Space Tribe - Rainbow Serpent Feature
Author: Azztek
Wednesday, January 22, 2003
We had a chat to Olli, and asked him about the past, present and future. Who is Space Tribe- Where did it originate- We take a sneak peak behind the mastermind of Space Tribe. Olli Wisdom himself.
I can hear the birds singing and noises of the rainforest drifting through out the phone-line as Olli sits back in his Australian home only minutes away from Byron Bay in a tranquil retreat, from this it is obvious where he gets his inspiration from. "Life, the world, life experiences and nature".
Olli confirms, it was in 1986 he quit his Gothic Rock bank as lead singer, and found himself touring Asia. Although 1988 was the year Olli found his niche. He stumbled upon Koh Phangan in Thailand where he was introduced to our beloved psychedelic trance parties. "My first party changed my life, as we are the sum of our experiences and there are lots of experiences in many places for me… every experience and party touches me somehow, but it was my first party that I will never forget". It was here Olli began his spiritual journey through the world of outdoor parties and psychedelics, with his Djing kicking off, he stayed there for 2 years, building a studio and making tracks for the parties.
It was with his brother Miki in India 1994, where they originated the idea for Space Tribe clothing, they were stuck in India and short for cash so they decided to start making their own clothes and selling them at the local flea market. They moved onto Bali to sell their product while his brother was busy designing the fractal flouro party gear, which was an instant success. Miki's talents go well past clothes design, if you pick up any Space Tribe album you will find Miki's artistic talents displayed on the front. Including one of the most famous Psy-Trance covers ever created from the Album "Religious Experience" with Pope John Paul on the front ripping it up on the decks.
Although it was Goa India 1995 where the Space Tribe sound was born. Olli met (his now long time friend and creative producer) Simon Posford (Hallucinogen) and the foundation for Space Tribe was laid down, together they created some of the most innovative and forward thinking psy-trance the world has ever scene. "Sonic Mandela" was the first Space Tribe album, a collaboration of the two genius musical minds, and to this day, it's still a classic. "I still see Simon around these days… no we have not worked on anything together recently, but I seem to always catch up with him at parties all around the world".
After working with Simon, Olli, made his way down to the home of Goa-Trance, Goa Beach, where he spent for years breathing, living and taking in the world and culture of India. It was here Olli gained recognition for his production and DJ abilities and things really started moving, he received invitations to play at some of the worlds biggest psy-trance parties in Switzerland, Japan and San Francisco and occasionally making the trip back to his birth place United Kingdom, sharing the Space Tribe Sound with the world.
Since then Olli has released all his material on the "Spiritzone" record label. Having released 10 full-length albums and 7 E.P's, racing full speed ahead at least one album per year. The latest being "Heart Beat" which pushes the boundaries of the Psy-Trance sound, it seems with psychedelic music there are no boundaries.
So as we give Olli one moment to catch his breath after a huge New Years at Tribedellic and gigs around the world, and we sit and wait Tags