TRANSMISSIONS FROM UTOPIA is a series of retro-futuristic mixes inaugurated by DJ Basilisk in 2022. Every mix in this series explores period of electronic music history, typically around the turn of the millennium, with extra attention directed toward lesser known or appreciated styles and movements. Length varies according to the trajectory of each mix.

Requests for this series are welcome! Currently I'm working on mixes documenting: West Coast progressive house, breaks, and "desert trance" of the 1990s; New Beat and the precursors of Goa trance from 1993 and earlier; a remake (or reinterpretation) of Paul Oakenfold's infamous "Goa Mix"; a return to the quirk minimal techno sound of the 2000s; and several more...

Transmissions From Utopia: Retro-Futuristic Explorations of Vanished Musical Movements

Basilisk explores the secret origins of the modern psychedelic techno movement on TRANSMISSIONS FROM HYPERBOREA. This mix is a cross-genre period piece set in the transitional year of 2010, when tech house, neotrance, minimal techno, and progressive psytrance collided and merged to form something vibrant and new. It was an era marked by the infiltration of underground club culture into the open air psytrance festival circuit; dance floors were awash in white noise, rapt with sizzling electric leads, and worked into a frenzy by big swinging beats. Basilisk's growing involvement in this emerging fusion was formalized by the establishment of Drumlore, a Canadian netlabel and event series organized alongside DJ Lexicon, in 2009. This, in turn, lay the groundwork for Techgnosis Records, one of the leading psychedelic techno labels of the 2020s. And so this mix also asks: what is a movement without history? Where do we find our roots?

Plenty of the tracks featured in this mix are now unavailable, deleted from whatever digital download platform originally carried them, sometimes nearly vanishing without a trace. Others are old dance floor stalwarts you will almost certainly recognize if you were raving back in 2010.

HQ STREAM ON MIXCLOUD 🔊
https://www.mixcloud.com/Basilisk/transmissions-from-hyperborea-hq/

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Conceived, arranged, mixed, and mastered by DJ Basilisk in Taipei, Taiwan, May 2022. Recorded on three decks using Traktor 3 with a Korg Nanokontrol and an Allen & Heath Xone:K2. Post-processed with Audacity, Ableton Live 11, and LoudMax.

Cover image: William Bradford's "An Arctic Summer: Boring Through the Pack in Melville Bay", 1871.

Featuring tracks by Voodeax, Onur Özer, Sian, Minilogue, Anna (AKA Boris Brejcha), Antix, D-Nox & Beckers, Butch, Spektre, Dubfire, Henry Saiz, KiloWatts, Fairmont, Guy J, Robert Babicz, Marc Romboy, Gui Boratto, Extrawelt, James Holden, and many more.

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Transmissions From Hyperborea [Psychedelic Techno / Progressive House / Minimal Techno / Neotrance]

Basilisk returns with TRANSMISSIONS FROM ARCADIA, a 4-hour odyssey into deep and progressive forms of house, techno, and trance embedded within a hazy cocoon of broken beats, IDM, downtempo, and ambient, all from around the turn of the millennium. This exercise in genre-fluid nostalgia emphasizes rhythm over melody, avoiding monotony by rotating between diverse yet complimentary sounds intended for the dirty warehouse, summer festival, upscale club, or smoke-filled lounge.

Rave nostalgia is alive and well these days, but most people lavish their attention on the primordial aesthetics and waveforms of the early 1990s. Far less critical attention has been directed on the diversifying sounds of the early 2000s, when digital workstations transformed electronic music production and new movements proliferated throughout global dance culture. This mix aims to connect some of the dots, bridging gaps between contemporaneous scenes that might not have seen much crossover when this music was gleaming and new.

HQ STREAM ON MIXCLOUD 🔊
https://www.mixcloud.com/Basilisk/transmissions-from-arcadia-hq/

FULL INFO/DOWNLOAD ✨
https://djbasilisk.com/mixes/transmissions-from-arcadia/

Conceived, arranged, mixed, and mastered by DJ Basilisk in Taipei, Taiwan, June 2022. Recorded on three decks using Traktor 3 and a Korg Nanokontrol. Mastered in Ableton Live with LoudMax. Several custom edits were made exclusively for this mix. Cover image: Thomas Cole's The Arcadian or Pastoral State, 1834.

Featuring tracks by Monolake, Swayzak, Aril Brikha, Victor Calderone, Marco Carola, SBK, Phony Orphants, FREq, Atmos, S>Range, L.S.G., Art of Trance, Shpongle, Sander Kleinenberg, Man With No Name, Oxia, The Timewriter, Thievery Corporation, Enigma, Adham Shaikh, and many more (nearly 70 in all).

Transmissions From Arcadia [Classic Progressive House / Techno / Progressive Psytrance / Trance]

DJ Basilisk revisits the classic psytrance sound on Transmissions From Valhalla, a monumental 4+ hour journey featuring more than 60 tracks released between 1997 and 2005. This time around the focus is mainly on the many permutations of the “minimal wave” that swept through the scene in the early years of the new millennium. Expect to hear a wide variety of hypnotic atmospheres, quirky rhythms, and brutal beats as the pressure builds toward a raging full-on mind-bending climax. The return path explores the deeper and more sublime side of progressive psytrance before unraveling with shimmering breakbeats and dubbed-out electronica.

HQ STREAM ON MIXCLOUD 🔊
https://www.mixcloud.com/Basilisk/transmissions-from-valhalla-hq/

FULL INFO/DOWNLOAD ✨
https://djbasilisk.com/mixes/transmissions-from-valhalla/

Conceived, arranged, mixed, and mastered by DJ Basilisk in Taipei, Taiwan, July 2022. Recorded using Traktor 3 with a Korg Nanokontrol. Post-processed with Audacity, Ableton Live 11, and LoudMax. Several custom edits and refixes were made especially for this mix.

Cover image: Karl L. Prinz's "Auf Walhall", 1911.

Featuring tracks by Juno Reactor, Prisoners of the Sun, Necton, Beat Bizarre, Planet B.E.N., Lish, Cosma, BLT, Nuclear Ramjet, Droidlock, Tetraktys, Opsis, The Delta, Sensient, Nerve (M.O.S.), Midi Miliz, Cujorius One, Hujaboy, PPS Project, Three Point Turn, Wizzy Noise, 12 Moons, Setherian, Exanimo, Human Blue, Meller, Mitsumoto, Charm, Speedy J, Deviant Species, Joti Sidhu, Four Carry Nuts, Parasense, Shift, Aphid Moon, Logic Bomb, Prometheus, Tristan, S>Range, Haldolium, Magnetrixx, Ticon, Green House Effect (Sandman), Atmos, Damon Wild, Saafi Brothers, The Orb, and The Future Sound of London.

Transmissions From Valhalla [Classic Y2K-Era Minimal Psytrance / Progressive Psytrance / Techtrance]

DJ Basilisk returns to the ecstatic idealism of the early 1990s on TRANSMISSIONS FROM LYONESSE, the latest in an ongoing series of concept mixes documenting electronic music subcultures of the past. This time around the journey leads from scintillating ambient techno arpeggios and idyllic IDM to the raging heights of full-on Goa trance (and back again). Ultimately the aim is to capture some of the magic of the outdoor festival experience circa 1996, particularly in the UK and continental Europe. Many of these tracks are rough around the edges, and several have been lightly edited and remastered exclusively for this mix.

HQ STREAM ON MIXCLOUD 🔊
https://www.mixcloud.com/Basilisk/transmissions-from-lyonesse/

FULL INFO/DOWNLOAD ✨
https://djbasilisk.com/mixes/transmissions-from-lyonesse/

Conceived, arranged, mixed, and mastered by DJ Basilisk in Taipei, Taiwan, March 2023. Recorded using Traktor 3 with a Korg Nanokontrol. Post-processed with Audacity, Ableton Live 11, and LoudMax. Several custom edits were made especially for this mix.

Cover image: Clarkson Frederick Stanfield's "Mount St Michael, Cornwall", 1830.

Featuring tracks by Speedy J, Reload & E621, Holy Ghost, DJ Cosmix & Etnica, Sonic Sufi, Prana, Morphem, X-Dream, Tristan, Eat Static, Underhead, Inscape, Radiotrance, Third Man, The Source Experience, Musicology, and Pentatonik, among many others.

Transmissions From Lyonesse [Goa Trance / Classic Trance / IDM / Ambient Techno / Electronica]

TRANSMISSIONS FROM AVALON is an epic return to the halcyon sound of the early 1990s, meticulously curated and sublimely mixed by DJ Basilisk. This 4 hour journey features tracks produced up until 1996, building from moody ambient, scintillating IDM, and hypnotic techno into acidic and full-on Goa trance, culminating at 150 BPM. Descending from the heights, the mood becomes more tribalistic and transcendent, thickening the vibe with various permutations of progressive trance and euphoric house before unwinding with hazy breakbeats and soothing drones.

HQ STREAM ON MIXCLOUD 🔊
https://www.mixcloud.com/Basilisk/transmissions-from-avalon/

FULL INFO/DOWNLOAD ✨
https://djbasilisk.com/mixes/transmissions-from-avalon/

Conceived, arranged, mixed, and mastered by DJ Basilisk in Taipei, Taiwan, May 2023. Recorded using Traktor 3 with a Korg Nanokontrol. Post-processed with Audacity, Ableton Live 11, and LoudMax. More than a dozen custom edits were crafted especially for this mix.

Cover image: Conway Castle, North Wales, J. M. W. Turner, 1798.

Featuring tracks by Humate & Rabbit in the Moon, Spacetime Continuum, Autechre, Cari Lekebusch, Vinyl Blair, Cherry Bomb, YMO, The Infinity Project, Nüw Idol, Nervasystem, Hallucinogen, Doof, Cosmosis, Lunar Asylum, Prana, Green Nuns of the Revolution, Deviant Electronics, X-Dream, Medicine Drum, Shiva Chandra, Etnica, Pascal F.E.O.S., Oliver Lieb, Juno Reactor, Banco de Gaia, Link, RAC, Velocette, Time Modem, O Yuki Conjugate, and Global Communication, among many others.

Transmissions From Avalon

Transmissions From Avalon [Goa Trance / Progressive Trance / Ambient Techno / IDM / Electronica]

DJ Basilisk rewinds the tape to profile the shifting sound of psychedelic trance on the cusp of the new millennium with TRANSMISSIONS FROM MEROPIS. Featuring 32 tracks released between 1998 and 2001, this embryonic cocktail captures a global movement in flux, as technological change ushered in a new era of experimentation, and the golden age of Goa trance came to a catastrophic end. Many strands of modern psytrance that would emerge from these tumultuous times can be heard here: the gritty rawness and anarchic dissonance of the emerging minimal wave; early hints of what would evolve into darkpsy and forest music; ecstatic, fist-pumping precursors to full-on psytrance; more stripped-down progressive beats with ample groove and swagger; and an enchanting trace of what would become psy dub. Where were you in Y2K?

HQ STREAM ON MIXCLOUD 🔊
https://www.mixcloud.com/Basilisk/transmissions-from-meropis/

FULL INFO/DOWNLOAD ✨
https://djbasilisk.com/mixes/transmissions-from-meropis/

Conceived, arranged, mixed, and mastered by DJ Basilisk in Taipei, Taiwan, November 2023. Recorded using Traktor 3 with a Korg Nanokontrol. Post-processed with Audacity, Ableton Live 11, and LoudMax. Several custom edits were crafted for this mix.

Cover image: Terror Antiquus, Léon Bakst, 1908.

Featuring tracks by Black Lung, Synchro, D.I.M.O., Magus, Codex, Noma, Spiral Active Project, Yumade, Lunar Plexus, Parasense, Sensphere, Psychaos, Tarsis, Oforia, Bypass Unit, Tim Schuldt, Pigs in Space, Jaïa, Logic Bomb, Children of Paradise, Orion, Shakta, 12 Moons, Eternal Basement, Chi-A.D., Passenger, Astral Projection, Blue Planet Corporation, Saafi Brothers, Kit Clayton, üNN, and Shpongle.

Transmissions From Meropis

Transmissions From Meropis [Goa Trance / Psytrance / Minimal Psytrance 1998–2001]

DJ Basilisk revisits the halcyon vibes of mid-90s trance on Transmissions From Elysium, a 2 hour journey through dreamy, progressive, and euphoric soundscapes from a lost age of innocence. For this 7th retrospective mix in the Transmissions series the focus is deep, driving, and emotive trance with occasional forays into techno, IDM, and breaks, all released between 1992 and 1997. Expect some well-worn classics as well as hidden gems, all carefully chosen to capture the carefree optimism of that vanished era.

HQ STREAM ON MIXCLOUD 🔊
https://www.mixcloud.com/Basilisk/transmissions-from-elysium/

FULL INFO/DOWNLOAD ✨
https://djbasilisk.com/mixes/transmissions-from-elysium/

Conceived, arranged, mixed, and mastered by DJ Basilisk in Taipei, Taiwan, April 2024. Recorded using Traktor 3 with a Korg Nanokontrol. Post-processed with Audacity, Ableton Live 11, and LoudMax. Several custom edits were crafted for this mix.

Cover image: Elisium, Léon Bakst, 1906.

Featuring tracks by Yum Yum, Doug Laurent, Sandoz, Eat Static, Aura, Trancesetters, Leftfield, Dave Angel, Exit EEE, Antiloop, Paul van Dyk, Digital Sun, Blue Planet Corporation, Quietman, L.S.G., The Light, Endora, Way Out West, Innersphere, and The Unlimited Dream Company, among many others.

Transmissions From Elysium

Transmissions From Elysium [Classic Mid-90s Trance / Progressive / Goa / IDM]

DJ Basilisk rewinds the tape to the Golden Age of Goa trance with Transmissions From Shambhala, a three-hour odyssey sculpted entirely from tracks produced between 1994 and 1996. These 37 selections chart a course through the work of sonic trailblazers---those analog alchemists who, armed with their rudimentary machines and an experimental zeal, tapped into uncharted dimensions of sound and transformation.

Expect mystic energy, spine-tingling melodies, swirling acid lines, and blissful atmospheres, all swirling together in hypnotic fashion. While deeply rooted in the Goa trance tradition, the journey occasionally ventures into neighboring realms of progressive and uplifting trance. Every layer is harmonically tuned and expertly blended, ensuring a smooth, immersive ride.

HQ STREAM ON MIXCLOUD 🔊
https://www.mixcloud.com/Basilisk/transmissions-from-shambhala/

FULL INFO/DOWNLOAD ✨
https://djbasilisk.com/mixes/transmissions-from-shambhala/

Conceived, arranged, mixed, and mastered by DJ Basilisk in Taipei, Taiwan, January 2025. Recorded on three decks using Traktor 3 with a Korg Nanokontrol. Post-processed with Audacity, Ableton Live 11, and LoudMax.

Cover image: Four Mandalas of the Vajravali Cycle, Ewam Choden Monastery, 1429-1456; courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art.

Featuring tracks by Juno Reactor, Deviant Electronics, MFG, Asia 2001, Etnica, Prana, Amanite FX, Total Eclipse, Astral Projection, Green Nuns of the Revolution, Moonweed, Dimension 5, Transwave, Power Source, Blue Planet Corporation, Shakta, Multiplex, Jaïa, Union Jack, Electric Universe, Doof, Man With No Name, The Infinity Project, Morphem, Clanger, Vincent De Moor, and many more.

Transmissions From Shambhala [Goa Trance 1994–1996]

Basilisk is a veteran multi-genre DJ, co-founder of the psychedelic techno label @Techgnosis-Records alongside @benramamusic, founder of the iconic @Ektoplazm free music portal and label group (including Ektoplazm, Drumlore, and Omnitropic), lossless audio enthusiast, and dedicated archivist and electronic music curator. Originally hailing from Toronto, Canada, he is now based in Taipei, Taiwan.

Psytrance, techno, electro, house, trance, acid, breaks, bass, IDM, ambient—you name it, I probably spin it. My mixes fluidly combine different genres into harmonic journeys that defy convention. I encourage you to browse around and get lost in some of the many sonic microcosms I have meticulously curated over the years. Nearly all mixes posted here are available for download on my homepage.

I am open to invitations to provide guest mixes in a variety of styles as long as the details are interesting. Drop me a line if you have more reach than I do, just be sure to articulate your concept!

Properly mastered promos are welcome. Also accepting professional demos for my work with Ektoplazm and Techgnosis.

For bookings, demos, and other inquiries, email me at: basilisk(at)ektoplazm.com