NEWS
Release of Cosmetic Pharmacology EP

Forestdelic records is presenting a nother EP release!
This time from the makings of our long time label and forest companion Mechanical Species!
Cosmetic pharmacology denotes the use of pharmacological agents in healthy individuals to shift ones cognitive or mental state to a more desirable one. This EP explores the sonic characteristics that follows from mental transformations as such.
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released May 18, 2022
Writen & Produced by Dahni Strauss a.k.a. Mechanical Species.
Mastering by Ognen Zafirovski (BMR).
Artwork by Joe the Glow.

Greetings Dahni.
You are one of the earliest members of Forestdelic records since 2014, with your first released track "Not in my forest". Now after 8 successful years with many releases, you prepared a new EP called "Cosmetic Pharmacology", and we are excited to hear it!
- What can you tell us about it? Why the name Cosmetic Pharmacology?
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Other than the beautiful ring to the name, it originates from my passion for understanding the human brain and mind, which led me to the study of cognitive neuroscience. While studying neuroethics I was captivated by the work of the psychiatrist Kramer (1993) who coined the term cosmetic psychopharmacology which refers to when pharmacological drugs are used in healthy individuals to shift ones mental state into a more desirable one. In other words to enhance rather than treat. It led me to ponder about the quick fix mentality that we often ascribe to and that some of these solutions are maybe not most appropriate when dealing with the challenges of our complex lives (that is not to say that there is no appropriate use of these medications). Aside from the science; My production contains no real lyrics or vocals (other than the occasional sample), therefore the name is the only verbal communication I have with my listeners. Therefore, through the titles, I can share small pieces of my life and interests which this time led me to the name Cosmetic Pharmacology.
- As we mentioned earlier your first release was 8 years ago. What are your thoughts on the whole process of production and performing? What has changed – what stayed the same?
Although I have produced since 2009, it was not until I joined Forestdelic records that my production became real serious. Joining the label gave me the confidence and commitment to pursue my music interest at a higher level. However, the process behind production is always a developing journey in itself, since then so much has changed in the way I work, what tools I use and the theory I rely upon behind the machinery. Furthermore, my live performance has changed extensively, I have tried most live setups in the book and now developed a good combination of stability (you gotta have that) and live flexibility that includes automation clips, sounds, synths, drum machines and live control of parameters. Apart from the technical side of it, I have also learned how to connect with the crowd which I consider vastly important for delivering a good set.
- What (or who) inspired you the most to start playing music?
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I have been listening to psytrance since the 2000s which led me to the early work of Infected Mushroom. Their combination between musicality and technicality made a big imprint on me and my early production was greatly inspired by them. Later on, I got a taste for deeper psychedelic music which led me to Glowing Flame records with artists such as Ianuaria, Yudhistiria, Imaginary Sight, Trold and Braincell. This beautiful music sparked a new interest in the more twisted landscapes which changed my production focus greatly. These inspirations contributed majorly in developing my style and it is a joy that many of these artists are a part of or collaborate with Forestdelic records today.
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- Tell us in which daw you produce, and some of your favorite plugins?
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I use Ableton Live for both, production and live. I am quite in love with all Fabfilter and Soundtoys plugins. In the world of synthesizers, I mainly use Serum, Virus, Bazille and Zebra. Furthermore, I greatly enjoy Max4live and Ableton's own ingenious utilities and tools.
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- What would be your piece of advice(s) for young musicians starting the scene?
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Don't rush it, take your time and enjoy, every part of the journey is equally fun (except final mixes :P). Don't be lazy: try to perform at your best, regardless of what you are working on and don't leave things half-finished, causes chances are you are not going to remember what you were fiddling within the next session.
Knowing when to stop: each track can't be the greatest you ever made and overworking a track will happen. Therefore; learn to let go sometimes.
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- And one fast and last, where can Forestdelic fans catch your next performance?
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Next up (the 26th of May) I am going to my beloved Finland to play at the CLH festival .

Release of The Banana EP
Organized sonic chaos carried by powerful gorilla basslines, the right amount of bleeps, the right amount of blorps. Providing a full-on potent psychedelic experience, while keeping the vibe light and fun enough for everyone to enjoy the Banana EP!
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released April 18, 2022
W&P: Gareth Gordon, Alessandro Bertani, Sam Gangee
Mastering: Ognen Zafirovski BMR
Artwork: FDR

- Hello Gareth, in the past time you were very active with your project Shadow Shaman, your releases, debut EP, an album for Forestdelic, and also released many singles for different labels. Now we heard you are working on a new EP. What can you tell us about it?
: Yes! I am super excited for my next EP release! As I grow as a psytrance artist my techniques develop & I come across new ways to fix old challenges. My sound has matured a lot since my first releases and I am proud of how far I have come
It’s always nice to work on an EP or solo album because the entire vision is yours. From the music style & timbre to the artwork, it’s all up to me.
In this EP (The Banana EP) I have focused on delivering lower, powerful almost percussive basslines accompanied by equally as rude kick drums! I call them gorilla basslines. For the sound design and drums, I have utilized a lot of unconventional techniques and have tried to stay far away from the commonly used FM leads we are all so used to nowadays. Creating complex rhythmic stories is very important to push our genre to the limit and beyond. Let the music write itself.
The idea behind the artwork is, again, to stand out. Who is going to forget a vivid yellow EP cover filled to the brim with bright yellow bananas & beer bottles hahaha. It also has a deeper meaning to me. A personal opinion among my friends is that Carling Black Label tastes like banana.
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- Is the EP featuring any tracks in collaboration or remixes?: I am proud to say one of the tracks on this EP is a collaboration between myself, Twigger & a special surprise guest artist that shall remain a secret until the announcement.Let me just say that this secret artist’s involvement in the track is something that has not been done in SA before (I hope). A new concept in a way!- What is your favorite daw and plug-in to use when producing (besides Serum, hehe)?: I have been enjoying Arturia’s Pigments lately. But Xfer’s Serum is still my #1, for now... Any digital-styled synth that offers that sand-box modulation freedom works for me. It’s what you do with the rendered audio that matters. That's where the magic happens.
- Can you tell us how did you start with psytrance in the first place?
: I’ve always been drawn towards the production of electronic music but I wasn’t always making psychedelic music. In fact out of the now 10 years that I’ve been using Flstudio only 5 of them have been creating psytrance. I feel old now.
After I attended my first event Moonstomp in 2013 the genre caught my attention. I spent a couple of years trying to understand this intricate genre before attempting to create it properly.
I’m happy I did get into it because psychedelic music allows for complete creative freedom for a music producer, anything goes sorta thing!
- What about your future gigs, how are the plans where our Forestdelic fans can catch you playing?
: We are waiting for our season to begin in South Africa as we are going into our winter months now. I do have some awesome Cape Town gigs coming up towards the end of the year as well as some Jozi gigs that I am excited to play at & attend. However in December, I plan on being in India, Goa if all goes according to plan!
- And what was your favorite venue to play at so far?
: Hands down Alien Safari – Masqued Ball 2020. It was my first major Cape Town festival. The beautiful setting, the surreal decor, and the wild Capetonians. It was one of the best weekends of my life so far.
Honorable mentions would also be OurMinds Festival (CPT), One Festival (JHB), and Connexion NYE Festival (DBN).
- Nice! Gareth, thank you for your time. I'm sure there is a lot of us here that can't wait to hear you play live and also looking forward to hearing the tracks on the upcoming release! So for all the fans out there, be sure to check our Bandcamp for pre-orders and the release on 18.4.2022.
: Thank you Matic, and big thanks to all the fans and friends around the world!
Out on Forestdelic Records:
Attention-attention, much-respected passengers. Lacerta and friends invite you to an exciting journey on a train ride through a whole new fantasy world full of wicked creatures and magical landscapes. Hurry up reserve your seat and join us on this unforgettable trip!


Hello Lacerta, our wicked ent Gail told us that you are working
on a new album EP and we can't wait to hear what the Lacerta team has prepared!
- What can you tell us about the EP so far?
: ahh I must say that is hot trippy stuff. Let's ride with the breeze, see what they don't show in interstellar;) They play music, they don't talk about it.
- Tell us more about the project, as we know you are two guys. Who of you guys is responsible for which part of the Lacerta music?
: Since there are two participants from different countries in our project, we write all the tracks at a distance, Sasha does his work in Russia, and I (Andrey) in Ukraine. One winds everything up, the other structures))) probably our fundamental feature thanks to which our tandem exists is when one has the strength to set the idea for the track as capaciously as possible, and the other has the perseverance to put everything in the right places and unfold the story in all its glory.
- Now when we know that you are working on a distance, tell us more about how the process is done?
: There are about a thousand miles between us, but not much really for magicians and wizards. We exchange files and talk a lot about all the details in a personal chat. The main thing is not the distance, but the fact that we feel each other and the music we make.
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- Were there any specific inspiration triggers when producing the tracks?
: Inside and outside. In the mood or not. Musicians, artists, writers, scientists - these are people who are able to catch a creative impulse and, enjoying it, have time to capture this moment. Where it comes from is hard to say.
- Is the EP featuring any tracks in collaboration or remixes?
: In this album, we will present two joint tracks with LUCID MANTRA and SYNERGIC projects.
- Which DAW do you use and what is your favorite plug-in or hardware synth when producing psychedelic trance?
: Sasha
Ableton Live. From the third version and forever! At one time, the program immediately stood out from the rest with maximum friendliness. From musicians for musicians.
Well, my favorite instrument, hmmm ... probably a microphone. Yes, there are so many sounds around that are easier to record than to twist on synthesizers.
: Andrey
I can write music in any DAW - the principle is the same for everyone, but for about 20 years I have been using CUBASE - for me, it is the most convenient program with many features and possibilities.
There are a lot of favorite instruments - I like to play live, I like to twist analog synthesizers, and lately, I love to use Vital and Kilohearts plugins a lot.
- Awesome! Thank you very much for your time and for answering this short and nice interview it was fun! Greetings to both of you and wish you a big success with the EP!
: Thanks for the nice interview Matic, and much love to all Forestdelic fans around the world. Greetings from Lacerta (Andrey and Sasha)
A new addition to our
Forestdelic dj rooster
Meet BACK TO MARS
Back to Mars is Marcia, a Brazilian who moved to Europe, and started playing in 2001 at the legendary underground 9Lives of Hofmann parties in Amsterdam. Since then, she grew as an international DJ, playing in major festivals like O.Z.O.R.A., MoDem, Wonderland, Own Spirit, Free Earth, Hadra, Psy-Fi, WAO, Transition, WAHA, Hai in Den Mai, Sunshine, Ritual, Antaris, Space Safari, Sunburn, Universo Paralello, Sonica, Boom, Utopia, Solstice and others, around Europe, Mexico, Goa, Japan and South America.
Musically, her taste keeps mutating and evolving. Her favourite styles are Forest and Groovy Night Psy and she now represents Forestdelic Records, so there’s a lot more kicking night sets on the way!
This diversity in musical styles has created an eclectic DJ who enjoys playing daytime and night music, or a combination of styles if she is making one of her classic transitional DJ sets.
A new chapter from Quantum transition compilation by Dj Damzah
Compiled by: Dj Damzah
Quantum transition is a process started by Damzah in 2016.
After 5 years of dancefloors exploring, he is coming back with the second phase of the transition.
The result is 12 fresh tracks, carefully selected to blow your shoes off!
Forestdelic meets Parvati records. VA - Morphing tunes!
Compiled by: Dj Giuseppe & Dj Oak Tales

As the spring swings in bloom slowly but surely, exciting things are happening in Forestdelic and Parvati records. Mutual understanding and sympathies about psychedelic trance music connected DJ Giuseppe and DJ Oak Tales and the idea of creating something together finally came to fruition. This collection of audio crafts bounds together Parvati and Forestdelic records in a blending showcase of cutting edge sound mastery. 10 tracks by signed artists and friends from both labels are meticulously written for this audio journey with a sole purpose to subtly drive you deep into the world of morphing forms of sound. All tracks have their own unique story, portrayed with powerful bass lines and mystic atmospheres to sharp and twisted leads spiced with organic details. Are you ready to morph yourself in there also? All you need to do is just press play!