My Trance LOVES
Paul Van Dyk
This Trance icon easily makes the number one slot on my list of MUST SEE’s at EDC Las Vegas 2019. Born in East Berlin during the Cold War, Paul grew up listening to forbidden Western music stations at a time when there were no record stores; only mixtapes that had been smuggled over the Berlin Wall. PVD landed his first DJ gig in 1991, and released his first studio album “45 RPM” in 1994, with a little track you may recognize called “For An Angel“. But it was his 1996 “Seven Ways” album that gained him recognition and was voted #1 album on DJ Magazine. By 1998, Paul held a residency at Gatecrasher, he stepped into the lead role on Vandit Records, and in 2001 his first mix album “The Politics of Dancing” made a huge splash. He was the first to be nominated for a Grammy in the brand new category Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2003, and the first number one DJ in Mixmag in 2005.
I’ve had the opportunity to see Paul perform over a dozen times (which pales in comparison to my buddy Adam’s 200+), and he lays down a wicked, fresh set every single time. But what will forever endear Paul to me is his astonishing comeback after a near-fatal fall through a concealed gap in the ASOT stage in February 2016. He suffered severe brain and spinal injuries from which his recovery included relearning to walk, talk, and eat before tackling mastered skills like spinning records and creating music. Rather than allowing his injury to deter him, he used it to produce his next two albums on Vandit. Both are nods to his brush with death: 2017’s “From Then On” and 2018’s “Music Rescues Me“. His standout set for me was at Paradiso 2018 and was truncated due to weather. Upon hearing the all-clear, an undeterred Paul laid down 40 minutes of FIRE backed by a brilliant orange sunset and lightning striking the ground betwixt sheets of rain on the opposite side of the Gorge Amphitheater. DO NOT MISS Paul Van Dyk at the EDC Las Vegas 2019’s quantumValley stage–the man is blessed by the angels.
Above & Beyond
To explain why I’ve seen these guys as often as Paul Van Dyk, but still won’t miss them at EDC Las Vegas 2019, one has to go to the beginning. So let’s dive into the history of Above & Beyond, starting in 2000 with the creation of their Anjunabeats label and first vocal Trance project, Oceanlab. Formed in London with Tony McGuinness, Paavo Siljamaki, Jono Grant, and singer/songwriter Justine Suissa (regularly voted “Best Female Vocalist”), it was Oceanlab’s fourth single, “Satellite” that skyrocketed them into fame. It is a heart-wrenching song rumored to be based on love letters between Paavo Siljamaki and his wife while he was touring. The boys (as us Anjunafamily affectionately refer to them) started their radio show “Trance Around the World (TATW)” in 2004, the same year they appeared on BBC Radio 1’s Essential Mix and won Essential Mix of the Year (which they did again in 2011 and are the only DJs to win twice), gaining them huge numbers of followers worldwide.
Having set the bar high, they did not disappoint with “Tri-State“, their first full-length album as Above & Beyond, this time featuring the voices of Richard Bedford and Zoë Johnston. Returning to their Oceanlab roots, they released their debut album “Sirens of the Sea” in 2008 featuring the hit “On A Good Day“, a track about feeling like yourself again after a lengthy period of sadness. Above & Beyond released “Group Therapy” in 2011, and it is my favorite album, though my favorite track “Love Is Not Enough” rarely makes most fan-favorite lists unlike “Sun & Moon” which Billboard named the saddest EDM song EVER. The following year the boys launched their radio show by the same name, which took up where TATW left off. Though I had been a fan since first hearing “Satellite”, it was the “Group Therapy” album and radio show that made me an Anjuna-addict. The boys then hit us with several acoustic albums and tours from 2014-2016 that featured many of their hit tracks played by a full orchestra.
Rewinding a bit to 2013, the boys celebrated the 50th episode of their ABGT radio show at Alexandra Palace in London and these landmark shows did nothing but grow until they hit The Gorge Amphitheatre for ABGT250 in 2017. Expanding into two days, with Anjunabeats artists on Saturday and Anjunadeep artists Sunday, this event was nothing short of life-changing. I simply can’t say enough good things about The Gorge. The beauty of the venue and the atmosphere of love, married with the uplifting music of Above & Beyond created an almost tangible feeling of joy. In typical fashion, the boys typed messages of love, healing, and acceptance behind them throughout the show. One of my favorites was “You are surrounded by your future best friends,” a statement that proved to be 100% accurate as my Anjunafamily grew tremendously in the months following. In fact, I’ll be going to the ABGT Weekender in an RV caravan with about 20 friends and will meet at least 50 more there.
It was ABGT250 that led me to connecting with this website, becoming Managing Editor, and getting to cover and write about so many Above & Beyond shows last year. I danced myself warm in the rain at Red Rocks to “On a Good Day” and shed a single tear at Anjunabeach listening to “Cold Feet” with a newfound friend who’s a fellow Anjuna Angel who hugged me as she already knew my why. Their sets are chock-full of uplifting, inspirational tracks that put you in all the feels. I’ve rarely felt anything as powerful as singing along with thousands of potential friends all sharing love and random acts of kindness. This is why I will not miss my first opportunity to see the boys at the EDC Week pool party at KAOS Thursday, May 16th. Click HERE for EDC Week tickets and info. To truly experience your own life-changing moment, DO NOT MISS Above & Beyond at EDC Las Vegas 2019’s circuitGrounds stage.
My Trance Crushes
Armin Van Buuren, Tiësto, and Paul Oakenfold
Every single one of these guys are GARGANTUAN Trance legends and yet they didn’t make it on my DO NOT MISS list. I’ll get to the why below. In all truth, these three giants helped develop my love of Trance. I’ll never forget seeing Paul Oakenfold in 2001 at Area:One. It was my first festival, my first time at the Gorge, my first time seeing Paul, Carl Cox, and Moby. I wouldn’t be who I am, where I am, and writing at this very moment had it not been for Area:One. For the next five years, anytime Oakenfold came to Seattle, I was there, and he toured often in those days. And so did Tiësto! I loved going for early morning/late night drives blasting his “In Search of Sunrise” mix albums; they were easily some of my favorites. And Armin Van Buuren‘s ASOT radio shows back in the day were transformative. They were how I was introduced to new, amazing artists, and picked up favorite new tracks. An artist could say they had “made it” if their track was selected “Tune of the Year“. Armin’s set at Paradiso 2018 had me dancing my face off despite my feet feeling like they were about to fall off!
So how could I possibly be willing to miss any of these Trance icons? Not because I have seen them countless times, but because they changed over the years. And not in a way I personally enjoyed. I will be the first to admit I am a purist when discussing my music preferences, and in the next breath say “You do you boo,” to someone with differing tastes. So I will say that if you love Electronic Dance Music and have never seen Armin Van Buuren, Tiësto, or Paul Oakenfold, DO IT NOW! They are pioneers and were instrumental in creating Trance as we know it today.
I am blown away at how many Trance legends, icons, pioneers, whatever you want to call them, are at EDC Las Vegas 2019. There are quite a few I did not even mention, like Giuseppe Ottaviani, Gareth Emery, Sander Van Doorn, Cosmic Gate, or John O’Callaghan! So if you love Trance, DO NOT miss EDC Las Vegas this year. Tickets are 90% sold out, so you’d better get a move on! They REALLY brought all the ooey-gooey, deep in your soul, Trance-y feels for us!
*Featured Image of Paul Van Dyk Via Artist FB Page*
