Biography
Animato is the psytrance project of Israeli producer Patrick Chen. Chen had already built a career under the name PTX before creating Animato in late 2012, using the new identity to explore a smoother and somewhat lower-tempo form of psychedelic trance. The change was not simply a rebrand: Animato marked a clear shift in production priorities and became the main vehicle for Chen's later work.
HOMmega became an important early home for the project, and the debut album Harmonize arrived in 2017. Its guest list reflected Chen's position inside the modern progressive-psy network, with collaborations involving artists such as Liquid Soul, Ticon, Perfect Stranger, Ritmo, Freedom Fighters and Sonic Species, alongside a remix of Juno Reactor. The album balanced melodic lift with a polished, tightly controlled dancefloor sound.
Animato has remained active well beyond that debut period. Later releases moved into the Shamanic Tales orbit, including Cosmic Whisper in 2024 and new material in 2026. The project now sits as Chen's principal contemporary identity, distinct from PTX and closely connected to the melodic progressive-psytrance circuit.
Origins of Animato
Patrick Chen deliberately created Animato after three PTX albums as his musical preference shifted toward a lower-tempo, smoother Progressive Psytrance approach.
Early career
Chen entered the Israeli Psytrance culture in the mid-1990s, travelled in Asia, studied music and sound, and produced first as PTX.
How the career developed
Animato was noticed by HOMmega soon after its late-2012 launch, developed through remixes and collaborations, released Harmonize in 2017, and later became part of the Shamanic Tales catalogue.
Animato sound
Animato works in the progressive side of psytrance: rounded bass, clean percussion, melodic hooks and carefully layered psychedelic detail. The sound is smoother than Chen's earlier PTX work but retains enough drive and tension for large dancefloors.
Place in psytrance history
Animato illustrates a artist-led transition from an earlier Psytrance identity into a distinct Progressive Psytrance project , not a retroactive relabelling of the older work.
Connections and influence
Related artists, labels and topics: PTX; HOMmega Productions; Shamanic Tales; Liquid Soul; Ticon; Perfect Stranger; Ritmo; Freedom Fighters; Sonic Species; Juno Reactor; Progressive Psytrance.
Animato today
Active as of 2026: Shamanic Tales released Maisaama (Feat. Tamar Reili) on 15 January 2026, and Insomniac lists Animato at Dreamstate Southern California in November 2026.
How the sound changed over time
Selected releases in the archive
Related projects and collaborations
Artists with overlapping styles
Freedom Fighters
Shahaf Efrat’s Israeli psychedelic project, blending Progressive Psytrance with darker, techno-influenced and experimental directions.
Pixel
Israeli Psytrance project of Eli Biton Tal, closely connected to HOMmega and known for a dense collaboration network across Full-On and modern Psytrance.
Sonic Species
Joe Markendale’s UK psytrance project, evolving from an original duo into a solo-led act spanning progressive and high-energy psychedelic trance.
Astrix
Israeli producer Avi Shmailov’s long-running Psytrance project, known for combining large-scale dancefloor power with detailed psychedelic production and melodic writing.
Ace Ventura
Yoni Oshrat’s Israeli Psytrance project, combining progressive groove, psychedelic detail and long-form DJ storytelling across a wide network of collaborations.
Acid Punks
Israeli Psytrance collaboration combining Ace Ventura with Outsiders, bringing Yoni Oshrat together with Haim Lev and Guy Malka.