O2 Academy 12/02/2010

Trance isn’t dead, its just touring the world on its private jet. The world’s biggest and most expensive DJs play trance music and there’s one good reason for that. Trance is the epitome of dance music, it calls for one thing and one thing alone – dancing so emerged in the music that it induces eyes-closed euphoria. The world’s best known trance tracks, Delerium’s ‘Silence’, Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy’ to name but a few, are loved by everyone who listens to electronic music. Anyone who says otherwise hasn’t experienced an epic stadium breakdown beside 10,000 people with an atmosphere so soaked in ecstasy it’s practically religious. To put it simply, trance has provided me with some of the most magical raving moments of my life, moments that would even have my hard-rock loving Dad reaching for the lasers. The uplifting tunes provide a very real unity at a trance rave, the crowd buzz like kids in sweetshop. One minute you’re lost in a blissful breakdown, next thing you’re bouncing around hand-in-hand with your new best mate, that’s what trance gigs are all about.

Digital Society was recently awarded ‘Trance Club of the Year’ by Mixmag, so I when I discovered their 3rd Birthday party would be held at the O2 Academy in Leeds, I knew I had to be there. DS are a leader of Trance & Progressive events in the UK, so it was hardly a surprise that the headliners reflected their influence. Sander Van Doorn was named one of the world’s top ten DJs by DJMag last year, whilst support acts John O’Callaghan and Aly & Fila were both named in the top fifty.

Having seen Sander Van Doorn previously in a Mediterranean superclub setting, the contrast to the lofty dome of the O2 was unavoidable. A night that relies on the audiences’ collective vibes requires a large venue to fully do justice to the epic nature of the sound. A space without sufficient room to dance in an arms wide embrace of the music will cause trance to fall flat, so one can’t blame Digital Society for opting for the spacious 2,300 capacity venue when their previous haunt The Victoria Works is no longer operating. However, a carpeted theatre is no substitute for a genuine warehouse rave. Despite the impressive visual set-up, including two vast screens on the ceiling, and a kaleidoscopic array of lasers shows and pyrotechnics, the venue still felt sparse at times with the darkness of the roof above seeming to swallow every light effect that was thrown its way. Saying this, I was observing the show with an air of superiority from the openness of the VIP Balcony, on the dancefloor below, a thousand or so wide-eyed faces told a different story.

Sander Van Doorn graced the decks at midnight to an ecstatic crowd who were already bellowing declarations of love. Shifting away from the orchestral movements of classic trance, Van Doorn’s set was much more progressive, switching strings for dirty synths and noticeable downplaying the vocals. His heavier sound gave way to a whole load of fist pumping from the crowd, with shirts getting whipped off quicker than a wet t-shirt contest. Employing a choppier style than is typical of trance, Van Doorn layered his set to intense effect, dropping tracks unexpectedly and cutting up breakdowns. Van Doorn’s set at times forked from tech-trance to pure techno at points. That was until, the drop of classic trance anthem PPK’s ‘Resurrection’ which threw the audience into a frenzy with some true euphoria. The rest of Van Doorn’s set had a new direction, with the trance and techno beats melding finely into a characteristically elevating sound. Finishing up at 2am with his own remix of the Killer’s Spaceman, we were given a teaser of a sing-a-long breakdown typical of trance’s cheesier, more indulgent side. It was when John O’Callaghan took over that the epic trance I’d been itching for began. Famous for his more classic sound, his set pulled no punches, pulsing out pyrotechnic friendly synthesizers and lengthy snare rolls before floating breakdowns and operatic vocals. Constantly uptempo, the audience revelled in his stadium inspired sound. Like a good trance track, O’Callaghans’ set was a journey through higher states of consciousness, hypnotic build-ups climaxing in dramatic drops of anthemic tunes. The set’s final track was the Cosmic Gate remix of O’Callaghan’s recent hit ‘Find Yourself’, and easily a highpoint of the evening. Everyone in the O2 academy slowed down to chant along with Sarah Howell’s soulful vocals before erupting in a blur of big-fish-little-fish action with undeniable passion. By this point, I was easily lost in the music as I readied myself for the next set from Egyptian duo Aly & Fila. Keeping up the hedonism, the pair delivered an exquisite set of heavy trance tunes that powered the crowd through to the early hours.

After realising five hours of non-stop dancing had flown by¸ I made my way home fully satisfied that Digital Society had delivered the event I’d hoped for. The night was a refreshing blast of stadium rave atmosphere in a town which usually favours wobbling bass in grimey house parties – Trance music lives on and continues to deliver some of the most spirited sets in the industry to an army of dancing disciples across the world. It about time we in Leeds embraced a second coming of what can only be described as one of electronic music’s most thrilling and accomplished genres.

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