EVENT REVIEW: Kyau & Albert @ BETA Waterloo 17-10-15

Starting off a series of trance bookings at BETA Waterloo were the German trance duo Kyau & Albert. The evening was a journey through the decades bringing modern trance infused with classics under the high ceilings of BETA.

The evening was kick-started by BETA’s resident DJ, Adam Spears. As always he delivered some of the best tech-house driven sounds to start the show. Adam has had the privilege to open for almost every artist who has walked through BETA’s doors, a remarkable feat for a young artist.

When the clock struck midnight, I saw a familiar face standing by the booth. It was Ralph Kyau. Soon after, Adam Spears closed down his set for Kyau & Albert to begin. Unfortunately, Steven Albert was unable to perform due to illness. Kyau kicks the show off solo, but you could never tell. He started so powerfully, it was as though they were there together!

True to Kyau & Albert’s signature style, Ralph dished out some progressive trance. It was quite the treat for Waterloo trance fans as this sound is not heard thundering away on the BETA Dynacord system too often. It was getting close to 1AM when Ralph delivered some Anjuna goodness to the crowd with hits like the popular club mix of Counting Down the Days by Above & Beyond featuring vocals by Gemma Hayes. Shortly after, the acoustic version of Above & Beyond’s timeless classic Sun & Moon was heard, and there was no stranger to the song. The crowd threw their hands in the air and sang along.

The crowd enjoyed more trance-house offerings as Kyau made a powerful stride into classic tracks near 1:30AM. We heard Kyau & Albert hits like A Night Like This, one of the tracks I was looking forward to hearing live. Even though Albert’s sickness prevented him from performing tonight he was ever so present in their own tracks with his vocal work. The mix transitioned into Gareth Emery‘s Long Way Home and then followed with another Kyau & Albert classic hit Be There 4 U! What a moment!

At 2AM the set was thrown further into the past when we heard Love Comes Again by Tiesto featuring BT! I never thought I would hear this track live again, let alone under the roof of one of my favorite clubs! This marks the point where the set got really interesting. Ralph transitioned out of Love Comes Again into a heavy trance mix. He threw out darker sounds then brought you back into the light at 2:10AM with the monster Metropolis edit of Above & Beyond’s On a Good Day! It was now past BETA’s usual shut down time, but the music continued. Even BETA’s management did not want to stop this incredible set!

We heard more Kyau & Albert tracks like Another Time shortly just before the closing. This incredibly emotional track drove the night right into morning. At 2:30AM we were all wondering what will end the incredible set when Ralph Kyau answered with nothing less than Air For Life from Above & Beyond versus Andy Moor. A perfect choice; the punchy Anjuna sound is mixed with Andy Moor’s uplifting style in a perfect harmony.

The final moments of Kyau & Albert’s set was some of the best trance I have heard in a while. It was difficult not to feel the energy captured in the set because Ralph Kyau played exceptionally well while solo tonight. He controlled the dance floor through the evening, providing upbeat progressive trance to the crowd in Waterloo. His experience is evident through seamless mixing and banging track selection. A big thanks goes out to the Ralph Kyau and we look forward to Kyau & Albert’s return. Let us also wish a quick recovery to Steven Albert as we hope to see the duo together again on stage soon! We also can’t forget about the talented Adam Spears who always delivers a strong opening to the show, as well as our gracious hosts and the staff at BETA Waterloo.

I hope to see the trance family out soon for the upcoming show at BETA with Ferry Corsten! Follow BETA on Facebook for more info and pictures from Kyau & Albert.

LINKS:

Kyau & Albert
Website
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Youtube
Soundcloud
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Adam Spears
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Soundcloud

BETA Waterloo
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Tickets

Edmund Wong – EDM TOR