About Cosmic Turtle
I'm Dan, the DJ behind Cosmic Turtle, based in South Devon
The name was inspired by a psychedelic turtle artwork discovered in a coffee shop in Totnes. As a scuba diver with a longstanding love of turtles and psychedelic music, it was an obvious fit.
The Music
My music covers considerable ground, from progressive, trance and psytrance to ambient, psychill, deep house and the much wider musical territory of celebrations and parties.
What gets played depends on where, when and for whom.
I've played festivals, conscious dance, community events, cafés, birthdays, private parties and workplace events, including Buddhafield Festival, Pollen Tribe and repeated sets at Kommüne in Totnes.
Behind the Decks
For me, DJing is about much more than choosing the next track. It's about understanding how music works over time: building energy, creating space, finding moments of contrast and knowing when to change direction. Sometimes the most important choice is to hold back rather than push harder.
I put considerable thought into preparing my sets, but preparation isn't the same as following a fixed plan. Knowing my music well gives me the freedom to respond to what happens in the moment, to follow an unexpected direction or let something unfold naturally.
Sound quality matters enormously to me. The detail, depth and physical presence of music are part of the experience, whether it's a quiet, immersive listening set or a dancefloor at full energy. Good equipment is important, but so is knowing how to use it.
Thoughtful by design. Music with intention.
Listen
A sample of my recorded sets spanning psytrance, progressive trance, deep house, psybient, psychill, downtempo and beyond.
They include my psytrance set at Buddhafield Festival, alongside sets created for Pollen Tribe, Kommüne and other events.
This is some of the territory, not its boundaries.