1200 Micrograms is an Ibiza-based Psy-Trance super-group. It comprises Psy-Trance act GMS, Psy-Trance pioneer Raja Ram and Chicago.  The quartet have been producing and performing together since 1999 and combine Full-On Psy-Trance beats with live flutes and guitars. They have released seven albums. 

Early Years: 1999 to present

1200 Micrograms is a group of two halves: one half is Sajahan Natkin and Joe Quinteros from GMS and the other is Ron Rothfield (Raja Ram) and Chicago.  Rothfield has a long pedigree in Psy-Trance, and is widely recognized as being one of the earliest Goa and Psy-Trance pioneers, including setting up one of the genre’s seminal labels, TIP Records.

Rothfield says that he came up with the concept of 1200 Micrograms whilst hallucinating on a hammock in Brazil.  He and long-time friend Chicago wanted to create a trance act that would perform live and bring a degree of colour and vibrancy to performances that they felt were lacking from the trance scene. 

In 1999 they teamed up with Natkin and Quinteros who were just starting out as Psy-Trance producers.  The four created a working relationship in which Rothfield and Chicago created album concepts which Natkin and Quinteros would then create the music for.  Rothfield and Chicago additionally provided vocal samples, and in the case of Rothfield, flute on some tracks.  When performing live Natkin and Quinteros typically generate most of the music form the rear portion of the stage while Rothfield and Chicago lead from the front with vocals and additional keyboards.

The quartet’s first studio album ‘1200 Micrograms’ (TIP.World 2002) showcased a strong focus on drug culture which remains a core part of the 1200 Micrograms brand. Each of the nine tracks on the album is named after a drug,  such as the tracks ‘Mescaline’ and ‘Ecstasy’.

Each of 1200 Micrograms' subsequent albums have followed similarly distinct themes and concepts, including ‘Heroes Of The Imagination’ (TIP.World 2003) in which each track refers to a great inventor or scientist and his creation.

Creative tensions peaked in 2006 when the band split for a while with Natkin citing concerns that he was contributing most creatively but sharing proceeds equally with the other three.  Rothfield and Chicago complained that Natkin and Quinteros didn’t always turn up for live performances. 

The quartet reformed for the release of a fourth studio album ‘Magic Numbers’ (TIP.World 2007).  The band toured Mexico in 2011.

1200 Micrograms have an unorthodox set-up which has at times led to creative tensions.  However it has also been creative and productive over the years.  The two halves of the group bring very different assets that result in an experience that is both dance floor-friendly and left-field in a way that is true to the origins of Psychedelic Trance.

Ron Rothfield (Raja Ram) was born in Australia and studied flute at the Melbourne Conservatory as well as going to study jazz in new York in 1965.  Sajahan Natkin is from Holland and Joe Quinteros is from Barcelona, Spain. They both live in Ibiza, as does Chicago.