Tips For Creating Your Psychedelic Playlist – Part 2

In Part 1, we discussed how to set up the first half of your playlist in a way that matches the progression of your trip. The ideal playlist should last at least 6-8 hours, until you are somewhat functional again, can pick songs easily yourself, or you can move onto another activity. Part 2 offers suggestions for how to continue your playlist from the peak, until when you feel a playlist is no longer necessary for your trip.

Add Some Easy Filler

There are some songs (Shine, Fury, Anything For You) which create such a full-body experience, you may find yourself getting tense and exhausted from listening to too many of your favorite songs in a row. For this reason, you can add “filler” songs, that aren’t particularly meaningful or evocative, yet keep a pleasant tone to keep your trip running smoothly. If you use Apple Music to create your playlist, I suggest finding something from their “Spa” or “Yoga” playlists to give yourself a few minutes mental break before plunging into another universe-exploding song.

Feel Free to Repeat Your Favorite Songs

There are some truly wonderful songs out there, such as “Anything For You” by Puggy, that can make you feel as if the gates of heaven have opened for you, and the entire universe is here to welcome your arrival. It’s okay to recreate this feeling several times during your trip. In fact, if you are prone to bad trips, picking only the songs that make you feel blissful might be the safest route, even if you have the same 5-10 on repeat for hours.

Try Taking On An Entire Album

If you’d like to give your trip a certain color or flavor, or if you’re trying to explore a certain idea, it maybe be worthwhile to find an album and add the entire thing to your playlist. Many albums, such as Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” are famous for being played on LSD. We’ve done this with “Simulation Theory” by Muse, though we do find “Thought Contagion” to be troubling when played around the peak.

Songs That Evoke Strong Feelings

Many of these evoke bliss, but some may challenge you to feel other emotions, such as empathy for the world, or even loneliness. Some of these songs may be better suited as you’re coming down, if you’re not up for a challenge near your peak.

• The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade – The Joy Formidable
• Giving Up The Gun – Vampire Weekend
• Explorers – Muse
• Mercy – Muse
• The Void – Muse
• Unintended – Muse

Songs That Trigger Visual Imagery

These songs may not be your favorite, but something in them tickles your brain in a way that makes you see strong patterns.

• Rill Rill – Sleigh Ride
• Swans – Camera Obscura

Exploring New Worlds

Sometimes it’s nice to disappear into a song for a while, let it take you on a journey.

• Farewell Ferengistan – Banco de Gaia
• Heliopolis (Frameworks’s Floating In Space Mix) – Banco de Gaia
• Exogenesis Symphony Pt 1 – Muse
• Exogenesis Symphony Pt 2 – Muse
• Exogenesis Symphony Pt 3 – Muse

Techno/Electronica/Dance

Even if you don’t normally listen to this genre, there’s a reason it’s played at raves and clubs: these songs sound great under the influence.

• Interlude – Chad Valley
• Shell Suite – Chad Valley
• Source – Fever the Ghost
• South Side – Moby
• Vignette – Shallou
• Silhouettes (feat. Vancouver Sleep Clinic) – Shallou
• Outer Sunset – Tycho
• Cream on Chrome – Ratatat
• Supreme – Ratatat

Songs That Challenge

These songs may evoke a feeling you’re not comfortable with, and want to explore more. Perhaps you’ve been delaying grief, or weren’t sure how to feel about an interaction you’ve had with someone. Maybe there’s a part of the song that makes you feel weird and uncomfortable. These songs may be better for the later part of your trip, perhaps as you’re starting to come down, and have a moment to reflect on things.

• Chad Valley – Reach Lines
• The Void – Muse
• Svefn-G-Englar – Sigur Rós
• Staralfur – Sigur Rós
• Porcelain – Moby
• Save Me – Muse
• MK Ultra – Muse

Nostalgia and Cheer

Sometimes it’s good to wind down your trip with some comfort music. Maybe from your childhood, or a happy memory. Or maybe it’s just a song you like, but it doesn’t really fit anywhere else in the playlist.

• Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
• Something Human – Muse
• Happy – Pharrell Williams
• What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
• Rainbow Connection – Kermit
• Horchata – Vampire Weekend
• Life on Mars? – David Bowie
• Space Oddity – David Bowie
• No Surprises – Radiohead
• Exit Music (For a Film) – Radiohead
• Possibility – Lykke Li
• Fade Into You – Mazzy Star

Return to Samsara

Maybe you’ve come down now, you’re not seeing any visuals, but you still don’t like the uncomfortable silence. We unwind by playing the first two from the playlist again, then get some sleepy songs going. And if sleeping’s still too hard, the last song plays soothing tones for 10 hours straight!

• Cherry – Ratatat
• Beethoven’s 7th Symphony – 2nd Movement – Allegretto
• (Nice Dream) – Radiohead
• When You Dream – Barenaked Ladies
• Goodnight Laura – Spoon
• Weightless (10 Hour Version) – Marconi Union

We’ve hope some of our song suggestions have helped, and you’ve had a wonderful experience. If you have song or album suggestions, feel free to comment them below.