Last night, I learned what Progressive Trance truly is.
I learned that if a DJ is so skilled at mixing his music, he is able to make you appreciate a track you already love even more than before, merely by transitioning it with another track that follows.
I also learned that it doesn't take experience, reputation, or a big crowd for a DJ to be up to the level, but solely a selective taste and refined mixing skills.
When you learn something new, you learn it off someone.
This learning usually occurs either by explanatory theory or sensual experience.
Well, last night, I learned all that through the experience that bxtreme bestowed upon us.
Perhaps the most significant thing I learned, at least in my lens, was an affirmation of a vision I had a few years ago. It was during a time when bxtreme and I had just embarked into the craft of DJing, and were still in our early practicing days. At that time, I told bxtreme that he has potential, big potential, particularly in Progressive Trance. My faith in him never ceased ever since that date, and after last night I allow myself to finally declare that bxtreme has outperformed all the Progressive Trance DJs I have ever witnessed live.
The man proved to us that there is more to DJing than choosing a handful of good tracks and beatmatching them, giving the crowd the occasional wave or clap. No, he demonstrated how critical it is to take such a decision as choosing the next track, how much crowd empathy it requires to drift the set into another direction, how delicate it is to make that transition from one fat chunk of bassline to another, how natural one should be in order to interact with the people in the rightest of ways. Last night, bxtreme succeeded with excellence in every single aspect of DJing at a warm-up session.
I fail to grasp whether my feelings are of pride or joy, watching my favorite local DJ up there on that stage, nodding his head in the booth, smiling whenever a twinkly melody is introduced, and mixing like an industry professional. I've always told bxtreme that the day you get your much-deserved break, I will just as delighted as I would if I were the one to get that break, which was precisely the amount of joy I felt last night. First he worked hard for it, then he deserved it, and finally he nailed it with his best performance to date, and I've heard every single live and non-live performance of his so I can safely judge. The one thing I learned from last night's warmup session may be summed up in a formula, one that might sound lame but that to me gives comprehensive descriptive right to that session: bxtreme + progressive = impressive.
Bassel, my friend and my partner: I am impressed. I sincerely hope that night will launch your DJ career on the right path, and that we will be blessed enough to get another taste of your talent in the near future. I made a pact with you a few weeks ago: you impress me with your warmup, I'll impress you with my review. You most certainly fulfilled your end, I hope I managed to accomplish mine.
As for the event as a whole, seperately from the major blow the organizers (and consequently ourselves) suffered halfway through, it was one worthy of respect. This is the very first event that The Sound Of United Clubbers organize, and for their debut they chose to import a new name, they chose to deliver a new concept of live act, and they chose a virgin location. Taking such three risks at a time for the first time is no walk in the park, and one has to acknowledge this fact before beginning to throw any accusations. Waves was transformed into a nice venue, not too big to be spaced out, nor too small to be crammed up. Laser shows, giant screens, big banners, a smoke machine, accesible bar, non-snobby VIP section, all were installed to perfection, setting the right ambiance for such an intimate night as the one we had. The only drawback would be the sound system; I'm no audio engineering expert, but that system was just not right for that location. But again, it was only TSUC's very first event, and such mistakes are bound to happen.
Bassel wrapped up his warmup set at around 1:30 for our much-anticipated Trance duo Kuffdam & Plant to take on the stage. From the moment that Scottish producer appeared, energy was dripping from every pore of his bald head, while drawing an endless smile on his face, so we knew were in for a treat. Plant was right there next to him, prepping the tools that are to be used in the live act, and thus it began. Kuffdam & Plant, in complete harmony and synchronization, performed their own produtions, one at a time, using a combination of both hardware and software. They played some of the tracks we already know and love, the highlight of which would naturally be Summer Dream, in addition to some fresh material, such as a track with male vocals that, through a small chat with Kuffdam, I learned is to be released on Vandit with remixes from Marc van Linden and Dogzilla. The night was progressing smoothly and more people were showing up, resulting in a few hundred ravers at peak hour.
Finishing up their live act, Bassel took over the decks for just a few tracks while the boys were unplugging their gear. Kuffdam then took over solo, and initiated his set with some dirty filthy electro madness at high BPM that just got the crowd jumping and Ahmad's fist pumping. Meanwhile, we got to hang around with Plant, who turned out to have a hilarious sense of humour. Surprisingly though, just a few tracks through the music was abruptly shut down. At first we thought it was some sort of a temporary power failure, but the music just wouldn't get back. A lot of rumours immediately began to flow, most saying that the police received complaints from neighbouring homes regarding the loud music, though the organizers had all the required permits approved by the government and its responsable faculties. The music never got back, and the night sadly ended this way. Kuffdam was in anger at first, but it didn't take him long to turn the disappointment into humour, uncovering the stand-up comedian dimension of his personality. But deep down, his disappointment was felt.
We as ravers were disappointed as well, there is no doubt to that. But for everyone who was there last night, keep in mind one thing: no matter how disappointed you were, it doesn't even compare to the disappointment faced by the organizers. What happened was beyond their grasp, so let us not hurl into throwing accusations. Instead, let us show understanding and support, for that is the only constructive manner in which to approach such a blow. Let us not hypothesize theories of our own regarding what caused the shutdown, but instead leave it to the organizers themselves to clarify things.
TSUC: on behalf of the TranceHits.com crew and members, we're here for constructive support not descriptive criticism.
Kuffdam & Plant: on behalf of the TranceHits.com crew and members, we want you back, and we want you back soon, very soon.
But for what it's worth, that warmup was worth every single penny I spent...
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