Psycore
Psy · 2005 · 160 to 200 BPM · also known as Psy Core, Psychedelic Hardcore
Psycore is the point where psychedelic trance stops negotiating: tempos beyond 180 beats per minute, sometimes reaching 250, shattered song structures, noise and black humor, and an openly claimed junction with hardcore and speedcore. It is a tiny, international scene, radical by definition, that treats trance as an experience of total saturation rather than release, pushing the whole idea of psychedelia to its breaking point.
2 reference tracks
- Kindzadza: Waves From Inner Space (2005)
- Psykovsky: Tanetsveta (2007)
At a glance
- Tempo: 160 to 200 BPM
- First appeared: around 2005
- Machines: Xfer Serum, Native Instruments FM8, Ableton Live
- The sound: Kicks speedcore, Basses percées ultra-rapides, Glitch et bruit, Sound design extrême
- Labels: Noize Conspiracy, Kaometry, Purple Hexagon
- Key artists: Psykovsky, Kindzadza (frange extrême), Baphomet Engine (frange), Parandroid
Producing Psycore
Psycore starts around 180 BPM and climbs to 200, 220, sometimes 250, where the grid becomes almost abstract, and the genre exploits that by changing tempo mid-track, doubling or halving it by section, or layering a kick at 200 over a bassline at half speed. Build a hybrid kick, a tuned psy kick layered with a distorted speedcore kick, a saturated sine pushed until it turns square, playing in bursts of eighths or sixteenths rather than on the beats, while the snare is clipped white noise and the hats are replaced by glitched micro-sounds. The bass is a pierced, ultra-fast tone, an FM wave or saw with sharp distortion and a bandpass filter, notes lasting 30 to 40 milliseconds with zero release, often fused with the kick, while a clean sub stays separate below 60Hz.
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 Psycore?
Psycore is the point where psychedelic trance stops negotiating: tempos beyond 180 beats per minute, sometimes reaching 250, shattered song structures, noise and black humor, and an openly claimed junction with hardcore and speedcore. It is a tiny, international scene, radical by definition, that…
What tempo is Psycore played at?
Between 160 and 200 BPM.
Who are the key Psycore artists?
Psykovsky, Kindzadza (frange extrême), Baphomet Engine (frange), Parandroid.
