Making use of an ideal but less-used venue, Acid Reign Productions made sure there was plenty of room on the dancefloor for everyone who attended Juno Reactor ft Ivardensphere at Remix Lounge. Organic Family’s tastefully psychedelic décor set the tone for the night, accenting lounge areas and jazzing up the DJ booth. The psytrance scene was out in force – I arrived around 10:30, and already the place was beginning to fill up.
Kachamacha had already fired up the decks with some light progressive psytrance. Moving from an ambient cadence, offset with bells and light percussion, through a more techy sound – at moments, reminiscent of the Blade movies – this set grew successively quicker as it continued. I wonder if any other Futurama fans caught the Roberto vocal snip near the end? Providing an excellent opening vibe, Kachamacha warmed the crowd up for the first of the night’s headliners.
Highly anticipated, for both sound and skill, iVardensphere unveiled the table of mixing equipment that occupied the front of the dancefloor, just before the DJ booth and began the live set many had been waiting to hear. A rarity at shows, the live aspect iVardensphere brought to the night showcased the technical skill involved in creating a set on the spot with limited equipment and even more limited time. Characterized by smooth transitions and an ever-changing beat pattern, this set was quite different from the opener, and it packed the dancefloor.
Displaying stunning stage prescence from beginning to end, Ben Watkins of Juno Reactor – the legend himself, stepped into the booth at half past midnight to the resounding cheers of a crowded house. A prolonged intro of melodic undertones and haunting vocals suddenly dropped into some pure psytrance to the surprise and delight of those gathered. Spectacular timing and musical manipulation took us on a twisting, fiercely danceable journey through various famous tracks such as God is God, Pistolero, and Conquistador. While some disliked that this set was heavier on the psytrance side than most of Juno Reactor’s performances, I personally found it intricately beautiful, and applaud the skill and crowd-reading talent that allowed this artist to cater to an obviously psytrance-heavy crowd when his usual performance fare is perhaps not so genre-specifically focused.
Our friend Tim’s video caught some wonderful moments from this set. It can be seen here – go check it out!
Following Juno Reactor’s breathtaking performance, Plan B took over the decks for another hour and a half of dark Psytrance. Whether it was from the heat generated by dozens of dancers, exhaustion from participation with said dancers, or the opportunity to have a few words with the headliners – who had stepped outside for some air – the crowd thinned greatly through this set. Those who remained inside, however, were treated to some lovely driving beats that fed off the energy created by iVardensphere and Juno Reactor and kept the party going.
The closing hour belonged to Audi Étoffe and rallied everyone who had sat down, or gone outside back to the dancefloor. Every time I see Audi on the decks he looks like he is having the best night ever and tonight was no exception! Moving through some techy beats to a more tribal sound, and further into some heavy psytrance with gorgeous melodic interludes that just demanded that you get up and dance, Audi pulled the last of us through another hour of dancing our hearts out. He even put on tracks and then came out of the booth to dance to his own music — you know you’re with people who love what they do when the DJ dances to his own music!
The great vibes and the psytrance community that has formed, composed of people who love their music and strive to create spaces where everyone can come and enjoy a wonderful night, continue to make Acid Reign Production events a top priority on my entertainment list. Acid Reign & supporters has made a massive impression in the scene with this last event and we hope to see a lot more where that came from!
Happy Raving!
LINKS:
KachaMacha
Facebook
Soundcloud
MixCloud
iVardensphere
Website
Twitter
Soundcloud
Juno Reactor
Website
Facebook
Soundcloud
Audi Étoffe
Facebook
Soundcloud
Post Modern Music
Facebook
Jade – EDM TOR
