DJ Format's Psych Out

DJ Format’s Psych Out is a compilation of records from around the world that Format WISHES he could play at clubs every weekend. Some of the tracks are hard to categorise…kind of psychedelic, kind of funky, kind of crazy…but most have unmistakable blend of distorted electric guitars, driving basslines and pounding drums. Maybe you didn’t think it was possible for “Foxy Lady” to be played any harder…but 49th Blue Streak did it. “Hava Nagila” never really seemed likely to lend itself to a psychedelic reworking…but The Quests from Singapore thought differently. In Germany, The CT Four Plus did away with boring tradition and instead praised God with their electric guitars. Advertising executives in France thought it best to spread the word of their new chocolate bar by commissioning the Bana Pop Band to make a cool 7″ flexi disc record. These are just a few examples of how the boundaries of music were being pushed in the late ’60s & early ’70s when most of these exciting recordings were made.

In DJ Format’s own words:

The idea for this compilation came about because of my search for a rare psych/funk 7″ that isn’t even included here! My friend DJ Oneofakind played me the said record and I totally lost my mind. Some months later after a lot of asking around and searching online, a copy turned up on Discogs.com for a painful amount of money. I contacted the seller to ask a couple of questions and it turned out I was talking to Jake Holloway, BBE’s in-house designer. I’d loosely known Jake for a few years through mutual friends so we quickly arranged a time to meet and take care of business. Jake told me he’d offered the 7″ to a few other DJ/collector friends but they’d passed on it as it was ‘too heavy’ for them. This got us talking about my love for psych records with a funky slant and I explained my frustration at buying so many records that fit that description, that were ‘too heavy’ to play at my typical DJ gigs. Jake had the perfect solution: “why don’t you do a compilation of funky, fuzzed-out psych stuff for BBE?”.

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