Psychedelic / Acid / Space Rock
familyStarted 1965Peak 1966-1973Last big hit still active
The mind-altering wing of rock: swirling phasers, backwards tape, sitar drones, extended modal jams and reverb-drenched space. Spans the 1960s acid explosion through cosmic Krautrock pulse, heavy fuzz, garage snarl and modern stoner/shoegaze haze. Texture, repetition and disorientation matter as much as the song.
History
Emerged from mid-1960s San Francisco, London and Texas as bands chased LSD's sensory overload with studio trickery, raga drones and feedback. It split into harder, jammier and more cosmic streams across the 70s, then revived through 80s underground scenes and 90s desert and dream movements, feeding indie, stoner and shoegaze ever since.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Wikipedia: Psychedelic rock
- AllMusic: Psychedelic genre overview
- Rolling Stone
- Pitchfork