In Search of Sunrise Tour ft. Richard Durand @ Home, Sydney (13/07/2012)

With the latest edition to the In Search of Sunrise series having the name sake of our beloved country Australia, it would only seem appropriate that there would have to be, of course, a date on the tour calendar for Sydney. This saw Sublime presenting the spearhead of the In Search of Sunrise series, Richard Durand last Friday night at Home nightclub. Richard Durand now a veteran in the scene and known for some of the more influential tracks and devastating DJ sets was about to grace Sydney yet again, for what was a devastating set to say the least.

The welcoming set of Thomas Knight and Nick Arbor were again on song (or on track) to produce yet another familiar set of big room vocal uplifting trance favourites with crowd welcoming remixes of Andain’s Promises and Dash Berlin’s Man on the Run. This was only a minute taste of all the other familiar tracks that suddenly make you feel emotional and want to hold kittens in your arms – even if you were a man who never likes sharing his emotions. However, this was mildly interrupted by the additional, unnecessary annoyance of excess noise from the MC focused more on what he is going to watch on TV next week (“fist pump like you were on Jersey Shore ?” – giant what the? Moment there).

Luckily, this little incident did not scar me too much and I was still able to enjoy the rest of Thomas Knight and Nick Arbor with their arsenal of safety-first trance anthems which somehow went mostly unnoticed by the unseasoned crowd, including Rank 1’s Airwave and a remix of Delerium’s Silence. However of course, these tracks were able to keep any connection with parts of the crowd that do indulge in their trance music whilst at times still also trying to progressive into more tech infused progressive beats. The pair made the well-justified decision to finish off with predictable crowd pleasers at main stage, trance event tracks including Above & Beyond’s Sun and Moon.

Home nightclub has always had the tendency to evoke great supporting production, especially because they have the key ingredients in terms of production that you would see at a large capacity nightclub – large lighting setup, enormous sound system and other supporting elements including LCD screens. Even though there was the notable mention of their impressive, multi-coloured laser arrays and the literally deafening sound, the non-functional LCD TV’s on the side of the room and the full utilisation of the LED screen above the DJ booth was something left to desire. These key supporting production elements could have enhanced some of the atmosphere that was missing from a non-committal, trance music audience. At times it was like watching that movie, Lost in Translation as the appropriateness of unwanted members of the general crowd jumping up on stage and the MC continuously speaking through numerous trance break-downs seemed to be justified, but horrendously erodible to the classic atmospheric building of tracks.

In the hope to cover all aspects of the evening, a quick visit made to the room hosting ‘Delicious R&B’ warranted. On arrival to the room, I was met with the sounds of course of Sydney veteran, Pee Wee Ferris pushing a series of mainstream mash-up styled tracks including the sounds of Martin Solveig’s Hello and Calvin Harris ft. Kelis’s Bounce. This provided the crowd in this room more of the opportunity to escape the main room mayhem of trance tracks.

As I swiftly returned to the main room, DJ Ange had just began one of the best warm-up sets I have heard from a local DJ in a very long time. After the energetic, anthem styled set that Thomas Knight and Nick Arbor had energised the crowd on the floor with, Ange was able to foster a greater respect for Richard Durand who was to follow in terms of track selection and deeper, progressive enriched tracks. Carefully selecting a range of tracks that still was able to conjure a journey but also able to set the dance floor a light, Ange harnessed tracks including the charismatic Above & Beyond ft. Richard Bedford’s On My Way to Heaven. Intuitively setting the appropriate platform and tone for Richard Durand’s set, DJ Ange emotively searched for a connection with the crowd and helped to define the more impassioned elements of trance music. A skill well executed.