In 1978 Youth co-founded and played bass for Killing Joke, an infamous post-punk band. Killing Joke has been heralded as the band which birthed aggressive rock music, with public tributes from many of the greats, including Nirvana, Metallica, and Nine Inch Nails. The band experimented with a fusion of tribal rhythms, dub bass-lines & disco beats with loud guitar noise. Killing Joke also became known, and celebrated in underground culture, for their use of black humour to expose the hypocrisies in politics and society.

Leaving the band in 1982, Youth concentrated on solo projects. These included The Empty Quarter and Brilliant with Jimi Cauty, as well as playing bass, his primal passion, on Kate Bush’s ‘Hounds of Love’. In 1986 he teamed up with the Killing Joke drum roadie, Dr Alex Paterson, to form a partnership which would evolve into The Orb. During a brief period of collaboration, Youth produced and co-wrote on their first two albums, including “Little Fluffy Clouds”, one of the band’s most famous releases. The Orb was celebrated for bringing ambient music to the mainstream by adding a variety of samples and rhythmic beats to create a new danceable music genre.

Dance music has always been one Youth’s passions; after working with artists Coldcut, Yazz, Fine Young Cannibals, James, Blue Pearl and Transglobal Underground, Youth went on to establish his own recording studio, Butterfly Studios in Brixton, London and the first dedicated trance label Dragonfly Records in 1991. Dragonfly Records is still the most respected and long standing trance label.Dragonfly has expanded to include 2 sister labels, Liquid Sound Design and Kamaflage.

Youth rejoined Killing Joke in 1992 to produce two internationally successful albums. He then went on to collaborate with fellow band founder Jaz Coleman, writing and producing symphonic versions of Pink Floyd and Led Zepplin classics, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 1998 Youth collaborated with his friend Paul McCartney on The Fireman, creating two ambient albums, Strawberries, Oceans, SHips & Fields and Rushes. This was followed in 2000 by the Grammy Award nominated Liverpool Sound Collage album. In his 2002 biography of Paul McCartney, Ian Peel devotes a substantial amount of the book to these collaborations, he states that the inspiration received from working together “makes Youth McCartney’s most important collaborator in this area since John Lennon”.

Widely recognised in the industry as a Super-Producer, Youth’s most notorious recent triumph was the production of The Verve album, Urban Hymns, which topped the UK album charts, containing a number 1 single and 2 top 10 hits, including anthemic single, Bittersweet Symphony. The album won the UK’s 1998 BRIT Award for Best Album, while Youth himself won the Producer of the Year award, after being nominated three times.

Until now, Youth has remained something of an enigma. Yet in private, Youth is an active member of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, with a very diverse interest in mysticism and natural magic.

He founded The Society for the Reformation of Ancient Enchantment, with members ranging from writers Paul Deveraux and Brian Barritt, artist Rufus Knight-Webb and the KLF’s Jimi Cauty to free-thinking activist Fraser Clark. The Society is a gateway for bringing magic, inspiration and celebration into the public arena, via live events and presentations of its members’ artistry. Youth has always advocated the sharing of insight, and sees it as a human gift to which all people are entitled.

At this time he is re-launching his solo career with the album ‘Youth In Dub’ released in 2003, and a second album now available to buy, as well as the publication of Poetica Mystica - an anthology of his poems & illustrations.

For more information please visit www.youth.me.uk

She'd been a vinyl junkie from the age of ten, searching second hand stalls and picking up all kinds of records from the likes of The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Velvet Underground and Bob Marley and later on to Punk classics such as the Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks, Blondie and the Clash.
This music provided the soundtrack to a life less ordinary!

Living on the road in an old Bedford ambulance with her black and white rabbit LD50, kept Leila close to another great passion, the countryside of England and Wales and to conservation work with the Wildlife Trust. At the same time it took her to many festivals and the birth of outdoor underground parties, where she felt a powerful evolution taking place.

In astrological circles, the age of twenty eight is said to hail the start of a transformative time, when Saturn returns to the position it was at birth, triggering major life changing events. For Leila this came complete with a celestial intervention during a trip to India, when a total solar eclipse accompanied by full on psychedelic trance party, fell slap bang on her twenty eighth birthday.

Goa beckoned, and life was never quite the same again…

On her return from that dance-floor epiphany in the Rajasthani desert, Leila began to seek out this new sound, to spin records she had heard on her own Technics decks. She wanted to explore the depth of sound she'd discovered while getting deep down and dirty in the Indian dust.

A love for the free party scene and UK gigs kept Leila busy but her desire to play further afield took her first to Mexico, to the awesome pyramids of Palenque. Then came a great opportunity to play for Dragonfly before she jetted to Zambia for the Solipse festival. Whilst there, an invite to gig in Brasil took Leila to Sao Paulo, Rio De Janeiro, inland to Pireanapolis and out to the beautiful beaches of Bahia. It is easy to understand her appetite for just one more psychedelic party as she played at Freakadelic in Sao Paulo, hours before her flight back to London!

Leila has played at festivals across Europe including twice at Samothraki. Her tunes are plucked from a spectrum of psychedelia, never too progressive or minimalist. She doesn't come in banging but seduces with her insistent grooves, funky basslines and multilayered melodies, often harbouring a hard-edged, springloaded bite. She may be a waif but this little lady sure packs a punch.

[Dina Cohen]

For more information please visit www.leiladj.co.uk

Jirah is Tim McCall, a resident of Seattle, USA. He has been involved in music from a very young age, travelling through different genres and finally arriving on the trance scene in 1997. Tim released his first EP on Universal Mind Records in 2000; and since then has released tracks for various compilations.

Since the debut of his first album “Outer Access” on USTA in early 2003, he has quickly come to worldwide attention and is constantly gaining momentum through his live performances and DJ sets. Tim has performed in various places throughout the Americas, Canada, Europe, & Israel. He has earned a reputation for being a seamless DJ and moving live act, touching the soul with his energetic and uplifting grooves. Tim has a true love and passion for this music which shows in every set he plays. The arrangements tend to take on a story-like approach, making it music that can sit equally well at home or on the dance-floor.

Wherever you may find him, be prepared for a mind bending and uplifting psychedelic joyride that is the Jirah sound! And as always, remember that this music is best enjoyed LOUD.

For more information please visit www.jirah.com

Ricardo Cassettari started his DJ career in 1996 in Brazil when the trance scene down there was just a little gathering of freaks, musicians, hot models and trend setters. In 1999, He moved to Los Angeles to study Business and Administration at the University of Northridge where he ended up meeting all kinds of people and naturally got hooked up with the local underground electronic music scene. In the same year, he played at The Burning Man Festival and started to promote the Heavy Rotation Parties and also became the resident DJ for greensector music.

The seamless good flow of his sets combined with the well known Brazilian high energy of his performances, was the formula to spark the crowd like no other Dj has done before in the American shores. As we know, Los Angeles doesn't have the reputation of being a city open to psychedelic music, but the audience really appreciated this new energy and started to notice that trance music can be very powerful and fun and the doors of the most respected clubs & parties in the city started to open as a natural process. After that, he became the number one psytrance Dj in Los Angeles and has been playing regularly at clubs and parties like The Moontribe Gathering, Green Sector, Heavy Rotation, Psytribe, Liquid Grin, Club Sugar, Club Lingerie, The Mor, Club Good Hertz, King King, Studio 56 and the historical ‘Dance for Peace’ parties in Venice Beach when the crowd was protesting against the war between U.S.and Iraq.

He has also played in San francisco and other countries like England (London), Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia (Bali) & Thailand, sharing the decks with artists, such as Sun Project, Koxbox, Atmos, GMS, Hux Flux, S-Range, Cosmosis, Wizzy Noise, Dado, Total Eclipse, Vibrasphere, Altom, Goa Gil, Gus Till, Son Kite, Jirah, Quadra, Peter Didjital, Dimitri Nakov, James Monro, Treavor Walton, Polaris, John Kelley & many more.

In 2004 he will be working on the 2nd complilation, to be released in November, where he will be putting together fresh music from different artists around the world including his own new project in conjuction with Ido Liran from Quadra.

Bookings: ricassettari@hotmail.com

Dance music started to inspire me in the early nineties with the emergence of tribal trance, in particular some early (as yet unnamed) 'Goa' Trance parties in England.  I was very excited to find Dragonfly's 'Project 2 Trance', swiftly followed by 'Order Odonata', and the first TIP album, in the shops.

While attending a terrible party with fractured music and energy, I was inspired to start organising my own parties with some friends.

I started DJing in December 1994, 3 weeks before our debut party, which we called 'The First Step'.

From July to December 1995, we ran a trance club (at The Wag) every Tuesday in the West End, called 'A Grain of Sand'.

Using ourselves as resident DJs, we had a succession of fantastic guest DJs, including Dino Psaras, and all the Flying Rhinos.

Our first outdoor party was an autumn full moon in 1998, in an awesome venue in Lincolnshire.  This was followed by a great summer party the next year, in the same venue.

The first Wingmakers party was born at the summer solstice 2000, also in the same venue, and was a massive success.

The unfortunate outbreak of 'foot & mouth' disease in the UK ruled out outdoor parties in 2001, so we put on 2 London club parties, one of which fell on the Winter Solstice.  Both nights were also very successful.

At the beginning of 2002 I started DJing for Dragonfly.  In the summer of that year we put on the huge and unforgettable Wingmakers solstice party in Dorset, followed by the even larger Solstice party of 2003 in Devon.  The numbers attending Wingmakers parties have doubled each year.  The ever increasing popularity of these events testifies the success of the Wingmakers ethos:  a non-profit organisation designed to combine all the best elements of the UKs psychedelic trance scene to create the perfect party environment.  Apart from myself, regular DJs have included Aaron (Wingmakers), Tristan (Twisted), Lucas (Tipworld), and Leila (Wingmakers/ Dragonfly).

In 2003 I debuted in South Africa, playing at the Eclipse festival, their summer Solstice party (Dec 21st), and the Nano records festival.  I also started compiling my first album for Dragonfly, 'Beaches & Cream'.

Seb Taylor is one of the most prolific artists in the trance scene. Not least because of his constant evolvement in sound but also the sheer number of different musical projects that he has embarked on. His first album Silicon Trip was a landmark release in the psy-trance scene - and each of the following albums has embodied Shakta as a pioneer in his field. He has constantly challenged the confines of the psy-trance scene which has resulted in 4 unique albums for the Dragonfly label.

His other projects such as Angel Tears, Kaya Project, Digitalis & Foxglove have all garnered him an international reputation and a busy touring and recording schedule.

Shakta`s sets are always funky and unique.

Jules Hamer has been heavily immersed in the Psy-trance scene since 1994 when he started a trance night named "Aphid Moon".

After a successful run of 12 parties he set his energies to DJing and Producing - cutting his teeth in the squat parties and Clubs of London, Japan & the European festival circuit.

With the first few releases in '95 and '97 as Aphid Moon he started to develop his own unique style.

Since the turn of the millennium he has kept busy with a string of releases on virtually all the British trance labels: Dragonfly, Tipworld, Twisted, Atomic, Flying Rhino, Alchemy, Transient, Koyote, as well as French newcomers Tubo-trance, hot Anglo/South African label Nano records and recently Japanese giants Solstice.

Last year saw the release of his first solo album "High Diver" on Dragonfly and regular live gigs in Brazil, South Africa, Israel, Europe, the UK and Japan (with Daze Maze and the Progress crew).
He is very excited to be included in the Glade Festival line up on the 16th July 2004 - Britain’s first purely electronic Glastonbury.

This year started with the release of a string of killer collaborations "Hammer Time" with Tristan (Twisted), "Crystal Clarity" with Laughing Buddha on (Dragonfly), "Are Mutants" with Chris Organic (Organic), "Jimmey" on (Transient) and "OK People" with Lucas (Tipworld).

Forth coming releases include "Happy Land" on Organic Records and Aphidphonics with Nano's Hydrophonic on Transient.

He is now busy producing a new solo Aphid Moon album out later this year while and keeping up a busy gigging schedule. Watch this space!

For more info and to hear Aphid Moon past and present please visit:
www.aphidmoon.com

My first experience of psychedelic trance was in 1991. A good friend of mine returned from Goa loaded up with tapes of a new kind of music, one that transcended all known boundaries and was full of the flavours of exotic travels and spiritual enlightenment. I went with him to some of the first Goa reunion parties in London and what I experienced changed my perception of what music was and how we as human beings could interact with sound.

This was sound acting on consciousness in a direct and powerful way opening a window into the workings of the brain and the universe, synchronising the movement and thoughts of all who were there. It completely changed the course of my life.

I had a background in music from an early age. My parents were professional classical musicians and I played a number of instruments including piano, 'cello and guitar. So I took a series of courses in sound engineering and began experimenting with electronic sounds. Collaborating as Sonic Alchemy with my friend Frank Mawson, who introduced me to the scene and with whom I also went on my first visit to India.

My first release was Cannabanoid with Bill Halsey as Cosmosis on Transient Records in 1995.

We produced many tracks together including the album Cosmology and releases on the newly formed T.I.P. records as Laughing Buddha. During this time we played at many parties across the planet. Our first live gig was one of the last at the Marquee Club on Tottenham Court Road. We performed at lots of big parties in the UK including Return to the Source at the Fridge and Brixton Academy, the opening night of Trancemission in Battersea, parties at Bagleys in Kings Cross, Tribal Gathering and many more. We toured Australia & New Zealand and played at many parties across Europe such as Greece, France, Denmark & Holland.

We went our separate ways in '98 and I continued to record under the name Laughing Buddha, while Bill carried on the Cosmosis project. As well as producing singles for Transient records and collaborations with Purple for Flying Rhino's album Maelstrom and Chris Decker of Medicine Drum, I began to focus more on my DJ'ing career travelling to America, Poland, India and Israel. I also began to play more diverse sets of experimental chillout music.

In 2003 I met Humphrey at a party in Cornwall. He was compiling albums for Liquid Sound Design and asked me for some music so I launched a new project, Drum Druids, for the exploration of different musical styles such as electronic dub, breakbeat and more organic textures running in parallel with, and helping to inspire my Trance productions. Collaborating with other artists has always been an important part of making music to me as it leads to greater creative possibilities and new perspectives on the process. I have recently been continuing with this approach working with Jules Hamer of Aphid Moon on this years Dragonfly album 'Beaches & Cream', as well as with Pogo and Purple.

After 10 years of making trance music I am still fascinated by it's endless possibilities - there are countless ways to explore infinity. I have always enjoyed exploring new technology and am having a great time with my new G5 computer which seems to make almost anything possible. I have many more tracks on the way from my studio in West London and am currently working on my debut solo album.

This band, composed of Nick Doof, Celli and Xavi, began in Playa del Carmen, Mexico after the 2001 New Year’s Party when the boys decided to produce some music in Xavier's studio.

Having been friends for a long time, they also shared the same ideas and taste of music and this was reflected in the first two tracks they made together.

After listening to these tracks, a Sony Music A&R commissioned them to make an album to be released by Sony Music Mexico. They rented a house in Ibiza over the summer of 2002, and produced their debut album ‘Welcome 2 da Barrio’. Limited distribution prevented it from reaching stores in Japan and Europe, turning it into a collector’s item. Their video made it to number two in Central America, and releases in Nano, LSD, Dragonfly, Third Eye, Pacha Ibiza and Spun followed.

Born in London, England, Nick Doof is considered to be one of the foremost Trance Music artists. For over a decade he has produced tracks which are now considered classics such as: ‘Double Dragons’, ‘Sunshrine’, and ‘Mars Needs Women’. He has releases with numerous labels, Flying Rhino, Dragonfly, Twisted, TIP, Dubmission and Novamute.
In November 2000 he wrote his second solo album called Its About Time, which was released by Twisted records.

Xavier Fux was born in Mexico City and he is considered a pioneer in the Mexican electronic scene. His DJing Style, which bridges the gap between Tech-house and Psychedelic trance, has put his sets in high demand across the globe. As a producer, he has released under the name ‘Violet Sky’ with TIP World Records, and currently runs a label called Zulu Lounge Music, distributed by Universal Mexico, in which he has released his down-tempo stuff.

Celli Firmi, born in Ibiza, has been organizing and DJing at outdoor parties on the island since 1993. He then began producing psychedelic trance and chillout music, and has released many tracks under the name Earthling (his solo project). His solo album, ‘Patterns’ was released on Acidance. His side project Soundaholix (with GMS) is currently working on a new album. As a respected DJ, he constantly tours the world, and his energy-filled sets have become well known in many countries.

Abakus is Russell Davies, his music has featured on many recent LSD compilations, including Wider Horizons, Butterfly Dawn & Youth in Dub.

The son of The Kinks founder Dave Davies, Russell has always been exposed to strong musical influences - it is through music that he interprets his environment. Citing Acid House, IDM, Dub and Trance as influences, the electronic music scene of the early nineties was a massive inspiration to Russell. His exploration of musical variety fuelled a personal passion for continuous progression & improvement.

In 1998, after travelling in India, Russell collaborated with his dad, under Crystal Radio, writing Purusha and the Spiritual Planet (Meta Media), an inner musical journey fusing ambient & trance with classical & rock guitar.

The success of this project prompted Russell to study Electronic Engineering and Music Technology at University, where he could at last submerge himself in his music obsession.

Hooking up with Dragonfly Records’ Humphrey Bacchus, Russell has been writing & remixing music for the label, which he feels reflects the same ideals that Russell brings to his music. As well Abakus, Russell moonlights as one half Nada (LSD) and remixes the likes of The Orb & Kooler.

In debut release, ‘That Much Closer To The Sun’, Abakus reveals an intimate knowledge of the power of music as lubrication for the soul, in an album which will appeal to all. The 12" Indu (inc. Shiloh remix) has achieved instant popularity with DJ’s. Getting plays from Digweed & Nick Warren, the support has been unanimous - 'outstanding' (Chris Healings/ Hybrid), 'excellent' (Phil Thompson/ Worldwide), 'really like this' (Daniel Davoli/ Worldwide).

Russell Davies is a producer to really watch out for in the future, with rumours of Abakus & Youth working on an album over the summer/autumn 2004, and many live performances scheduled at all the festivals.

For more information, please visit www.abakus.me.uk

One of the original exponents of the trance science - Martin Freeland - returned to Dragonfly, his home of old, in 2003 with the release of his latest album "Interstate Highway".

Through the years MWNN has helped sculpt the trance scene into what it is today.

From his early days at Butterfly Studios through to writing classics such as Sly-Ed, Teleport and Sugar Rush to his album on Perfecto "Earth Moving Sun" through to his newest sounds and tracks like Axis Flip and Lights Out.

Martin’s long and illustrious career, began way back in 1988 when his track Urban Acid (Polydor) sold over 65,000 copies, he followed this by releasing 1993‘s ‘Moment of Truth’ for early trance label ‘Concept in Dance’. 1994 saw Martin fall in with Youth’s cutting edge trance label – Dragonfly Records, where he recorded the definitive psy-trance anthem ‘Teleport’, which still resides in Paul Oakenfold’s top three tunes of all time. In 1998 MWNN was snapped up by Oakenfold’s Perfecto (East West) where he released the critically acclaimed album ‘Earth Moving The Sun.’

MWNN is constantly writing new music and touring the globe, and headlining a whole array of International Festivals and Parties.

For more information please visit www.manwithnoname.co.uk

Humphrey Bacchus is Label Manager/A&R/Artist & DJ for the Butterfly Recordings Label Group. This is the umbrella for Dragonfly Records, Liquid Sound Design & Kamaflage Records.

At the age of 25, Humphrey has now been working with Dragonfly for 4 years, since meeting Youth (Ex Orb/Killing Joke/Label Owner) & striking up a friendship. He has been DJ’ing for the last 10 years.

Diverse & eclectic tastes have given a freshness of sound to the music Humphrey produces and DJ’s. With childhood influences ranging from Aphex Twin, Ennio Morricone, Orbital, Primal Scream & The Beatles, to Sonic Youth, Chausauria Prasad, The Velvet Underground & Ozric Tentacles – There is a little of this spirit in all the music Humphrey plays. Through continued exploration of electronic music in the early 90`s he stumbled across the music being played in Goa, handed round on tapes. This music inspired a passion that has never waned.

Humphrey DJ’s a broad spectrum of the Label’s music – from Psychedelic Trance & Progressive House/Breaks to Dub, Downbeat, Electronica & World Music. His conviction that no music is exclusive to any individual or scene leaves no room for a DJ’s ego. He works & plays to the ideal that all music must be presented at the right time, with sensitivity for the atmosphere being play ed in & the people listening.

With Youth’s collaboration, Humphrey compiles and A&R`s all the LSD label material. He has released the classic compilation series of Mana Medicine, Elucidations, Butterfly Dawn & Wider Horizons. Working with Russell Davies (Abakus) under name Nada, their music has been gaining great press & recognition with a string of releases on LSD. An album is in the pipeline but a rising tide of Dragonfly label work and DJ’ing has kept it on the back-burner.