Trance Thursday Throwback (LovEvolution Edition pt. 3): "Perfect"

For anyone who was present for LovEvolution last Saturday, all I can say is BRAVO!  What a fantastic show that was.  To all the DJ's, promoters, organizers, volunteers, float crews, and anybody else who dedicated hard work to make sure this event was a success, all I can say is a big THANK YOU!  It was certainly a great night with some really great performances by the artists.  I'm glad LovEvolution is back and to celebrate, I'm rounding out the trio of TTT's dedicated to the event with another Love anthem.  Trance lovers present were no doubt in awe (as I was) of Markus Schulz's performance.  Even in his 30 minute set during the day festivities, he knows how to rally a crowd.  His performance at Love After was definitely something to not be missed.  It was nothing short of MASSIVE!  I feel very satisfied of voting the man as part of my top 5 picks for DJ Mag this year.  In the spirit of the unicorn slayer supreme, this week's throwback is a 2008 classic.  His memorable song "Perfect".  Here's the Agnelli & Nelson Remix that received immense play during Lovefest of that year and events surrounding:

 

Honestly...what's not to love about that track?  Agnelli & Nelson put the perfect spin on it with the deep dark trancey ambiance and the cut up vocals.  Lots of memories of long nights and early mornings to this one.  Also, for whatever reason, it was one of the tracks usually saved for later on the night when things were really getting interesting.  I can dig it.  Definitely one of those timeless jams you can play over and over again and it still feels fresh.  Also, if you have time on your hands, watch the video that this youtube user put together for this.  I guess they have their own view of "perfection" lol.  Way to kill em back then and today Markus.  Timeless music from one of the greatest producers in the world.

~Mark

Any special requests to include in the Thursday Throwback?  Send me a message via twitter @MarkyMark925 or to TFSF @TranceFamilySF.  Let me know what you think of the column as well.  Always open to ideas.

LovEvolution Preview: The Love is BACK!

On the day of September 24th, 2011, things will look a little different around the Oakland (O.co & Oracle) Coliseum grounds.  As the sun rises over the city, instead of sports buses there will be floats.  Instead of tailgating there will be dancing.  Instead of jerseys there will be lights.  And instead of the raider nation there will be the EDM nation.  This day marks the historic return of the Bay Area's premier event for electronic music: LovEvolution.  It's been a pretty bleak year for dance music since Love has graced us last.  A lot has changed since October 2009.  We have experienced a detrimental series of unfortunate events at key events in California, resulting in the reputation of EDM events being put in the crosshairs of politicians and local media.  Support has stepped back, other scenes have stepped up, and the Bay Area has been limping on ever since as far as putting on world class events like we are so used to.  However, 2011 is a year of hope.  This year we've seen unity like never before manifested in the Save The Rave movement.  We are also seeing the resurgence with our crown jewels in LovEvolution and the announcement of ETD POP's return  in 2012.  The vibe has once again become optimistic and it's a great feeling going into Saturday's event.  This IS the showcase of the Bay Area for EDM and all eyes are on the pretty lights and pretty people that will be dancing into the twilight this weekend.  That being said, it is important for us to show all the naysayers and politicians that we value our community, we value our music, but most importantly, we value ourselves.  Let's do our best to keep this event as safe, friendly, and loving as possible.  Let's not forget why we became part of not just a group of music enthusiasts; but a family.  Let's have fun everyone :). -The TranceFamily SF Team   Now, a word from our team members about LovEvolution:  

Kendra and Sony, TranceFamily SF Co-Founders




Love is in the Air! We are ready to immerse ourselves in love, music, colors, and dance, surrounded by beautiful people. As the co-founders of TranceFamily SF,  we  have the responsibility of representing all the SF Trance music fans at the event & spreading our message of  love, "In Every Beat, We Are Closer".  We are looking forward to the priceless smiles we get when we giveaway the bracelets,  followed by those special warm hugs.  There is nothing more satisfying to us than the feeling of being loved.  We are going to LovEvolution to find love, feel love, & give out all the love we got <3  

Mark




Our statement above pretty much states it all.  It is a big key for this event to go off without a hitch as this is probably the most important Love yet.  I'm excited about the potential that the new venue has.  While it will be quite a shift for me (having attended Lovefest since 2007), The grounds around the Oracle arena and the stadium itself have some definite potential for a massive event.  In all honestly, I'm surprised there hasn't been an EDM event here yet (if I'm not mistaken).  I have all the faith in Skills that they will put on a successful and safe event in the spirit of the previous ones before.  Having experienced 3 years of Love in the Civic Center of SF and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, this event is very special to myself as I'm sure it is for hundreds of others in the Bay.  2007 converted me into a full blown electronic music lover and Lovefest was the reason for that.  I haven't looked back ever since.  I personally know several others that have experienced that same discovery.  It's a great event for people to get introduced to what our scene is so it should be a goal to protect the integrity of that.  All mush aside, the lineup couldn't be any better for the new event.  The after party lineup is stellar and the day party's floats look awesome as well.  In short, I'm very excited!  Slay 'em Markus!  

Trance Thursday Throwback (LovEvolution Edition pt. 2): "Beautiful"

Well, the time has come upon us: LovEvolution is so close the Bay Area can almost taste it!  The glorious return of the premiere EDM showcase in the Bay Area is back and the anticipation is killing us!  I know it's definitely doing a mind job on all of us here in the TranceFamily SF HQ.  However, before we get to all the fun stuff like contests, promos, interviews, and bracelet giveaways, let's not forget that today is Trance Thursday and another Throwback is in order.  Since LovEvolution is in t-minus 2 days, let's take it back to another great Lovefest anthem from back in the day.  Rewind to 2007, the renaissance year of electronic music for me and my first Lovefest ever attended.  Trance was new and exciting for me and one of the first artists I turned to was Ferry Corsten.  His energy and uplifting style immediately grabbed my attention.  Anthem of that year's event?  The now classic and still highly played "Beautiful".  While the song first saw the light of day in 2006 on Ferry's L.E.F. album, a single release and repeated set plays later, it was still going strong in 2007 for Lovefest.  Let's go back down memory lane and reminisce it in all it's glory:

Ferry Corsten - Beautiful



Oh mean doesn't that just bring back so many memories?  Those of you who were at EDC this year for Ferry's set, you know what I'm talking about.  Or what about those that saw Ferry play at Ruby Skye in September 2010.  Still just as good as the first time you ever hear it.  Let's bring it back live in 2007:



Never a dull moment with that man let me tell you.  While slightly off subject (but not really), I can't wait until his new album drops.  What will his next anthem be?

 ~Mark

 @MarkyMark925 @TranceFamilySF

Trance Thursday Throwback (LovEvolution Edition): "Lost Connection / In and Out of Love"

Hey what's up everybody and welcome to another edition of TTT - the Trance Thursday Throwback!  If you tuned in this morning to di.fm you heard a great retrospective of this year's Ibiza season from Markus Schulz on Global DJ Broadcast and yet another great episode of A State of Trance from Armin van Buuren.  Great interview with Sander van Doorn about his new album "Eleve11" coming out which I absolute cannot WAIT for.  However, while we're on the subject of Armin, this brings me to a thought: For those that don't know, the relaunch of the Bay Area's premiere event (the artist formerly known as Lovefest and the now newly beefed up and re-packaged) LovEvolution is less than 2 weeks away.  I for one am glad that this great event is back because it really embodies the spirit and enthusiasm of the Bay Area when it comes to electronic music.  It really sets the stage as a closer of the summer and the beginning of the year end's big massives (like Monster Massive, HARD, Escape from Wonderland, Together As One, etc...).  Not to mention Skills always puts on great shows so I have no doubt this will be a success despite the new venue.  It all started for me at Lovefest 2007 and every year since, the event has put together a lot of great memories for me as I'm sure it has for many of you. In the spirit of Lovefest/LovEvolution, our throwback comes from 2008.  Definitely one of the greatest memories for me was Armin van Buuren tearing up the stage at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco for the Lovefest After Party.  I've seen him perform 5 times, however this one was really special due to the crowd connection.  After a long day of dancing in the sun, the energy was electric as if the party had just started.  That's when you know you've done your job as a DJ and as a performer.  Clearly Armin just brings that out in people.  One of the highlight tracks of his set (and an overall smash that year during sets and radio shows) was his mash up of his track "In and Out Of Love" with Jochen Miller's "No Connection".   They seemed to complement each other so well as if it was the original track.  Few mash ups can get away with that and this one was one of those select few gems.  The energizing build up of Jochen's beat with the edit of Sharon den Adel's haunting vocals adds a whole new flavor to make it feel complete.  Hearing it live?  Well, you be the judge.  Here it is live at Lovefest After Party 2008 played by the man himself:

Armin van Buuren vs. Jochen Miller - Lost Connection In and Out Of Love (AvB Mashup)



If you wanted to hear it a little more studio friendly:



Truly remarkable stuff.  Shows why Armin is still one of the top heavyweights when it comes to mash ups.  This year's LovEvolution will definitely have big shoes to fill.  Good thing Markus, Gareth, Laidback Luke, Dash, and Blake Jarrell have big feet.  Wait..what?  Did I just say that?  Anyways, hope this brought back good memories for you as it did for me.  What's your favorite Lovefest moment?  Be sure to share it with us on the TFSF Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/trancefamilysanfrancisco.  Also share with us on Twitter: @TranceFamilySF. Peace everyone!

~Mark @MarkyMark925

Trance Thursday Throwback: "Carte Blanche"

Hey everyone and welcome back to the Trance Thursday Throwback!  Hope you enjoyed last week's column as we should be getting into Sander van Doorn gear considering his new album that's about to drop.  For this week let's rewind all the way back to 1999 for the trance classic: Veracocha's "Carte Blanche".  This has been remixed time and time again and never ceases to amaze trance lovers and destroy dance floors when it's dropped.  In case you forgot about it, check it out:

Veracocha - Carte Blanche



Sound familiar eh?  That's probably due to the fact that you've heard it recently if you listen to A State of Trance!  Recently Armin played a brand new remix by Alex M.O.R.P.H. on ASOT 518 and it sounds great.  Definitely adds some freshness to the track.  I think Alex M.O.R.P.H. has done some great remixes lately and it reflects in this.  I think once an old track becomes a vintage gem and gets remixed by so many top name producers, taking on the next step to re-invent it is a daunting task that can only be undertaken by a true master.  This time around, I think Alex really delivered.  Take a listen to it here and rewind back to the old days when you were all about the candy and the massives:

Veracocha - Carte Blanche (Alex M.O.R.P.H. Remix)

 

Truly awesome stuff.  Those who are big fans of Armin may also remember the Cosmic Gate Remix spun a lot during his shows.  I know I certainly do.  So that wraps it up for this week.  Like this track?  Remember the good times?  Be sure to share with us on the TFSF Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/trancefamilysanfrancisco and/or leave a comment here!  And like always, Cheers!  

~Mark

Twitter: @MarkyMark925

TFSF presents: The Trance Thursday Throwback!

Greetings everyone and I hope you all had a great time tuning into the great shows that we had this morning for Trance Thursday.  In case anyone missed it, Kendra and myself were in the TranceFamilySF chatroom live during GDJB talking about the tracks that were being played and just the greatness that is Markus in general.  It was fun and we definitely encourage you all to join us next week when we do it all over again!  Anyway, in the spirit of Trance Thursdays, I wanted to get something else started off.  Something that could get us engaged and all the while appreciate the music we know and love.. and i knew it.   As of today, this is the first of edition of ... *drum roll* ...the TRANCE THURSDAY THROWBACK (#TTT).  You know, the isn't the Triple T's already being used as Ta-Ta-Tuesday?  Anyway, doesn't matter.  I wanted to do something special on Trance Thursdays (or thirsty trance Thursdays as Ulrich calls them) besides listening to new music.  I think one of the greatest ways to appreciate the genre is to look back on old tunes and recall some of the great memories we had when they were released and reliving that part of our lives.   Perhaps a good festival? Good show? Did that track help you through a particular struggle? Did it open your eyes to new music?  In this day and age electronic music is so focused on finding the newest track, the newest smash single, and the future artist to come up, that we don't take the time to sit back and remember what got us here in the first place.  So without further adieu and sentiment, let's get it going! 

This week's pick: Sander van Doorn pres. Purple Haze - Adrenaline



Let's rewind back to 2005 for this classic smash from Sander van Doorn, and at the time, the lesser known project named Purple Haze.  While we can credit the Purple Haze name now to a lot of great releases like "Hymn 2.0" and more recently "Timezone", at the time of "Adrenaline"'s release this was a fresh sound from the Dutch producer.  This track in particular has a much more darker sound than your traditional uplifting trance track.  It's really all about the mood.  You really feel like there's something imminent going to happen that is ready to culminate when the peak of the track hits.  Really evil sounding.  And that's why I love it!  I'm thinking that's what Sander van Doorn wanted, considering the alter ego.  You really can't call this trance and it is perfect example of genre blending.  The bpm and song structure of a trance track, with some darker techno elements.  Trance is usually an uplifting genre, but this is something else.  And guess what...something else is how we make progress.  Killer track from a killer producer, take a second to spin this in a dark room by yourself at midnight and you'll feel it too. Any suggestions for next week?  Like the column?  Please be sure to post in the comments and discuss on our TFSF forums.  Until next week...Cheers!

-Mark

Twitter: @MarkyMark925