Counter Culture

Counter Culture is the cutting-edge Psytrance project of Cape Town-born producer, mix engineer and mastering artist Dwayne Lucas, formerly known as HOAX. Founded in 2015 during a pivotal chapter in the evolution of South Africa’s psychedelic trance sound, the project was built around a clear purpose: precision-engineered music with the power, movement and emotional charge to transform a dancefloor.

Counter Culture’s signature sits at the intersection of high-energy Full-On and Twilight Psytrance. Driving basslines, tightly sculpted percussion, electrifying drops and immersive psychedelic effects are balanced by melodic progression, groove and a strong sense of narrative. The result is music that hits with physical force while retaining detail, atmosphere and a distinctive musical identity.

The project’s first major statement was The X Factor, released through Mechanik Records in 2015. Its energetic production and forward-facing sound design established Counter Culture as a serious new voice. In 2017, the 10-track album [A] Paradox followed on Nexus Media Records, expanding the project’s sonic range and strengthening its position in the international Psytrance community. Conspiracy, released through Diss Master Records in 2019, continued that evolution with a darker and more technologically charged aesthetic.

Counter Culture has a reputation for pushing out quality tracks at a really good pace and delivering they unique bounce uplifting but aggressive Night Time / Twilight style, but yet have so much hard prog elements infused with they music which makes they style so special and defines them so well.

Following a period of recalibration, Counter Culture returned with renewed focus and a significant rise in production quality. Now based in Vietnam, Lucas carries a South African dancefloor sensibility into a new Asian chapter. The three-track Fractalism EP arrived through MMD Records in October 2025, followed by TensioN on Psy.ology Records. New 2026 material — including No Reality, Purged and the previewed Back Again — signals a prolific new phase.

Across studio production, live performance, mixing and mastering, Counter Culture is defined by control, authenticity and impact. Every set is shaped as a journey: immediate enough to move a festival floor, detailed enough to reward close listening, and unmistakably rooted in the project’s core philosophy — pride, veracity and authenticity.

With a catalogue spanning Time Fracture, Fractalism, Prizm, The X Factor and Talk Nerdy to Me, Counter Culture continues to connect a decade of musical evolution with a revitalised, forward-looking sound. The mission remains unchanged: rock the body, bend the mind, and leave the dancefloor charged long after the final beat.