🎧 The Great Psytrance Illusion: When DJs Pretend to Be Producers

By Samuel Zimmermann aka Parandroid
Audionerdz Editorial

There’s a new kind of illusionist in the psytrance scene: DJs pretending to be producers, blurring the line between curation and creation. And no—they’re not wielding synths, samplers, or secret VST chains. They’re wielding USB sticks, vague branding, and a heavy dose of strategic ambiguity.

Recently, I stumbled upon a tutorial video that left me somewhere between laughter and despair. The title? Something along the lines of “Create Ajja, Arjuna, and Giuseppe Style Leads From Any Sample.” A catchy hook—until you realize the glaring problem: Giuseppe, as in DJ Giuseppe of Parvati Records fame, has never made a lead in his life. Nor a kick, nor a bassline, nor any actual production to speak of.

This isn’t a diss. Giuseppe is a legend. A cornerstone of underground psytrance culture. But he’s a DJ and label head, not a producer. Yet here we are, with tutorials suggesting otherwise—repackaging DJ personas as sound designers, content creators, and sonic architects.

Disclaimer: Normally, we would put the video tutorial here for you to check out. To prevent spreading this misinformation, we decided not to.

🌀 The Producer-DJ Confusion Spiral

This isn’t an isolated incident. In fact, it’s becoming the norm. A sort of mass hallucination where being behind the decks automatically implies being behind the DAW. It’s particularly rampant in subgenres like Hi-Tech, where a handful of highly visible DJanes craft a deliberately ambiguous image: using “artist” as a stand-in for “producer,” letting the audience assume credit where none is due.

The result? A generation of fans—and even aspiring creators—convinced that track selection equals track creation.

This is more than just a minor detail. It’s a cultural distortion. And if we’re not careful, it risks eroding the integrity of an entire ecosystem built on sonic craftsmanship.

🔍 The Craft Gets Erased

Let’s be clear: DJing is an art. It’s a skill, and when done well, it’s pure magic. But it is not music production. The hours producers spend agonizing over modulation curves, transient shaping, harmonic layering, and mix clarity—those aren’t transferable just because someone can beatmatch or curate a wild set at 170 BPM.

When DJs are marketed (or market themselves) as “producers” without ever touching a DAW, it cheapens the work of actual creators. Even worse, it confuses audiences, who are increasingly unable to distinguish between someone who plays tracks and someone who makes them.

In the TikTok age, where a polished persona sells more than a polished track, the temptation to blur these lines is understandable—but it’s also dishonest.

💣 Why DJs Pretending to Be Producers is a Growing Issue in Psytrance

Some might say it’s harmless. Who cares if fans think their favorite DJ is also a producer? Isn’t it all part of the show?

Here’s why it matters:

• It sets false expectations for aspiring artists.

• It erodes respect for production as a craft

Imagine Gordon Ramsay reviewing a dish and people thinking he cooked it. Now imagine Gordon never having cooked, just yelling about it—loudly, and stylishly—and suddenly people are paying for his cooking classes. That’s where we are.

🌿 Let’s Re-Center the Culture

This isn’t a crusade against DJs. Some of the most powerful energies I’ve felt on a dancefloor came from selectors who knew exactly how to read a crowd and ignite a fire. But let’s stop dressing them up as producers if they’ve never actually produced.

Let DJs be DJs. Let producers be producers. Let artists be honest about what they do and what they don’t.

Psytrance—and electronic music as a whole—has always been about authenticity. About pushing boundaries. About crafting soundscapes that defy explanation. If we let performance outshine production, illusion replace substance, and clout override craft, we lose something vital.

And honestly? The scene deserves better than that.