GMS

psytrance

Groundbreaking psychedelic trance group Growling Mad Scientists -- Riktam (Shajahan Matkin) and Bansi (Josef Quinteros, who is originally from Barcelona)--regularly tour the world and have sold over 200,000 albums on over 150 releases. Their music pushes and blurs sonic boundaries and has inspired both producers and punters alike, making G.M.S. one of the most in-demand live electronic acts in the world. G.M.S. began when Riktam and Bansi met in high school at age 14 in Amsterdam. Both were passionate about electronic music, so the duo chose to leave school and seek their education in the club scene. We really didn't find what we really liked to do in school, says Riktam. We wanted to focus on music, so we started DJing. It just felt like the right thing to do for us. Even though they were too young to legally enter a nightclub, Riktam and Bansi began spinning at clubs in Amsterdam. On most occasions, they had to be whisked into the building's side door to avoid scrutiny by the authorities. While in the DJ booth, they'd often receive double takes from clubbers who caught a glimpse of the two teenagers rocking the dance floor. This was the early '90s and Amsterdam's club/rave scene was in its infancy, and genres like Gabber dominated the fledgling culture. Two years later, Riktam and Bansi traveled to Goa and experienced a musical epiphany. This is where we got famous, smiles Riktam. It was on this Indian paradise where the heady strains of Goa trance seeped into these 1...