Daily Archives: March 4, 2017

Chicago is the home of house music, but is it the home of trance?

Apparently this may be the case to some extent, as hundreds of trance-lovers reunited at a packed Concord Music Hall on Friday night to experience a night filled with vivid trance sounds from distinct DJs. On the lineup were ATB, Ben Nicky (who was unable to make it due to a cancelled flight), and Orjan Nilsen, with support from local Chicago DJs Mario Florek, Peter Kontor, and Dave Neven. The 7-hour event was sure to be quite the experience and it absolutely was.

Ill be completely honest trance is not necessarily my cup of tea most times. I do like it; I just never find myself actually seeing trance artists. In the spirit of PLUR, I went to Trance Arena with an open mind and ready to enjoy the event with my trance-loving friends. Im not going to say Im all of a sudden converted to the #trancefam, but I can certainly say Ive found a new appreciation for it. Trance Arena brought the most blissful and salient elements of trance into a more intimate Chicago venue, reuniting trance fans around the city and area.

The opening DJ sets were well-crafted, melodic sets with just the right amount of high energy to get things started. We arrived to a quite crowded Concord as Peter Kontor and Mario Florek went b2b in a groovy trance set that definitely had people excited for the event. The stage was massive, resembling festival stages more than clubs or live show venues. Dave Neven swooped in with an incredible amount of energy and bass to take the crowd even further into the night. This is where I noticed the true power of the sound design put on by React Presents. Orjan Nilsen played a classic trance set, layering in the beautiful melodic sounds found in the most sophisticated of Above & Beyond songs.

Then, ATB absolutely confirmed his timelessness as he performed an incredible set. The predominance of classic trance sound brought me back to the early 2000s, when I was still young and listening to ATB passively, as the German superstars tunes played on MTV and the radio. Seeing the legend for the first time live definitely brought a certain emotion not commonly found in just any Chicago Friday night DJ set. His dropping of Ecstasy towards the beginning of the show set the tone for an amazing night, as the entire crowd sang along to the anthem that is that song. ATB even experimented somewhat with more deep house and techno songs, proving that he will forever live in the trance hall of fame.

We are truly lucky to live in Chicago, a city that celebrates its electronic music culture with innovation and excitement. With organizations like React Presents, who put on an incredible amount of thought and energy into their events, Chicagoans should never have a problem finding an electronic music scene that fits with their taste preferences. Friday night it was trance. Heres to hoping Chicago and its electronic music people dont change, so that we can have more events like Trance Arena to celebrate a wide range of EDM.

Photos via: React Presents

Originally posted here:

Trance Arena: A New Beginning For Trance in Chicago (Event Review) - EDM Chicago (blog)

Even by his own lofty standards, Steve Smith knows he had raised the bar when he raised the bat in Pune.

Australian captain Smith has given a frank insight into the "trance" he entered while scoring a century during the first Test against India in Pune.

The second-innings knock of 109 featured several chances, as can be expected on a pitch branded "poor" by the match referee. It had been leadership personified and one of many recent examples of why Smith is regarded so highly.

Aiming to make it six tons from six consecutive Tests against India, Smith said everything clicked and he was "in the zone" during the first Test.

"I was doing things that I probably haven't done before. My eyes were sort of spinning and I was in a bit of a trance," Smith recalled on the eve of the second Test, starting on Saturday in Bangalore.

"I've been there a couple of times in that kind of mindset. For me, it was just such an important period of the game and I knew, if we could get (a lead of) 300 or over that .. we'd be a real good chance to win.

"That afternoon, I was very determined and focused on the job at hand, to try and get as many as we could.

"Hopefully, I can bring that next level and next gear out. It was pleasing to know I had that level in me."

Smith could tick off another important milestone during the 2nd Test. The right-hander needs a further 112 runs to celebrate 5000 Test runs.

If the 27-year-old achieves that tally in his next innings, the 95th of his Test career, it will mean only Don Bradman and Jack Hobbs have reached the milestone in fewer knocks.

Smith's Test batting average in Border-Gavaskar contests stands at 88.83. No player from either country has achieved such a high number, with Ravi Shastri (77.75) and David Boon (70.82) next in line.

Coach Darren Lehmann regarded Smith's recent knock as the best of his 18 Test tons, given the captain batted the top-ranked Test side out of the contest on a raging turner, prepared to suit India's two star spinners.

"I haven't seen him so determined," Lehmann said.

If Smith continues to lead from the front during the four-Test series, it will trigger more debate about where he sits on the list of Australia's greatest batsmen.

Last month, Smith joined Bradman as one of four players to average more than 60 with the bat through 50 Tests.

Read more:

Smith entered 'trance' in captain's ton - The West Australian