This year’s November event saw Outburst owner Mark Sherry host a label
showcase in the Terrace along with Tempo Giusto and others, and DJs Dan
Stone, Menno de Jong, and Akira Kayosa were on down in the Basement. In
the newly refurbished Garden, up and coming DJs were given the chance to
perform from a newly built stage, one of them being me along with my
uni friend Jonny Royall who had played at one of their previous events.
Having the opportunity to play at this monster event was nothing short of exciting. For months before the event we discussed tracks we wanted to fit into our set, keeping things mellow for the clubbers as they left the intense sounds of the Basement and Terrace. As this event also occurred on the weekend before the release of my debut single on Daniel Kandi’s Always Alive Recordings, the build up to this night felt extra special. I burnt a couple of demo CDs that I planned to pass on to Dan and Russell (Akira Kayosa) and travelled down on the train with my headphones to meet Jonny at St Pancras.
Shortly after arriving in London there was a brief excursion to a Chinese noodle restaurant, before heading down towards the venue for around 3PM (opening time). After getting through security and being checked off the guest list, I was introduced to Mark Landragin (one of the event organizers and resident DJs) and headed down into the Garden to check out where we would be playing. To our surprise, the Garden had been expanded into a larger indoor space with a raised stage and LED light screen, a large open dance floor and bar at the other side. The first DJ was already playing a mix of Progressive Psy Trance in the background, with brilliant lighting subtly scanning the room along with bursts from smoke machines.
After_putting our bags and coats down behind the decks, we got drinks from the bar and got chatting to some familiar faces, including James Rae who I had previously talked to over the internet after appearing on Discover compilation ‘Global Trance UK’ with in 2011, Matt Wakeford from the Anjunabeats Forum, and the guy behind ‘Shirty Music’ who put on an impressive show involving lazer-controlled MIDI drum machines and synthesizers to create live dance music.
When 5PM hit, it was time to head down to the Basement to see Dan Stone. As I am a huge fan of his sound and his consistent run of remixes and originals, it was a must that I witnessed his set in full from start to finish. He certainly did not disappoint, and the atmosphere was electric for saying it was only Saturday afternoon! A brilliant new tune from Suncatcher was dropped that we really enjoyed, and I managed to make a good few friends in there from wearing a rather amusing T-Shirt that read ‘Don’t trust anyone who claims to like House or Techno music but talks s*** about Trance’. I also managed to get a couple of free glow sticks off some generous clubbers and handed my Demo CD to Dan while he was behind the decks, which was an extra bonus.
Now properly in the party mood and with things in full swing, we headed back to the Garden where our mates Kevin and Joe were waiting and we caught up with them before heading on stage for our set. The nerves were beginning to settle in slightly, and the excitement was high for both of us, as we had a set full of quality tunes to play. We soon took over from the previous DJ ‘J D Love’, starting with a mellow intro mix of Sasha – Xpander, which set the tone nicely for the first part of our set. I can say from past experience that I really enjoy playing back to back with other DJs, as it becomes more memorable when the experience is shared and you can enjoy the set together, bouncing off each other’s mixing and selection styles.
As the set progressed we played some hypnotic sounds from Gai Barone (who has mixed one Disc on this year’s Pure Trance V4 compilation), more proggy House styles from Jaytech, Soundprank and EDU, as well as some of our own productions towards the end of the set. Tracks that went down particularly well were Saints & Sinners – Peace (Breakfast Remix) and Reflekt – Need To Feel Loved (Adam K & Soha Vocal Mix), the latter of which resulted in me receiving a sweaty hug and kiss on the cheek from a guy. It was beautiful to see people dancing away during our set, including couples that obviously shared a deep love for the music together. The set ended all too quickly, and I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
After coming off the decks I was bought a drink by my buddy Joe and I managed to catch a quick word with Akira Kayosa before he went on for his set. The next stop was the Terrace to see Mark Sherry blow the roof off with his vibrant mixture of energetic Tech Trance and pounding Techno. The sound system in the Terrace was incredibly on point, with the combination of pulsing Tech rhythms and nasty drops with bursts of dry ice, the atmosphere was no-nonsense and pretty full on. This set was my highlight of the evening, with classics such as his remix of Above & Beyond – Sun In Your Eyes being played and Push – The Legacy (Alex Di Stefano Remix), alongside Tech Trance monsters Pillars Of Creation (my highlight of the night) and pounding Techno beats towards the end, this really was a full taste of the Outburst spectrum. Technically, the set was flawlessly mixed, as I found myself standing next to the easily accessible booth for a large portion of it, watching Mark manipulating the tracks with EQ, filters, cue points and crossfades, always keeping things moving. It was an eye-opening experience that was very inspiring, and it was brilliant to meet him behind the decks at the end.
By now it was 11:30PM, meaning it was time to grab our stuff and head over to the after party at the Apothecary. As soon as we entered the room, Lost Tribe – Game Master was blasting out of the speakers from the stage at which Menno de Jong was playing for his second time of the night. This set was a proper trip down memory lane, featuring tracks such as Coast 2 Coast Feat. Discovery – Home (DJ Tiesto Remix) and Delerium Feat. Sarah McLachlan – Silence (DJ Tiesto In Search Of Sunrise Mix) which indeed went off in proper style. Other DJs on the stage were Ed Lynam, Charlie Bradley, Ryan McGuckin, Jonny Graham and Jonathan Carvajal who did a live PA with singer Zoya. For these last six and a half hours of the night, things were strictly above 138BPM, with the best in Tech, Uplifting, Classic, and Psy Trance. At 3:30AM, we decided it was time to get a cab back to Jonny’s, as we were thoroughly exhausted.
From my personal opinion I can safely say this was one of the best nights I've had so far, with such a great variety of DJs on the line-up and such a brilliant atmosphere. The next event is on New Years Day, and features classics sets from Alex M.O.R.P.H., Dave Pearce, Scott Bond and many others. Event info can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/493837657442921/
Words by our guest contributor Alex Wright, DJ & producer exclusively for Flux BPM Online & 1mix radio
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