CHANGE CITY :
Pharmacy pres. Airport @ Family Nightclub, Brisbane (22/02/08)
Created On February 25th, 2008 by plan-b
Despite not being a fan of the typical sounds that Pharmacy is perhaps best known for at the moment, credit where credit’s due, they do know how to put on a good party. When the line-up was announced, it was nothing short of excitement to see that one of my all-time favourite trance acts Agnelli & Nelson were on the bill, along with two interesting newcomers Greg Downey and Leon Bolier.
I rocked up at about 11pm after having a bit of a disco nap after work to see one of the most ridiculous lines at Family I’ve seen in quite some time, although we were still inside within te to -fifteen minutes. Once we were in, it was a bit surprising to see so many people outside, and so few in. TyDi, Gee and Syke were ripping it up on the decks, and it was nice to see them not go overboard on the big tunes.
At about 11pm, the first of the internationals Leon Bolier got behind the decks. I was quite surprised with the programming of the night, as Bolier’s renowned for a tougher, techier sound than what you’d normally hear still in the early hours of the night. The first twenty minutes or so of Bolier’s set was filled with bits of deep, techy driving prog and melodic uplifting trance. We did hear snippets of Above and Beyond’s Tranquillity Bass guise and Sander van Doorn’s remix of King of My Castle. This style didn’t last long though and it wasn’t long before he’d thrown in the Trance Energy 2008 Anthem Thrill by Ernesto and Bastian, and was into his own signature,euphoric techtrance sound from thereon in. He played a fair bit of his own productions under his Precursor guise, as well as his newer productions Summer Night Confessions and Ocean Drive Boulevard before rounding it up with his collaboration with production partner Cliff Coenrad Mighty Ducks. At some point I turned around and there was Robbie Nelson himself, who was only too keen to have a chat about his legal dilemmas with Xtravaganza, their upcoming album, production partner Chris Agnelli’s newborn child (explaining his absence) and the Deepblue radioshow.
Before long it was time for Robbie Nelson to take over on the decks. I’ve been a long time Agnelli & Nelson fan, owning nearly everything they’ve done on vinyl under various aliases, and so I was more than looking forward to see what he’d pull out of the bag. Robbie Nelson played one of the most beautiful trance sets I’ve heard in years, bringing a tear to my eye. The beginning of his set was filled with current hits from Paul van Dyk, Ascension, Duderstadt, Leminar K to name a few. And it wasn’t long before the crowd was reaching for the lasers when they dropped their huge ’04 hit Holding Onto Nothing. Nelson stepped things up a notch with Marcel Woods’s remix of the classic Greece 2000, fellow Irishman John O’Callaghan’s remix of Beauty Hides in the Deep and their own remix of O’Callaghan’s Big Sky (for the record, a tune that I’ve never really understood the hype behind). He finished with their own remix of Markus Schulz Perfect, before letting newcomer Greg Downey take over the decks.
By this time the lack of sleep was getting to me, but I was determined to see what Downey would pull out. Had I not been so tired Downey probably would’ve appealed to me more, but his technical skill was nothing to be sneezed at. Showing us just what he was capable of, it wasn’t long before he was looping and chopping up tunes left right and centre and seamlessly dropping in and out bits of track here and there. Moments for me were hearing him cut up Thrill, Let Go, the new Super8 & Tab mix of Luminary Amsterdam and his remix of the Bedrock classic Heaven Scent. It wasn’t long before closing hour was upon us, but Downey didn’t let that stop him giving us one more, with Paul van Dyk’s classic Crush. His track selection and technical skill was definitely the hype of the night, but the sound coming out of the speakers was a bit full on and constantly redlining the mixer didn’t do him any favours.
Overall it was a brilliant night, although something was lacking that I couldn’t quite put my finger on (although that could’ve been lack of sleep on my part). Robbie Nelson definitely had the set of the night, and if it’s a sign of things to come, Pharmacy parties will definitely be a thing to look forward to. It was also nice to have the full lineup of a trance event, instead of getting shafted for half of them which is sometimes the case for Queensland. Top form!
chico_brisbane says...
nice review man!
tranceducer says...
indeed nice review! robbie nelson definately took set of the night! beautifully crafted, seamlessly free flowing euphoric trance! yyeeeeaaahhhhhh! leon did build his set tougher, faster and quicker than i hoped he would but never the less it was of course still good. greg's technikal ability was also enjoyable to watch and hear. cheers for a wicked night pharmacy / family!
akeys says...
yeah i thought there was something missing from the night.. and yes angus it was you and your lack of sleep. cause gosh was i feelin it too. Man you are such a gurner!! ahah love ya work buddy.
plan-b says...
Thanks guys!! It's had a fair bit of detail chopped out of it though :(
seth111 says...
Great review Angus, spot on:)