An Ethnographic Account of North Wales Psyculture

Psychedelic trance music culture, a global dance culture centered on psychedelic trance electronic dance music, is often credited with offering spiritual insights. This thesis addresses a gap in regional research by exploring psyculture in North Wales, UK. Through qualitative, emic autoethnographic research including reflexive fieldnotes and interviews, the study examines participants' interpretations of the culture's characteristics, beliefs, and experiences. Findings suggest participants believe in the positive effects of involvement in the close-knit North Wales psyculture community. The results indicate a labyrinth of ambiguities and paradoxes that co-habit in a complementary fashion, revealing a mix of sacred and secular knowledge, experience, intention, and involvement reported by participants.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Psychedelic trance music culture is a global dance culture based on psychedelic trance electronic dance music that has a large global following. Psyculture is credited with offering insight into spiritual aspects within electronic dance music culture.There is a gap in research of psychedelic trance culture at a regional level for most countries that would benefit from investigation. This thesis addresses this gap and provides an illustration of psyculture within the UK specifically in North Wales. The research explored participants’ interpretations of the characteristics, beliefs, and experiences of North Wales (NW) psyculture to offer insight and contribute to current research. The qualitative, emic research was based on an autoethnographic reflexive account, fieldnotes, and interviews with participants about their interpretation of global, UK and North Wales psyculture.The findings suggest that participants believe in the positive effects of involvement in the close-knit NW psyculture community. The findings indicate that within NW psyculture, there is a labyrinth of ambiguities and paradoxes that co-habit in a complementary fashion, revealing a mix of sacred and secular knowledge, experience, intention, and involvement reported by participants.