AND lo, in the year 1968 a tribe of people known as hippy, packed their Rizlas and Grateful Dead records into their kaftan bags and descended on the Indian state of Goa. There they were to sleep on the beaches, partake of the marijuana weed and generally, try to "get their head together".
The many soon returned to suburbia, pensionable jobs and a fondness for the political philosophy of "New Labour". The few who stayed, lived in a time warped world of brown rice, free love and "Nuclear Power, No Thanks" badges. In a calamitous turn of events, these middle aged anachronisms now find themselves at the centre of the biggest youth culture explosion since Acid House. It's called Goa Trance and it goes something like this...
The clear skies, lush vegetation and dramatic sunsets of the Goa region have long since served as the backdrop for hippy beach parties. Up through the 1970s and into the 1980s, Goa became known in "underground" circles as the ideal destination for a bit of unhindered soft drug taking and night long parties. In the 1990s, the area has become over run with both young revellers and nostalgic babyboomers, thanks to travel agencies putting on charter flights from London (and indeed Dublin) for as little as £300.
The music that now pumps out from the massive sound systems on the beaches is a throwback to the hippy days - it's a form of psychedelic dance music known as Goa Trance. The drug of choice is also a throwback to the, Woodstock generation - Ecstasy is dead, LSD is everywhere.
Two recent news stories, seemingly unconnected, served as major alerts to the burgeoning status of Goa Trance. First, the Israeli government was reported to have put pressure on the Goa authorities to clamp down on the beach parties - it seems that a sizeable contingent of Israeli soldiers on R'n'R in the area, returned home unfit for army service. Second, the National Criminal Intelligence Service in Britain reported that seizures of LSD were up 45 per cent in the last 12 months. "The evidence is that people are turning away from Ecstasy in favour of LSD," a spokeswoman for the NCIS commented.
The situation in Britain is that Goa Trance is proving such a popular form of entertainment that clubs all over the country are re creating the Goa look and sound within their own four walls to satisfy demand. An exaggeration? Not if, like this reporter, you recently found yourself in the middle of 5,000 people at a Goa Trance night in a massive nightclub in south London.
The idea was to re create a hot, full moon Goa night, with the sound of the ocean crashing on to the beach and the sight of palm trees waving in the wind - needless to say, this effect was best appreciated after dropping a tab of LSD (I was told). In every corner, ultra violet light was projected on to flourescent murals of Indian religious icons and there, was the occasional sighting of a "shaman" who took it upon himself to bless the dance floor and make, sure, the "karma vibes" were just right. Neo hippy clothing in the form of tie dyed shirts and elephant flares are the order of the night.
The music is not the fast and furious sound usually associated with House music: rather, it is a succession of soft, moody and mesmeric beats over a vaguely ethnic backing. The music is called trance because that is the state you find yourself in after it has swirled around your ears for a few hours.
It's more than a safe bet that a number of people at the Goa Trance are tripping on LSD - all you have to do is listen to the conversations:
"Goa parties spread through word of mouth," says one anonymous reveller. "We were at one in a castle in Wiltshire a while back and there were thousands of people there. We painted the trees outside and just, got on with it. Just before dawn it gets really intense; then the sun comes up, the music gets lighter and you start seeing the trees and grass in a different way.
A music business executive from one of the many new record labels which release Goa Trance music describes how he came across, Goa Trance when on holidays in India three years ago. "It took me ages to get into it," he says. "It was all a bit weird and it wasn't until I dropped my first acid (LSD) and went to a party that I started feeling the grooves, and the rhythm and the bass lines. When you take acid and dance to this music you become part of the mechanics. The DJ is linked to the speakers and your movement is linked to that. The whole place becomes one. You're all on acid. If you're all on Ecstasy it's not quite the same. When you go to a good party you know everyone's tripping.
Not everyone is so hallucinogenically inclined and for many, Goa Trance is primarily a musical movement that is the latest in a roll call of great and adventurous movements, such as punk, rap and grunge. "That whole quasi religious thing about Goa is frightening," says Mike McGuire, a leading Goa Trance DJ. "I'm very sceptical about that whole let's all go to the trance church and get our crystals out and we can dance the demons out of our system thing. I can't go along with half the claptrap I hear."
Apart from this particular nightclub, there are also regular Goa nights all over London, as well as popular haunts such as Herbal Tea Party in Manchester and Space Hopper in Birmingham. Meanwhile, the word from Goa is that the area is suffering death by tourism. For three decades, Goa was a haven for quiet, dreamy, hippy dippy types who did little to draw attention to themselves. Now that the area is besieged by loud, showy, clubby types, the scene is moving on.
Not for the first time is Britain's gain. India's loss.
