For those who think trance is dead, well they’re dead wrong. Trance is very much alive, and if you look at the fact that all of the DJs who’ve won the DJ Mag Top 100 poll over the past 3 years have been of trance descent ,this should be enough of an indication. Trance royalty Armin van Buuren, who placed #1 in 2007, is well- respected and treasured by fans, shown by the fact that his shows have all sold out nationally weeks in advance. There was even a ticket scalping scandal in Perth… true story!
Armin’s Perth following turned out in force at Metro City, braving the extreme winter chill to catch their beloved DJ/producer’s epic 4-hour set. As it was ridiculously cold that night, the punters were grateful that they didn’t have to wait in line for the usual pat down performed by the very strict security guards at Metro City. The local boys kicked started the party with Sean Chee on the wheels of steel. Mark James followed and had the honour of spinning before the main man. His set contained some signature trance tunes and 4/4 selections, however the set overall did not flow all that smoothly; although he did belt out some classics like the eternal Greece 2000 by old school (but very cool) producers Three Drives.
As Mark James wrapped up his set at five to one, he banged one of the many remixes of Daft Punk’s Around The World. An obvious crowd pleaser and very well timed as it further caused the fan to get excited since they were already cheering for Armin to come on stage. There was a strong feeling of anticipation by this time, as any Armin fan worth their salt would know that one of his epic introductions is not to be missed. The devotees eagerly faced the stage with their eyes wide open as Mark James introduced Armin to the stage.
The trance fans erupted with loud applause and cheer as Armin walked on stage and politely waved, and smiled at his people, looking comfortable as he took over the reigns from the Sydneysider. His intro track was very Armin and by Armin I mean, epic… Arnej’s Ones That Got Away was the privileged track that got the party started; followed by First State’s dark remix of 4 Strings Catch a Fall. And it wasn’t much later that the lasers kicked in, especially prepared for the man himself. Following the laser show was the sudden animated outbreak on the large screen behind the decks, showing all kinds of quirky animations as well as random words, which reiterated the tracks he was spinning. The screen was a nice touch as words and lyrics were beemed out to the people. By this time the crowd was definitely feeling the synthesized melodies, peaks and euphoric vocals.
After much observation, it appeared that the crowd was starting to get a little restless as his set was starting to become monotonous, furthermore the over use of the strobe light wasn’t helping either. In saying that though, he threw in Zocalo, a ‘05 classic coproduced with the legendary Gabriel & Dresden duo, which turned up the party by a couple of notches.
My stint at Armin came to an abrupt end as I could hear my bed calling my name. It was some ungodly hour as I was making my way to the exit, though on my way out I took a look back at what was left and what I saw was no surprise; fans stomping, showing their dedication. All in all, it was a great night with plenty of cheap laughs and good times as the gig was a sell out and the general consensus was two thumbs up. He came, they flew and I saw it all.
timambo says...
have been waiting for this review for a while.... well it was a top show...as is always with Armin..Mark James kept mentioning that Arminn will be back very soon..n very very soon..who's got any ideas on that? maybe for summer? anyway..great show...bring it on again..