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| RAY CASTLE |
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RAY CASTLE … a social sonic scientist
With a pioneer quest, he has ridden all waves of
fashion and trend, through a multitude of genres: rock, funk,
punk, industrial, disco, techno, house, trance, breaks, drum & bass...
A genuine oto otaku !... NEW SONGS from Tokyo @ raycastlemusic which feature in his new movie MANGA MAD / TOKYO OTAKU
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| DJ/Musician/Producer: |
A DJ, MUSICIAN, COMPOSER, PRODUCER, who sees music as therapy; and understands its capacity to connect with the numinous.
Meta-Ray-The-Zeitgeister.
Has had a passionate relationship with music since the late 60s. In the early 70s he played harmonica in blues rock bands, and promoted and organised gigs for new wave/punk bands in the late 70s. He started Djing, in the late 70s/early 80s which was the era of: Funk, Ska, Disco and Industrial Rock; later fusing into electronic house/techno in the late 80s.
Later, in ’87, he became one of the influential, original DJs of the Goa party scene in India, which fused house, breaks, dub, techno & rock into a hybrid sound, out of which ‘Goa Psy Trance’ evolved in the early 90s. This was followed by numerous recorded releases and collaborations.
Introduced the outdoor dance party concept to Japan in the late 80s and early 90s with the festival organisation: ‘Equinox’. Was one of the seminal instigators of the Australian trance party scene in the early 90s: 'Trance-Elements', 'Happy Valley', 'Psyharmonics' early 'Earthcore' & Byron Bay 'Beyond The Brain' events.
He continues to DJ at dance party events. A genius maverick in his ability to work a dance floor, Ray jockeys entertaining, captivating, journeys with dance music.
Released a wide variety of dance tracks with different collaborators and solo projects. Currently – meta-music-maestro – Ray composes trance/techno/house/electro fusion dance music. Blended, hybrid, grooves which were the essence of the original spirit & vibe of Goa (late 80's/early 90's), prior to the current rigid formula of 'psy trance'.
"Fashion always packages everything into a box...music & art is a round experience," he says.
His current sound, with a funky edge, is what he calls– 'New Skool Disko Delic - Electro House'. His seasoned, innovative experience – ' the psy-electronic trance beat professor' – imbues his holophonic, artful skills, transducing light into sound. Melding and synthesising musical form & beat into inventive groove fusion.
His continuing mission: Redefine the meaning of ‘psychedelic dance music ’. Arguably, he is the foremost progressive, adventurous, original, idiosyncratic, DJ performer. He is the master of channeling journey music, creating a narrative mosaic with intelligent, groovilicious tunes.
Currently he is writing songs in Tokyo and DJing in Japan.
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| Music
Bio: |
Writing and performing rock, punk, funk and industrial
music during the late 70s and early 80s.
Established Rock and Punk club/bar – Liberty
Stage – Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Symonds St, Auckland, NZ.
1979. Show case for ‘new wave’ bands:
The Scavengers, The Features, Toy Love, Spelling
Mistakes, Screaming Mee Mees, The Swingers, The Androids, Proud
Scum …
Established alternative art space, – Closet
Artists Gallery –
Queen St, Auckland, 1980/82. Promoted emerging artists and themed
mixed media exhibitions: ‘Pop Shots’ Rock photography
exhibition, Art Clothing, Cartoon Art, solo artist exhibitions:
Phillip Clairmont, Nigel Brown, Dean Buchannan, John Eaden, Kim
Gunter, Debra Bustin, Stuart Page…
Awarded Arts Council Travel grant in 1983, to travel
to America and Europe. Lectured on NZ art.
Rap and hip hop performer/writer during the mid
83/84.
DJing at ‘psychedelic’ disco/techno parties in Goa,
India, Tokyo, Europe, ‘86 - ‘94.
Organised and played at first Psy-Trance Goa style
parties in Japan, ’87, ’88, ’89. ’90,
’91 (SK Studio Tokyo). Tokyo Techno Tribe/Equinox, early
90s.
Organised and played at first Psy-Trance, Goa style parties in
Europe (Pagan Productions) in Amsterdam, ’88 and Berlin
Art Festival. ’90, ‘91 Pagan Productions.
Throughout the 90s has toured in Europe and Japan
playing all major ‘Psy Trance’ events including The
Voov Experience (Germany), Return To The Source (London), Tip
Party (London).
Moved to Byron Bay, Australia ’94. Organised
and DJed at the first wave of outdoor Goa-style parties in North
NSW, Queensland, Melbourne and Sydney. Performed at ‘Beyond
The Brain’ events in Byron Bay, mid 90s.
Continues to DJ/perform at selective events
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| Musical
releases to date: |
DISCOGRAPHY
Mantaray – Ray Castle & Susumu Yokota---Numinous Island -- Silent Records, Demon Tea Records & Silent Records 1995.
Sonic Sufi – Ray Castle, Susumu Yokota, Take Tokuda – Album title: Sacramental -- Psy-Harmonics Records 1995
Sonic Sufi – EP vinyl 12” – Optimum Flux – Psy-Harmonics Records, 1995
Masaray – Ray Castle & Masayuki Kurihara – CD Album – Cosmic Trancer – Psy-Harmonics Records 1995
Masaray – Time Traveller Of Trance 12” vinyl EP – Psy-harmonics Records 1995
Rhythmystec – Ray Castle & Nick Taylor – Plasmatik EP vinyl – Matsuri Productions Records 1995 (Released on various cd comps as well)
Rhythmystec – Cathexis EP vinyl – Matsuri Productions Records 1996 (Released on various cd comps as well)
Exotic Matter – Ray Castle – Gold Ghost – Beats Working – Organarchy CD comp 1996
Insectoid – EP vinyl 12” – New Vistas/Shamantec – Kavator Records 1996
Insectoid – Omniscient – Dancing To The Sound Of The Sun comp – Psy Harmonics Records 1997
Insectoid – CD compilation – The Web – The Wizardry Of Oz – Transient Records 1997
Insectoid – Ray Castle, Nick Spacetree, Mark Turner –
CD Album – Groovology Of The Metaverse – Weird Music Society Records 1998
Insectoid – CD compilation – Tribedelic Nomads – Sacred Sites – Return To The Source Records 1998
Masaray – Hammer Head – Weird Music Society comp cd & Green Ant comp cd – 1998
Higher Spin States – Heinous Groove Gland – Ray Castle & Ollie Olsen – 10 Kilos Records Comp CD also on Psy-Harmonics 4 comp – Out On The Full 1998
Syzgism – Ray Castle & Hideyuki Mitsumoto – Synaptec – Equinox CD comp Strong Sun Moon 1998
Exotic Matter – Ray Castle – Chiros – Psychedelic Krembo Selected Tunes Part 3 comp – Krembo Records – 1999
Exotic Matter – Ray Castle – Astral Attache – Demon Tea Records 1999
Tongue ‘N’ Tweak – Ray Castle & Phil Thomson –Seminal Ra – 12” vinyl (Also on cd comp – Edges R Fun – Edgecore Records) 1999
Compilation compiled & produced by Ray Castle – Gourmet Genre –Equinox-Techno Flux – Majesty Of The Muse by Ray Castle – Arcane Trickster – The Kid From Kun Lun Remix by Ray Castle 2000
Meta-Pod – Ray Castle & Kox Box (Ian Johansson, Frank Madsen) – Exit Ericsson – Gourmet Genre comp cd – South Africa 2000 – Solstice Music International 2000
Ray Castle – Universal Rhythm Of Love – e-jam cd001– Elejam Records – cd comp 2001
Ray Castle – Nakano Manga – Autumn Jade cd comp – Twine Trax Records – 2006
Ray continues to perform/ DJ at special event parties, write and record music.
He regards himself as a:
“New media occult sciences artist. Cybernetic surgeon, techno shaman, trance theologian, astral attache, existential electro alchemist, meta musician, ...”
RAY'S PHILOSOPHY about the 90's trance parties can be found here:
http://fusionanomaly.net/raycastle.html
Link to Ray's early 90's Psy-Trance site:
http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/metanet/metanetmain.html
Article & interview '96 about trance parties, Byron Bay, Australia, Japan, Goa etc...
http://www.spraci.com/djs/rayc.htm
The Original Goa Groove
An article about Goa before the fashion of 'psy-trance'.
http://www.doofcentral.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&Itemid=1&id=52
About Ray | About Ray  | Astrology | Astrology | Monthly forecast | Articles | Music | Film | Tokyo Otaku | Contact Ray|Ray's blog |myspace
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