This past weekend, trance fans from around the world gathered in A State Of Trance once again for the world’s largest trance festival — ASOT 950 in Utrecht in the Netherlands.
Every year, this event just keeps getting better and better and the 2020 edition was no exception to that rule. Boasting four rooms, each catering to varying sounds within the realm of trance music — this is truly a show that allows fans to let their ear be the guide to their night. These nine hours are dedicated to discovering new music all while being able to reminisce with some of your favorite classics.
The night kicked off with Armin van Buuren’s Warm Up set, which is always a set not to be missed. Mr. ASOT himself gave us a treat that left us all with our jaws on the floor. From unreleased tracks with pumping basslines to deep, dark remixes of classics like ‘Hold That Sucker Down’ — this set had everything the crowd wanted.
After the perfect build up to what was sure to be a night filled with memories, something spectacular was happening at the Who’s Afraid Of 138?! stage. Trance legend and Armada main stay, Jorn van Deynhoven was back in action after a year-and-a-half long hiatus. Fans were elated to see JVD back behind the decks. As I walked into the room, Jorn’s remix of ‘The Sound Of E’ was echoing through the room and I was overcome with goosebumps immediately. Witnessing this come back really brought out so many emotions, I can’t even put it all into words.
On my walk back over to the main stage, I made a pit stop at the Road To 1000 stage to see what kind of fire Nifra and Fisherman we’re throwing down and they really were turning up the heat in that room.
Next up for me was the Unicorn Slayer — Markus Schulz! He is one artist that I can never miss because his sets are always so electrifying and there’s always some sort of mind blowing moment. For me, that moment was when he dropped an insane remix of ‘Escape’ by Kaycee — an absolute classic and one of the tracks that brought trance into my life.
Taking the main stage next was another rare showcasing — Rank1’s live set! I always look forward to seeing this dynamic duo perform, but when they put on a live show, it’s really something special and unique. There’s nothing better than seeing these two legends work their magic on stage together. For ASOT 950, they pulled out all the stops and left the crowd mesmerized — especially so when they closed with their staple record, ‘Airwave’.
Finally, the main stage’s most anticipated set — Armin van Buuren. Right after the highlight reel of all the memories from ASOT’s past events, the king of trance stepped upon the stage with his usual glowing presence. Armin brought his A-game (pun intended) and the crowd let the music guide them through this journey of trance music. One thing I have to say is that I really can’t wait until all of these IDs are released.
It was time to make the trek back to the land of 138 where Key4050 played an absolutely flawless set. From the moment I heard the beginning chords of ‘I Love You’, I knew we were in for a ride.
Next uo was Armin’s third and final set of the night and my personal most-anticipated set. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing than seeing my favorite artist perform an absolutely banging trance set and that’s exactly what we got.
Richard Durand took the reigns after the king, van Buuren and he really kept the flow going with a slew of uplifting masterpieces. Looking around the crowd, all you could see were hands in the air and closed eyes. This is the kind of trance that makes people feel the music and that’s what brings us all together in this moment. Personally, I couldn’t help but go wild when Durand dropped his mash-up of ‘Vortex’ and ‘The Air I Breathe’.
Last but not least was the first presentation of the maestro of trance —Giuseppe Ottaviani’s Live 3.0 set. This updated version of Live 2.0 sees the ante being upped in the tech game. With limitless control over each and every sound he delivered to the crowd, the fans in Jaarbeurs went wild with every sound byte that flowed through the airwaves of the venue. Sets like this prove that trance is the most powerful and emotional genre that exists and makes me proud to be a trance music lover!
What can I say? The event was absolutely incredible as always. The folks at Armada, ASOT and ALDA went out of their way to make sure that the productions were on point, the event ran smoothly and that every guest was welcomed into A State Of Trance (literally and figuratively).
With the flagship ASOT 950 being complete, we have a couple other ASOT 950 events to look forward to now — Ultra Miami (March 21st), Moscow (July 4th), Tomorrowland (July ? and ?) and London (August 28th). ‘Let The Music Guide You’ at one of these upcoming events and enter A State Of Trance!
*Featured image via ASOT*
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