Category Archives: Trance

The upcoming house music artist from RomeAlfredo Magriniis the essential vitamin that the industry needs to survive. He brings a new songI Need You (Original Mix).

The trailblazing Trance music artistAlfredo Magriniis back with a new addition to his superfly discography and he loves to call itI Need You (Original Mix). The latest music release is out on Youtube right at the beginning of March. Produced by a set of quintessential music producers including Made 2 Dance, and Blanco Y Negro, the track has not spared any place without leaving the impression of unique versatility in myriad ways. The upcoming Future House musician is flooding the market with this new addition to his milestone index. He creates colorful daub that draws on the dub sounds when they collide with the world of psychedelic rhythms.

Alfredo Magrinigives out a great show with his desirable melodic House music presented in the new music releaseI Need You (Original Mix)on Youtube. Mask your La La Land with the heavily infectious Deep House rhythms saturating this wild track. Its emotive chords and choppy futuristic beats showcase his diversity in the new musicality. With loose percussion, he adds cosmic vibes to the deftly composed grooves. The energy he infused in the trippy verses is insane. He implements the mania of skyward synth hooks to pick up the pace of the overall beguiling Trance melodies.

The uprising indie artist proves that he is scaling up his authentic versatility beyond the generic need with the edge-cutting sound of the new dance track. The audience must crack the dance floor with the crazy, dark hooks he plays with the rising synth waves. Follow him onSpotify, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more music.

Visit to hear this song I Need You (Original Mix):

Hughes Nelson is a contributing writer for Daily Music Roll. He also runs few other blogs, where he analyzes pop, hip-hop, and other music too seriously. Hughes reviews the music on daily basis and magnanimously indulges, encourages, and even participates in music discussion worldwide.

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Alfredo Magrini brings dynamic tunes to the new EDM scene with his crushing track 'I Need You (Original Mix)' - Daily Music Roll

Its the gig that got everyone talking when it was announced last week and the lineup is now out for the epic Noughty 90s festival in Newcastle.

Set to take over Leazes Park over August Bank Holiday weekend, the two day event is going to be one serious summer throwback as organisers unite a whole host of acts, many responsible for some massive hits from the 90s and 00s on one stage.

Interest in the ChronicleLive story on Noughtys festival has been huge with the Facebook post on it attracting thousands of comments, with people excitedly tagging their friends in as we all hope for a much brighter and bigger summer after a dismal 12 months for the entertainment industry and country as a whole.

The lineup for Noughty 90s is like a whos who of the Mobo Awards from back in the day mixed with the best Clubland compilation ever and back copies of Smash Hits magazine.

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On the Saturday, August 28, youll have more than '21 seconds' to catch So Solid Crew stars Romeo and Lisa Maffia as they take to the Leazes Park.

With a little bit of luck (see what we did there!) theyll be joined by chart smashing garage double act DJ Luck and MC Neat, while therell be shouts of bo selecta when Artful Dodger do their thing.

Sweet Female Attitude, the duo responsible for eternal classic Flowers, will also be there and therell be chants of were lovin lovin lovin it filling the Newcastle sky as so will Pied Piper.

Things get slightly cheesier the following day on Sunday, August 29 when pop heavyweights steal the spotlight.

Peter Andre will be belting out classics like Mysterious Girl and Flava while S Club will be hoping to prove their STILL aint no party like an S Club Party and 5ive will be hoping to keep everyone movin.

Other big names from pop past lined up to entertain include East 17, Outhere Brothers and Atomic Kitten, while fans of 90s and 00s dance will be well catered for as N-Trance, Nightcrawlers, Berri, Phats & Small, Ultrabeat, DJ Sammy and Ian Van Dahl are also on the bill.

You can see the lineups for each day in full in the pictures above.

Tickets for Noughty 90s Festival are on sale now from Skiddle.

A weekend ticket will cost you 55.24 (including fees). Saturday tickets are available for as little as 22.25, with Sunday only tickets currently at 38.74.

VIP options are also available.

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Noughty 90s festival Newcastle lineup revealed including Peter Andre, S Club, 5ive and N-Trance - Chronicle Live

I Need You by Alfredo Magrini is the ultimate deep house anthem of this season, filled with intricate bars and exciting, warm melodies setting the mood instantly.

The genre of deep house has survived for decades for its ability to present the audience with blissful and refreshing sound adventures. While some are slower, moodier, there are some that sound like the perfect club-bangers, and then comes those that drive with the uniqueness of both the categories to fully enthrall the listener. Driving with one such uncommon trait, artist Alfredo Magrini has consigned to warm up the mood with his addictive and playful rhythms that require hours of revisiting. Coming from Rome, the artist has been enjoying the spotlight for quite some time for his unique mix of deep house, future house, trance, and Afrohouse music.

I Need You is the latest music video dropped by the musician in which he has let his creative freedom act as the anchor of the record. The level of energy, enthusiasm, and unpredictability the artist has infused in his record completely stuns the listener and prepares them for the other good things they can expect from the artist in the future. The song is driven by the artists unique artistic vision and combines some brilliant deep house, future house, and trance melodies that demonstrate his faultless musicality. The artist has beautifully united the intensity, warmth, and depth of the genres to create something stunningly groovy, uplifting the mood at every instance.

Alfredo Magrini is a producer who follows his heart to create sound and his magnetic style makes his creations even more compelling and infectious. The latest record I Need You progresses with a haunting soundscape and is impactful enough to mark him as a top-quality music composer in todays musical landscape. His music is undeniably experimental and pulls out the best of the genres to treat the audience with the very best. Hear the artist on YouTube and Spotify, and follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook for more details.

Listen to I Need You on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O7mEcdYjE0

Charles Edward is a writer and musician from New York City. He publishes various poems and writes songs for his band.He is one of the leading members of a New based Rock band. He also does reviews in Daily Music Roll and writes music blog posts.

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'I Need You' by Alfredo Magrini is everything you need to hear to get your soul grooving to the best of Future House music - Daily Music Roll

A 54-year-old man received a two-year jail term with the final year suspended at Clonmel Circuit Court last week for harassing a 10-year-old-boy by following him and making a suspicious approach to him in a county Tipperary town.

Judge Patrick Meghan imposed the sentence on Michael Davis with an address at Shortallstown, Dunnamaggin, county Kilkenny, who was found guilty following a trial in late February last year of harassing the boy at a location in county Tipperary on March 25, 2016, contrary to the 1997 Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act.

The father-of-three had pleaded not guilty to the harassment offence but accepted the trial jurys verdict.

As he sentenced Mr Davis, Judge Meghan concluded that the defendant engaged in persistent following of the boy and he considered his approach to the child in a field constituted an element of grooming.

The court heard the incident had a profound impact on the victim, who changed from being an outgoing child to one who suffered nightmares and lost his trust in adults. His parents rejected Mr Davis offer of 12,000 compensation.

The finalisation of the sentencing of Mr Davis was delayed for a year because of difficulties in producing a psychiatric report and updated probation service report on Mr Davis due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the start of the sentencing hearing, a detective garda, who investigated the case, reshowed CCTV footage evidence from the trial.

It showed Mr Davis following the boy around a shop and speaking to him at the sweets section and showed him following the boy out of the shop and around the back of the shop. CCTV also showed the boy going to a neighbouring housing estate. Mr Davis returned to his BMW car and drove around the estate.

The court heard Mr Davis then followed the boy on foot when the child crossed the main road and went to a local field.

Mr Davis approached the boy in the field and spoke to him but the child ran to a woman in another part of the field, who was a friend of his mother. The court heard the entire incident lasted 27 minutes.

The court also heard that another court prosecution against Mr Davis is pending and relates to an offence that occurred in October 2016.

Defence barrister David Bulbulia BL said his client accepted the jurys verdict last year and expressed remorse over the distress he caused the boy during his garda interviews and before the jurys verdict in the trial. He had always been horrified that he caused the child distress.

Following the trial, Mr Davis offered to pay 12,000 compensation as a token of his remorse to the victim but it was rejected by the boys family. The victims family still didnt wish to accept this money but it remained available to them or to be donated to an appropriate charity as part of the sentence.

His client had felt an abiding sense of shame when he was brought away in the prison van after the trial last year.

He was ashamed of himself and realised that nobody but himself had put him in the back of the prison van; somewhere he never expected to be.

Mr Davis was remanded in custody for two weeks following the conclusion of the trial but then granted bail and complied with all the bail conditions set at that time.

The barrister pointed out that his client hadnt come to the adverse attention of the garda since October 2016 and had never been in trouble in his life before the incident for which he was now being sentenced.

Mr Bulbulia outlined that a psychologists report prepared on his client last year linked a childhood trauma Mr Davis suffered when he accidentally shot and seriously injured his brother when he was about 14-years-old to his behaviour on this occasion.

The court had requested the psychiatrists report to advise further on any connection between the two events.

This psychiatric report was now before the court and it endorsed the psychologists conclusion that there was a link between Mr Davis behaviour on March 25, 2016 and the childhood trauma, which his client never properly addressed until he was arrested and sought help.

Mr Bulbulia said the psychiatrists explanation for Mr Davis behaviour on that day was that he was in the throes of a highly distressing mental state. This may account for some of what he did on that occasion.

In relation to his clients risk of re-offending, the barrister argued that Mr Davis has now taken steps to deal with the deep underlying scar caused by what happened when he was 14-years-old and the psychiatrist, in her report, acknowledged the steps he had taken since the beginning of the investigation to get to the bottom of this by undergoing therapy.

Mr Bulbulia addressed what he described as the elephant in the room. He submitted there was no evidence in this case of Mr Davis having a sexual motivation or agenda.

He noted the DPP didnt direct that his client be prosecuted for any offence or attempted offence of a sexual nature nor did the DPP direct a prosecution for attempted abduction or grooming.

This was an harassment prosecution and he appealed to the court to bear that firmly in mind when sentencing Mr Davis.

In relation to the gravity of the offence, Mr Bulbulia pointed out there was no suggestion the boy had been a target of interest for any period of time. It was a once-off incident.

The DPP directed the case was suitable to be dealt with in the District Court if the defendant pleaded guilty. His client opted for a trial, as was his right. The barrister stressed he was in no way suggesting that this wasnt a deeply distressing incident for the injured party.

He placed the offence at the upper level of the lower end of the scale of gravity for harassment cases. He cited cases prosecuted before the courts that related to very nasty, depraved and prolonged offending that represented the highest end of the scale in making this assessment.

Mr Bulbulia also argued this prosecution has already had significant collateral consequences for his client irrespective of the penalty the court imposed.

Mr Davis had held a very senior management position in one of the largest companies in the country and had lost this job. He was currently employed but earning a fraction of what he previously earned.

His marriage had also ended. He now had a very serious Circuit Court conviction that will follow him for the rest of his life.

The barrister appealed to the court to take into account Mr Davis very significant efforts to rehabilitate in imposing sentence.

Judge Meghan highlighted a paragraph of the psychiatrists report which described Mr Davis as having been in a trance like state that he came out of when he spoke to the boy in the field.

But the evidence of the woman the boy ran to in the field was that when she called him, the defendant disappeared and she next saw him down by the main road.

The point I am raising is that he ran away, supposedly coming out of a trance-like state. Wouldnt it be more likely for him to say, what is happening, I am sorry, the judge asked.

Mr Bulbulia responded that this portion of the witness statement was the subject of cross examination during the trial. He didnt think Mr Davis accepted that he ran away.

Judge Meghan replied that this looked to him to be deliberate rather than trance-like behaviour.

In imposing sentence, the judge said he must first consider the aggravating factors of the case and these were the age of the victim, the impact of the incident on the child and the evidence of how Mr Davis followed him in the shop and from the shop into the nearby housing estate and to a field. He characterised Mr Davis approach to the child in the field as an element of grooming. The child ran from the scene to the woman.

The whole episode from entering the shop took 27 minutes. There was persistent following during this period by the defendant.

Judge Meghan noted the incidents profound effect on the victim.

He recalled the victim impact statement from his parents detailed how he was an outgoing boy prior to this incident but his world turned upside down after it.

He suffered from nightmares, he lost trust in adults, his school work went downhill, his participation in sport became non-existent and he stopped going to the shop.

The mitigating factors were that while Mr Davis denied the allegation, he didnt obstruct the investigation. He apologised and expressed remorse and offered 12,000 compensation, which was rejected by the victims parents.

Alongside this, there was no violence or earlier surveillance or targeting of the boy and Judge Meghan accepted the defendant felt ashamed.

He concluded the appropriate sentence was two years imprisonment and he suspended one year of the jail term on condition he kept the peace and attend counselling while in prison and come under the supervision of the probation service. The judge made an order directing that Mr Davis stay away from and not communicate in any way with the victim for 11 years.

He refused Mr Bulbulias application requesting a deferral of the commencement of the prison sentence to allow his client time to put his affairs in order such as notifying his employer. But he gave Mr Davis credit for the two weeks in custody he served following the trial last year.

Judge Meghan finally praised the garda for their very good detective work in investigating this case and two civilian witnesses who were of great assistance during the trial.

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Man (54) jailed for harassing boy he persistently followed in a county Tipperary town - TipperaryLive.ie

'I may do 300 films in my life, I dont know, but this will be the landmark film in my head, because it changed me, it made me who I am at this moment.'

Parineeti Chopra registered her presence early on in her career with Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, Ishaqzaade and Shuddh Desi Romance. Then, she tasted blockbuster success with Golmaal Again, in 2017, and Kesari in 2019, but there were misses too, including Kill Dil, Meri Pyaari Bindu, Jabariya Jodi among few others and that made her look for newer content. When she was offered The Girl On The Train, a psychological mystery thriller in which she plays a complex, intense woman, and a murder suspect struggling with grief and alcoholism, Chopra knew that this was the time to get out of the comfort zone.

The Girl On The Train co-stars Aditi Rao Hydari, Avinash Tiwary and Kirti Kulhari among others, and is an official Hindi adaptation of Paula Hawkins bestseller about gender battles and domestic violence, which was also adapted by Hollywood in 2016, starring Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett and Justin Theroux. The latest re-telling (Directed by Ribhu Dasgupta) that drops on Netflix on 26 February is the story of Meera Kapoor (played by Chopra), a lawyer with a dark past and a broken marriage who begins to fixate on the perfect life of a couple she sees in their home while on her daily commute in a train. The film was shot in a two-month start-to-finish schedule in London in late 2019.

The film, Chopra says, has given her a new understanding of her career. I may do 300 films in my life, I dont know, but this will be the landmark film in my head, because it changed me, it made me who I am at this moment. It was not just acting, I was doing something else. I had gone into a trance, she says.

Now after reading a script if I feel the role is too hard for me then I will grab it. Earlier I was literally saying yes to any film coming my way. Then it became repetitive and I didnt realise that and by then two to three years had passed, so now I am glad that I have gotten this awakening, Chopra further adds.

While most actors prefer to not watch the source material while making a film thats been adapted before, Chopra used visual references as the starting point. Meera is a very intense, traumatised, alcoholic woman and has so many layers to her but for me, I used the visual references as the starting point because I wanted to pitch the alcoholism right. I didnt want to do that filmy drunk acting. So while discussing with the director I would ask him what scenes he had in mind, what was the pitch he was looking at and I wouldnt watch the whole scene, I would watch just for a couple of seconds to get the tone and take it from there. So our job was to make it our own, right from adapting it was made for Hindi audiences and all of us were cast.

She furthers, The challenge was us against ourselves, we had to be better than the previous film, we had to surprise and shock and wanted to do something new. That was an exciting challenge and the reason I did the film was that challenge. Tell Chopra that Emily Blunt reportedlydranka few pegs before the scenes, and the actress laughs saying, I am very impressed with her then because if I did the same I wouldnt have been able to focus and work properly.

For Ribhu Dasgupta, the challenge obviously was to adapt material that was not Indian. It is always tricky. But as long as you have your own voice, your own take then it is pretty much a scriptwriting process and your version that you want to write from the top again. You have to own the film, says the director.

Parineeti Chopra in a still from The Girl On The Train. Image from Twitter

Aditi Rao Hydari says that despite her character being adapted from Megan Hipwell in the Hollywood original, she has a lot more going on around her in the film, and it was the way the story has been re-told that got her excited to play Nusrat, the girl on the balcony. I have seen the film but not read the book. Earlier I felt: what I will do in the film? Because it is about this girl on the train and it is through her eyes but I liked the way the director has brought different characters together and retold the story through Meeras eyes. Also, it was a nice break for me in the midst of doing many hectic love stories in the south, she says.We are telling a story of a girl who is traumatised, dejected, she has seen this girl in the balcony and you put Aditi there and it changes everything. Aditi was always Nusrat for me, adds Dasgupta.

Incidentally, Chopras co-star Avinash Tiwary is not a big fan of the Hollywood film and he makes sure to drive the point across but he agreed to do the film because he loved the script and the way Dasgupta fleshed out each character. Ribhu and I have a certain way of working. In 2013 we collaborated on the Hindi series Yudh where we hardly spoke to each other. He trusts me that I would deliver and I trust him in giving me the right direction. It has been the same with this film as well. He has coloured the characters differently. My part is very interesting and when you watch it you would understand why I wanted to do it, said Tiwary, who was last seen in Netflixs Bulbbul.

If it wasnt for the pandemic, The Girl on the Train would have released in theatres last summer. The film is the fourth title for Tiwary on Netflix and while he believes that there are many pros of OTT, it is the big screen where he wants to be. Take out time and watch me in the theatre and allow me to create an impact and that is my personal desire. I would always want to come in theatres but this is the first time that our industry, our filmmakers and artistes have had an opportunity to create a global audience and we should take advantage of it, said Tiwary.

Hydari chimes in, There are good films and there are not so good films and whether you see physical box office cash or it is virtual love, I feel both are valid and important. At the end of the day, you want to make timeless films that live beyond your years where people love you for them and they take you home with them regardless of the medium.

The pressure is the same for Chopra whether OTT or theatre. Because the goal with this film was always to surprise and win peoples heart. I thought about the box office number a little less, for me it is still about this film making an impact. So I feel it is the perfect home watch where people will watch as per their own convenience. I am dying to hear the feedback. It is important that we understand today that cinemas and theatrical release are not what they used to be a year ago, till then we can bring our films out and the audience can watch it, Chopra concludes.

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Parineeti Chopra on The Girl On The Train: It will b..rk film; I wasnt just acting, I had gone into a trance - Firstpost

The Disco Biscuitswill return to MarylandsFrederick Fairgroundson April 23rd and 24th for a two-night run of drive-in shows, the band announced on Monday. These concerts will see the trance-fusion pioneers return to Showtime at the Drive-Infollowing a drive-in show at the venue on October 25th, 2020 during their fall drive-in tour.

This announcement comes following the bands previously-revealed socially distant concert plans in Florida and Tennessee. March 25th and 26th will see The Disco Biscuits perform at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Front Yardin Orlando, FL, after which the band will travel to Pelham, TN the following weekend for a pair of shows at The Caverns Above Ground Amphitheatreon April 2nd and 3rd.

Related: The Disco Biscuits Aron Magner Channels Brian Eno, Mickey Hart On Meditative EP, The Ambient Mode [Stream]

Tickets for The Disco Biscuits return to Showtime at the Drive-In at Marylands Frederick Fairgrounds go on sale Friday, March 5th at 10 a.m. ET. A presale begins on Wednesday, March 3rd at 10 a.m. ET and is accessible using the promo code showtime. Click here for tickets for the 23rd and here for the 24th.

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The Disco Biscuits Announce Drive-In Shows At Frederick, MD Fairgrounds - Live for Live Music

PHOTO:Grant Cai

In her book "Addiction by Design," anthropologist Natasha Schll shows how slot machines manage to put users in a special state of consciousness, where worries, fears and awareness of the environment and themselves disappear.

She describes a special different level of consciousness that is actually the real reward from the game, a kind of trance state that allows for disconnection from the here and now, while awareness of time, place and even the sense of self disappear altogether. The common phrase given by gamblers to describe this situation is "the nothingness zone."

Interviews with heavy gamblers reveal that while they are playing in the casino, time stands still. Heavy gamblers who smoke say they find themselves lighting one cigarette after another and without noticing, it turns to ashes. This suggests that from our brain perspective, the playing is more rewarding than a cigarette in injecting dopamine into our brain. The same neurotransmitter that produces a sense of pleasure in us.

One of the most common concepts among app designers is TOD (time on device). They realized that to keep people engaged as long as possible, it is not necessary to excite or create a mental challenge, but to maintain a hypnotic flow of activity.

In the past, both the casino and the games were filled with loud sounds and lights. Today the focus is on building an intimate, acoustically adapted environment that will not provoke the system too much and thus allow a gradual entry into a trance state.

Apps also mimic the reward mechanisms in our minds. Touch screens are programmed to respond differently depending on the type of action, with vibration, sound and lights. Receiving feedback in response to an action encourages repetitive, if not compulsive, behavior. Just like interacting with a slot machine you pull the handle and get reinforcement, and the machine responds with lights and sounds. Expecting the reward triggers the obsessive repetition.

One of the amazing stories in this regard is that gamblers who suffer from severe pain stop feeling the pain as soon as they start playing, and the pain returns immediately with the loss of the last penny. If we were under the impression that the reward of gambling is the thrill or opportunity to earn big, it is clear that the real attraction is the ability to be in the nothingness zone.

All this does not happen by chance. The casino and our mobile phones are designed in such a way that will draw players (and users) to spend hours and even whole days in the casino. The music, the atmosphere, the fact that there are no windows or clocks, the carefully chosen colors and the close analysis of the behavioral patterns of the guests each element is carefully designed to make sure that you are drawn into the game. These principles have been copied to dating apps, social networks and mobile games, where they have been perfected to reach the state of the art.

Related Article: Why They Click: The Psychology of Your Audience

Not only is a mobile device designed based on the same principles of a slot machine, it also allows the same disconnection from the environment, the same coveted nothingness area. We don't access social networks, smartphone games or even dating apps like Tinder out of a desire to take part in the activities, catch up with friends or find a date. The reward comes from the change in mental state, the disconnection from the here and now provided by the monotonous scroll in the feed downward (or sideways in the case of Tinder) in a motion reminiscent of moving the gambling handle while the content continues to change like the drums in the slot machine.

Have you noticed that people have been daydreaming less lately? One of the basic functions of daydreaming is to allow our brain to reset and relax, to take a break from the stimuli in the physical environment. Today it is no longer needed. Every time we enter our mobile device, we provide our brains with this desired break from reality.

Mobile interaction does not require mental investment, thought or intention. A unique activity pattern characterizes our brains on social networks. This unique brain activity differs from the activity that characterize a state of relaxation, stress or any other state of alertness. The condition is known as flow high emotional involvement without investing resources.

Related Article: Why Is Starbucks so Successful Despite Its Mediocre Coffee?

One way to sweep the user away, to immerse them in this state of flow, is to remove the stopping cues that signal to the brain when it's time to move on to the next activity. Although they do not seem significant and most of us do not notice their existence, stopping cues fulfill a significant function in our lives.

The alarm clock is the first hint that informs us that it is time to get up and start the day. We feel tired when its dark outside because the body releases a hormone calledmelatonin, signaling that its time to go to sleep, and when the plate is empty we understand that the lunch break is over.

Related Article: Technology Addiction's Impact Grows, Both In and Out of the Workplace

In casinos and in the digital world, there are no stopping cues. The casino has no windows or clocks, while in the digital world mobile alerts, news updates, emails keep coming. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are designed so the content never stops, thus causing us to consume content non-stop.

Immediately after finishing an episode on Netflix, the next episode begins, which leads to the difficulty of disconnecting from the screen (aka binge watching). Indeed, Netflix's CEO was caught saying its biggest competitor is not YouTube or cable, but the fact that people need to sleep at night. Indeed, a 2019 survey found that 36% of respondents said they would prefer to give up sex for a year over Netflix.

Now lets talk about the algorithms that decide the right timing and intervals for reward or punishment. In gambling sites, the algorithms are engineered so that they adapt themselves to the psychological needs of each user. People who have been identified as risk averse will lose gradually. For every $2 they lose, they will earn $.30. This marginal profit is accompanied by lights, sounds, vibrations. Our mind interprets this as winning for all intents and purposes so we do not feel like we've lost all our money. If, on the other hand, you are identified as a risk lover, a reward schedule was developed especially for people who seek to win big and therefore do not mind losing a few times along the way.

Another algorithm produces "engineered randomness." Statistically there is no difference between missing the win in one or five strokes, but psychologically the difference is huge. So the Near Miss concept makes the user feel that he was very close to victory and thus motivated to try again.

The same rewards schedule was also developed for YouTube. A former YouTube engineer who was responsible for developing the recommendation engine says that algorithms have a tendency to radicalize content. If, for example, a girl was looking for a video on diet, thanks to the recommendation engine she would end up watching a video on anorexia. The algorithms know how to lead you to the most exciting, provocative, sensational item. Its not that the developers on YouTube wish to harm people, but it is more effective in grabbing attention.

Like any other player in the capitalist society, they try to understand how they increase profits by making users spent time in the app as long as possible.

And if you need a proof that it works great, remember the last time you just enter to check news, or your mail and found yourself two hours later, wondering where time has gone.

Liraz Margalit, PhD, is a digital psychologist, customer & user behavior specialist, and an international keynote speaker. She integrates cognitive psychology and behavioral economics perspectives to analyzes consumer behavior and deliver actionable insights for business stakeholders.

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What Las Vegas Taught App Designers About the 'Nothingness Zone' - CMSWire

TWH Recently, The Wild Huntinterviewed two speakers, Murtagh AnDoile and Melissa Harrington from the Conference on Current Pagan Studies. The interviews focused on the impact of COVID-19 and its restrictions on Pagans.

AnDoile interviewed about 25 people from a variety of Pagan groups. He wanted to learn how Pagans understood the pandemic.

During the pandemic, Pagans largely shifted from face-to-face (F2F) rituals to online rituals. Paganism is an embodied tradition, but online rituals are bodiless.

Harrington spoke about this move to an online Pagan practice. She suggested it might change the Pagan understanding of disembodied techniques. Those techniques include trance, guided meditation, and astral projection.

photo sent by AnDoile

Murtagh AnDoile

AnDoile interviewed Pagans from different traditions. Each person interviewed reported on the activities of their group. Groups ranged in size from four to 150 members.

He interviewed people from the US: the Northeast, the Upper Midwest, and the Pacific Coast. Note these interviews are not representative of all Pagan communities. They do, however, report how some Pagan groups have responded and understood the pandemic.

Those interviewed came from racially mixed groups but were predominantly white. They occupied all points along the sexual orientation and gender identity spectrums. Their ages ranged from 21 to 78.

Almost all groups continued to meet in classes, meetings, or rituals. AnDoile reported that everyone missed F2F contact in sacred space. When groups provided food and drink, they pre-packaged it.

That a number of groups [were] still conducting face-to-face rituals, especially with COVID-19 restrictions surprised AnDoile the most. Other groups adapted to the pandemic in different ways.

Some small groups became quarantine pods. That term refers to people who agree to only go without masks with each other.

AnDoile found that older groups made the shift to online work more easily than newer groups. Some groups have moved to Zoom rituals. Others have ceased doing group rituals.

Groups adapted their activities to those that work better online. AnDoile found that the use of techniques like vision quests or guided meditation had increased.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most Pagans to abandon embodied F2F practice. Instead, many Pagans have moved to a bodiless online practice. Harrington thought this might influence how Pagans understand disembodied practices and concepts. Those practices and concepts include meditation, group mind, and astral travel.

According to Harrington, the pandemic has forced Pagans to explore the non-embodied aspects of Pagan spiritual practice. It also provided an opportunity to discuss and develop them. She believes we will get back to our embodied practices but continue to use what we have learnt alongside them.

The use of online rituals has begun to open discussion of egregore and group mind, Harrington said.

She felt that these topics had gone out of fashion. Maybe they had just receded from interest.

She said that, despite social distancing, People doing ritual online are reporting feelings of connection, achieving spiritual states, and building group minds with online rites.

According to Harrington, people are reporting magical success stories.

Harrington discussed differences between older and newer groups. Pre-existing groups would have already formed a group mind. Some more recent eclectic groups have reported experiencing group mind effects such as emotional closeness, similar visions, correlating dreams and effective group meditations, as well as perceptions of effective results magic.

Established groups are also using astral magic as core practice, Harrington continued.

They meet via zoom for chat, preparation, and debriefing. The core magic, however, occurs as a sacred experience performed purely on the astral. Its great to see this revival of techniques more associated with earlier magical societies being explored and revitalized.

People in F2F rituals interact consciously or unconsciously with the local nature spirits. In an online ritual, each person will interact with their own unique local nature spirits. The online group, however, will not share common nature spirits.

In an online ritual, no one knows how the local nature spirits of every person interact. It is even less clear how the group mind will interact with the many unique nature spirits. Harrington has no definite answer either.

Image credit: Pixabay

Harrington said, Perhaps someone might lead a rite in their native area that connects to their native nature spirits and others could join in, like ritual/astral visiting, or a diversely located group might focus on a particular area or deity.

Harrington noted that reconstructionist and Khematic traditions evolved with a particular set of nature spirits. She contrasted those regional traditions with Wiccan practice.

She said We simply work with four directions/elements and spirit, often using the same visualizations and invocations across the globe. I suppose thats one of the advantages of collective praxis.

Mystery traditions face a unique problem with online initiations.

Harrington reported that many people hold a common belief that one has to be fully immersed in the [initiation] rite, not distanced by a screen, nor separated from other participants. There is a complex system of authenticity of tradition and transmission of lineage in initiations, in a kind of charismatic transfer of magical energy from initiate to initiate going back to the founding of the tradition.

The second-degree initiation involves an actual laying on of hands and transfer of charismatic energy within a ceremonial circle. For that transfer to occur, that charismatic energy would have to travel through the Internet. She thinks it is possible for online initiations to become acceptable.

Some Pagans may use the COVID-19 protective restrictions to explore ideas about astral travel and magic, Hermetics, and ritual inner form. Its a good opportunity to strengthen these at this time.

Both AnDoile and Harrington noted that disembodied techniques work better online than more embodied techniques such as chanting, singing, or drumming.

In addition, COVID-19 and its restrictions have been a stressor for all Pagan communities. A year into the pandemic, Pagans should think about possible long-term changes to the communities resulting from that stressor.

Original post:

The Pandemic and Pagan practices | Living, News, Paganism, US, Witchcraft, World - The Wild Hunt

Armin van Buuren has published a playlist featuring the 1000 best trance songs ever made.

The Dutch DJ revealed an initial 950 tracks for his all-time A State Of Trance Top 1000 list earlier this month, prior to the 999th edition of his A State Of Trance weekly radio show.

Read this next: The 10 best early 90s trance tracks

After that episode ended at 10pm CET on January 14, a nonstop stream counting down to his anticipated 1000th episode began. The stream was presented by Armin van Buuren and ASOT co-host Ruben de Ronde and monthly resident Ferry Corsten, featuring mixes, exclusive interviews and fan videos.

The 1000th episode then began at 5pm CET on January 21 live from the A State Of Trance radio studio in Amsterdam, which ran through the final 50 tracks in the Top 1000.

The list ranks the most popular tracks played on ASOT, as voted for by the shows listener base. It features many classic producers such as Above & Beyond, Tisto, Paul van Dyk, Gareth Emery, BT, ATB, deadmau5, Sasha and Armin van Buuren himself.

Read this next: The 15 best mid-90s trance tracks

Topping the list was Armin van Buuren and Susanas collaboration Shivers, and Susanna joined him on the show to celebrate the moment.

The likes of Tistos Adagio For Strings, Ferry Corsten and Gouryellas Anahera and GAIAs Tuvan featured among the top 10.

The countdown stream and five hour long episode attracted more than 50 million people hailing from 121 countries, spread across more than 100 radio stations, YouTube, Twitch, Facebook and VK live streams.

Read this next: The 18 best vocal trance tracks

Armin van Buuren made an official anthem to commemorate the occasion called Turn The World Into A Dancefloor (ASOT 1000 Anthem).

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Armin van Buuren shares playlist of the 1000 best trance tracks ever - Mixmag

The musical and rhythmic profanity in producer Guido Hermans soundscape is a streaming scope of blissful electronic dance music and its creative diversities.

Utrecht, Jan 25, 2021 (Issuewire.com)Music producerGuido Hermansis creating a soul-altering scope of contemporary electronic musical definitions with his interpretations of trance, progressive, techno, and chill-out music. The arena of underground EDM music finds an extensive platform to flourish and grow under the creative guidance of the artist. His song Labyrinth Renaissance Part 2 from his latest album, La Bella Vita creates immersive sorcery with the various undulations of rhythmic and tonal dynamics. As a lover of the underground dance scene since the mid-90s, he tried again to bring back the underground old-school sound to life with his new album La Bella Vita.

Although a contemporary artist, the audience finds him going back to EDM classics that render a textured, old-school style. The other song Rivendell Imladris from the same album also carries his prolific personality as it takes the listeners on a journey of musical diversity. The progressive and trance entail of the 90s scene complements in a contemporary arrangement in a way that renders creative and cultural blends. His soundscape bridges the gap between old and new structures although he sometimes likes to deviate towards a direction of strict new-age characteristics in his music.

Some of his songs that define the resurgence of his soundscape include Out Of Memory, At The End Of The Day (99 mix), Pandemic, Fate, Nostalgia, and Renaissance among many others.

Guido Hermans is currently tied up in the making of his upcoming EP which is set to release later in the year. Experience the creative and transcendental resurgence of old-school progressive, trance, techno, and house following his works on Spotify, Beatport, and Soundcloud right away.

Check out these tracks on Spotify:

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Listen to the Verses of Trance and Progressive EDM with Guido Hermans' Exquisite Soundscape - Pro News Report