From the minute you walked up the stairs to the antechamber of Rise, and were handed those crazy pair of 3D glasses, you knew you were in for a colourful and fun night. It was a little disappointing at first to see the small turnout for ‘The first Lady of Trance’, Sophie Sugar. But the support from the crowd for all the DJs, including Steven Tranzor and Joe Benger for the early sets, was impressive. There was a definite playful vibe in the air with everyone experimenting with their newly acquired 3D vision.

Whatever perception those glasses gave you, there was no mistaking the crowd’s rapturous reception to Sophie Sugar. There were smiles all around as Sophie opened her set with driving beats and a banging bassline. Euphoric levels rose steadily, spreading in a ripple effect across the room as she threw down her trademark uplifting, melodic trance. Joy was plainly visible on the faces of all the clubbers shuffling on the dance floor. True to her name, Ms Sugar’s tunes were sweet. She swept the crowd away with long, thoughtful, technically flawless mixes. “I was a clubber for many years and I know what it’s like to be in the middle of the dance floor with the melody washing over me,” she confided to me after her set. I can tell you now – she delivered!

By the 2am mark, Sophie had elevated the clubbers to such jubilant heights it didn’t take much for Dr Willis to tip them over the edge. Blasting the room with his harder edged tech-trance, the Rise crew packed out the dance-floor and welcomed him with open arms. Clubbers broke out into old-school whistles and stomped their approval in tribal-like unison. Willis replied with the massive Binary Finary anthem 1998, encouraging the frenzy. From there on, the lucky Rise patrons were treated to a hard hitting, tricked-out set that had Dr Willis utilising an array of techniques – from beat juggling to power downs to flange effects. The more he played to the crowd, the more responsive they became. A bond was established that night and the disappointment was palpable when he left the podium.