Psychedelic Mountaineering in AUSTRIA

Austria is a nice and small country with lots of mountains, smalltowns, little villages and the biggest city of Vienna in the east part of the country. From Vienna it’s only a small step to Slovakia and Hungary which were once part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire until 1918. Since then it’s a republic and member state of the European Union, so immigration laws are similar to other EU-countries. Austria is currently governed by a conservative-right-wing coalition but this doesn’t affect the party scene. People are friendly but pretty conservative in the countryside and postmodern and international in Vienna. In the bigger cities Innsbruck, Graz, Salzburg and Linz there are many students and lots of bars and clubs to go. For party-fraggles and trancers Vienna is probabely best and has numerous locations with psy-trance-partys nearly every week. The whole inner part of the city is covered with old buildings and the 800 year old St. Stephen’s cathedral. Also the Schoenbrunn Castle is very famous and hundreds of museums and other sights are waiting to be explored in the city of Sigmund Freud. Also the mountains are very close and winter- and thrillsports in any kind are among the biggest attractions - so also in other parts of Austria.

The alpine republic is nowadays packed with heaps of parties in many parts of the country every weekend. Wonderful outdoor locations at lakes and castles promise unforgettable memories. But also the trance club scene is highly developed. Most of the events take place in eastern Austria including Vienna and surroundings, in the Tyrol, Salzburg, Styria and in Linz. Yes, now we can say, we have one of the biggest psy-cultere scenes in Europe after Germany and the scene is still booming. Party folks are friendly, openminded and like international visitors. Outdoor-parties can last up to 5 days, clubs close mostly between 6 a.m and noon often followed by an afterhour somewhere.

The first parties were organized in the beginning of the 90s by the returning fraggles from Goa and Koh Phangan. Austrians like to travel a lot and you meet them everywhere in the world at the big parties. Some of the older goa-fraggles are still active in the scene. Milestones were the Shambala club of Garden Eden, the events in Kobersdorf near Vienna and the big openairs at the castle of Landsee. Many people used Vienna as the base camp for the Solipse-Festival 1999. This was the year when psy-trance became an important factor in the electronic music scene in Austria.

Since 2003 Austria has its biggest outdoor-event, called Sonnenklang which takes place around an old castle ruin at a peninsula of a lake with more than 3000 people. In 2004 the international Sonnenklang-Festival will take place from 9th to 13th June (www.sonnenklang.at). Most parties are still uncommercial and are based on the real Goa-spirit with lots of shops, chai-corners, fancy fluoro-decoration and fire-, laser- and poi- performances . The scene is like a big family divided into several subscenes, geographically and musicwise. Austria has lots of Psy-Trance-DJs of all kinds of trance – from oldschool goa to progressive funky beats – but not many producers. Only a few are internationally known such as Taliesin, Acan and now Kajola. The Synergetic and Asonus labels emerged recently.

If you are in Austria visit the Chactun Cyberstore (www.chactun.at) which is THE base for psy trancers in Vienna. There you get all the informations you need and you also meet the scene people there.

Doc Sonic informs

Police raids at parties occur very rarely and smoking is mostly tolerated in Vienna’s party locations but still illegal! Police raids at parties occur very rarely and smoking is mostly tolerated in Vienna’s party locations but still illegal! Austria fights dealers heavily. LSD and mushrooms are pretty popular among the youths and for sure cannabis and XTC are taken as well. Small quantities for immediate consumption are exempt from punishment.

Contacts

tomrom24@a1.net, taxy2k@hotmail.com (Tom Rom and Taxy - Mushroom Magazine Vienna, promo, media, Goa-newsletter, photos)
alexander.lebeda@chello.at (Psychic Reaction - Parties Vienna)
maxximus@gmx.at (Maxximus and Manoo - Parties Vienna)
jessie_horizon@hotmail.com (Cosmixed Society - Parties Vienna)
spiegel@kabsi.at (Spiegel - Parties Moedling near Vienna)
office@suntribe.at (Suntribe - Parties Vienna)
psychedelic-visions@hotmail.com (Psychedelic Visions - Parties Innsbruck)
mystery_world@aon.at (Mystery World - Parties Innsbuck)
office@chactun.at (Marc, Chactun Cyberstore and Parties Vienna)
syriom@anet4web.at (Syriom - Parties Graz)
office@otherland.at (Otherland Productions - Parties Salzburg)
bo@vulcanic.at
sundaychaizelt@aon.at

Date: April 5, 2005
Text: TomRom
Photos: Sam, Liese
Taken from: The Trancers Guide to the Galaxy 2004

Psychedelic Mountaineering in AUSTRIA

Facts

small country with lots of mountains, smalltowns, little villages and the biggest city of Vienna
currently governed by a conservative-right-wing coalition but this doesn’t affect the party scene
People are friendly but pretty conservative in the countryside and postmodern and international in Vienna
Innsbruck, Graz, Salzburg and Linz have many students and lots of bars and clubs to go but for Trancers Vienna is best with psy-trance-partys every week
Also the alpine republic is nowadays packed with heaps of parties in many parts of the country every weekend – wonderful Outdoor Locations!
Outdoor-parties can last up to 5 days, clubs close mostly between 6 a.m and noon often followed by an afterhour somewhere.

The first parties were organized in the beginning of the 90s by the returning fraggles from Goa and Koh Phangan. Austrians like to travel a lot and you meet them everywhere in the world at the big parties. Milestones were the Shambala club of Garden Eden, the events in Kobersdorf near Vienna and the big openairs at the castle of Landsee. Many people used Vienna as the base camp for the Solipse-Festival 1999. This was the year when psy-trance became an important factor in the electronic music scene in Austria.

Since 2003 Austria has its biggest outdoor-event, called Sonnenklang which takes place around an old castle ruin at a peninsula of a lake with more than 3000 people. In 2004 the international Sonnenklang-Festival will take place from 9th to 13th June (www.sonnenklang.at). Most parties are still uncommercial and are based on the real Goa-spirit with lots of shops, chai-corners, fancy fluoro-decoration and fire-, laser- and poi- performances. The scene is like a big family divided into several subscenes, geographically and musicwise. Austria has lots of Psy-Trance-DJs of all kinds of trance – from oldschool goa to progressive funky beats – but not many producers. Only a few are internationally known such as Taliesin, Acan and now Kajola. The Synergetic and Asonus labels emerged recently.

If you are in Austria visit the Chactun Cyberstore which is THE base for psy trancers in Vienna. There you get all the informations you need and you also meet the scene people there.