The Psytrance DJ Astrix is one of the most renowned and respected names in the world of psychedelic trance. His music is characterized by strong, solid, driving basslines and ascending melodies. Astrix’s style lies somewhere between the “full-on” end of trance and the clubbier end of Trance, a sound which is also known as Progressive Psytrance.
The Astrix story started back in 1995 when Avi Shmailov (Hebrew: Aby SHmyylvb) was first introduced to the realms of electronic music by his friend and mentor Jaia. Avi began to experiment with electronic sounds and learned more about the technology behind it as time went on. This eventually led to his maiden in-house studio recordings using a personal computer back in 1997, with the genre of Trance as his primary inspiration.
Upon entering the trance scene, Avi was immediately captivated by its atmosphere and vibe. He quickly became a regular at local and international trance events and clubs such as Fusion in London, Moondance in Amsterdam, Space in Ibiza and many more. Astrix’s style is defined by an array of melodic and harmonic elements that combine to form a powerful and uplifting sound that is well suited for the sunrise and morning sessions at outdoor trance parties.
In 2006 Avi reached #41 in the DJ Mag Top 100 DJs yearly rank alongside several other Israeli musicians, marking a significant worldwide popularisation of the Israeli trance scene. He is one of the trance music scene’s most recognized faces and has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious festivals and venues, including Boom Festival in Portugal, Ozora Festival in Hungary and Tomorrowland in Belgium.
A true perfectionist, Astrix has spent the years since focusing on perfecting his production and live sets. Splitting his time between massive hypnotic explosive live shows on the dance floor and precise detailed productions in the studio, both always laced with tons of feel and musicality.
Astrix’s musical agenda is the ultimate clash, where underground trance meets mainstream. Uplifting Trance composed with sophisticated melodies, a sprinkle of progressive House and some occasional vocals create an audio clash embraced by hundreds of thousands around the globe.
Signed to leading trance label HOM-Mega production, Astrix released his first full length album ‘Eye to Eye’ in 2002. The global scene instantly fell captivated by his unique and smart melodic style. Touring massively after the album release didn’t leave much studio time for Astrix, so it took him two years to write and perfect his second album ‘Artcore’, released in 2004.
