REVIEW: Nitrous Oxide / n2o @ Toika Lounge 19-04-13 by Atoosa Abn

Every Friday night we ask ourselves, can this night get better than last weekend?  Is it physically possible?  And with a guarantee, it always is. Is it the love that keeps growing with the popularity of Foundation Fridays at Toika? Nobody knows – all we know is that it keeps getting better. On Friday April 19^th, 2013, we witnessed love and passion as we experienced Nitrous Oxide.

The night started out how a usual night would. An Ozmosis party is a party of LOVE. Regulars at Toika almost get raided with hugs and smiles the moment they walk in. As if this was not enough excitement, the experience was amplified as we heard Alex M.O.R.P.H.’s New York City in the background, as if it was playing at the perfect time to show us how lucky we are to be in Toronto. The crowd kept their mood and energy high as Nitrous Oxide got on decks and played Ronski Speed and Dennis Sheppard’s new track Karoshi. As the crowd was nodding their head to the dominant beat, you could feel  it was coming.

What was coming? Quite possibly one of the best tracks that could be playing at that moment in time-  Armin Van Buuren’s mashup to Nitrous Oxide and Cerf Mitiska & Jaren’s Magenta vs. Saved Again. Not only was this the sweetest surprise, but you could almost feel the crowd fall into a peace.  A love. A reminder  of how good life on a Friday night is. The vibe was pure. This moment could be on repeat for the next 50 years and it would not be enough. Not ENOUGH!

Before the party, while talking to people that were coming to the show, I kept hearing “I hope Nitrous Oxide plays his track with Aneyn,  Far Away.” At precisely 1:45am, guess what happened?  As the crowd started whistling to their joy, we lived life once again as Aneyn’s vocals filled the room. The crowd clapped their hearts out and sang the lyrics so passionately you would not be human if you didn’t get goosebumps.

At around 2 am you could feel the energy of the room reach a new level. One that was so up you could easily call it uplifting. Playing his tracks North Pole, Aurora, and Dreamcatcher, we were in a state of no boundaries. We were screaming, singing along to the instruments out of joy. It didn’t matter who you were that night, it didn’t matter how you looked or who you were there with. All that mattered was you were with a group who was in the same frenzy as you, and all you could do was show your love for life. In the darkness it was you and love. It was you and the music. It was you and energy..

Nitrous Oxide ended his set with DT8 and Roxanne Wilde’s vocal mix of Destination. “Won’t you wait for me baby, please? You are the air I breathe you are the earth beneath you are my destination.” Can you imagine everyone singing this?  The feeling was heartwarming as the crowd united with lyrics and sound to finish the night off right.

To sum up Friday April 19^th, 2013: it was incredible.  The smiles left on everyone’s face after this night carried on the next morning…And the morning after, and after. It will probably carry on for the next year. Why? Because moments like these are magical. Now let me ask you…when was the last time you felt magic?

Atoosa Abn – EDM TOR