Hi-Tech Psy
Psy · 2013 · 160 to 190 BPM · also known as Hitech
Hi-tech psy is the speed extreme of psychedelic trance, born from Russian darkpsy at the turn of the 2010s, when Kindzadza and the Osom Music scene pushed tempos past 170 and started cutting sound with a digital scalpel. Everything here is precise, bright and ultra-edited: bursts of micro-sounds sparkling like an overheating circuit board, over dry, machine-gunned kicks. It is less dark than the darkpsy it grew out of, maniacal and playful rather than menacing. The name says exactly what you hear: technology showing off.
3 reference tracks
- Kindzadza: Roza Vetrov (2013)
- Kindzadza: Insoluble (2013)
- Mad Tribe: Sonic Mandala (2016)
At a glance
- Tempo: 160 to 190 BPM
- First appeared: around 2013
- Machines: Native Instruments FM8, Xfer Serum, Ableton Live
- The sound: Stations numériques ultra-éditées, Synthèse FM et granulaire, Kicks secs à haute cadence, Micro-montage au sample près, Limiteurs poussés
- Labels: Osom Music, Kabrathor Records, Alice-D Records, Noise Poison Records
- Key artists: Kindzadza, Psykovsky (frange), Whrikk, Radioactive.Cake, Necropsycho, Kasadelica
Producing Hi-Tech Psy
Hi-tech psy starts at 170 BPM and commonly climbs to 190, a speed where a sixteenth note lasts just 80 milliseconds, so the genre often shifts to eighths, kick then bass, or keeps sixteenths but shortens notes to 40 milliseconds for a machine-gun feel, with no swing at all. The kick is very short, about 60 milliseconds of body tuned near 70 Hz with a sharp click, built with a fast pitch envelope and heavy compression, while the hats are micro FM sounds rather than cymbals; percussion arrives in bursts of dozens of different micro-sounds sequenced in thirty-seconds for that overheating-circuit sparkle. The bass comes from FM8 or Serum, an FM wave with a ratio-1 modulator for a metallic attack, notes of 40 to 60 milliseconds changing root every two bars with fast glissandi over a separate sine sub.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Hi-Tech Psy?
Hi-tech psy is the speed extreme of psychedelic trance, born from Russian darkpsy at the turn of the 2010s, when Kindzadza and the Osom Music scene pushed tempos past 170 and started cutting sound with a digital scalpel. Everything here is precise, bright and ultra-edited: bursts of micro-sounds…
What tempo is Hi-Tech Psy played at?
Between 160 and 190 BPM.
Who are the key Hi-Tech Psy artists?
Kindzadza, Psykovsky (frange), Whrikk, Radioactive.Cake, Necropsycho, Kasadelica.
