Respected San Francisco Bay Area DJ and producer Galen Butler, a.k.a. Shakatura, draws upon his legendary background as a techno-shamanic conductor taking his trippy techno-organic fusion of downtempo breaks, trip-hop, dub and world rhythms global with his hypnotic CyberOctave debut Galactivation. A seamless blend of tribal, trance, dub and down tempo groove, Galactivation fits the dance floor perfectly with its cool shades of The Orb, Thievery Corporation and Banco de Gaia embracing Shakatura’s funky bass lines, lush atmospheres and solid beats.

In line with Higher Octave Music’s overall spiritual minded musical vision and CyberOctave’s electronic direction, Butler explains that the “audio collage art” he creates as Shakatura reflects “the sound of people celebrating life. There’s definitely a leaning towards global unity. I see the concept of Galactivation beginning with the idea that we all live on this rock swirling through unknowable space, and over time we awake from a dream and become aware of our own presence. The music is about that consciousness, waking up from sleepwalking and realizing we’re all in this together. It’s time to activate life as citizens of the galaxy on a galactic scale.”

A prolific studio producer, Butler, who grew up playing guitar in rock bands in his native Philly, is currently the resident chill room DJ at the long-running Groove Garden. At this North Bay Area club his DJ sets have gained a reputation as deep, positive and uplifting ambient journeys. His work at countless underground gatherings and full moon parties is legendary and he has appeared as a DJ at major festivals such as Earthdance, the Fusion Festival and Burning Man. A DJ set typically blends original Skakatura material with a carefully combed mix of tracks from around the world and across various genres.

Galactivation’s 70 minute musical tapestry is comprised of 12 tracks, many of whose foundations were originally formed in these club settings. “I get a groove going, start out with drum loops and recorded percussion loops, then start adding synth layers,” he says. “One of the coolest things is that it’s a whole new world at your fingertips each time. This album contains the choicest cuts from the last two years of studio work. There’s no filler here. I’ve played every one of these tracks regularly in my DJ sets.”

The title track sets the tone with its mix of mystical percussion, spacey techno effects, trippy trance grooves and exotic, wailing female vocals. Tribal colors wash over the sitar sound and Eastern vibe of “Solar Cell 2” before “Geko” ushers in a cool synthesis of soulful crunch grooves and windblown chill out vibes. “Midheaven” is a flute-drenched ambient journey that was originally released on the Canadian Interchill Records compilation Earth Octave Lounge in 2002. “Lucid Dreaming” thrusts a funky throb ambience over a Japanese landscape (complete with the stringed sound of the koto). Other tracks include “CoPal” (which features a touch of the blues), the retro-soul influenced “Lavatube,” the hardcore, percussion driven “Earsocket” and the moody final voyage “Telemetry.”

Shakatura’s original limited run release with San Francisco’s Ceiba Records appeared in early 2001. Subsequent Shakatura cuts have also appeared in Ceiba’s compilations Language of Light 3 and Meditation 2. Galen has also recorded for San Francisco’s popular Looq Records, releasing several twelve-inches as Shakatura as well as The Activity and Telemetry.

Shakatura will be on tour making DJ appearances throughout the summer and fall on the West Coast.