Shelley built the growing heat in Toika patiently at first, tending to the fresh fire with care. Opening with her signature Techno bounce she has become so well-known for, she dipped the Saturday night patrons into a groove. As she progressed her set, she quickly bent the crowd to her will, increasing the pace as a sports coach does when his players begin to slack. Her effortless ability to control the energy level of the room and ramp it up perfectly for the aggressive Heatbeat made her a superb choice as opener for this high energy night.
The Argentenian duo leapt out of the gate like a charging bull, grabbing the torch from Shelley proudly, igniting the atmosphere in a flash. Heatbeat thrashed about with their signature monster tracks; Chow Mein, Game Over and Nasty, to name a few. Toika’s newly-renovated and pristine sounding speakers boomed their Big Room sound, jolting the building into dance before I could even realize it.
The duo made a valiant effort to establish a consistently fired up pace that absorbed me from start to finish. I believe their skill as DJs and precarious mixture of Trance and Electro separated their set from sounding too much like so many other Big Room DJs. Heatbeat weaved compatible tracks together expertly, keeping the room’s pulse pounding along with the beat.
Heatbeat’s Electro-Trance sound isn’t for everyone, however. I believe classic Trance fans demanding euphoric melodies would have found much to be desired Saturday night. While that sound also isn’t my favourite, I left my genre preferences at the curb and went in with an open mind, without expectation. I was happily made witness to a gripping experience, liberally slathered in energy.
Toika had plenty of room to dance, and I am sure more bodies in the crowd would have amped up the voltage. In my opinion, their style is better suited to a larger club and crowd. Overall, Heatbeat delivered an exciting electronic adventure that I thoroughly enjoyed; from the starting booms until the lights came on and I was forced back out into the cold of the night. Thanks to the Ozmozis team for another fantastic party at Toika Lounge.
Adele is the owner of Tranceported. She manages and maintains the social media and the photo and video teams, and has been shooting our event photos since 2011. She has been a fan of Trance music since the mid-90s and started this website (formerly called EDM TOR) in 2012.
