10 Years of Forestdelic – Family Birthday Quiz
This year Forestdelic Records is celebrating a decade of its existence. The label is celebrating with a 10th-year anniversary compilation, amongst others, which you can read about HERE, and The Prophet quizzed a couple of Forestdelic family members for an extra birthday treat to mark the occasion. Read audio-illustrated while listening to the VA!
Tell us about your project, how and when you joined, a few words about your music…
KALA – The Kala project was born in Macedonia and shortly after that, I moved to Slovenia. The project has been growing together with Forestdelic since the beginning of the story! Kala is defined by authentic psychedelic, a funk sound with a special groove.
YUDHISTHIRA – Yudhisthira traveled through cosmic space until finally landed in the Forestdelic realms and found its home. Very happy that I caught the beginning of the whole story.
MECHANICAL SPECIES – I joined in 2014 with my first release (Not in my Forest) on The Forest Never Sleeps compilation. My music takes many shapes and stretches between styles, but in its essence, it is story-rich, technical-rich, and melody-rich.
LOOM/SLIDE – I started making my projects Slide and Loom around 2015-2016 and it was a moment of big inspiration to me! I joined Forestdelic in 2017 and released the first Loom EP. With the Slide project, I joined a little later in 2020. First Slide happened and I was basically trying to understand how to create a new sound by mixing my jazz/blues/rock background with psytrance. Then Loom came and everything changed with it, because I felt the need to separate my music personality a bit, to make some forest kind of style.
DR SPACE/BOOGIE KNIGHT – Hey, it’s Miska from Hungary, Budapest:) I’ve been a psytrance DJ for 1,5 decades under the name Dr Space. I joined the label in 2016 (at least that’s what I remember) as a label DJ. I was just starting to learn music production at the time, and around 2019 I named my newborn alter ego “Boogie Knight” for my own productions.
FANTAZMA – Fantazma’s project members are Jan Turk & Klemen Mozetič. Both of us started first as DJs and later as producers of psytrance music. We were slowly learning how to produce electronic music until it was ready for a debut release on Janʼs VA – Circle Movements (2018) but under the name Tiann and Kaleman. A year later the first EP release was out called Neuroritual. Fantazmaʼs music brings funky, psychedelic happiness to the dancefloor while maintaining the coolness of twisted night-time grooves.
BHANGRA – I joined at end of 2021. I am always trying to bring solid music with analog leads and make it full of groovy stories.
BENSOLO – I joined Forestdelic with my BenSolo project in August 2022 after a long relationship with Kala and Yudhisthira following my evolution, but during which I was far from the idea that they could ask me to join the label. Nevertheless, one day, one of my new tracks triggered Darko and he told me that if I could make an EP out of this style, he would release it on Forestdelic. Very unexpected, but so so happy it happened.
THELIOS – I joined Forestdelic in 2021 and released my first EP Glitchy Jam.
What do you think is your special spice in the Forestdelic stew? What is characteristic only of you (as a producer or performer)?
KALA – I think my biggest weapon in Kala’s music is the groove, rhythm section, the way of making the groove, and the special melodies. Also when I perform, I connect with the music and the public to become one and have the best time together!
YUDHISTHIRA – Well, maybe bringing the spirit from the psytrance scene when it was in its golden 90s era.
MECHANICAL SPECIES – The spice I throw in the stew is unpredictability, composition, and coherence. My roles as a producer and a performer are very different. As a producer, I am detailed to the point of being a perfectionist, yet I know at which point it is time to drop whatever is trailing towards being overworked (cause overworked is never good). Also in my production, I enjoy creating surprises and dynamic shifts. In my process, I have seen that coherence can be created despite big dynamical leaps and is powerful on the dancefloor (if you want examples, check the track ‘Ataraxia’). Furthermore, I spend a lot of time on how the track unfolds, develops, and that each part is well-defined and unique. As a performer, the seriousness and craftiness that the production requires are gone and I like being playful and grooving with the dancefloor.
LOOM/SLIDE – My special spice I think is the musicality and the unexpected twists I can do during my tracks and my performances. Well, a particular characteristic probably is the fact that during the gigs I always dance the best I can, to feel one with the crowd and enjoy the moment at the top! About the production, a characteristic is for sure the swing groove that always tries to emerge from my compositions.
DR SPACE/BOOGIE KNIGHT – All of us have our own specific flavor, which comes from our personality, taste in music, or musical background. We are all jokers and clowns, with a spicy sense of humor, and I think I’m one of those ingredients that makes our “stew” fun to eat. As a producer, I end up with all my sounds like rhythmic and percussive elements, trying to fill all the gaps with another hit of the drum when it comes to the peak moment in the music. As a performer, I guess I have the most stupid look on photos and videos.
FANTAZMA – We can say that the advantage of creating music as a duo is sharing the opinion, which often works more selectively compared to a one-man project. As live performers we are both active, therefore our live act includes live samples, fx, stems and sounds actively added in.
BHANGRA – Full groove in my basses, making my music very powerful on the dancefloor.
BENSOLO – What is craziness, fun and absurdity, hahaha? But this stew already has plenty of amazing and unique spices united by the groove. For what is characteristic, you must come to see my live to know that But I can say, I’m the only one at Forestdelic who plays with a fluo T-shirt.
THELIOS – I like to immerge people into absurd, psychedelic and funky parallel universes by mixing musical genres.
Top Forestdelic crew memory and/or your top geek secret is?
KALA – 10 years of Forestdelic Records Goa, hosted by 3rd Eye Events, this year. Amazing time with our label mates. Top geek secret: listening, listening, and fixing small details after too much listening:)
YUDHISTHIRA – I have to say, until now the Forestdelic 10-year anniversary in Goa.
MECHANICAL SPECIES – Geek secret: Never wait for motivation to arise; motivation comes from engagement, rather than ascending from some magical source.
LOOM/SLIDE – One of the top memories for sure is when we all went to FreeMental Festival in Croatia! Big time camping all together! (Another one is when I went with Darko (Kala) to Ozora for the first time in 2019 and Boom Festival 2022 where I also played.) ps: Can’t wait to play on the Ozora main stage 2023:) See you there!!! Stay swing folks!
DR SPACE/BOOGIE KNIGHT – Most of our adventures together I will remember for a lifetime, but let’s bring up 2 because they are the freshest. Last year I played a DJ set and a live set in Skopje, Macedonia with Ogi Yushisthira, and we had a great time. It was the first time I met some of the old guys in their own homes and town, and from where this direction of psychedelic trance came. Skopje played a big role in the Macedonian scene and producers, and Glowing Flame Records had a huge influence on me when I started DJ-ing, and on my musical taste. So it was like going to the Balkan Liverpool of psychedelic music. The second was this February, when we had our 10th-anniversary label party in Goa, and a few of us spent a few great days. I played a DJ set, and my debut live set in India. We had such an awesome party! Still goosebumpin’.
FANTAZMA – For sure one of Fantazma’s top memories was in Slovakia, where the festival was held in a hotel high in the hills. The hotel was entirely intended for festival visitors. And of course, you can imagine how many small parties happened in hotel rooms. The panorama outside the hotel was out of this world.
BHANGRA – Unfortunately, I just got a chance to be with Darko in Goa, we rocked at the Mundo de Oz festival, a really nice guy… as I’m moving to Europe soon, I will be closer to my Forestdelic family.
BENSOLO – Well, this Forestdelic night for the 10th year anniversary in Goa was something very special. The vibe felt unreal, from the very first intro to the very last kick the dancefloor was full.
THELIOS – The Forestdelic party in Slovenia in November where I met some members of the crew. Great night, great people and great music
Top 5 from the decade of Forestdelic releases for you are…?
KALA – 01 VA – The Forest Never Sleeps 02 Yudhisthira – Ruminate EP 03 Anthill – Subterrestrial 04 VA – Wicked Gails Trail 05 VA – Sunset Temple
YUDHISTHIRA – 01 Kala – Cosmic Caravan 02 Loom – The Architect’s Tunes 03 VA Believe in Forest (with Believe Lab rec) 04 Anthill – Stomper Lomer 05 VA Wicked Gail’s Trail (the firstborn)
MECHANICAL SPECIES – 01 Forest Never Sleeps – Nostalgia heaven. 02 Cosmic Caravan – A classic. 03 Enter the Labirythm – So many killer tracks on this one. 04 Pin Pin’s Magical Adventure – Magical compilation. 05 Subterrestrial – Anthill – A beautiful synthesis between two masters.
LOOM/SLIDE – 01 Kala – Cosmic Caravan album 02 Loom – Messages from Anubia album 03 Mechanical Species – The Seeker track released in Rumble in the Jungle V.A. 04 Slide – The Lifetime Trilogy 3EPs during the years 2021-2022 05 Anthill – Stomper Lomer EP
DR SPACE/BOOGIE KNIGHT – 01 Mechanical Species – Anandamide EP 02 VA – Enter The Labirhythm 03 Kala – Funktastic Groovers EP 04 Fantazma – Forma Viva EP 05 Yidhisthira – Future Nature
FANTAZMA – 01 VA – Forest Never Sleeps 02 Kala – Smooth Groovers 03 Anthill – Ant Society 04 VA – Enter the Labirhythm 05 Yudhisthira – Future Nature
BHANGRA – 01 Mechanical Species – Cosmetic Pharmacology 02 Bhangra – The Honeycomb 03 Kala – Groove Brewery 04 Mechanical Species – Avocado Express 05 Fantazma – Forma Viva
BENSOLO – 01 VA – Mind Surfers 02. Yudhisthira – Future Nature 03 Kala – The NeverEnding Groove 04 Boogie Knight – Straight Outta Space 04 Kala & Yudhisthira – Aura Split
THELIOS – 01 Shadow Shaman – Cybercircus EP 02 VA Enter the Labirythm 03 Slide – Lifetime EP 04 Kala – Groove Brewery 05 VA – Quantum Transition
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