are a bit higher but It can be a good entertainment once in a while;
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- I never got any queue at the bar and the prices are also very good. Better than all: there are taps around the place where you can top up your bottle with free water and doesn’t matter how many times it gets hot at the Ozora’s desert it will always be fresh after a friendly wait in a crazy queue; - The camping area is huge so if you want to be closer to the party do not hesitate to walk until find the perfect place. It is possible camping at the Main Floor area but the official camping area is so much cool with high technological motor homes and camping equipment to admire; - As the same area is used since the Festival’s first edition there are many buildings already done such as toilets, decorations, etc. It gives little more time to the production to create something new every year; - The toilets are almost all the time clean and not smelling as they have a pit waste system. Showers are also abundant and the water is always available. However, I need to alert it is freeze even above the 40 degree during the day. I would suggest to
DECEMBER 2015
Photography : Murilo Ganesh
take a shower before the sunset to avoid queue (again!) and the cold temperature. To those thinking about “skip” the shower, the combination between dust and sweat make it impossible to survive! - There are energy points all over the camping area and the food place. The best time to recharge yours electronics is at late night or early morning. If you are luck might even find a free wi-fi zone available; - If you are artisan it is possible to have fun and make some money during the event being part of the Artizan Bazaar. It is an official area at the party where you pay a tax (in 2016 it was 100 euros, the year before it was 50) and get an identification bracelet and a floor canvas to expose your art. There were 200 places available last year and they were very close to the Market Area. And “Yes”, it’s possible to recover the investment fast besides the competition. - There are very nice communication channels at the Festival. Besides the Communitarian BillBoard where you can find and offer Ride or leave your phone
to someone who you met and dind’t find anymore, they have a daily Newspaper (The Prophet) to remind the best attractions of the previously day and update your agenda for the following day!
Text : Ana Carolina Lahr fb.com/magictale Photography : Murilo Ganesh Yonatan Benaksas
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CHILL OUT FESTIVAL
CHILLING
I mean, it has really happened and had been like a flash of light in the life of everyone present. We have got through many challenges and hard times to make this event real but in the end we felt like that strong energy coming from the universe was there, one more time, helping and supporting us to make something good. And I say that because that is the main idea of this kind of initiative: a positive and sharing experience aiming at the general well-being. The kind of initiative that comes to add something in your life and could easily be an agent of transformation for humanity. Chill Out Festival was the first edition of a Brazilian festival with chill out music only. The main idea was to make the Chill scene stronger and valorize all the DJ’s involved. The workshops and lectures promoted art and culture and have certainly provided 18 / SKOT #4
an evolutionary experience to everyone engaged. People who were there could enjoy all kinds of music and the very caring organization obviously gave their best to provide a positive environment to all the guests and staff, taking care of every detail from the DJ’s transportation to the high quality of the vegan food and everyone passing through the many other special treats.
Chill Out Festival September, 18 to 20 of 2015 Santo Antônio do Leite, Minas Gerais - Brasil
I could say it was the kind of experience that you are only able to understand when you are part of it. It was a magical experience, like a true portal of transcendence. There were not many people at the Festival, but the vibe was very positive, only when you live this you can know it, and many times I asked myself: “how come something so special is not appreciated by everyone?”.
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In the end, all this positive energy coming from the Chill brought different people together looking forward to something beautiful and unique to share at the Brazilian Trance scene. Text : Filipe Plada fb.com/luisfilipe.souza.33 Photography : Julia Castro
Soon I understood, only were there who must be. As Chill Out provides a subtle energy so different from the Trance beats it also offers you strong experiences to make contact with our own essence. You also open your mind to all kinds of music and the fact of never knowing what is coming next makes it very special.
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PSYBIENT.ORG CONNECTION
CHILL(IN)BRAZIL - 1 Brazil is a huge music and cultural melting pot where you can see influences from all over the planet. I, just an average connoisseur of Brazilian popular culture, can identify more than 50 different rhythms in our music. It is the 5th largest country in the world, with over 200 million inhabitants. That said, you can imagine how hard it is to find among Brazilian a drive or concordant voice in any matter, whether on ethics, art, or politics. In the chill out culture subject in focus in this article, the environment does not present itself differently and you can see this in the text.
How it all started According to the fable, the psychedelic trance scene started in Brazil when some Germans, Italians and Swiss disembarked in Goa do Sul of Bahia, in Trancoso, around 1986/87, bringing in their luggage the first DAT tapes, some ultraviolet lamps and fabrics painted with psychedelic figures of Indian Gods. They held several minor events and parties in the area that promoted the psychedelic culture. But it is the Naganaja Festival held (source: http://www.psynation.com/ in the city of Atibaia in São Paulo state historia-das-raves) during New Year’s Eve of 94 that is Bahia is a State of the Northeast of pointed by many as the first Festival of the country famous for it’s exuberant the Trance Culture in Brazil. nature and stunning beaches. 20 / SKOT #4
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How it developed DWhile researching to compose this article, I interviewed around 15 people among artists and organizers of parties and festivals and from what I could gather the Chill Out scene took its first steps in the early 90’s. Rica Amaral is one of the oldest names in the electronic Brazilian music scene, with almost 20 years of experience playing and organizing parties. He told us in an interview that the first Chill Out Stage of Brazil that he remembers was in the first edition in the famous XXXPerience, in the year of 1996, in which he appeared among the artists of the line up for the Chill Out Floor. In the beginning of the 2000’s, about 15 years ago, it occurred the first Universo Paralello Festival in Chapada dos Veadeiros (Goiás) center west region of Brazil. After 3 editions held in that area, the event was transferred to South of Bahia, where it stays until today. The Universo Paralello Festival is, hands down, the biggest electronic music festival of Brazil, and certainly this Festival has contributed immensely to the implementation and proliferation
Xxxperience - Edição 1 - 1996
of electronic music in general in the national territory. Without question one can say this Festival supported and was very important to the consolidation and growth of the Chill Out scene in the country, since it had from its first editions a Chill Out stage in the program. At the same time, also in the central west region of the country, it was the start of the Kranti Alternative Festival (F.A.K.) that likewise had a Chill Out Floor in the program. From that time on other parties like Transcendance and Solaris followed the example of these big Festivals and began to include, within it’s possibilities, Chill Out stages to their programs. Luciano Sallun, another longstanding name in the Brazilian Electronic Music scene, DJ and member of the Pedra Branca Band, gave us an interview in which he told us that the development SKOT #4 / 21
Chill Out - Universo Paralello
of the national Chill Out scene had as a pattern the direct attachment and dependency to the trance parties that always happened in areas away of urban centers. However, the artist explained to us that starting from 2001 new urban spaces devoted to the musical styles present in the Chill Out started to appear chiefly in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro which contributed to the birth of a more independent Chill Out scene. One of these spaces was the Institute for the Development of the Human Conscience, the IDcH in São Paulo a mix of nightly Chill Outs and daily yoga sessions. According to Sallun, in the Trance parties and festivals, the Chill Out Stage was always underappreciated. The investments in the structure and quality of the sound system were scarce and the artists worked for little or no money. The connection between Chill Out and Trance can still be noted to these days, however with an independence component on the Chill Out party. 22 / SKOT #4
Many of our interviewees described to us this same situation about the configuration of the local Chill Out scene. They explained to us that in general some aspects of these events like the structure and compensation have improved along the years, but the situation is still far from ideal. Rica Amaral, more than sharing the same experiences as Sallun, cultivates the idea that it’s necessary that the Chill Out seek for more independence from the Psytrance scene, by organizing its own parties focused on its own style. These days, Rica is responsible for the theme party Supernatural. “The ones that played the Chill Outs were never concerned in organizing their own parties, thus could never afford to take the Chill Out off the trance parties.” This has certainly made the scene grow less, or much less than desired. We can identify a gap in the growth of the scene around the years 2006 and 2009, when all national trance scene was going trough a “crisis”. The parties started investing even less in the Chill Out areas and in many parties it was
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Chill Out - Festival do Kranti
simply cut out and desapeared. That is what Danilo Granato, aka Catan-Cotie, co-owner of the label Cymatic Lab tells us. “I remember that it was not a good phase for festivals, at the time people would say Trance was dead because of the substantial drop in the number of attendees.”The Chill Out Floor survived only in the sporadic large and medium size festivals like: Universo Paralello Festival (Bahia), Kaballah (São Paulo), Respect (São Paulo), Samsara (Mines Gerais), Mystic Respec (São Paulo), Ekologic (Espírito Santo). From 2008 to these days, the rumors that the trance scene had died where not more than speculation, therefore a general reconfiguration of the national trance scene has occurred. Older parties and festivals that were relevant to the birth and expansion of the scene disappeared from the Brazilian map, giving place to new events devoted
to this culture. The scene is not ideal, but it’s gotten better, and among the events that have given more attention to the Chill Out stages, I can cite Zuvuya Festival center west of Brazil, and Shiva Trance in São Paulo. Text : Allix Lis Rodrigues fb.com/AllixMusic Collaboration : Iuri Gagarin fb.com/gagarinproject fb.com/psybient.org Texto Original: https://gypsyfrequency.wordpress. com/2015/09/14/chillinbrazil
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SAMSARA FESTIVAL 2015
AN ANCIENT FESTIVAL IN THE BRAZILIAN SCENE
“Samsara is an unbroken series of mutations that life is submitted, a kind of infernal round where the individual is freed only when he reaches Nirvana”. Buddhist philosophy 26 / SKOT #4
Samsara September, 04 to 08 of 2015 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais - Brazil
DECEMBER 2015
the event were responsible for the tune between the festival’s sectors and couldn’t be unnoticed. To fill full the magic spirit, the Northwest arid weather gives even more wildness to the Samsara Festival, where the temperature is still very hot.
The counterculture and cultural resistance have the survival as one of their most evident characteristic. Resist and survive have been seeing for many years as a praiseworthy act and deserve to be respected and admired, in fact. At Samsara Festival, the oldest Brazilian psytrance festival, this perseverance could be felt in any place of the event. In my second experience at Samsara the organization’s background surprised me one more time. The festival was hot, dry and mystic. Trancers from all the country and the world were welcomed at the Cabeceira-do-Lobo Farm, as it has been happening for many years. The fact that the Samsara guests use to come from far away makes the party even more exotic.
This year, instead of three stages, the Festival proposed two different sceneries working in synchronism. Chill Out and Low BPM were the main attractions at the Rio Stage. The idea was much criticized but turned out to be a brilliant view and proved the organization experience. At Rio Stage the music strands were selected carefully and the underground, cultural and versatile version of it were the priority. The music interaction added to the moisture coming from a nearby lake have surprised the public in many ways (to someone like me, born in the South of Brazil, the dry weather could give you a bad time, by the way!). As an elder event, Samsara Festival could always be highlighted by meetings: between big friends, new friends, old friends. All of them veterans ready to meet again and renew the bonds of the friendship.
Commanded by Zeus Marques, The decoration and structure of the Healing Tent has offered many SKOT #4 / 27
Samsara September, 04 to 08 of 2015 Uberlândia, Minas Gerais - Brazil
workshops and interactions heading the public to their self evolution. Emphasis on the Astrologic Lecture, presented by not more not less than Kranti Pessoa, one of the main responsible for the psytrance’s dissemination in Brazil.
weather making it possible to enjoy the dance area day and night.
Besides the trees there was an Irrigation System created to reduce the dust and refresh everyone looking for a transcendence and interaction with the most expected DJs. Although Getting to the main floor there were no Light Projections, if considerations, it was surrounded by the main floor energy takeover of the trees turning the arid into a pleasant public year by year, in 2015 we literally
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had the universe above our head full of planets and lights coming from all the parts. Besides the magnificent decoration it is also obvious how much they should have invested in artists to keep the Festival’s quality. A scared sequence on Saturday afternoon brought names such as Lifeforms, Altruism, Sonic Species e Burn in Noise to the stage. The last one, by the way, dominated the dance floor and proved its supremacy.
by Nevermind, which proved all his singularity and percussionist abilities. Electrypnose mentor, Psyberpunk, performed straightway. To those how want to know more about this project, Psyberpunk produce and remix its music in a CD instead of computer (and because of it we exchange one CD for a SKOT June Edition).
During the early hours the public was amazed by the Swarup anticipated presentation. Between Full On Night Although it was amazing day, the best sections his set followed the rhythmus moment happened on Sunday Night with sounds that shouldn’t be released during the Electrypnose performance. until 2050 and almost made me cry. I had talked about the Swiss Project Electrypnose finally took over the all the Festival long and couldn’t expect more from it. Recently agreed stage letting everyone gaping when we with a huge record company, Zenon realized the quality of the production. Records, they weren’t that known by The psychedelic class was followed by Janczur in a very good performance as the Brazilians until this day. well. However, before the expected But remember a Festival go beyond performance many other big names of the music took over the scene. the main floor. It is measured by the First, I was welcome at the dance floor experience and connections provided. SKOT #4 / 29
“How do you define awareness? I consider what you are in your life.” Alexander Sasha Shulling – Complementary quotation attached to the Samsara Festival 2015 Attractions Guide.
That is what Samsara has been doing for the Brazilians since 2000. Face of it, even the most unforeseen events such as the fire on the parking last year and the flash flood this year that washed our soul, tents and lung have contributed to amazing experiences. “Samsareiros”, enjoy the Independence Day to greet the psytrance. I’m looking forward to the next edition and I’m sure until there we will be surprised by the Nirvana arrival. Text : Bruno Martins Photography : Bianca Meireles Translation : Ana Carolina Lahr
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COMMENTED PHOTOGRAPHY
Technical Features:
Câmera Nikon D7100 | Lente Tokina 11mm (11-16 mm)| ISO 400 Abertura f 7.1| Velocidade 1/400
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CHINCHULIVE (JORGE MARTIN LEROSE) Revolution Festival - Urubici, SC - October, 08 to 12 of 2015 SKOT #4 / 33
COMMENTED PHOTOGRAPHY
Felipe Paes View fb.com/photopaes Only a wide-angle with the diaphragm no much open to be able to have this infinity focus of the first layout until the horizon, reading this picture, applying the rule of thirds, our attention is taken to the lower thirds, where we see flying hair, expressions of people dancing and frozen movements, by the fast speed of the thimble, even so we don’t lose the information contained in the thirds higher, of the lines formed by decoration, of the horizon, trees distorted by the optical lens and the cloudy sky underexposed. One of Chinchulive’s features , in addition of constant use of flashes(except in this picture), is the treatment he does in his shell-work, inspired in the Ansel Adams technical and running out of any automation, Lerose did not want to let the sky super exposed, to have complete picture reading, taking advantage of all information it contains. Taking pictures in the middle of dancing ritual, Lerose says he is a shay photographer, and he rarely uses telephoto lens, so he takes only pictures of real people in trance, with closed eyes and nature photographs, like mountains , blue lakes, vulcanoes and forests. Lerose is ready to photograph all the time, citing “the decisive moment” of Cartier Bresson, one of the biggest history photographers, and always anticipating the clicked times. Chinchulive is one of the most recognized trance photographers and visiting his shell-works is a big inspiration for the people who desires to mold their photographic look and knowing festivals out side of country. Who lives in the photography ambit, it’s extremely import to follow their colleagues job and analyze them with professional eyes. It was a big honor to do a reading of one of this shell-work of this talented artist, thanks to Lerose’s attention, Thanks SKoT and see you next time.
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Bianca Meireles View fb.com/biancameirelesfotografia Chinchulive has his photography stile well marked by his dark edition chooses and more marked, it’s almost impossible look at some of art photography and don’t recognize it, artist who has his project well accepted in the middle of the Alternative Culture Festival(TRANCE), his dedication is as well as motivational. The picture shows one of the evenings festival, where he could show a little bit of people energy when they finally get together on the dance floor even under the rain and mud. it’s possible analyze an open chart of a music celebration, where the distortion of wide angle lens makes the picture dialogues, in movement with people and the architectural architectures located in the center of the picture until the parte above of the chart, creating an harmony between all the elements and the picture irresistible to our eyes, where the big lens focal can’t take out attention of any picture elements. Poetically is possible to think that the picture has and harmony of sync perennial the puts everything in a parallel, its composition of dark colors and colorful colors principally in yellow in the temporal architectures don’t pass unnoticed where the color gives the happiness air as represented this way, where the parallels emerge in the simple “Say” of the picture about the strength of all as a whole, as well as , its potency when it’s individualized, where observes each one of the faces refers to a medley of unique emotions, where the wave of individual fellings illuminate the photo together. Thanks to all readers of our darling SKoT magazine for accompany the photographic comment column.
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INVITED PHOTOGRAPHER
Jorge Martin Lerose Jorge Martin Lerose, the artist behind the lens of the “Chinchulive� born in Buenos Aires, Palermo neighborhood in 1975. He began his way up into the art world in 1994, when he joined the Escuela de Arte, Animacion y Fotografia de Avellaneda, a public school, the only school where you do photography in three years, Lerose took part in an aptitude test where only 60 people would get the job studying the photograph area. Graduated in 1998, ended up studying other things in college as gastronomy, but ended up not liking. Finally in 2010, on his first visit to Brazil, he worked in a kitchen in Praia do Rosa - SC and loved it. Chinchulive started doing some amateur tour videos, but the game took another turn, began to contribute in the world of alternative culture festivals in 2011 at Earthdance Argentina, Jorge also photographed other more undergrounds events from Psynestesia group that always were a success, first worked at Universo Paralello in 2011. His works are quite differentiated by its contrasts and its darker and impactful issues, it is almost impossible you analyze one of his pictures and not identify their work. Inspired by Ansel Adams techniques, he reveals that his favorite moment of pressing the camera button is on the dance floor, he likes the result of all the energy of a festival basically in an image, as his inspirations photographers are Bruno Camargo, Murilo Ganesh, Sonora, Rodrigo Favera Silvio Sato and Leandro Quartiermeister. Contact: chinchulive@hotmail.com fb.com/chinchulive
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Green Power Floripa Rua General Bittencourt 576, Loja 1, Centro Fone: 48 32118699 Green Power Balneário Camboriú Rua 1926, 157, Loja 2, Centro Fone: 47 30564566
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FESTIVAL TERRA AZUL 2015
THE EARTH IS BLUE
I had a nostalgic feeling of being back home between September 4th and 8th of 2015. It was the 4th edition of the Terra Azul Festival and for the first time in all those years it happened for four days long. Terra Azul has Paranaense roots more specifically from Curitiba. The festival started its activities in 2011 and I couldn’t be there at the first edition because I was living far away. In 2012, happened the second edition and then I could be there, because it was close to my place. We decided to bring our children together. It was the first huge festival of my 5 years- old daughter. This magic world is still attached in my memories. I was also in the third edition of the Terra Azul. This year, I have moved from Curitiba to Santa Catarina, and to my surprise the festival moved to there as well and brought the psytrance psychedelia to a place where it used to host the event of Psychedelia rock. 38 / SKOT #4
Rio Negrinho welcomed hundreds of people which The Terra has been attracting since the beginning of its history. I have been following it since then and I noticed its evolution at first hand. The attractions have been well organized especially about the sound system. In the last edition the sound could beat in my heart and even in the end of the extend dance floor it was possible to feel the sound’s wave. It was one of the best sounds I have ever heard. The Nature preservation and respect for it are some of the main worries of this Festival. They didn’t sell canned or bottled drinks. The only option was buying the festival cup for R$ 5 – something you could also take as a gift from this unforgettable holiday. (By the way, I had promised to myself that I
Terra Azul September 04 to 08 of 2015 Rio Negrinho, Santa Catarina - Brazil
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names. Altruism enchanted the public at the Sunset when I was finally visiting the Healing Tend for the first time of my life (I always wish to be there but get rooted at the main floor). At this place I got wouldn’t buy a cup, I wanted to find one through an aromatic therapy while my and make it a memorable gift and that friend received a Reiki. The experience reinvigorating myself as a meal and it was exactly what happened!) was wonderful. Terra Azul comes from the ideal of The festival also offered beautiful established a traditional Psytrance Festival in Paraná, such as those already moments to my kids and my friend’s distinguished in Goiânia and Bahia. The kids - some of them in their first festival idea of keeping a festival growing and as it had happen once before with my growing each year have never actually own children. Seeing they planting trees remained in our region as they used to and molding clay made me very proud of them. be extinguished after the second year. However If the destiny of every flower is to grown up, that is what Terra Azul has been doing. Improving the structure and organization every year, a big example of this care are the toilets, well appreciated by the women as they have provide toilet paper all the time and also hot shower. At the main floor, the soundtrack has included some of the best Trance SKOT #4 / 39
Another innovation in this edition was the Thiago Cardoso Psychedelic Painting exhibition, draining fluor psychedelia during the nights beside the “crazydelics� Diogo Alves photos in the art spot. Mainly, because it is one of the most traditional - if not the only Alternative Culture and Art Festival in the region with more than four editions - the Terra Azul Festival put together many people from different moments of my Trance trajectory, such as friends I met in Raves five or six years ago. Meeting them again created a really nostalgic atmosphere. It provided wonderful connections and lifelong friendship and kept alive that grateful sensation of returning home after a long trip. That was how I enjoyed the lovely blue sky days full of love, soul reunions, freedom and connection.
Terra Azul is part of the change we want in the world and it is certainly one of the reasons to make me feel that I would like to be part of it. The best part is that the Festival is big enough to welcome all who want to be part of it as we are all sons of the Blue Earth. Text : Kelly Ferraz fb.com/kelly.ferraz90 Photography : Felipe Paes
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SCENOGRAPHY
GUEST SCENOGRAPHER THOMAS GOEBEL In the previous edition, when we started the Scenography column on the magazine, we point out the main issues surrounding scenery and what advantages that public and producers should seek in this regard. Adding to this work of clarification and information, we invite a number of set designers from Brazil and around the world to talk about their work and the unique vision of each set design. Our interviewee in this issue is the designer and brazilian set designer Thomas Goebel Praça that lands in SKoT to tell about his career of over 20 years with stage design. Stephen - You are one of the most influential people in the scenography of Brazil and in the world. Tell us a little about your career and what influenced you to work with this very large department. Thomas - I say I’ve always done it since childhood, so I started charging after a certain time…, hehe. I always liked to create, draw, produce, construct, operate, etc. My first jobs Tribe - 2003
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were in photo studios, learned a lot about light and scene, after I went to study a few years in the Panamerican School of Arts and with 17 years old thought it was time to leave home and went to Europe. I met there the Rave Parties in the year of 1994. At these parties there was some rudimentary decorations, in the same moment I realized that there was a great potential for creative expansion. It was an opportunity to show something visionary to an extremely open public Tribe - 2006
Tribe - 2009
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immersion, but sometimes are big stages or giant colorful tents. I work a lot with textile fabrics, woods, special Stephen - Our main focus is the inks and Styrofoam, developing the scenography in Psy Trance. To better project on paper, then at the computer understand your career, tell us what and finally building everything. are the markets you already acted and still acts, and what kind of scenography Stephen - Inside the scenography you usually apply. dedicated to the Psy-Trance market, we want to understand what kind of Thomas - In 1995 I made an electronic decorating do you most like, what do music party as I arrived in Brazil and you think of today’s set designs, and during those days producing deco what kind of innovation the current to the party I could truly understand market need. the potential of what was starting. In the following years we have been Thomas - My favorite type of project producing other own parties as Daime Tribe, Caverna, Earthdance, are the structures such as stages Celebra Brasil, Trancoso, Klatu... and tents, integrated preference by and my participation was always creating a consistent dialogue. Also linked to structural construction and I value the details of the finish and scenography. Later I was responsible harmony of the whole, so that the for the scenography of Tribe, project can really be considered as a Kaballah, XXXperience, Boom Festival scenario and not a simple decoration (Portugal), Mysteryland (Netherlands), made by objects scattered around Tomorrowland Brazil, etc. Already the environment. I feel that the worked within the electronic scenographies of today are evolving alternative scene, the corporate and seeking improvement, I see a lot market, major European and Brazilian of good things going on, but there festivals. My scenographies usually are are still cases where the artistic chaos all integrated trying to create a sensory and the lack of quality due to the to new experiments.
Mysteryland Holland - 2012
Molecular Solaris Party - 2003
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CENOGRAFIA
low investment, still prevail. Another important factor is the identity of the artists, who need to mature in this regard and understand that there is a difference between seeking references and copy the work of other artists. In Brazil it may even seem normal, but in the rest of the world this is seen as highly unethical. Stephen - Our biggest concern is safety. What can you pass to our reader and scenographer, what can he do and can not do on a scenography of a small, medium and large scale? Thomas - Relativo a seguranca eu poderiaRelated to safety I could write whole pages, but I will summarize a few basic requisites. The safety of staff is the first factor to be observed in a production. It is crucial to have an experienced team, with certificates, safety equipment such as boots, gloves, sunglasses and belts for work at height. In addition the team must be feeding properly and in good accommodation conditions, to rest and work without the risk of accidents. Quality materials that resist efforts to be submitted are also fundamental! We can not risk a failure in a place with thousands of people, everything must 44 / SKOT #4
Boom Festival - 2010
Domni - 2014 Chakra DNA Tower - Tribe - 2004
THOMAS GOEBEL
DECEMBER 2015
be calculated and well built. Beneath day, because the market requires that the beauty of the scenery, there are serious posture that goes beyond structures that have been studied creativity. and calculated to support that artistic coating. It is a mixture of engineering and art. We thank our great friend Thomas for the interview and stay tuned for future editions, our next guest is the Stephen - What is your view on the set designer Roger Teiji Hirata, from importance of the scenography in the Geômetra Nova Arte. Until the next! events and what is your vision for the Interviewee : Thomas Goebel future of the scenography within the electronic scene? fb.com/thomas.praca Text : Stephen Federolf Thomas - My vision about the importance of scenography has always been the same, that as a good infrastructure and good music, events must present a scenario with quality, engaging, magical and transformative, to complete our sensory experience. The greatest example of investment success in this scenography there to be proved, is Tomorrowland. They believed in that aspect and detached from the simple formula of “DJ + Sound System”. In the future events that want to survive will have to adapt and this increasing tendency to have an impacting scenography and original, with the face of your event. The scenography companies that want to grow, they have to specialize and become more professional every
Better known as “Deutsch”, working with stage design since 2006 and works with pioneering work since 1998. Recently purchased the labor certification on high and for many years has been concerned with safety at work in the scenery area. As well as set designer, Deutsch is also Producer of Events, DJ, Artist Booker in agency Infinite Music and works with various events in Brazil. fb.com/deustschdj stephen@infinitemusic.com
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EARTHDANCE 2015 - PORTO ALEGRE
FULL SYNC
Porto Alegre, Quati Camp, riverbank of the Guaíba River. It rains. A warm and humid steam comes from Mother Earth and embraces the dancing creatures of Earthdance, the greatest synchronized event in the world! Great waves of sound hit us on the chest, towards the heart, in a way that only psychedelic trance knows. Everything is conspiring tuned with this year’s theme: Awakening.
The “Arruaça” stage, led by the homonymous street art group, brought multicultural sound references, with urban and regional influences. A trip in Babylon in harmony with the psychedelic nature of the festival. And there also were workshops for all tastes, debates and the psychedelic mini movie theater (with the best classics) produced by the “Diférias na Kombi”.
On Saturday night the so called Decor and line up were very psychedelic, with names such as “Global Link-Up” happened, with the Urucubaca (PR), who guided this Prayer for Peace. This is the moment collective trip on the Main Floor. when all the Earthdances that are 48 / SKOT #4
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happening around the world come together in a collective ritual, and synchronized by the time zone (20h in Brazil) they all listen to the same song (Prayer for Peace). presence of children on the dance floor. Music, dancing and synchronicity “We dance for peace and the healing for peace. This was our Earthdance, of our Planet Earth” is one of the the Awakening Edition. many phrases sung with breathtaking vocals that vibrate in the ears of The awakening of your inner self, of all Earthdancers in more than 600 the art in the time and of love in our locations in 60 countries, united by the hearts. Not only were we a sincere culture of peace. festival, we were also a united festival. In our sacred land, breaking that We were all brothers and sisters on silence after the prayer, we heard that synchronic dance floor. We were the bells ringing… “ I am banishing together. through Earth and Air / I am banishing through Fire and the Sea…” it sucked “When you meditate while you are up all the evil, in a spiral! Witches and dancing the dancer disappears, you Wizards invaded the dance floor with a just dance and make yourself present. fire pentagram, in a true Celtic ritual. Your ego fades away and something It was the artistic intervention of the amazing starts to grow in you.” (Osho) “Aradia Clan”, a very special moment of the festival: the main floor turned The Earth dances. The planet pulses into a chill out, and everybody danced, with the psytrance beats and makes its jumping in the tribal rhythm of that sons move in sync and with a collective sacred song. vibration, walking towards a peaceful and harmonic tomorrow. The eyes Strong feelings at night, lightness close and hearts open. Earthdance: a during the day, with the enlightening flash to the future! SKOT #4 / 49
EARTHDANCE AROUND THE WORLD Earthdance’s story begins in 1996, when Chris Deckker, a musician and producer from London (co-founder of the organization and former member of the Medicine Drum an Return to the source) had a vision - inside the Gize Pyramid, in Egypt- of a synchronized psytrance party with multiple locations. On October 4th 1997, the first Earthdance Planetary Dance Party for Peace took place at 22 different locations in 18 countries. Since then, it turned into a NGO and a company that develops projects throughout the whole year, recognized as one of the biggest music and dance events to be globally synchronized, as it happened on more than 1,000 different locations, in 80 countries. The date (September 21st) is a result of the alignment of the “International Peace Day” created by the UN, which is one of Earthdance’s partners. Rooted on Psychedelic Trance, electronic music is Earthdance ‘s motto, but many other music genres and performances are involved. It is a cultural blending, with several artistic interventions which involve open air parties, parties in clubs, gathering in public spaces, flash mobs and even homes, and everyone is connected online, especially on the exact time of the “Global Link-Up”, with the Prayer for Peace. The event is also a sustainable materialization, as all its actions are planned aiming the minimum environmental impact possible and it also aims to raise public awareness towards a healthier planet. Official websites: www.earthdance.org www.earthdancebrasil.org Texto : Aline de Moura fb.com/tudoevibe Translation : Natalia Faustino Fotografia : Bianca Meireles
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TRANCE ON THE STREET
DECEMBER 2015
TRANCE INVADE THE STREETS São Paulo, capital – Brazilian Babylon Founded in 1554, the capital of the state of São Paulo is the 14th most globalized city on the planet, the main financial, corporative and commercial center of South America, the most populated city in the American continent and Brazil’s the grass. cultural center. In the middle of this modern Babylon, more specifically on the Republic Square, something unexpected happened on September 26th. In between the trees, next to a small pond, a tent was set up and decorated with pieces of fabric, sculptures with sacred geometry and video projection.
Even before the music that follows the beat in our chests started to play, the main floor was already full. Everybody was looking forward to seeing the bands Amoradia do Som, Dupla Caipira do Reggae and Tribo do Sol. They warmed up the crowd, which was getting more and more excited.
Who attended to the alternative arts and cultural scene had access to a great structure with a healing space, art gallery, mix market, chemical bathrooms, several workshops (yoga, pífano – a type of Brazilian flute, green juice), Prema Bhakti Das’ ritualistic prayers and a ChillOut provided by the World of Gaia Festival.
Suddenly the music stopped. And so did the hearts of each one of us for a second, we took a deep breath and Trance started playing. That deep, strong beat brought earth’s energy to vibrate in the air through the speakers. The crowd vibrated with the Ukrainian Dj Iurii Gagarin, who opened the dance floor of the very first Trance de Rua!
Arriving nice and slow and feeling the environment, it was undeniable that you could find in there that energy that we look for in the festivals, in every hug and smile we shared when we saw our friends and by seeing so many towels on
It was impossible to get to the front of the stage, the dance floor was packed! People where dancing at the mix market, at the art galleries, at the lawn, everybody was dancing everywhere! You could find not only the usual people SKOT #4 / 51
square. Everyone who walked by looked from the Trance scene, but also the at the event, you couldn’t ignore the most diverse kinds of people that went music. there to get to know more about the movement. Trance was democratized in I will never forget that moment. the cultural capital of Brazil! Standing at the Republic Square, on my right side there was the street with Open to the public, to whoever was the pedestrians, cars and buses moving interested, to passers by, breaking frantically, that pulsing Babylon, paradigms, at no charge, everybody meanwhile on my left I could hear, loud could listen to Djs Djs Karlovic, Rosa and clear, the sound, the trance beats Ventura, Gabriel Quintilliano, Pedro synchronized with my heartbeat. My Palermo, Péricles Sant`Ana, Deeh heart said: Trance went beyond its walls! Fantinelli, Danilo Rodrigues, Marcelo Jeremias and learn a little bit more Interview with Cláudio Odara, one about alternative culture! of the producers of Trance de Rua. I looked at our - I say our because there’s no way we could possibly be there and not feel part of that celebration that we were experiencing - little urban festival happening and it was impossible not to say: it worked! When I left there was still an hour of celebration left – which went on until 10pm. I was walking towards the subway station with my wife and we stopped for a while to see what was happening around us. The city looked the same, but it was funny to see the curious looks people gave when they passed by the 52 / SKOT #4
SKoT - How was the process to organize an event like Trance on the Street? Odara - We had to get a license at the city hall in order to proceed as a party, on this application we listed some of the features of the event, such as: the event’s plant, number of people estimated and personal documents of the producers. Besides the license and the prerogative that the music couldn’t go beyond 10pm there were not that many rules to worry about.
SKoT - Who did you talk to? Odara - There is a section in the city hall of São Paulo (Secretary of City Licenses) that receives the requests for licenses, which will be filled by the producers and delivered to the same section. SKoT - How did you get financial support? Odara - The NGO ABAC do Brasil, in which I work as a cultural producer, contacted several companies in that area (São Paulo and suburbs) asking for sponsoring, in order to get financial aid to do the Trance on the Street event. We also tried to get public money claiming that it was a cultural event for that area, but it didn’t work. SKoT - How does the event work being in the middle of the city? Odara - When we decided to do a Trance event in the heart of one of the biggest “Babylonies” of the word, we knew that we would come across some complex issues in what concerns safety, also some issues with the authorities of the sub-city hall of Sé, and also how the environment and the locals from the Republic Park would be able to see and absorb a culture which not many people are aware of. SKoT - When did you get at the park and start to build up the event? Odara - Me, Flavio Multiman and Rafael Reis got at the Republic Square on Friday 25th at 11pm. As the stage was already set up by the building crew some hours before we got there, we did the decor wit some lycra sheets and sculptures with sacred geometry, we
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put some garbage bags in the park and made some informative signs during the night. We gathered the Trance on the Street crew around 4am and waited for the rest of the equipment that would arrive in the morning. SKoT - How did you the security of the event? Odara - The audience itself took care of it, everybody respected each other and turned this into a wonderful event. When we are outdoors we are exposed and more vulnerable to any kind of offensive or violent manifestation. However, Sāo Paulo has this gift of being beautiful, receptive and it brings us back to reality, it makes us see what’s around us the way it is. SKoT - What was the reaction of the DJs when you told them that the event would be held in the center of the city of Sāo Paulo? Odara - Some DJs reacted normally. On the other hand some DJs were super excited about the concept of the project,
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to democratize Trance culture in the heart of Sāo Paulo. We believe that many people embraced thee idea and the concept of the project Trance on the Street, we are getting many applications of DJs interested in participating of our next edition. We know the importance of bringing Trance to the streets. Besides making Trance music accessible for all, Trance also promotes a great contemporary ritual which gathers the Zion warriors, who are also fighting, on the sacred Babylon grounds, for a more humanized and equal city and world in the future.
Jeremias and the Hungarian DJ Iurii Gagarin. Before those performances, there was a ChillOut session provided by the World of Gaia Festival. There were performances by Amoradia do Som, Dupla Caipira de Reggae and Tribo do Sol, green juice, yoga and pífano SKoT - What else was there besides workshops. There were also ritualistic the DJs? prayers by Prema Bhakti Das, an art Odara - There were musical gallery and a healing space. performances of the DJs Karlovic, Rosa Ventura, Gabriel Quintilliano, Pedro “Infinite gratitude to the Universe for Palermo, Péricles Sant`Ana, Deeh allowing us to share Trance on the sacred Fantinelli, Danilo Rodrigues, Marcelo grounds of Babylon, spreading our culture and energy. May the blessed love within ourselves come together, we are strong when we are together.” Claudio Odara Text : Wendy Girondi Plur Films and Productions Photography : Iuri Gagarin
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JAJÁ’S COLUMN
DECEMBER 2015
THE ADVENTURES OF PYTHAGORAS AND THE DIATONIC SCALES The diatonic scale “the scale which we refer to on this specific article” starts in the beginning of the Renaissance period, and was created by the Greek mathematician Pythagoras - do you know who he is? The same guy from philosophy and the creator of that famous mathematics’ rule. That’s him. Well, Pythagoras - a guy who trusted fully that numbers ruled the world – picked up a stick, placed a rope on top of the stick and stretched it until it had some tension, so when you applied some pressure on the rope a sound came out of it. He applied the pressure on the rope and it actually produced some sound. Of course it was not as primitive as it sounds like on this description. (haha) As every great mathematician, this fact just made him more curious. He shortened the size of the rope in half and noticed that the sound had a peculiar relation with the note produced on the first time, of course, as it was the same note, but one octave higher. After he split it in half, he split the rope in 1/3, 1/4 e 1/5, and found more different sounds. Those were the V, IV and III
degrees of the scale, respectively. This guy was simply dividing the length of the rope in fractions, listening carefully to the intervals and audible relationships between them. Fucking awesome. Well, there it is, the I degree of the scale, which would be the entire rope vibrating. There is the III degree, which resulted from the calculation of the frequency of the I degree multiplied by 1/5, there is the IV degree when multiplied by ¼ and the V degree when multiplied by 1/3. So let’s say that the frequency played on the entire rope is C: there is C (I degree){the entire rope vibrating}, E (III degree) {rope divided in 1/5 of its extension}, F (IV degree) {rope divided in 1/4 of its extension}, G (V degree) {rope divided in 1/3 of its extension} and at last there is the same note but one octave higher, which results in the vibration of the rope when divided in ½.
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PS: Be careful not to get confused and end up mixing the multiplications and divisions in your head. E.g. To find the III degree on C, we take the fundamental frequency of C and multiply it by 1/5. However, to execute this in reality we have to shorten the length of the rope with our fingers. Think of the sound wave as: the longest as the lowest pitched and the shortest as the highest pitched. He also noticed that when the rope vibrated entirely and when it vibrated using only 1/3 of its length there was a considerable relation, so he called this the “dominant “ degree. OBS: the dominant degree of the scale will always have a strong relation with the
“fundamental” tonic of the scale. It will always be located on the V degree. Our beloved and diffused diatonic scale isn’t complete yet, as it’s not just composed by the I, III, IV, V and VIII degrees - we know more notes than C, E, F, G and C. We know C, D, E, F, G, A and B. How did he find the 56 / SKOT #4
other notes? Multiplying the rope by more fractions? That’s right! However, this time he went through a different process to determine the rest of the notes. He looked for all the dominant degrees of the notes, which he had already found, and how did he do that? Easy, he took C, multiplied the frequency by 1/3 and found its dominant, A. Then, he took the G note and used it as the fundamental note of the scale, multiplying its frequency by 1/3, and therefore he found the dominant of G, D. He took D and did the same process, using D as the fundamental note of the scale, multiplying D’s frequency by 1/3, he found its dominant, A. He took A, multiplied the frequency, found E. Took E, multiplied the frequency, found B. Took B, multiplied the frequency by 1/3, finding the last note of the scale, F. So, let’s use C as an example, C’s dominant results in G, G’s dominant results in D, D’s dominant results in A, A’s dominant results in E, E’s dominant results in B, B’s dominant results in F. Well, I think now we got the seven notes, and taking tis mathematic logic into account, Pythagoras created the beautiful and perfect diatonic scale and the famous cycle of fifths, “famous among everyone who studies music of course”. Let’s use this nomenclature – C, D, E, F, G, A and B – to name the notes of this scale. Ignore its minor keys and spelling errors (figures that are outside the cycle, as we won’t approach them in this article.) Obviously there are more than these 7 notes to use in our creations, there are the musical accidents # and b (sharp and flat,
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respectively); not to mention chords, that go beyond sharp and deep, there are third deep chords, fifth sharp, chords on ninth, chords on eleventh, but I won’t go deep in this topic on this article. After this whole process, Pythagoras created the diatonic scale divided in 7 notes (heptatonic, being 5 tones and 2 semi-tones divided in intervals of semi-tones from 33 degree to IV and from VI to VII Other scales derived from this one, such as the pentatonic scale “composed by 5 notes”, the scale called blues scale, which is a variation of the minor pentatonic, adding a note between the IV and V degrees (dominants); the hexatonic scale and many others. After this journey, we come to the conclusion that the scale created by Pythagoras creates this sequence: TONE – TONE – SEMITONE- SEMITONE – TONE – TONE – TONE – SEMITONE Let’s use the scale formula. Starting from C and skipping a tone I get to D, therefore D is the II degree of C’s diatonic scale. Skipping one more tone we find E, so now we know that E is the III degree. To get to the IV degree, the distance is a semitone, so we jump to F, skipping one more we get to G, one more tone and we get to A, one more tone and we get to B. well, now we are at the VII degree of the scale, and we know that between VII and VIII is a semitone, so after B we have C again.
This is how it looks like: C (I degree) - D (II degree) - E (III degree) - F (IV degree) - G (V degree) - A (VI degree) and B (VII degree). Now we have the famous C, D, E, F, G, A, B. This is it, I hope that this article, as well as all the other articles written by our magazine crew, who are contributing to share and build knowledge, made you happy, gave you some healthy feelings and didn’t make you waste your time.
Text : Iago André da Silva Dutra (aka Jajá) fb.com/IagoDutraxx Translation : Natalia Faustino SKOT #4 / 57
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SPIRITUALITY
SHAMANISM - PART 1 Aho Mitakuye Oyasin! For all our relations – We are related with everything that exists. In this series of three articles, we will approach the PsyTrance culture as a contemporary manifestation of Acient Shamanism. The latent similarities of concepts, values, spirituality, aesthetics and musicality will be revealed, identifying the bridges that link us to our abuelos.
connected and that we are part of this “network “- the spirit that we are also lives in everything that exists, opening ourselves to an expansive and holistic perspective of Reality.
We will not go through the “main stream x roots” debate. The ignorance disseminated by “kick and bass”, that reproduces the logic of “selfishness/ money/escape from reality which runs the world will be ignored here. Our focus is to reproduce knowledge about that Trance which makes us look to the inside.
Practioners of Shamanism develop a narrow relationship with the forces and creatures of Nature. They master the use of medicinal plants, and as they see themselves as part of the environment, they respect Nature in order to also take care of themselves. Following the same logic, they see spiritual evolution though self-knowledge as a source of cure for the entire network, establishing a direct commitment of the individual with the community and the Cosmos.
At first; let’s do a philosophic and conceptual reading. Shamanism is a group of ancient beliefs that can be found around the world. Besides the singular aspects of each period and region, distinct nations developed very similar practices among them, showing what seems to be a common source of knowledge. The basic premise is that everything is
On the pursue of “the vision” and of contact with the inner deity, they promote rituals of expansion of the consciousness through meditation, dancing, music and entheogens(sacred psychoactive substances). Bhang and hashish extracted from cannabis sativa and offered to Shiva; the combination of the Jagube vine boiled with Chacruna leaf by native americans
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from South America, resulting in Ayahusca and the Amanita Muscaria mushroom of the Siberian shamans are examples of powerful spiritual evolution instruments, which have been ritualistically valued for thousands of years. It is important to emphasize the vast existence of rituals which don’t make use of entheogens, conveying the forest knowledge in other ways, such as Temazcal (sweating shamanic tents) and the pranic breathing.
and races, respect towards sexual orientation, and, at last, psychedelia as an instrument of mind expansion and self transformation. A modern way of looking at things using concepts that have been cultivated by shamanic communities since the very beginning. Trance festivals gather all those aspects in a place with great nature, far from urbanized centers. New thoughts and ideas can flourish within the festival limits, creating – even if it is just for a few days – places where the ideas and concepts in which we believe in can be experienced with intensity. The gathering of tribes around music warms ours hearts ad makes us remember not only who we are, but also who we were – the archetypes of life in harmony and our collective unconsciousness are filled with practical content, creating new memories and stimulus towards this direction.
It is impossible not to recognize the similarities between PsyTrance and Shamanism. The Trance culture isn’t limited to the artistic aspect, it shares a vision of the world based on spiritual and philosophic values. We preach different ways of social organization through life in community, the return to Nature, music and dancing as a mechanism to connect with our inner self, the union of nations, the end of borders, unconditional love, the Going beyond rituals, Shamanism is a science of the spirit and holistic therapy, freedom, equality between genders way to go through our Life Journey. And
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so is Trance. What we experience in festivals lasts and invades our lives outside of the dance floor, proposing new ways to relate, even if we are “in a Babylon”. The construction of alternatives to life “outside the system” is getting stronger in the Trance community and the return to the ancient methods, when together with the available technology, turns out to be a viable and vibrant solution. After identifying the general aspects, the next step is to explore the different shades that are in this Trance-Shamanic connections. The second article of this series will be released on the next edition of Skot, and will cover musicality, permaculture and algunas cositas más. Keep up with Brazil’s only PsyTrance culture magazine and contribute with the diffusion of knowledge produced by our community. “To be an Earth Wizard you must be Earth! No trace of fear. No trance of resentment. No trance of pride. No trace of selfpity. On the other hand, keep all traces of courage, self-understanding, forgiveness and unconditional love! Earth will prevail. The garden will be renewed.” João Victor Carvalho fb.com/joaovictor.carvalho5 BoiKOT Crew Translation : Natalia Faustino
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