It seems most famed names associated with euphoric trance come from the land of clogs and like his celebrated Dutch counterparts, Tiesto and Armin van Buuren, Sydney’s Joshua van Aalst wants to bring happiness to the masses through uplifting music. Joshua refers to it as a happiness that can make you wet your pants and gets you feeling good deep down inside. It is the raw emotion of music that can be seen in any club when a DJ manages that perfect drop and every hand hits the air, every face widens with a toothy smile. Joshua’s nicknamed it Epic Trance or Ultra Uplifting Trance. “I use music, in particular uplifting trance, to bring people the emotion of happiness,” Joshua says. “Uplifting trance is really about life, it’s about happiness. I want to feel happy, and more importantly I want to give happiness to others. The style of uplifting trance that I play is happy music, music that makes you feel good deep down inside.” He hones in on the moment that every clubber loves, a good build-up climaxing in a massive drop, and focuses his sets around it. “Uplifting trance is characterised by break downs followed by uplifting build ups. Classic uplifting trance sets tend to have several of them throughout their sets. My sets are somewhat different. I choose tracks which have the biggest build ups that I can find and I don’t just play one massive build up every so often but instead keep hitting the clubber with massive build up tracks followed directly by another massive build up track. Creating a constant epic rush,” he says. All the DJs that play at his monthly event, A Night of Trance, understand the euphoric music policy and are chosen on their abilities to play “happy music”. At present, Joshua, Scott Richardson and Diggs & Morro are residents while Jumping Jack plays the odd set. “With picking DJs for the event I’m looking for a certain sound as the event has a particular music policy: Epic Trance or Ultra Uplifting Trance. We’re also looking for certain types of characters as I believe that a DJ, especially one that plays on a stage in front of a crowd, is also an entertainer not just a DJ,” he says. It is a rare occurrence in Sydney to find a euphoric trance night, which is possibly a factor in the surge in popularity of A Night of Trance, so Joshua recently had to move from the 150-capacity Palace in Surry Hills to ARQ in Sydney’s gay-hub, Paddington. Which in Joshua’s opinion is one of Sydney’s superclubs with the best lighting show in town. “People were unsure of a club they had heard so little about. A club that up until now had only held gay and lesbian events. After our May 14th event people saw that I was not over exaggerating when I labelled it as the club with the best lighting show in Sydney. Each moving light is individually attached to a hydraulic pump that moves it up and down into the ceiling creating a totally 3 dimensional lighting experience. Now clubbers can’t stop raving about the venue,” he says. The punters are also raving about Joshua, who says he has only got where he is by taking baby steps. Beginning his turntablist career as a party DJ playing popular tunes, he soon became a passionate connoisseur of uplifting trance and hasn’t looked back. It has taken three years of mixing the “happy music” to get him in front of the big crowds at his own night, but it seems it has been worth the wait. .”It’s been great. Out of this world really,” he says. And it all started because he loves the pearly whites. “What got me started? Seeing people smile. My sets are chosen 1000% for the crowd. I want to see everyone smiling and having a great time.” You can see Joshua play at A Night Of Trance, Friday July 2 at ARQ. For more info check out ITM Whatons.
