With Omnia gracing the decks at Red Nightclub, the Toronto Trance Family knew they were in for a treat. This show was my first time attending Red, and I must say that I was not disappointed. The combination of venue, crowd, and music blended together perfectly to produce an unforgettable night. I arrived early to make sure I caught the openers and to get a good view of the club before it filled up. I quickly noticed the Funktion One sound system, the LED video walls, and the unique lighting rigs that I had only seen in pictures, and my excitement grew even more.
We started the night off with Andy Teixeira, a local DJ whose name is becoming well known in the Toronto EDM community. Opening with some dark and groovy trance and progressive beats, he worked his way through a unique and high energy set. I had read that Andy had been classically trained from a young age in both performance and theory, and I believe that this was evident in his set. The combination of song choice and the vibes that he produced had a mature and experienced feeling to them. While the set seemed a little more high energy than usual for the first opener of the night, I think it worked to his advantage and the crowd loved it nonetheless. Andy Teixeira primed his audience nicely for a great night of trance. Lucky for us, he has released his opening set for his fans’ enjoyment. Here it is:
Next, we were captivated by the upbeat, melodic, “feel-good” sounds of DVT. Having been featured in a TRC sessions radio, and opening for names such as David Gravell at Red and Jerome Isma-ae at Maison, this is another up-and-coming trance artist we should expect to see more of in Toronto. DVT did a great job of reading the vibes of the crowd at the end of the previous set, and consciously started his set on a high note to keep up with the energy levels set by Andy Teixeria. As his set progressed, DVT brought the tone down in order to “engage more of the dancefloor and get the feet moving”. Ending with some final big tracks, DVT provided a stellar transition into Omnia’s opening, thus continuing to steer the night in the right direction. For more of DVT, check out this set!
Next up was the man we’d all been waiting for. Omnia came out to a cheering, high-energy crowd that could not wait to see what kind of set he’d deliver. I was pleasantly surprised to hear some of my favourite trance classics, both old and new. During most of his set I’m sure I looked like a kid in a candy store; I got more and more excited as he dropped track after track and could not stop dancing around. I was delighted to hear tracks such as Ben Gold and Eric Lumiere’s Hide your Heart, Gareth Emery’sSoldier, Dash Berlin’sShelter, and of course the Omnia classics we all love, The Fusion, and Immersion. The crowd received each of these tracks, and more, with pleasure and joy; it was clear that everyone around me was having a great time.
Even at 3AM, the crowd wasn’t ready to slow down. Closing out the night for us was Shane Halcon. I guess I forgot just how much Toronto loves their trance, but I was impressed at how many people stayed and just kept dancing until the end of the night. Shane Halcon did a great job of keeping the energy up for those of us who had not yet reached our trance quota for that night. He rounded off an amazing night with a great selection of tracks. I’m sure we all left rubbing our feet from dancing so much, but smiling nonetheless.
Overall, it was an absolutely exceptional night. As previously mentioned, the combination of venue, crowd, and music all contributed to a solid event. One of the highlights of my night was meeting the people who also attended. I have a habit of getting lost in the crowd and lost in the music. Whenever I found myself alone (which happens a surprising amount), I would just walk up to someone or to a group of people on the dance floor that looked like they were enjoying their night. I would ask if I could join, and was always welcomed openly. We danced together, we sang together, and we fed off each other’s energy. I definitely left that night with new friends, and a new appreciation of the venue and the Toronto Trance Family. I believe it is safe to say that the night was a huge success! Thank you to Red Nightclub for another stellar night.
Nicole remembers hearing Darude’s "Sandstorm" on the radio as a child, but didn't know back then that dance music would become such an important part of her life. She loves many genres under the EDM umbrella, but it is trance that has truly captured her heart.
