Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
The music genre of psytrance has been localised throughout the globe. Especially now we can see that in postmodern times, where identities have become increasingly fluid and fractured, populations...Show moreThe music genre of psytrance has been localised throughout the globe. Especially now we can see that in postmodern times, where identities have become increasingly fluid and fractured, populations are looking for a place where they can find community and belonging. And it seems that in a post-Apartheid Cape Town where segregation was such a big part of life, being able to have a space to come together away from the structure of racial categorisation is important. Cape Town has a large following of the psytrance outdoor festival scene, however, not much has been written about the psychedelic trance scene in Cape Town. This study examines the psytrance scene in Cape Town, South Africa. Two months of research attending and observing at psytrance outdoor festivals in the Cape Town area, using audio visual recordings, and semi-structured interviews. The thesis comprises of a text and ethnographic film. The text touches upon the outdoor psytrance festival culture in Cape Town, looking at the need that people have to attend these multiple day outdoor festivals. Escape, reconnecting with nature and the active meditation that comes with dancing to repetitive and psychedelic music. My key research finding is that the outdoor psytrance festivals give Capetonians a space where they can escape their daily lives, work through problems that they might have, and create a sense of community and identity.Show less
