TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
Astral ProjectionAstral Projection are a hugely influential Israeli Goa / Psy-Trance group.  Producing since 1995 and with ten albums to their name, Astral Projection’s productions and live shows helped shape the Goa / Psy Trance scene and genre, and have influenced countless DJs and producers.  Their singles have appeared on numerous mix compilations and in the mixes of some of the world’s biggest trance DJs.
Astral Projection scales of success
Astral Projection timeline
'Kabalah (New Age Mix)'
(Transient Records 1997)
'Trust In Trance'
(TIP Records 1996)
The Fridge,
Brixton, UK

Early Years: 1995 to 1999

Avi Nissim and Lior Perlmutter first met as children at primary school and they both went on to make early starts to their music careers. Perlmutter started playing synths aged 11 and by 13 was producing under the alias Paradox while Nissim was by this stage already DJing.  The pair first worked together in 1989 and formed the act SFX, scoring their first domestic Israeli hit two years later with ‘Monster Mania’ (Music Man Records 1991).

Nissim and Perlmutter started work on a SFX album but put it on hold to move to New York. Nissim returned and teamed up with Yan-Iv Haviv and Guy Sabbag to release the single ‘Another World’ (Pyramyd 1993) as SFX.  Perlmutter also released a single as SFX while in the US: ‘J.B.I.E.’ (X-Rave Records 1992).

Nissim returned to Israel and the four teamed up together and formed the Trust In Trance label. The group started out playing live gigs at Israeli underground clubs and in 1994 they released their first compilation album (including some original tracks): ‘Trust In Trance’ (Outmosphere Records 1994). Next Sabbag left and the three remaining members rebranded and finally Astral Projection was born.

In 1995 the trio set up their first professional studio and the first Astral Projection single was to prove to be a genre defining masterpiece: ‘Mahadeva’ (Smart Records Copenhagen 1995).  Goa Trance had started to emerge out the spacier end of Acid House in the early nineties, driven by artists such as Juno Reactor and Man With No Name and coalesced around beach parties in Goa.  Here it incorporated much of the hippy culture from long-term Westerner inhabitants.  Many Israeli’s doing national service in the military took vacations in Goa and Astral Projection were among the first in a long tradition of Israelis playing a key role in shaping Goa / Psy-Trance.   ‘Mahadeva’s driving bass, bouncing bass, squelching acid lines and eastern sounding arpeggios set it up to be an instant classic that still stands as one of the genre’s finest moments.

In 1996 they released the first Astral Projection album ‘The Astral Files’ which they issued on their own newly formed label Trust In Trance Records.  The trio produced intensely over the subsequent months, releasing their second studio album later the same year: ‘Trust In Trance’ (TIP Records 1996).  The album was a Goa Trance tour-de-force and included the hypnotic ‘People Can Fly’ (TIP Records 1996). A computer animation video was made for ‘People Can Fly’ and it was played widely on MTV and other TV stations over Europe. 

Trust In Trance’ also included a track called ‘Kabalah’ which was reworked and released with a Goa Mix and a New Age Mix.  The New Age Mix picked up where ‘Mahadeva’ had left off, mixing driving acid bass, a thumping kick drum and eastern sounding leadlines.  It was another milestone in the evolution of Goa Trance and was licensed to numerous compilations including Paul Oakenfold’s seminal ‘Perfecto Flouro’ (Perfecto 1996).
Playing live sets had always been a key part of what Astral Projection was about and in 1996 they played over 30 live shows across the globe. 
By 1997 a change took place in the Astral Projection line-up, with Haviv leaving to pursue other projects. But instead of losing momentum the remaining duo went on to produce the most successful Astral Projection album to date ‘Dancing Galaxy’ (Ganesha 1997).

In 1999 Astral projection released their fifth studio album ‘Another World’ (Velvet Inc. 1999) and remixed Faithless’ ‘God Is A DJ’ (a remix which was played heavily by top tier DJs such as Paul Oakenfold.)

'Liquid Sun'
(Automatic Records 2000)
'Ten'
(Phonokol 2004)

Later Years: 2000 to present

In 2000 Astral Projection released a live mix compilation ‘In The Mix’ (Trust In Trance Records 2000) which effectively served as a greatest hits, including a combination of a few new tracks, remixes of old tracks and the remainder made up of old classics.

Throughout the early noughties Astral Projection continued to release a steady flow of singles and albums including their ninth studio album confusingly entitled ‘Ten’ (Phonokol 2004).  After this though the activity slowed.  To date there has been no further album other than a compilation mix album in 2005 ‘Back to Galaxy’ (Trust In Trance Records 2005) and no singles at all in 2007 and 2008. 

In 2010 the pair broke from tradition releasing a slow tempo, electro vocal house track ‘Joy’ (Trust In Trance Records 2010) featuring Roy Sela on vocals.  Bemused fans though were encouraged to see a return to driving Psy-Trance in the shape of another 2010 single ‘One’ (Finetool 2010).

In 2011 Astral Projection released the ‘Open Society E.P.’ (Trust In Trance Records 2011) which they explained was intended as a taster of a forthcoming album of the same name.   When / if it is released ‘Open Society’ will be Astral Projection’s first studio album in seven years.  However the project has been in the works for a long time, originally slated for an early 2008 release before being pushed back to September 2008, then 2009 , then 2010 and now 2011.

Astral Projection have been one of the single most important acts in the evolution of Goa and Psy-Trance.  They were one of the first wave of Israeli Psy-Trance artists, laying the foundations for a vibrant Israeli scene that is effectively the epicentre of Psy-Trance today.  Form the mid to late nineties Astral Projection released numerous singles and albums that helped shape not just Goa / Psy-Trance, but trance as a whole. After such an intense period of creative activity it is unsurprising that recent years have been relatively quiet for Astral Projection, particularly the Psy-Trance scene has started to move in a different direction that is less tied to its Goa (and Astral Projection) origins and influences.

Avi Nissim and Lior Perlmutter met at primary school.