1200 Micrograms

1200 Micrograms, sometimes credited as 1200 Mics, are a psychedelic trance group from Ibiza Town, Spain. Formed in 1999, the project includes Raja Ram, Chicago, Bansi, Sajahan Matkin and Riktam. Their music sits within electronic, full-on and psytrance, and is associated with a strong psychedelic emphasis.

Formation and membership

The act is built around a lineup that includes Raja Ram and Chicago, alongside Riktam and Bansi, who also form part of G.M.S., and Sajahan Matkin. The group originates from Ibiza Town and remains active.

Style and themes

Their recordings make extensive use of guitars and often centre on drug-related themes. The name 1200 Micrograms refers to a suggested LSD dose for the four members. Their work also uses samples from Terence McKenna and film dialogue.

Albums and releases

Their self-titled debut album presents nine tracks themed around psychoactive substances, including Ayahuasca, Hashish, Mescaline, LSD, Marijuana, Ecstasy, Magic Mushrooms, Salvia Divinorum and DMT. It also draws on McKenna samples and material associated with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. A later track, Acid for Nothing, reworks Dire Straits’ Money for Nothing, replacing the original MTV reference with a line about LSD.

The follow-up, Heroes of the Imagination, is dedicated to inventors and scientists including Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, Michael Faraday, Albert Einstein, Charles Babbage, Albert Hofmann, Francis Crick, James D. Watson and Tim Berners-Lee. The Time Machine focuses on historical places and periods such as the Creation of the Universe, Stonehenge, Ancient India, Egypt and Greece.

Their discography also includes Live in Brazil, a remix album, Magic Numbers, the Gramology EP, and 1200 Mic's.

Reception and legacy

The project becomes widely known in psytrance, although its releases also attract criticism for sounding rushed and overly polished in a way some reviewers compare to eurodance. A 2003 video accompanies a marijuana-themed track from the debut era, reflecting the group's recurring interest in drug culture and related imagery.