Instead, they turn it into an experience of self awareness and communal celebration. DJs, musicians, VJs, performers, artists, NGOs, charities and creative multimedia organizations from all around the globe come together to make a difference by raising awareness of the huge number of important issues facing today's world. But don't think this is some laid back hippie party: the eclectic soundtrack of the latest upfront psy-trance, breaks, electro and world music, top production from the best in the business and the multicultural cross-generational crowd make sure that each event is always one hell of a party.

At this Friday's event leading psy-trance and ambient label Free-Spirit Records host the main room, with label head honcho Journey aka Jay Om, Alchemy's Sinewave and M-Theory all playing live alongside DJ sets from Mish-Mash (France), The Evil Twins (Russia), Hopi (Romania), Dyno (France) and Italians Nova and Peyo. A collective of artists from the UK, Europe and beyond, Free-Spirit Records will showcase their talented crew, including mind-blowing visuals from Psytwin, ClubTek Lasers and Freakadelic decors.

Oxjam host the ambient space, with a top line-up of live dub and visuals from DJMag No.1 VJs, residents Inside Us All. Ashtech plays both live and DJ sets and there's also live sets from International Observer, Nagual Sound Experiment and Darren Sangita. Aliji, Dreadnaut and Crazy Baldhead offer DJ support. It's all about raising money for Oxfam in order for them to confront poverty around the world via education, health care, fresh water and growing food. Check www.oxfam.org.uk for more info.

Archangel Breaks are in the Red Room, introducing a new form of genre-busting between breaks, electro and psy dub n breakz to support important international NGO Ecoshelter. Ecoshelter provides ecobuilding, education and self-employment programs for disaster relief, humanitarian relief, poverty relief and environmental relief. Check out some of their good work at www.ecoshelter.org Artists playing include the awesome Gaudi (live dub n' breakz set), breaks duo Ctrl Z, Archangel breaks DJ and producer Freshold, Simon Pieman (breaks/electro), Liquid Djems (a fusion of electronica and psy dub n' breaks), Italian Mauzmuam plays an exclusive electro/breaks set, the so-called master of chill Nick Holden branches into psy-breaks and Synergy's Giani plays some electro/psybreaks fusion.

Costa Urbana is in the Cream Room with a diverse collection of artists ranging from a roots'n'roll six-piece electric Balkan band (Bucimis) to Bosnian turbofolk (Nova), Balkan/Greek roots funk (Depot) and ska funk party music (Ballalouda). There's also performances from a Brittany clown troup and a Balkan princess.

Finally, the Deep Blue Room is the Laughing Room, hosted by Psycle, billed as 'Nottingham's most prestigious pyjama facory' who'll provide evening wear, cabaret and visual theatre.

In line with Synergy's edutainment philosophy, there's portraiture, mask making and sculpting workshops as well as a symposium on the Future of Psychedelics in the UK, Raw Power: How the Raw Food Diet Can Improve Your Being and TALKTALK: The Synergy Clubber's Free Speech Forum. Other NGOs' in attendance include the Sea Shepherds (www.seashepherd.org), the World Development Movement (www.wdm.org.uk) and SPEAK ( www.speak.org.uk)

Taking place at London's gyganium SeOne complex, we can only recommend getting there early as the queues for the last Synergy Project were massive. Advance tickets are still available for £15 from (www.thesynergyproject.org or ( www.accessallareas.org, calling +44 (0) 7267 8320 or buying directly from Access All Areas or Star Tessa in Camden, otherwise it will be more on the door. The event kicks off at 10pm and relands at 8am.

See www.thesynergyproject.org for more info.