9 papers in the library · 124 citations · publishing 2009-2025
The MIT Press eBooks October 7, 2025 Graham St John 1 citation
An intellectual biography of one of the most celebrated and yet least understood figures of the late twentieth century, Terence McKenna. A stand-up philosopher who made a unique contribution to science, humanism, and the hidden arts, Terence McKenna (1946–2000) was the twentieth century’s psychedelic Renaissance man. Perfecting his rugged philosophy on the role of psychedelics in evolution,...
Dancecult November 23, 2023 Graham St John
The acid house rave scene of the early nineties sought its champions and there was no spruiker more willing, vocal and weird than Terence McKenna, a figure for whom rave was a novelty signal in a forecasted apocalypse. A slate of music collaborations with McKenna in the early nineties had one feature in common. They recorded McKenna speaking in an alien tongue. Releases with The Shamen, Space...
Anthropology of Consciousness March 1, 2018 Graham St John 13 citations
Abstract Known to produce out‐of‐body states and profound changes in sensory perception, mood, and thought, DMT (N,N‐dimethyltryptamine) is a potent short‐lasting tryptamine that has experienced growing appeal in the last decade, independent from ayahuasca, the Amazonian visionary brew in which it is an integral ingredient. Investigating user reports available online as well as a variety of...
Drogues santé et société November 13, 2017 Graham St John 4 citations
La DMT (N,N-diméthyltryptamine) est une puissante tryptamine à effet de courte durée qui a gagné en popularité au cours de la dernière décennie, indépendamment de l’ayahuasca, un breuvage visionnaire d’Amazonie dont elle est un des principaux ingrédients actifs. Réputée pour sa capacité à déclencher des expériences extracorporelles et de profondes modifications de la perception sensorielle, de...
September 1, 2016 Graham St John 47 citations
While the complexities of the global ayahuasca proliferation have drawn the attention of scholars in recent years, the cultural career of DMT (N,Ndimethyltryptamine) remains conspicuously under-researched. Most known for its role in the ayahuasca brew – where it is orally potentiated by beta-carboline harmala alkaloids contained in the liana Banisteriopsis caapi – the tryptamine compound DMT...
September 1, 2016 Graham St John 3 citations
Introduction While the complexities of the global ayahuasca proliferation have drawn the attention of scholars in recent years, the cultural career of DMT (N,Ndimethyltryptamine) remains conspicuously under-researched. Most known for its role in the ayahuasca brew – where it is orally potentiated by beta-carboline harmala alkaloids contained in the liana Banisteriopsis caapi – the tryptamine...
Dancecult 2013 Graham St John 8 citations
This article offers detailed comment on the vibe of the exiles, a socio-sonic aesthetic infused with the sensibility of the exile, of compatriotism in expatriation, a characteristic of psychedelic electronica from Goatrance to psytrance and beyond (i.e. psyculture). The commentary focuses on an emancipatory artifice which sees participants in the psyculture continuum adopt the figure of the...
Dancecult 2011 Graham St John 10 citations
Connecting three generations of music enthusiasts, Goa Gil is an imposing figure in the world of psychedelic trance. If the title of his 2007 compilation registers intent, he is a Worldbridger. Bristling with motifs of world sacred sites and appropriated "tribal" icons, with Gil seated cross-legged upon the apex of a Mayan temple, the album's cover artwork confabulates the physical, spiritual...
Dancecult 2009 Graham St John 38 citations
is article explores the religio-spiritual characteristics of psytrance (psychedelic trance), attending speci cally to the characteristics of what I call neotrance apparent within the contemporary trance event, the countercultural inheritance of the "tribal" psytrance festival, and the dramatizing of participants' "ultimate concerns" within the festival framework. An exploration of the...