There was excitement amongst the Toronto Trance Family when the lineup for this year’s Transcendence Series was announced. It’s unfortunate that the round-trip commute from Toronto to Waterloo in one night is fairly long, but Beta Nightclub has quickly risen up my list of favourite venues and these trance bookings made it worth the time and effort. Braving the less than favourable snowy weather conditions, the EDMTOR team and many FSOE450TO supporters were present for the series kick-off with Aly & Fila two weekends prior and it was a huge success – check out the event review! I made the trek out west again, this time to see the trance duo Super8 & Tab. This was my second time seeing them live; I went to their Anjunabeats Pool Party last summer and they put on such an amazing show I knew I couldn’t miss this opportunity to see them again.
I found out a few days before the show that Beta’s resident DJ Adam Spears wasn’t going to be the night’s opener; Khatab Bin Hendi, one of the two men from London (Ontario)’s Apollo, was booked instead. After a quick scan of their Facebook page, I saw they’re frequently booked at Rum Runners and London Music Hall, recently opening for artists such as W&W, Oliver Heldens, Jordan Suckley, Protoculture, and Craig Connelly, and have made a few appearances at Toronto shows, including Ink Entertainment‘s GLOW events.
The venue was fairly empty when I first arrived. The blocks on the dance floor, similar idea to the ones you would’ve found at Guvernment, made their reappearance for the night underneath the massive lighting grid in the middle of the space (they had been removed when I was last there for Aly & Fila two weekends prior) and a few party people were already positioned on top of them. Apollo was putting on a decent show with some progressive house and trance vibes as the room started to fill and move in unison, everyone patiently waiting for the headliners to appear. Around 12:15am the crowd hyped up as Miika Eloranta and Janne Mansnerus joined Apollo on stage while he played a remix of Remember Me by Canadian native Solid Stone as his closing track.
Super8 & Tab live @ Beta Nightclub – April 8 2016.
Super8 & Tab started their set off strong with Rafaël Frost’s Electrix that instantly hooked the crowd with newfound energy. A few TTF flags found their way into the air amongst the swaying hands and smiling faces. I’ve been to Beta a few times now so I already knew I was in for a phenomenal visuals, lights, and laser show, yet somehow Chris Leslie managed to exceed those expectations. I’m struggling to find the right words to describe how amazing it all was besides a series of heart-eye emojis, especially when he had the duel lasers going! While filming a bit of the light show, I caught a good clip of a song I really enjoyed but never heard before (see below – I wish I could share more of the video but I was limited to Instagram’s 15 second time allowance). I was able to later identify it as Suspect 44 & Soar‘s Fall For You, recently featured on SuperTab Radio episodes #101 and #102; it has become one of my favourite tunes at the moment.
Super8 & Tab live @ Beta Nightclub – April 8 2016
Super8 & Tab’s remix of Yai (Here We Go Again) is a fan favourite that has made its way into many live broadcasts from various trance DJs around the globe since its first release in June of last year. When the track blasted through the speakers, the crowd reaction was to be expected – everyone belted out the lyrics as the song built and enjoyed the ride of the melody! Super8 & Tab immediately followed up with their early 2016 remixed release of Above & Beyond‘s Little Something. This beautiful song is featured on the “Anjunabeats Volume 12” compilation album and has a deeper meaning to Jono Grant – the following message is found in the description of the track on Anjunabeat’s Soundcloud:
“In reuniting us with Justine and delivering such an emotional, poignant song, Little Something was always a very personal track to us. When Jono’s sister Charlotte unexpectedly passed away earlier this year, the song took on a far deeper significance for us. Always a favourite of Charlotte’s, the subject matter felt especially touching to her in light of her vocation maternal mental health. Searching for some positivity as we came to terms with her loss, the Little Something Foundation was born in Charlotte’s honour. The song – and its message – featured here in the form of Super8 & Tab’s remix.”
The show was oddly intimate, running at maybe two-thirds capacity at its peak. I’m not sure if it’s because the show was right in the middle of post-secondary school exams, or because Toronto trance fans didn’t want to commit to the 2-hour round commute, or maybe it was a mix of both? But I’ve never had so much personal space at a club before so I’m not complaining! The last hour of their set featured more of their own originally produced music: from their first Armada single Komorebi, to the ABGT100 featured track Rubicon, to their popular 2008 remix of Amsterdam. Thoroughly enjoying myself, I lost track of time and was disappointed when the houselights slowly dimmed on as the mashup of Awakening and Satellite faded out around 2:15am. I wasn’t the only one wishing the show would continue – the remaining crowd cheered, clapped, and chanted for more, resulting in a surprise double encore of Let Go and Elektra.
Super8 & Tab live @ Beta Nightclub – April 8 2016
This was the last weekend of the 2016 Transcendence Series. On behalf of the EDMTOR team and the Toronto Trance Family, we send our thanks to Beta Nightclub, the DJs, and everyone involved for making these parties possible! Seeya in 2017!
PARTIAL TRACKLIST:
Apollo
11:44 Armin Van Buuren ft. Ana Criado – I’ll Listen
11:54 Roddy Reynaert – Shovelhead
12:03 Weepee – Lilt (Matt Fax Remix)
12:14 Solid Stone – Remember Me (Rodg Remix)
Super8 & Tab
12:17 Rafaël Frost – Electrix
12:30 Super8 & Tab – Aika (Rafaël Frost Remix)
12:37 Above & Beyond – A.I.
12:53 Thomas Gold vs. Lush & Simon – Morphine
12:56 Suspect 44 & Soar – Fall For You
1:05 Ilan Bluestone – Bigger Than Love
1:19 Cosmic Gate ft. JES – Yai (Here We Go Again) (Super8 & Tab Remix)
1:24 Above & Beyond ft. Justine Suissa – Little Something (Super8 & Tab Remix)
1:32 Super8 & Tab – Komorebi
1:39 Super8 & Tab & 7 Skies – Rubicon
1:44 Super8 & Tab ft. Julie Thompson – No Frontiers
1:54 Markus Schulz & Nifra – The Creation (Prague)
2:05 Luminary – Amsterdam (Super8 & Tab Remix)
2:12 Super8 & Tab vs. Above & Beyond pres. OceanLab – Awakening Satellite (Super8 & Tab Mashup)
2:15 Super8 & Tab ft. Julie Thompson – Let Go
2:17 Super8 & Tab – Elektra
LINKS:
Super8 & Tab
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Soundcloud
Instagram
Youtube
Ashlyn Doughty – EDM TOR
