In the Australian clubbing scene at the moment it seems that large scale quality trance events are certainly few and far between, this is especially saddening for fans seeing that this genre was created big spaces and loud volumes. Luckily Godskitchen (a name synonymous with uplifting trance sounds) is here to save the day yet again. On Sunday night the global brand presented four massive internationals at one of Sydney’s biggest clubs, Home nightclub. This news had almost any punter who enjoys melodic and uplifting sounds salivating over this lineup for weeks leading up to this event; especially considering that it featured one of the hottest trance acts in the world at the moment: Above & Beyond. This trio is fresh on the back of their latest artist album release titled Tri-state which is already winning acclaim throughout the scene. Other guests on the night included Matt Hardwick, Cosmic Gate, Eddie Halliwell and local sublime resident Jumping Jack. Also on the night Sweetchilli and the Trance tribe crew were taking over the Terrace area and the Silver Room respectively.

We arrived to the club just after Jumping Jack had finished his set at about midnight and Matt Hardwick was already laying down some smooth progressive trance sounds. I can easily say that Matt Hardwick was one of the highlights of the night and I was glad I rushed back from Parklife to make sure to catch all of his set. Throughout his hour and a half on stage he laid down some proper progressive trance built layer upon layer of melodic goodness. Amazingly throughout the set I couldn’t recognise any tunes and the set was full of killer new original tracks. As the night rolled on I was full of anticipation to see Above & Beyond after many weeks of suspense (and I am sure so many others would have felt the same). Before long Matt handed over to two of the three Above & Beyond members to kick off their two hour set.

Above and Beyond were simply amazing and have re-inspired me to once again believe that trance will make its long awaited comeback. The vibe, atmosphere and general crazy feel of the entire set was unforgettable. The set included many classics as well as some of their best productions from both the new album and from the past. Some examples of tracks played were Gabriel & Dresden – Tracking Treasure Down, Above & Beyond – Tri State, Above & Beyond – Air for Life, Young Parisians – Jump the Next Train, Oceanlab – Satellites and the highlight of the night Above & Beyond – Alone Tonight. There were also so many tunes that I would kill to get my hands on, and I will definitely have to keep an eye out on their recent track listings to find some of those tracks. The lads also must be commended for their personality behind the decks as they were getting involved with the crowd and seemingly enjoying all the buildups almost as much as the crowd.

Unfortunately the set had to end and after two hours of pure trance goodness Above and Beyond had to make way for the next act Eddie Halliwell. They stuck around for a good few minutes of applause from the crowd during which they were signing a heap of various records and other memorabilia being handed to them by fans in the crowd. Eddie Halliwell busted straight into the solid pumping trance and harder tunes and was definitely pleasing the crowd with the slamming tunes he was laying down. He is known for his blend of harder and more driving tunes combined with quality DJing and jaw dropping turntable trickery and this was readily apparent as his set rolled along. He At one stage he even jumped out for a crowd surf at one stage which was really quite spectacular and something rarely seen in the club environment (Adam Freeland at Arthouse was the last I can remember :P). Sometime throughout his set we decided to call it a day (or morning) since after an incredibly long couple of days including the sunny goodness that was Parklife even the quality pumping could not even keep our tired bodies moving.

The crowd on the night was definitely in high spirits but unfortunately quite aggressive when moving throughout the venue in a complete daze. So a message to all the people who probably don’t know how retarded they were, simply watch out when you are walking through the crowd (or you may get owned next time). The venue was decorated well with a couple of huge Godskitchen angel balloons filling a majority of the space above the dance floor. This looked great from the lower level dance floor but obstructed the view of the club from the upper levels. The sound on the night was amazing and the Home system suited the dense driving sounds to a tee. The same can be said for the lighting which perfectly suited this type of music, including a good amount of laser action which was much appreciated by the crowd by the looks of things.

Overall, considering that I am a fan of melodic and uplifting sounds this event has simply been THE highlight trance event of the year (also agreed by all of our crew on the night). Above and Beyond were by far my favourite with Matt Hardwick surprised me with his densely layered progressive trance. The setup, sound and atmosphere were all on par with the usual high standard at home events and you couldn’t help but want to put your hands in the air with all the epic tracks on offer. Long live trance, long live Godskitchen, and see you at the next one!