Let’s Get Real

Music isn’t background noise when you’re tripping. It’s the pilot. The therapist. The mirror.

Sound doesn’t just guide you in altered states—it becomes you.

Whether you’re deep in the void, dancing in your living room, or lying still on a mat with an eye mask, the right playlist can mean the difference between a breakthrough and a breakdown.

This issue dives deep into:

• 🎶 Curated psychedelic playlists—from ceremonial to chaos-friendly

• 🔊 Modern artists shaping the sound of transformation

• 🌀 The legacy of music as medicine—from shamanic chants to rave anthems

• 📊 What our audience actually listens to when they’re flying high

🔥 Featured Playlists

Pick your path. Let the music lead.

1. Steph’s Brain Food

An ever-growing mix of mind-expanders. Perfect for long walks, introspection, and creative flow.

🎧 Listen on Spotify

2. Public Secret Journey Playlist

Built for movement, polyrhythmic grooves, and ecstatic release. Featuring sounds from the Public Secret label (co-founded by Stephanie Karzon Abrams & Max Mignot).

🎧 Listen on Spotify

🌐 More Public Secret Releases

3. Bonus Trip Visuals

A fully immersive piece of audio-visual psychedelia.

📺 Soul of a Human – BIGGER THAN US

4. MAPS Playlist

From the org that’s pioneering psychedelic therapy. A blend of ambient, emotional, and grounding tracks.

🧠 Read the story + music links

5. Hypnosonic – Torkom Ji

Layered frequencies for deep drops. Produced for internal journeys.

🎧 Listen on Spotify

6. East Forest – Music for Mushrooms

Designed as a full ceremony soundtrack. No skips.

🎧 Listen on Spotify

7. Poranguí – Antigua Kora Remixes

Indigenous roots meet modern sound.

🎧 Listen on Spotify

8–11. Curated by Kim Victoria Dudine

 • Alter Sunrise
 • Opening
 • May All Beings Shine
 • Aquarian Entrance

🎤 Leaders in Psychedelic Sound

From ancient to avant-garde, these artists are shaping the space.

Modern Sound Architects

East Forest, Jon Hopkins, Tame Impala, Still Woozy, Shpongle, Nils Frahm, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Kora

I had the chance to speak with multi-instrumentalist Cam Avery, bassist for Tame Impala, about the profound connection between psychedelics and music. 

“I think the connection between psychedelics and music starts with intention and the power of suggestion,” he reflected. “An obvious example is The Beatles and the leap between Rubber Soul and Revolver. They had no idea what LSD was, let alone its effects on the frontal lobe, so the result was very organic and of the time. They went into it with an openness—it was experimental, and the music reflected that. Innovation became the result.”

Ceremonial + Ritual Fusion

Poranguí, Deya Dova, Yaima, Danit, Tina Malia, Torkom Ji, Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance), Rameff, Gidge

Classic Mind Expanders

Phish, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Santana

These aren’t just musicians—they’re sonic explorers. Whether weaving electronic textures or reviving ancestral sounds, their music holds the power to ground, lift, and transform.

🧠 Sound & Ceremony

From Tibetan throat chants to warehouse raves, humans have always used rhythm to reconnect with something larger.

🔥 “The line between recreation and therapy is thinner than you think.”

Dance floors and ceremony spaces both offer transformation. It’s not about good or bad - it’s about intention.

The Paradise Garage. The playa at Burning Man. Ayahuasca retreats. Your bedroom with candles lit.

When we move with the music, something ancient moves through us.

🗳️ What You Told Us

We asked in a poll on Instagram and received around 1,000 replies. 

Top Songs

 • “Shine on You Crazy Diamond” – Pink Floyd
 • “Wonderwall” – Oasis
 • “Electric Feel” – MGMT
 • “Agua de Estrellas” – Danit
 • “Teardrop” – Massive Attack
 • “Tiny Dancer” – Elton John
 • “Turtles All the Way Down” – Sturgill Simpson
 • “Divine Moments of Truth” – Shpongle
 • “Time” – Pink Floyd
 • “Learning to Fly” – Pink Floyd

Top Albums

 • Dark Side of the Moon – Pink Floyd
 • Moon Safari – Air
 • Music for Mushrooms – East Forest
 • OK Computer – Radiohead
 • Jagged Little Pill – Alanis Morissette
 • Tubular Bells – Mike Oldfield
 • Blue Lines – Massive Attack
 • Lateralus – Tool
 • The Mollusk – Ween
 • Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles

Most Mentioned Artists

Pink Floyd, East Forest, Tame Impala, Radiohead, Shpongle, Grateful Dead, Bonobo, Massive Attack, Poranguí, Jon Hopkins

Thoughts from Dr. Stephanie Karzon Abrams

Isn’t All Music Psychedelic? A Quick Review of Sonic Journeys, Then and Now

In the heightened state of a psychedelic journey, music’s power is magnified. It becomes a compass, a sculptor of inner experience, a timeless language and sacred technology that connects the finite self and the infinite.  

The right playlist serves as both a map and a mirror, offering structure to the vast, uncharted territories of consciousness while reflecting the deepest truths of the self. From the shamanic drumming of Africa to the chants of Greek mysteries, music has long been a vehicle for dissolving the ego and touching the eternal. In the context of psychedelics, it fulfills a similar role, anchoring the voyager in a space that is simultaneously intimate and cosmic.

In the 20th century, bands like the Grateful Dead and Phish pioneered a new form of ceremonial music. The Grateful Dead’s live performances, characterized by extended improvisational jams, became ritualistic gatherings where audiences collectively explored altered states of consciousness. Songs like “Dark Star” and “Terrapin Station” became spiritual journeys in their own right. Phish carried this torch into the next generation, creating intricate, genre-blurring compositions like “You Enjoy Myself” and “Reba” that offered moments of euphoria, introspection, and collective celebration. Their live shows became communal rites, where the interplay between band and audience was a ceremony of spontaneity and shared energy.

Today, composer East Forest adopts a more explicitly ceremonial approach to contemporary music. His albums, such as Music for Mushrooms: A Soundtrack for the Psychedelic Practitioner, are intentionally designed to guide listeners through healing and psychedelic experiences. By fusing ambient electronic textures with grounding elements like spoken word and natural sounds, East Forest bridges the gap between modern technology and ancient traditions. In contrast, Tame Impala—the project of Kevin Parker—has become synonymous with introspection and sonic exploration. Albums like Currents and The Slow Rush blend dreamy psychedelia with cutting-edge production, crafting immersive soundscapes that invite listeners on deeply personal mental journeys.

Now, electronic music has been on a steady rise. Electronic music expands consciousness in both personal and communal ways, thanks in part to its versatility, accessibility, and ability to evoke deep emotional and somatic experiences across diverse settings—from solitary meditation to ecstatic dance floors. Artists like Nils Frahm use minimalist, emotive soundscapes to invite introspection, while Bonobo and Jon Hopkins blend rhythm and reflection to create shared dance experiences that align body and mind.

One artist who embodies the meeting point of ancient ritual and modern innovation is Poranguí. Poranguí exemplifies this fusion, blending ancestral wisdom with modern sound design to deepen the link between music, healing, and collective connection.

The Transformative Power of Music, Dance, and Psychedelics

House music, born in underground clubs, became more than just a genre—it evolved into a modern ritual of connection. On sweat-slicked dance floors, the repetitive beats and soaring melodies offered solace and liberation. Born in clubs like the Paradise Garage, where the legendary DJ Larry Levan transformed sound into sanctuary, house music became more than entertainment—it became a ritual of healing and liberation. 

Rave culture of the 1990s expanded these rituals, blending MDMA with music to deepen emotional connection and dissolve social barriers, revealing a profound sense of collective joy. Though these spaces possessed high risk potential, their therapeutic potential is undeniable.

The line between recreation and therapy is thinner than often assumed—structured therapy offers safety and introspection, while dance floors highlight joy as a healing force. The rhythm entrains the heart and breath, grounding the individual while elevating the spirit.

These moments remind us that connection and healing are accessible through movement, music, and community—powerful antidotes to a world defined by disconnection.

🎵 Final Note: This Is Just the Beginning

Sound is sacred. Always has been.

And when paired with psychedelics, it doesn’t just entertain—it heals.

We’re working on a follow-up issue dedicated to sound tables, brainwave entrainment, and sonic therapy tech. Stay tuned.

Until then, keep your headphones close and your heart open.

🎧 LIVE with East Forest — A Psychedelic Soundtrack for the Soul

On the day before Bicycle Day, we’re going beyond the blotter and straight into the soundscape, and we’re giving you the heads up before anyone else!

On April 18 at 2pm EST / 11am PST, join us live on Instagram for a deep and soulful conversation with East Forest, the visionary artist behind Music for Mushrooms — a groundbreaking new documentary exploring music’s role in psychedelic journeys.

Joined by Paul Austin of Third Wave and Ross Dillon of Psychedelics.com, this is more than an interview. It’s a look inside East’s creative process, his philosophy on music as medicine, and the true story behind the five-hour ceremony album that changed the game.

If you’ve ever tripped to East Forest’s music, this is your chance to hear from the man behind the melodies. If you haven’t, give him a listen and you’ll want to. Seriously.

📅 April 18 | 🕑 2pm EST / 11am PST
📍 @psychedelicscom on Instagram

Sound is sacred. Always has been.

And when paired with psychedelics, it doesn’t just entertain - it heals.

We’re working on a follow-up issue dedicated to sound tables, brainwave entrainment, and sonic therapy tech. Stay tuned.

Until then, keep your headphones close and your heart open.

🌿 Guidance You Can Trust

If you enjoyed this edition of the newsletter, you’ve already experienced a glimpse of her work.

Stephanie Karzon Abrams, Clin.Pharm. — the author of this issue — is a neuropharmacologist and founder of Beyond Consulting, where she drives science, strategy, and operations for organizations in the psychedelic and plant medicine sectors.

She is the Clinical Director at Modern Medicine Services, a prescriber of MDMA and psilocybin therapies in Canada under the Special Access Program, and the research director for the Microdosing Collective nonprofit.

With a background spanning neurology, intensive care, and market development at Johnson & Johnson medical device, Stephanie is a recognized leader in innovative healthcare. 

Her interests extend beyond neurology, encompassing plant medicines, women's health, and the potential of music to enhance healing. 

Beyond healthcare, she is a musician and a writer and has ventured into creating communities centered around music, philanthropy, and the fantastic world of fungi. She is also a co-creator of Public Secret, a music label and artist collective.

🔗 Explore how she can help you here!

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