Psychonauts

Psychonauts are a group from Somerset, United Kingdom. The name is used by more than one act, including a DJ and house-oriented project formed by Pablo Clements and Paul Mogg, a psytrance duo from Greece, an alias of Cédric Stevens, and a psychobilly band from Australia. The Somerset act is the one associated with Paul Mogg and Pablo Clements, and also with Lionel Kisnorbo in some accounts.

Background

The Somerset Psychonauts come from Yeovil, where the members are school friends who first connect over a shared interest in hip hop and disco. They begin by running a club night called Night Of Cookers, playing a mixture of hip hop, house and techno. After making a mixtape and sending it to Tim Goldsworthy, who is then working at Mo'Wax, they move to London.

Mixes and releases

They mix James Lavelle’s Cream Live mix and his Tribal Gathering mix. In 1998 they put together Time Machine, a 40-minute mix that draws on much of the Mo'Wax back catalogue. Their first single is Hot Blood / Invading Space, which appears in 2001. Their album Songs For Creatures is released on International Deejay Gigolo Records in 2003, after Mo'Wax has stopped operating.

Style and associations

Their work sits around DJ-led house, electronic, rockabilly, psychobilly and gothabilly tags, with the group originally described through its links to hip hop, house and techno. The project is associated with the Mo'Wax scene through Tim Goldsworthy and its work with James Lavelle mixes.

Other Psychonauts acts

Other acts using the name include a psytrance duo from Thessaloniki, Greece, made up of Mike Verros and George Pandelidis. That group is linked with Brainstorm, a mobile trance party organisation in Greece, and its music is described as having melodic and eastern-influenced qualities, with later collaborations involving Israeli artists from the Morning and Melodic side of trance.