5 reasons to come to: Digital Sounds w/ Craig Connelly, Suncatcher, Nikolauss, Bogdan Vix & Alexandra Badoi [Trance Events Romania]
The news is out for a while: Craig Connelly is coming back to Romania. This time, for the new Digital Sounds event, powered by Trancecode.
On April 4th, starting 11pm, in club Fabrica, we will all join Craig Connelly, Suncatcher, Nikolauss and Bogdan Vix for a very nice trance celebration.
Just announced: Alexandra Badoi will join the DJ booth as well, for the first time!
Tickets: Regular ~ 11 euros / VIP ~25 euros. Grab yours here.
1. Craig Connelly. He is one of the best names in the scene right now. Releases choon after choon and it is requested on the lineups all over the world. Upcoming release: Tranceatlantic (collaboration with Factor B)[ FSOE] / March 13. And, of course, it is a killer on the dancefloor. His longest set to date:
2. Nikolauss. One of the men to keep an eye on this year, as Armin van Buuren said in his latest ASOT episode. He had a really nice climb in the industry till now and still goes on and on with every release. Regular with labels like Subculture or Regenerate, but also with releases with Amsterdam Trance, Statement!, GO Music, his music is well received by fans all over the world. Upcoming release: Sean Tyas remixed: Now you see / Matter of time [Nikolauss #140 remixes] [Regenerate]/ March 13. Latest set:
3. Suncatcher. Legend in the trance family. A real music man to follow. His unique sound is easy to recognise and his track are regulars in the charts. Upcoming release: Voices of Jupiter [FSOE Parallels] / March 13. Set to be remembered:
4. Bogdan Vix. One of the pillars of the Romanian Trance Family. Regular with Armada and InHarmony Music. Latest release: Snatt & Vix ft. Diana Leah – Soapte (Bogdan Vix & Claudiu Adam remix). Upcoming release: Bogdan Vix & Claudiu Adam feat. Mona Moua – Stay (InHarmony Music) – debuted by Andrew Rayel at #ASOT950.
5. Alexandra Badoi. For the first time behind the decks, Alexandra will debut as a DJ on April 4th. Used to be in front of the decks, singing for us, now she will start delighting the crowd by also playing the best trance tracks. When I saw her in London learning all the secrets of this job, I got really curious. Looking forward to see her play! Latest release: Airborn, Claudiu Adam & Alexandra Badoi – If Only (included in Find Your Harmony Vol. 1 by Andrew Rayel).
Tickets: Regular ~ 11 euros / VIP ~25 euros. Grab yours here.
Time till the event:
000 days 00 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds
8 reasons to say YES to TranceCode pres. ReOrder / Starpicker / The WLT / Skydreamer
On May 25th the Romanian Trance community has a new reason to smile: TranceCode pres. ReOrder + Starpicker, The WLT and Skydreamer. The event will be, again, at Club Azzero and start around 22:00. I like they kept the venue, 'cuz last time was pretty great! Tickets are ~9 euros and you can grab one here: http://bit.ly/RTF-TranceCode-Tickets.
I knew this party was coming. They also announced it officially at their last event Exposure w/ Daniel Kandi, Suncatcher, Exolight, Tesla System and Guard14. But beside my love for the music, I also have other reasons I am saying yes to coming to Bucharest on May 25 for this party:
Starpicker - the man is killing it at the moment. His music is great and I really want to see him more behind the decks. He is my no.1 reason of why I am coming to Bucharest for this party. Not only because I am managing his PR and Social Media, but because I am a huge fan. Love everything he does in the studio.
One of my Tunes of this year: Starpicker - Elated [GO Music]
Disconnection. Of life. Reconnection to my rave self. Continuing the experiment of taking my phone down, and only enjoying the party. No photos, no videos. Only feelings.
The WLT - It is very nice when you see more women taking down the trance scene. And Dana is one trance artist to follow! Lately she did a lot of good work with originals, but also with remixes. Her take on Darren Tate - Particles is great and soon to be released (May 17th)!
Support the Romanian Trance Community. The guys behind Romanian Trance Family staff/ TranceCode are really trying to keep the scene alive. And only for that they deserve a little support. Buying the event ticket, buying the plane/ bus ticket to go there and find a place to sleep after the party are too little compared to what they have to work for to make this happen. Maybe one time, it may not be your favorite artist, but if you love this music, you have to be there.
ReOrder - the man is really good behind the decks and his music always blows the speakers up. I've seen him a little at Luminosity Beach Festival, back in 2017 and I want more.
Skydreamer - seen him behind the decks, and he always delivers.
Friends. It is always nice to see again familiar happy faces, dancing alongside me.
What about you? Are you coming to this event? If yes, what is your no.1 reason?
Trance on!
Feelings review: [Trance] EXPOSURE with Romanian Trance Family
Ok. It's been a while since the event happened. It's been a while. I supposedly cooled off and I am, now, able to tell you about THE trance party where I remembered how to dance to trance and enjoy it to its fullest: Romanian Trance Family pres. Exposure with Daniel Kandi, Suncatcher & Exolight, Tesla System and Guard14. Came to Bucharest for this party with only one goal: to have fun. And that's exactly what I did.
My first regret is that I lost the warm-up from Guard14 and therefore, couldn't properly dip my toe into the party. Instead, I dived right in with Suncatcher & Exolight's set.
The second one is that I had to leave shortly after Tesla System started playing, and I lost one of my favorite sets of this year! I got the chance to listen to what he played and it was too insane to miss.
I decided to put my phone on "do not disturb" mode and to remember how is it: to party without photographing or filming any of it. Why? Because I wanted to feel the party through music, rather than a screen. The party had already professionals doing that, and me trying to capture something good, was not helping anyone. OK. I have 5 photos on my phone from the event, because I wanted to keep Trancers's socials active, but I failed like a pro on doing so.
IT WAS THE BEST DECISION I COULD'VE MADE.
I went straight to the first row, said hi to the people I met on the way and that was pretty much it. I may have missed a lot of people on this "quest", and I am really sorry if you saw me I didn't at least smile back. when I am focused on something, I tend to ignore things and people around me. :-s (but working on doing better). Beside a few breaks to breathe some more air outside, I danced my soul off and enjoyed every second of it.
Suncatcher & Exolight . These 2 guys do magic no matter what: producing, djing, being nice friends, you name it. Their set was awesome. Even though it started at a lower bpm, than I usually fancy, I liked it. A lot of that Anjuna vibe at first, but right into the emotional uplifting in hour no. 2.
I went straight to Goosebumps City when I heard Footprints on the Moon Soul and continued so when I don't deserve you from Paul van Dyk (the Giuseppe Ottaviani remix) kicked in. It is impossible to have 2 of your favorite tracks one after the other and not close your eyes to feel every sound, every second of the moment.
I could talk and praise the guys for hours, but I think showing you what (1/2 of) their set was about, is best: here is a link.
Daniel Kandi. This man, needs no introduction. Every trance fan knows him, knows about him, knows about his music and his energy. He played a very good extended set, showcasing new tracks perfectly matched with old tracks.
Favorite track: The Perfect Match (with Aligator). This track brings up so many good memories, so many good moments, I am always close to bursting into tears. But these would be happy tears.
Tesla System. Oh well, he was the surprise of the night for me. Listened to some of his online sets, talked about our vision for the trance scene, but never experienced him behind the decks. I knew he is good, but never believed he is this good.
Incorporating a lot of his mashups, gave the set a really personal touch and this was turning point for me to enjoy it even more. Also, his energy is contagious. You cannot stand still, seeing him go mad and really loving what he does. Test it yourself: link of the set. There is, also, a very special moment dedicated to Snatt Dragos, one of the pillars of the Romanian Trance scene. His passing has a hard hit for the community and it is very nice to always remember him and his work.
The party was very nice and I am happy the Romanian Trance Scene has found its way again. The venue was good; much better than the previous smaller parties and I hope this will be the start of nice collaboration. They already announced a new party on May 25 (more details about that soon).
Technicalities, like sound system, and other stuff like that, I leave it to you to tell if it was good or not. Only mention: at some point I felt that my party earplugs are a lifesaver, 'cuz (at least) in the front row, some sounds couldn't be processed properly by my ears. Maybe it was only me, or maybe not, I just felt the need to mention it.
Also, another thing that kinda didn't work for me, were the visuals. The setup was great, but the actual played visuals were too much on the eyes. Also, sometimes quite off with the vibe of the party. Cartoons should remain cartoons and never combined with trance music. My opinion. Maybe some liked them, maybe not. I know I didn't. But hey!, there is always room for improvement. :)
Overall, I left the party with a broken heart for not being able to stay till the end, but happy this party happened. It was good. And kudos for all the people involved to make it happen. Cheers to many more!
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Photos in this article: Claudiu Atanasoaie Photographer.
If you want to check the whole album, go here. Or if you're in for the aftermovie, check out this link.
PS. Don't forget to follow Romanian Trance Family on Facebook for more stories!
Romanian Trance Family pres. Exposure with Daniel Kandi (extended set)
They finally did it! Romanian Trance Family just announced their first big event! On March 30, in Bucharest all trancers are waited to join Exposure with an extended set from Daniel Kandi!
To properly celebrate their 50th episode of Critical Exposure, Exolight and Suncatcher wanted to mark the moment with a memorable party. So, they invited their label (Always Alive) bosss, Daniel Kandi to headline this! Alongside them, we'll experience behind the decks Guard14 (warm-up) and Tesla System to properly end the party.
It will all take place at Azero Club, and start at 10pm. Trancers expected to leave the dancefloor around 6 am.
I am pretty excited about this and cannot wait to party again. I knew the guys are working on something big for next year and this event is the right start! Both Exolight and Suncatcher are doing amazing in the trance scene, and Daniel Kandi is a legend. Also, after seeing Guard14 this year in Cluj at a Romanian Trance Gathering, I am excited about a warm up set. Tesla System is a friend and I will always be happy to see him play.
You can grab tickets from iabilet.ro. Price is 30 Ron (~7 euros) - general access and 100 Ron (~22 euros) - VIP.
Also, you can RSVP via this Facebook event.
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You can find out more Romanian Trance Family's beginning here. Also, Suncatcher and Exolight by checking their interviews with Trancers.ro and other news here and here.
On the trance road: Romanian Trance Gathering #3 [Cluj]
September 29. Mark the date. Romanian Trance Family is partying again! Romanian Trance Gathering #3 will take place at Moonshine Pub (Cluj, Romania) starting 10 PM. Ticket price: 20 Lei (~ 4,5 euros) until 00:00 / After midnight - 30 Lei (~ 6,5 euros).
As for timetable, they chose, of course, from THE locals:
22:00 - 23:15: GUARD14 (warm-up set) / soundcloud.com/guard14
23:15 - 00:30: SkyDreamer / mixcloud.com/radu-enescu/
00:30 - 01:45: Sundancer / mixcloud.com/DJSundancer/
01:45 - 03:00: Suncatcher / soundcloud.com/bogdan-cupcea
03:00 - 04:15: Nikolauss / soundcloud.com/nikolauss
04:15 - 06:00: George Andreas b2b Exolight (after-party) / soundcloud.com/george-andreas / soundcloud.com/exolightmusic
I literally can't wait. It's been a while since the last trance party, so I need it. I know Untold was only 1 month ago, but one trance party a month is not enough. I need more and more. I am that kind of junkie.
I need to enjoy for the first time a good warm up set from Guard14, a different one from Skydreamer, to dance like there is no tomorrow on Sundancer's, to catch the vibes on Suncatcher's, to get pure goosebumps on Nikolauss's and to end a perfect night with a premiere b2b between George and Exolight.
I need all this. I need it to become myself again. To put the sorrow away again. To be happy again. Happy with nice people around me. Happy enjoying this beautiful music. Happy because some make this possible.
Who will I see there?
3 new names. 3 very special B2Bs. 30 acts. The Untold line up for the Trance scene is final now and good to go!
Well, this is it. We finally have the final line up for the Trance Scene at Untold. They announced 3 more names in the past weeks and they couldn't choose better names. I was telling you in an older article why I want to see each name on the line up, I completed the list now.
Andy Moor is such a legend in the trance scene. He did a lot of good for it and still going on. I recently saw him again at an event, where he had 2 sets: one vinyl and one producer set and it was like watching magic. He chose each track so well, build up the energy and made us relieve the love for trance music over and over again.
Atma Live and Latam. I have to admit, I first heard of them this year, after Afterhills. They both played at the Essence stage and from what I heard they did an amazing job. Stalked them a little on social media and I really liked what I saw and heard.
- Airwave b2b John 00 Fleming
- Omnia b2b Ben Gold
- Mark Sherry b2b Richard Durand
3 stunning b2b acts. All 6 are amazing artists and we are really lucky to get to see these special b2b acts on the same stage.
Full line up look something like this:
- AIRWAVE B2B JOHN 00 FLEMING
- ANDY MOOR
- ASTRAL PROJECTION
- ATB
- ATMA
- BOGDAN VIX
- BRYAN KEARNEY
- CHICANE
- FERRY CORSTEN
- GABRIEL & DRESDEN
- GARETH EMERY
- KYAU & ALBERT
- LATAM
- MARCO V
- MARK SHERRY B2B RICHARD DURAND
- MARKUS SCHULZ
- MARLO
- MENNO DE JONG
- OMNIA B2B BEN GOLD
- ORJAN NILSEN
- RUBEN DE RONDE
- SIMON PATTERSON
- SOLARSTONE
- STANDERWICK (LIVE)
- SUPER8 & TAB
- THE THRILLSEEKERS
- WILL ATKINSON
If this is not enough for you to grab your ticket now and get ready for Untold, then I do not know what else is. If you already have one, then see you there! If not, then grab one and (again) see you there!
When: 2-5 august, 2018
Where: Cluj, Romania
How: Tickets and be found on the website www.untold.com.
If you didn’t find accommodation yet, there a lot of tips on their website. Just check them out.
Also, the Trance scene at the festival this year has its own Facebook page and event. Give them a follow for more news and updates!
Starpicker: Trance has that special something. That's why it is a part of my life. [Interviewing artists]
Starpicker interview alert! I've been working on this for a while and I am pretty happy Dan has finally agreed to answer to my questions. Interviewing close friends is always the hardest thing to do. :)) But it had to be done. He is an amazing trance producer and deserves this. So, enjoy the read!
Hello Dan! Where in the world is this interview catching you and what were you doing right before starting reading this?
Weekend, watching series and chill.
Let’s start with the beginning: Who is Starpicker -the artist? How did it all started? The love for music, the producing, the DJing?
For trance it all started in general school when my sister bought some compilation cds with tracks from ATB, Schiller, Marc van Linden. I remember I was listening a lot to the track that started the love for trance music: Marc van Linden - Clubiemus. It was more like a euro house track but the lead melody sounded a lot like uplifting tracks so it did the job. After that I knew I want to learn how to produce music and in college I started with FL Studio and then I switched to Ableton.
Who is Starpicker in the day by day life? Beside producer, DJ, artist?
Automation Engineer, love travels, soccer videogames .
Why Trance? What does this genre mean to you? How does it make you feel?
I listen to all kinds of music but trance just has that special something if you know what I mean.
What would you say it is your biggest musical accomplishment till now?
Playing this year at Afterhills Festival. :)
Which single track that you’ve produced had the biggest impact on your career?
I also had tracks under other aliases but the biggest track so far is “The Traveler”.
How do you actually produce your music? Do your tracks tell a story? What is the inspiration behind your tracks?
Usually I open my DAW and play with something or go through older projects and and if something new comes to mind, I write it down. But mostly the good ideas come when I have to do something else with a close deadline. :))
Who influenced your work the most? Simple people, other artists, works, etc.
People inspires me a lot. From other artists I can say that Giuseppe Ottaviani inspires me along side Thrillseekers and Solarstone.
What do you think makes a perfect track?
I think that the melody is the main reason you will look again for a track.
Have you ever experienced the creator’s block? And if yes, how did you snap out of it?
For me there is a time of the year when I write some melodies and then all the year work on finishing them.
Let’s go a bit into some technicalities: what’s your studio setup?
A nice PC with a Komplete audio 6, Audio Technica M50 and recently I got a pair of Yamaha HS7 who are not at full power because of my room but at least I don’t have to work on headphones all the time.
Favorite DAW?
Ableton.
Can you name your top 3 VSTs?
Spire, Sylenth, Serum.
Soundbanks or sound design? Which is the way to go?
Sound design usually, it takes longer but its worth it. Sometimes I use presets too.
What is the simplest advice you’d give to someone else that is starting this journey?
Dream big and work hard. If you love this enough you will get where you want.
You favourite trance subgenre?
Uplifting
Any favorite artists?
Giuseppe Ottaviani, Solarstone, Thrillseekers, Ferry Corsten, Suncatcher, Exolight, Daniel Kandi.
Any artist a trancer should definitely follow these days?
If you want nice melodies with alot of energy and a driving bassline Nikolauss is your man. His tracks are insane these days, you should definitely check him out. Suncatcher and Exolight are also top producers with big support lately and with a good year with great tracks. Also check Sundancer, Bogdan Vix and Keyplayer, they are on fire.
Any new projects coming up? What can we expect from you in the next months?
Solo projects a few and 2 collaborations.
How was the Romanian Trance Gathering party? What can you say about that night? You had a very special b2b with Nikolauss.
I really enjoyed the party. I meet great people there and made new connections. My set with Nikolauss was the first b2b for us and we did a great combination of our styles.
What can you tell us about your work with Nikolauss? When can we actually hear something from you 2?
We worked for a while at a few projects, finally one is ready now and will be soon out there. I think I may give it a spin at Afterhills Festival.
What about the work with Exolight and Suncatcher? How was it? Working with these 2? Anything new coming up?
It was awesome, the fastest collaboration ever ha ha. I sent over something and then they came up with some great ideas about it. With Exolight is another one in progress and I think will be a good one.
Congrats of becoming part of the Afterhills line up. What can we expect from you?
Thank you! I am very happy for being part of it. I will do my best and hope you will enjoy the my set.
What do you think about the trance community - the fans?
I think it’s a great community all around the globe and it’s bigger every year.
And what about the trance community the DJs/ producers (the ones you encountered till now?
I met a few of them and they are good fellows helping each other.
If you could change your place for one day with another artist, not necessarily trance artist, with whom would you change places and why?
Giuseppe Ottaviani. His Live 2.0 set is insane and I think it’s amazing to watch and learn from it but no one could do it better than him.
Hardest question of all: Can you tell me the top 10 trance tracks of all times?
There are so many! Here are 10 that came to me right now but not in a specific order.
- The Thrillseekers Pres. Hydra - Amber
- Ferry Corsten presents Gouryella - Venera (Vee's Theme)
- NuNrg - Free Fall
- Ram - Ramsterdam (Jorn Van Deynhoven Remix)
- Darren Porter - Spellbound
- Paul van Dyk - For An Angel
- Kamaya Painters - Northern Spirit
- Chicane - Saltwater
- Solarstone - Seven Cities
- Airbase - Modus Operandi
Do you have a message for our readers?
If you think my writing is good then you didn’t listen to my tracks.
Everyone has a hidden talent. What’s yours?
Finding everything funny and making jokes about it especially in serious situations. I don’t this is something that helps but I can’t change it :))
Kickstart the summer with Afterhills: more than 150 artists (18 trance), a ton of good music and a field full of dreamers.
Well, this it is. Afterhills is just around the corner. Only a couple of days till we kickstart this summer with 4 amazing days full of good music and beautiful people. Dreamers. 'Cuz this is the focus. Daydreaming of something perfect, night dreaming of goosebumps. They just announced the full line up and it is insane.
From the trance point of view we have a pretty interesting list and I want to see all the names:
1. Vini Vici (I really like the sets I enjoyed till now, looking forward for a new one)
2. David Gravell (I am a huge fan of him, not matter if he is on the right side of trance music or not, as some would say. I am in love with some of his reworks and I am sure I will enjoy his set 110%)
3. Blastoyz (Crazy craziness since I first heard of him. Really really good with what is he doing)
4. Aly & Fila (You cannot say trance without saying Aly & Fila too)
5. Sander Van Doorn (Happy he got back to trance music with his Purple Haze name and looking forward to see what he has prepared for Afterhills)
6. KhoMa (Never seen him playing. Want to experience the end of a great day with him behind the decks)
7. Paul Van Dyk (Paul is my first music crush, and nothing can stay between me and him when he is playing at an event I am attending)
8. Cosmic Gate (Music crush! Music crush alert! )
9. Ben Nicky (I've seen a lot of comments regarding his sets lately, I want to see it for myself too)
10. Bogdan Vix (Pillar fo the Romanian Trance Community. Do I have to say more?)
11. Above & Beyond (They had one hell of a set at Timeshift last year, looking forward for the magic again)
12. Andrew Rayel (I have a lot of good memories from his sets, looking forward to see what else he is doing right now)
13. George Andreas (This little one, the youngest of the Romanian Trance Family's DJ is doing a great job behind the decks)
14. Exolight (One of the hottest names in the trance industry right now)
15. Nikolauss (My forever music crush. My forever life crush. I know a little bit of how is set is going on, looking forward to hear it live!)
16. Suncatcher (Great music man. Amazing DJ and trance producer. )
17. Sundancer (Friend. Never disappoints behind the decks)
17. Starpicker (Friend. Wine buddy. Music buddy. I am sure I will get to hear a lot of pure music in his set!)
I want to see them all. But I need to find out how cloning works first. Because the timetable was announced, and a lot of trance acts are happening in the same time between the Mainstage and The Shed stage. See the rest of the timetable here: facebook.com/afterhillsfestival/posts/2043181182604702 .
I am not sure what am I going to do, I am not sure who I will end up to see, but I am sure I will have the time of my life at Afterhills. Because the team is great, the event is great and the people are awesome. The music will perfectly complete the vibe. The friends will be there. Happiness will happen there.
Looking forward to see old friends, to meet new people and enjoy 4 full days of complete madness. See you there!
More details are on their Facebook page. Check it out!
Also, give a follow to their blog too. A lot if trips and tricks, a lot of interesting things are said there. Be sure you won't be loosing any of it!
27 artists. One stage. One trance stage. Untold Festival made a very special gift to the Romanian Trance Community
I am looking at the video, and I still can't believe it. I am looking at the announcement, and I still feel like dreaming. There will be a Trance stage at Untold festival, and this is the best announcement they could've make.
I went to Untold for their first edition to experience the festival, and they made a very good impression. In terms of organisation, artists, people, everything went magically. It was a very nice experience and I told all about it in a very long article here. I know the article is in Romanian, bear with me. At that time I wasn't writing for the whole world. Will translate it later. Long story short, the 1st edition of Untold for me was all about the music and beautiful people. Armin did the most for me at that time. He was above everything. I am not the biggest Armin fan, but kudos for what he did there. And the next years after that: his set got longer and longer with each Untold edition. I am sure you all played this at least one time:
Well, this year they thought on making trance fans from Romania even happier. They finally announced for this 4th edition a trance scene. After asking for it, crying for it, making campaign and petitions for it, it finally happened. They made it happen. And they announced one hell of a lineup. I tried to make a short list out of all of these names, but I couldn't. I want to see them all. I want to catch them all!
It was very difficult to pick one track for each of them to put it here. Can you gues each one I chose before clicking on their names?
- AIRWAVE (for being such an amazing classics man)
- ASTRAL PROJECTION (legends! True legends for what they did since 1993 for the electronic music field. Legends!)
- ATB (It will be nice to see him again. :D )
- BEN GOLD (because I never saw him live)
- BOGDAN VIX (because he is one of the pillars of the Trance Community in Romania. Also, he will have a mint set!)
- BRYAN KEARNEY (the man is mad behind the decks, and I am also a huge fan of his music)
- CHICANE (another legend. ^_^ )
- FERRY CORSTEN (even tough it is not a Gouryella set, I expect to magic either way)
- GABRIEL & DRESDEN (more legends!!!)
- GARETH EMERY (he knows how to please the crowd)
- JOHN 00 FLEMING (on the progressive trance fields, he is doing magic. Definitely one to listen, to follow, to have on repeat)
- KYAU & ALBERT (more and more legends!!!)
- MARCO V (I will repeat the word legend for every artist here. :D )
- MARK SHERRY (ohooooo the power of his sets, his music never disappointed me)
- MARKUS SCHULZ (he is part Romanian already. :D )
- MARLO (Seen him in Chisinau a couple of years ago, happy to see him again, in Romania this time)
- MENNO DE JONG (The man knows what trance is. In trance we definitely trust!)
- OMNIA (Never seen him live. But I am in love with his music)
- ORJAN NILSEN (The man know exactly what powerful electric sets mean)
- RICHARD DURAND (Recently I've been listening to a lot of his music again and fell in love once more with his work)
- RUBEN DE RONDE (say progressive. Say Ruben De Ronde. Definitely the man to kickstart a trance night)
- SIMON PATTERSON (Trance crush. Music crush. for a very long long time)
- SOLARSTONE (Trance crush. Pure trance crush. Music crush. Forever crush. This man knows music. I mean really knows the goosebumps music.)
- STANDERWICK (LIVE) (I've experienced his DJ sets, but never a live one. Looking forward to it)
- SUPER8 & TAB (Legendes. Legends. Legends.)
- THE THRILLSEEKERS (Legend. Again. I know. I am repeating myself. But this man is amazing.)
- WILL ATKINSON (Trance crush. Music crush. Forever crush. There is nothing more to say that he will "Numb the Pain" out of me. )
Long post again, but this line up is something we never had in Romania. So, imagine the happiness within the Romanian Trance Family. And not only I might mention. There is already a tradition for a lot of foreigners to visit Cluj only for the festival. And now, with this announcement I expect for more of them to come. I even tempted some of my friends with the line up yesterday.
For those interested I am leaving here a little bit more details about the event:
When: 2-5 august, 2018
Where: Cluj, Romania
How: Tickets and be found on the website www.untold.com.
If you didn't find accommodation yet, there a lot of tips on their website. Just check them out. These may go away soon!
Romanian Trance Gathering #1 - the beginnings of a fairytale
Romanian Trance Family is something trending right now for the Romanian Trance Community and not only. The Romanian Trance Family is finally something a bit more tangible than just a Facebook group with endless posts. The Romanian Trance Family is the reborn of a community we all thought lost, after the last events.
I discovered the Fb group randomly while looking for something and I was intrigued by it. The first question that crossed my mind was: is this another group, or will this turn into something better? Something that will support the music, something that will support the local artist, something that will forget about all the egos and fight for what makes us happy? I got involved. Of course. Cuz' that's who I am. That's what I do. I want to be involved and help anyway I can something that looks promising and also supporting the music that keeps me alive.
And then, the first official event happened. After weeks of planning and talking about it, I finally went to Bucharest and enjoyed a night full of trance and cool people. This event was special for me for many reasons. I got see some very close friends again, Nikolauss had a b2b set with Starpicker, that was out of this world and I got to enjoy trance for more than 8 hours a night.
The line-up sounded quite nice and interesting: Skydreamer (warm-up set), Sundancer, Exolight, Bogdan Vix, Nikolauss b2b Starpicker, George Andreas and Alkalin. I knew from the start that I will hear good music, but I didn't expect to see 8 people doing such a great job behind the decks.
Skydreamer built the energy up and prepared very well the start for the night. Soft, and emotional. Sundancer did what he knows best: to bring us the best in trance and uplifting with his set. Playing Loneliest Night from Giuseppe Ottaviani was a highlight for me and one of the tracks I remember from the set. You know me: when the set is so good, I just lose myself through music. I do not remember much, but the goosebumps and the happiness I enjoy on the dancefloor.
It was the first time I saw Exolight behind the decks, and I sooo enjoyed what I saw. And what I heard. And experienced. The man looks like he was made for this. So natural, so close to the public and so entertaining. He chose very good his tracks and of course it got me goosebumps from head to toe when he played Footprints on the Moon. The track is so special to me, because of all the memories that it brought back and still feel like I cannot find the right words to describe it. Bogdan Vix had a different set, but different is good sometimes. I got the chance to jump around and lose my voice singing along.
The only B2B set of the night, the most special moment for me, the set of Nikolauss and Starpicker was, obviously, my favorite. Not only because I support the guys with everything they do, but because they worked so good together. I must admit I was a bit (a loooot) nervous about how this will happen, but the guys surprised me. Even though they had a small technical difficulty in the beginning, they surpassed it and din one hell of a job. I lost myself and I found myself in the same time. I knew what they had prepared as in tracks, but I was surprised by the combination these 2 did. The combined very nice the melodic part of trance with the darker, harder more energetic one. Without doubt, this is my favorite moment of the night and I will keep it closely to my heart for a very long time from now on.
George Andreas, the youngest DJ from the team did great too. I knew he was nervous about the set, but he did a very good job. Picked us up right from were Nikolauss and Starpicker left us and build it to the top! He also played Poseidon, one of my all time favorites, so I am grateful for that too. That shows he listens to the audience and cares about some's preferences. That is a good choice and it will help him in the future. A bright future awaits him and he should not stop working to get there.
I saw for the first time Alkalin playing. And I got the honour to experience a vinyl set from him. That is a 2 in 1 happiness. He clearly knows what he's doing, being a veteran in the industry. Some very nice classics made the night complete. Also, hearing Burned with Desire from Armin van buuren and Justine Suissa made me smile and lose the already lost voice by singing along. This is another track with memories, so I couldn't stay away.
Radio DEEA and Trance Energy Radio were also media partners at the even, together with Trancers.ro and they did an amazing job broadcasting the party, both video on Facebook and audio on the radio. You can check for yourself all the sets here and here.
Overall the party was great. Overall the people were happy. I am happy the party happened. I am happy we finally got the see equal chances to all the artists from the Romanian Trance scene. I am happy I got to experience another trance night and enjoy it. I am happy. But I am also a perfectionist and I just hope that all the feedback I gave got the ears of those who'd listen. To those who'd use it to make things better.
The team looks nice and interesting. Challenging to work with, but I like a good challenge. I like working alongside motivated people and I am looking forward to see what else they have prepared. What else they have in plan for the community and how will they make trance strong again. I know our paths will cross a lot. And maybe soon you'll get to see a part of it. Or maybe not. :)
The future is bright, and we can make it even brighter. By working together, and leaving the egos aside. By focusing on what matters and that's MUSIC. The joy it brings. The goosebumps it gives. The artists behind it and their work. Supporting each and one of them. Supporting the fans. Supporting their dreams and considering their opinions. There is no real community without fans, nor artists, nor passionate and determined people. There is some magic, but we just need to find it and use it properly to make this fairytale come true.
