The August bank holiday weekend. Oh my word, let me compose myself.
What a weekend it has been. My Ibiza void has been filled, or at least partly filled, by two UK festivals this summer. Last month it was Global Gathering. This weekend it was leg two. SW4, just a few tube stops up the Northern Line, on Clapham Common.
The weather was horrific - a morning drizzly mist,
followed by a 4pm downpour the like of which I've not seen since my Bristol
days. But there were no dampened spirits. In fact, spirits were almost as high as
the mud on our wellies and jeans. The weather actually made it more of an
experience.
I had an amazing evening. It all seemed so short. And after
pretty short spells with Sander Van Doorn and Eddie Halliwell, I only really
got to see Aly & Fila, W&W, Paul Van Dyk and Armin Van Buuren. I'm not
sure whose idea it was to actually put W&W on sandwiched between Aly &
Fila and Paul Van Dyk and Armin Van Buuren was actually the weakest I've ever
seen him play but, even so, I was in my element and loving every moment. We
heard Apache twice. Nuff said!
As mentioned in last week’s blog, I've gone through a
brief period where a lot of the slower tempoed releases in EDM and trance haven’t
really floated my boat much. Add to that the fact that so many of my recent
favourites were crammed into the extended version of Episode 67. Of late I've done a lot more in the mid to high tempo range and, in a way, this episode
picks up some of the loose ends that I haven’t been able to put into recent
offerings – usually because they didn't fit.
I did a bit of complaining on Twitter today that Armin Van
Buuren’s set at SW4 was too trousey and soft. And it was. It was basically just a run through of Intense and an opportunity to roll out surprise guest Trevor Guthrie. It wasn't the Armin Van Buuren that I've loved as a DJ for the last 5 years or so.
But maybe it’s a bit rich of me to complain because the opening of this episode is definitely in that sort of new school EDM bracket, the bracket I don’t particularly want the world’s best DJ going anywhere near. But the fact that I'm playing stuff like this means I do very much have time for it as music. As always it’s about context and delivery.
But maybe it’s a bit rich of me to complain because the opening of this episode is definitely in that sort of new school EDM bracket, the bracket I don’t particularly want the world’s best DJ going anywhere near. But the fact that I'm playing stuff like this means I do very much have time for it as music. As always it’s about context and delivery.
Highlights for me this week are Starkillers’ track on
Sander Van Doorn’s label, Ride, the new collab between W&W and Hardwell
(which I'm sure we heard at SW4) and the noise-fest that is Bangover. The Cube
by Ummet Ozcan brings back nice memories of Global Gathering.
1. Starkillers - Ride [Doorn Records]
2. Hardwell & W&W - Jumper [Revealed Recordings]
3. Sick Individuals - Chase [X]
4. Don Diablo & Matt Nash - Starlight (Could You Be
Mine) [Axtone]
5. Juventa - Beauty Catch [Enhanced Progressive]
6. Lange - A Different Shade Of Crazy [Lange Recordings]
7. Tomac - Ballista [Silent Shore Records]
8. Giuseppe Ottaviani - Feel The Music [Black Hole
Recordings]
9. Mike Hawkins & Pablo Oliveros - Bangover [Tone
Diary]
10. Ummet Ozcan - The Cube [Spinnin Records]
11. Jochen Miller - Red One [High Contrast Recordings]
12. Richard Durand – Predator Vs Cha Cha [Terminal 4] <<<(The Phil-Harmonic Golden Oldie)>>>
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