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It’s nothing less than a sign of respect to the Australian dance community when international promoters repeatedly announce Australian editions of their revered party brands, which often accounts for their debut tour outside of Europe. Some have proved a huge successes (think Q-dance), some divisive (*Sensation*?), some just money-grabbers ( Global Gathering ). How was ID&T’s flagship trance event Trance Energy going to measure up? Would we be done the justice of a fair representation of the production and talent that ID&T is so renowned for delivering? It’s safe to say that expectations were high.

Off to a shaky start with the lead-in news that one stage and most of the locals had to be culled from the event, nevertheless the event retained what could really be said to be a fair whop of the hottest talent in trance going round. As such we didn’t waste any time and entered the venue at about 9.30, after fending our way through a near-battalion of police and puppies, to check out up-and-comer Glenn Morrison in the Forum. Thankfully he left his “I’m Deadmau5’s sidekick” material back in Canada, and we bopped away to some timeslot appropriate progressive trance grooves to begin with. Not long after Ferry Corsten protégé Breakfast took over and brought things up a notch, with some bottom-heavy basslines showing off the classy and heavy sound system that the Forum boasts.

Soon enough it was time to enter the Hordern main arena to catch Sied Van Riel, and upon nearing the modern trance temple I could pick out the beginning of the breakdown of his track Rush. Seriously, have you ever heard a more beautiful melody? Couple this with my first impression of the production setup that had been constructed for the stage, and a big grin was written all over my dial. A large, metal rig of five cubed cages lined the stage, the DJ in the centerpiece, the border of each cage synchronized with lights of all kinds. What was most interesting though was the sense of tension that was cleverly (and deviously) built during the early stages of the evening. We arrived to a venue that was nearly devoid of even any lighting, but gradually they turned on the special effects one after the other, which gave the evening a palpable sense of journey that built to something spectacular. While the Hordern might have relatively low ceilings, thus limiting any large-scale production screens or set ups that might have been seen elsewhere, in spite of this I thought the production crew did a fantastic job in creating something that we hadn’t previously seen in Australia.

Sied van Riel finished strongly with tech monster Ummet Ozcan Time Wave Zero, before a huge cheer welcomed dance music icon BT AKA Brian Transeau to the stage, for his first performance here in four years. A trance pioneer in so many respects, the set featured an upbeat groove full of wobbling basslines and old-school melodies that retained the sound of trance of years gone by. Sometimes you want to just tuck the chin away, throw the head back and have a good sing-a-long, and the final trio of Break My Fall, Love Comes Again and Flaming June gave everyone the opportunity to do just that. I had meant to go check out interesting and whacky young gun Marcus Schossow during this hour, but failed to do so after enjoying BT a little too much to leave.

Next was Marco V, another legend in his own right, yet one that has recently inspired a few nonchalant attitudes from a few one-were-fans. Deliberately (and vocally) resisting the label of a ‘trance DJ’, he’s embarked on a new cross-genre journey that is hard to place. Result: one can’t help but comment that he is an (ex) trance DJ, ‘not quite’ playing trance, at a trance event. Go figure the crowd response; one can only imagine what dropping something like Godd would have done.

Spirits were lifted however once Sander van Doorn took the helm. He too has undergone a recent musical transformation, leaving behind pounding tech trance to a unique sound somewhere in between electro-techy-groovey-based bottom heavy trance. Got that? Some welcome it, some don’t; I specifically remember Sander in an ITM interview saying how he though female vocals in trance were cheesy. Well, considering he opened with The Killers Spaceboy (Sander Van Doorn remix), and dropped his Robbie Williams bootleg of Close My Eyes, maybe he has developed a newfound affection for dairy? Despite all this, he remains one of the most technically talented guys going round; his mixing was tight, his programming within a mere hour thoughtful, and with the new addition of lasers being featured for the first time of the night, was a definite highlight of the event.

Old-man of the scene Judge Jules continued the onslaught soon after, and after hearing his own Laid Bare, I considered it time to check out The Forum. Jules relies on the track in nearly every instance I can recall, both mix CD and set, and it screams ‘I’m an English Chav’. Time to find a new toy, Jules. I’m glad I did leave however as Agnelli & Nelson were playing one of the few ‘true’ trance sets of the night, with melodies abounding. Everyday brought back a few memories for all in the room.

The final three hours I had decided would be devoted to the Hordern, beginning with Richard Durand. Something needs to be said here about the personal touch that ID&T rendered throughout the night. Each performer was introduced by a pre-recorded clip that is commonplace within the European parties, but one that few have experienced here in Oz. For Durand, the visuals, lighting and narrator voice combined with a mashup of Coldplay Viva La Vida, DMX Up In Here and Prodigy Voodoo People before announcing his name. Nuff’ said! It really adds that little extra something to make it a unique experience. Durand played a set full of good tunes, but never quite turned that into a good set. The mixing was adequate, but a hodge-podge of tracks kept it to peaks and troughs. His remix of Madagascar by Heart of Trance and finishing with 1999 by Binary Finary kept me well enthused though to remember it favourably.

Next up was, for me, the most exciting man in trance today, Simon Patterson. Tech-trance, hints of psy, plenty of melody; the young Brit has it all. Opening with Sam Sharp – Roundabout (Simon Patterson Remix), it’s not often you hear such an effective breakbeat which slams into a tech-trance monster – a testament to his innovation. Thump followed by Us meant all-out chaos, and a remix of classic Dogzilla Without You had the crowd swooning. This guy is pure class, and it would be foolish to think he won’t be big business in years to come.

To bring it home, who else could they have other than Sean Tyas. ‘Super-trance’ is a word often associated with his sound. Big, loud, fast and euphoric; it’s not for the minimal-tech heads. Personally, I found him to be a little off. He’s not the sharpest mixer in the world, and in the end, having finishing track Lift cut-off before finishing didn’t help out those enjoying it. In the end, maybe I just think: heard a few of his tracks, heard them all; but perhaps that’s just a little jade sneaking in!

All in all, a truly classy event. Sure, each DJ only got an hour to show their wares, but that’s the result of having such a large and diverse bunch of international talent as that given to us this night. We were swamped for choice, too much so at times (clashes are always a bitch), but that’s never really a bad thing. The production was as impressive as ever, and the sound in the two arenas puts the quality of those on offer at many other festivals to shame. What more could you ask for really…oh that’s right, come back next year!

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