Trance was the flavour of the evening as Rise hosted the very first appearance of UK’s Andy Moor to our shores last Friday night. Having been in the game for a fair few years now, Moor has grown a solid reputation for his consistent and quality productions which generally span over the trance and progressive genres. Because his tunes aren’t easily pigeonholed, Moor’s fans are varied and so as a result, his tracks are enjoyed by both trance and progressive fans alike. So, it was no surprise then that there was a steady turnout from the moment doors opened for the man like Moor.

Opener for the night was by way of local DJ Graham Miller and he kept his tracks relatively light with a gradual build in pace towards the end. Some neat mixes held together his tracks and paved the way nicely, in terms of sound, for the set to follow.

You’d think being a resident DJ, and a well known veteran one at that, would result in complacency to at least a slight degree, but Simon Barwood proved he is on the ball more than ever with a standout warm up set for Andy Moor. His tune selections were well suited to the time of night and his mixes were consistently seamless and non-evasive which provided the perfect opener to Moor. Well and truly working the room with his blend of trance, Barwood managed to coax many punters to bust out on the massive dance floor. By the end of his set, he had managed to get almost everyone in the club, or at least everyone within eyesight at the time, dancing or at least moving where they were to his tracks.

Andy Moor set out on his three hour trance journey by way of some progressive laced trance beats. He gradually made his way through the many sub genres that define the overall genre and quite steadily managed to move between the different styles, which is pretty impressive, especially considering he is more a producer than a DJ. That being said, it’s definitely a fair call to say that his mixing wasn’t as quality as his productions, however he nailed a killer set which had everyone in the club glued to the dance floor and literally hanging on to his every tune. Artists like Moor aren’t toured to Rise often, so it was refreshing to see the rise regulars and trance lovers alike, so obviously enjoying the set at hand. Stretching his range of tracks over the three hours he was allocated, Moor weaved his way through an amazing tapestry of trance selections and the result was one seriously well crafted set. Sticking around after his set to sign autographs and chat to his stoked fans, Moor was clearly happy with his efforts and the response it subsequently garnered.

Melbourne’s Ahmet and local Steven Tranzor took the room to close with a slightly heavier paced trance sound. Their tunes were clearly appreciated by those who still had the energy to dance, and those that had retired from the dance floor for the night were at times bopping to many of the familiar tunes dropped.