Music and Psychedelics

Listen to a 5 hour music mix inspired by music curated for psychedelic therapy trials.

A few years ago, I was asked to curate music for one of Imperial College’s Centre for Psychedelic Research trials, investigating the efficacy of psilocybin as a treatment for sufferers of chronic conditions, in this case a pain condition known as Fibromyalgia (via the Psilopain Study). I wrote about this project here.

The request dropped me in at the deep end of a field of research that was having its moment, decades on from the original rise and fall of psychedelic research in the sixties and seventies. The second coming was a quiet and cautious revolution that after ten years of positive results to back it up, had now started to receive more mainstream recognition.

“Psychedelics free our minds to novelty, liberating us from habitual patterns” The Guardian

The results of the trials are promising, the evidence that one can ‘re-wire their brain’ using a classic psychedelic (such as psilocybin, DMT or ketamine) or significantly reduce the impact of conditions such as PTSD using MDMA got the attention of the science world, the US Army and everyone in between. The craze of ‘micro-dosing’ to regulate mood and boost creativity seemed to suggest that psychedelics were en route to go mainstream pretty quickly.

Although the hype has now dissipated a little, the evidence is still being stacked up and a whole new range of conditions being studied. This year, I was honoured to be asked back to help curate the music for a new study: this time with gambling addicts and again using synthetic psilocybin.

This video featuring former Premier League footballer Paul Merson shows what is happening in the brain when one becomes an addict: WATCH

Music and Psychedelic Therapy

Music is known as the ‘hidden therapist’ in the psychedelic therapy experience. During the trial, participants are given an ‘heroic dose’ of the drug, guaranteeing they are ‘in the experience’ for between 6-8 hours. They are situated in a hospital bed, with two experienced guides, a blindfold and headphones, both of which they are encouraged to use. The guides are on hand should anything go wrong (despite the success of recent trials, there is still a chance of a ‘bad trip', which is mitigated by the expertise on hand).

The experience is divided into six distinct phases, all lasting between 30 mins-2 hours. These phases create an arc of experience to guide patients from a gentle state of relaxation into a more heightened state of consciousness where their brain can objectively confront traumas and points of rumination that form the basis for mental blockages. In this state, the ego and default mode networks become hugely reduced and the brain temporary returns to a more plastic state. This arc forms the basis of the music playlists that are required to accompany the patient during the experience.

This year, I’ve spent a lot of time selecting the music for the trials, working directly with the guides and scientists leading the trial. The ideal scenario would be to personalise every playlist to suit the musical preferences of each patient, but unfortunately, that isn’t possible due to the nature of the trial - changing the music would be deemed another variable that would potentially alter the results and be flagged during review.

Following feedback from the Psilopain study, I learned that certain tracks are more appropriate than others, and the flow from track to track is the most important thing.

The Gambling trial is due to start in September, and I’ll report back with more info closer to the time and share the songs that made the cut closer to the time.

Watching Trees - DJ Set

In the meantime, I used my set at Watching Trees Festival (a beautiful boutique festival based near Bath, curated by Optimo and Ransome Note) as a means of road testing some of the songs.

They gave me a four hour slot in the ‘Bush Of Ghosts’ stage on the Friday night of the festival. Their one rule was ‘no kick drums’ - so, as a means of ensuring that the set was more interesting (and not just a ‘chill out’ break out area away from the main stage), I decided to tell people I was going to take them on a musical trip using the phases of the trial and the music I’d been curating for it as my guide.

I made these cards, which I handed out before the set began. It was a bit strange flyering for a DJ set but it seemed to be received well and the feedback I’ve had has been great. If you were there, please let me know!

I ended up playing for five hours and could have done more if I’d had the energy (playing ambient music at 3am does a good job of sending you to sleep). Music started with the likes of Pauline Anna Strom, GAS, Loscil, Suzanne Ciani and Green-House climaxing with Grand River, Imaginery Softwoods, Tim Hecker, the new James Holden and the mighty acoustic version of ‘Fantas’ by Caterina Barbieri. On the descent, I played tracks from Jon Hopkins, Alessandro Cortini, Fennesz & Ryuchi Sakamoto and my forthcoming one from the next ASOF release. The ending part included blissful moments from Alice Coltrane, Merope, Asa-Chang & Junray, Kara-Lis Coverdale before closing with the mighty full 20 min version of Shackleton & Wacław Zimpel’s ‘The Ocean Lies Between Us’.

You can find a lot of this music on my Ambient Flo radio station, still broadcasting 24 hours a day!

I thought I’d share the recordings with you, I’ve edited a 1 hour version for everyone but if you upgrade to paid you’ll get the full five hours plus the track list. LISTEN NOW

Whether you think appropriate for indulging in a psychedelic adventure of your own or simply recognise it as good music, is entirely up to you!

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