EVENT REVIEW: Monkey Buzinezz presents Trance Unity 3 @ Circus Afterhours, Montreal – 04-06-2017

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Although I tend to frequent solely psytrance and happy hardcore events, I have a soft spot for trance – especially good trance – so it didn’t take much convincing to decide to make the journey with the rest of the EDM TOR team to Montreal for Trance Unity on the June 4th weekend. With the way the team raved about their experience last year, plus the quality of the lineup that Monkey Buzinezz announced back in January, I had plenty of time to build high expectations. To my astonishment and sheer delight, this event actually managed to surpass every one of them, setting a new standard for EDM events while introducing me to a beautiful city and its party-loving population! An absolute marathon, Trance Unity is not for the faint of heart! But the incredible, immersive experience I found was pure Heaven (and Hell! and also Earth…). This is a party for those who crave a trance show like no other. If you can survive 15 hours of sound, divorce yourself from needing selfies or coherent conversation, and want to utterly drown in some of the best trance music by the hottest artists in trance, both local and international, then Trance Unity provides a sweet taste of paradise.


I had never been to Circus Afterhours before, but even with a late-arriving train and navigating through an unfamiliar city, I managed to arrive by 11PM. I had missed some of the opening artists, but team members Luc and Adele arrived early. They noted that Ross’s b2b with Chris Element in the Hell Room was a thrilling experience.  Throwing in a mix of trance and techno, Chris and Ross kept their set flowing nicely.  Their set started off with house and techno vibes before progressing to trancey rolling basslines.  Towards the end of their set, they threw in goodies like Smack My Bitch Up by The Prodigy.

In the Heaven Room, Marycee warmed things up by playing an excellent selection of deep and progressive tunes.  As people came into the room, they immediately got into the music and began dancing.  Songs like YottoFire Walk and Above and BeyondCounting Down the Days had lasting effects on the the dancefloor.

I was immediately impressed with the thorough efficiency of Circus’s entrance security. Entry at Circus was smooth and quick; within five minutes, my ticket and ID had been processed, and I passed through bag and pat-down checks to deposit my coat at the mandatory coat check (which turned out to be totally worth the 3$).

No venue I have attended in Toronto can hold a candle to Circus. Built for a sound experience, Circus is a circle. The main rooms’ overpowering atmospheres are buffered by several ‘overflow’ rooms which create a bit (not much – especially not sound-wise) of white space, but on the whole there is literally no place you can be that does not resonate. Those legendary Funktion Ones were turned right up and perfectly tuned – there was a pure crispness to the sound that I’d never heard before. Initially the volume was bit much for me and I acquired a pair of earplugs, however after a few hours of acclimatization, I did end up taking them out in order to better appreciate the sound quality. Additionally, there was no shortage of places to sit at Circus – a fact that was greatly appreciated at various points of the night (morning?) when tired feet required a respite from the dance floor.

The second DJ to take the stage in the Heaven room was Karl K-Otic. Playing an assortment of mid-tempo trance, Karl kept the crowd dancing. More and more people began to enter the room and check out what was happening. Exploration of Space by Cosmic Gate was big moment in Karl’s set.

Tempo Giusto’s set in the Hell room was so full of energy and kept people dancing from start to finish. A newcomer to Trance Unity, Tempo Giusto brought the heat with hard-hitting tunes like his remix of Protoculture‘s Music is More than Mathematics. He did a fantastic job of building up the energy during his set. As more and more people came into the room, the intensity of the music grew and grew. By the end, he was doing serious damage, dropping originals like Foul Language and Super Cool.

I spent the first hour or so getting familiar with the venue, inspecting the washrooms (very clean!) and locating the rest of my team. A highlight during Richard Durand‘s set came when he played his psywork of the trance classic Sunhump. Its enchanting and easily recognizable melody drew shouts of joy from the crowd. On the whole, I enjoyed Durand’s tighter, consistently building set; however, the sheer number of people in the Heaven room by this point made it difficult to find unoccupied dance floor space, and pushed me into the cooler and less-occupied Hell room where Tempo Giusto was serving up a set that switched between fast and slow, surging from almost progressive trance, then dropping into tech trance.

Although my Multiple Room Syndrome (MRS – a condition that occurs when attending events held in venues with multiple rooms where one experiences fear of missing out (FOMO) and therefore waffles between rooms, never staying in one place long enough to truly enjoy oneself) kept me circling for the first two hours of this event, the nostalgic strains of Robert Miles – Children called me into the Hell room as Ben Nicky took over the decks, and I knew where I was staying for the next two hours! The dance floor filled up quickly and the temperature skyrocketed as we moved to tracks like The Calling by Vini Vici & Ace Ventura, Armin van Buuren & Highlight Tribe‘s Great Spirit, and Gareth Emery‘s Reckless (Standerwick Remix).


Mark Sherry
came on at 3AM, breaking the spell and I took the opportunity to wander back into the Heaven room and catch some of Lange‘s set. I was a bit sorry I didn’t spend more time listening to Lange as I adored the crystalline sounds he was playing with and the effect they created in the room adjacent to the heaven room. One of the “buffer” rooms had, over the course of the past four hours, become my favourite room. Our manager, Adele, had informed me that the room was empty last year, and she had wondered about the hooks in the ceiling. This year, those hooks were now occupied by six large swings, each wide enough to comfortably seat two people. The lighting in the room centred around a shaft of blue light that spotlighted the central four swings. Lange’s music created a hypnotic atmosphere, not unlike being underwater. Accentuated perfectly, it combined the blue light and crystalline tones with the swaying of the swings. All too soon, Ben Gold took the decks and the sound shifted again.

Needing a break and wanting to wander a little, I made my way up to the Earth room to catch a bit more AC. An entirely different party was happening in this little room, completely divorced from the main rooms’ activities. JCP was dropping a killer set for an intimate audience. My first foray to the Earth room was cut short by a need to reconnect with the rest of the group. At this point in the night, the crowd, and my friends, were divided. Half were burning up the dance floor in Hell to Mark Sherry and the rest were under Ben Gold’s spell in Heaven, entranced by tracks like Gareth Emery & Ben Gold’s Until We Meet Again, Gareth Emery’s Saving Light, and a remix of Dash Berlin‘s Shelter. Then my MRS kicked in again, and I wandered between Heaven and Hell for an hour before returning to the Earth room around 4:30AM.

A completely different atmosphere from the main rooms – and JCP – greeted me as I entered. Beautiful and uplifting, a slower sound that the current offerings of the main rooms, Sheridan Grout was dropping tracks like Puma and One Chance (Steve Allen remix). It was here, in this oasis apart from Heaven and Hell, that the marathon-like quality of Trance Unity truly hit me. I sat down for a second, feet achy and throat parched, took a look at the time and realized I was only at the halfway point – and the acts I most wanted to see were still to come! Gathering my thoughts (and resting my feet) in the Earth room to the rest of Sheridan’s set, I decided the Earth room was Trance Unity’s best kept secret, I loved every minute I spent there. Sheridan closed his set with his original track, The Last Word in the brand new Sam Laxton Remix. Although I wasn’t present, I was informed that Niles Baxter played an exciting set filled with heavy, driving trance.


Deja-vu struck me as the familiar Children by Robert Miles summoned me from the Hell room, where Mark Sherry continued to burn up the dance floor with an incredible mashup of Children of 1998, We’ve Come to Make Some Noise. Refreshed from my time in the Earth room, I carved out some space on the dance floor and stayed a while, barely noticing the time until a very different sound initiated a change of gears for the Hell room. Alex di Stefano hit the decks at 5:30AM. Initially, this set caught my attention with its hard-reset quality. The difference in sound, combined with a strobe lighting effect to create an effect like stop motion, completely changed the ‘feel’ of the room. Unfortunately, hard trance is not really my cup of tea, so I secured myself a prime seat in the swing room adjacent heaven, marvelling at how Ben Gold had created a completely different but entirely distinct atmosphere as All or Nothing ended his gorgeous set and Bryan Kearney stepped up to take over on the decks.

The EDM TOR team wrote in a previous article that Bryan Kearney was one of the top 5 artists to see at Trance Unity, and it was definitely for a reason! It was an absolute treat to hear such uplifting trance with the pure clarity of the Function One system. One of the most cohesive and flowing sets of the night, Kearney – rightly – drew the lion’s share of the crowd, delivering a crowd-pleasing 2 hours of bliss. I spent an hour and a half of Kearney’s set in the swing room, since there was no elbow-room to be had in the actual Heaven room. Even if there had been space, I much preferred the faint breeze that cross-ventilated the swing room to the heat being generated on the main dance floor.

I admit to leaving Kearney’s set early in order to secure a front row spot as Fleming & Lawrence took control of the Hell room. Being relatively new to the trance scene – and the rave scene in general – I must say now that I did not truly understand the hype around these legends until I experienced their skill behind the decks personally. From the very first moments, I was completely mesmerized! The crown jewel of my Trance Unity experience; Fleming & Lawrence’s keen track selection and masterful layering and sound engineering made for one of the best sets I’ve ever heard! Once the first track dropped, I couldn’t leave the dance floor – though I stopped and checked a couple of times to see if my shoes were smoking! – and proceeded to dance my heart out to Tweakers GMS (Volcano & Sonic Species remix) and Mantra Electric Universe, to name a few. The two masters’ friendly stage presence encouraged the crowd; they were clearly enjoying their time behind the decks. The Hell room was absolutely packed, and though I can’t vouch for it personally, friends who ventured to the other room during this set reported that room was essentially empty, which explained the lack of space and rising temperatures in Hell. Despite the heat and the constant struggle to maintain dancing space, hands down, this was my favourite part of the night!


Following Fleming & Lawrence (how do you follow an act like that??), Berg took over to close the Hell room. I had not paid close attention to Berg during the lead up to Trance Unity, other than to note that he generally spun psytrance and had been making waves recently in the psy scene. I was unprepared for such a long stint of dancing without a break, but as he dropped Life System – Astrix/Blastoyz Remix, Power of God – Berg & Skazi, Round Trip – Berg & No Comment, and Answer from the Stars – Vegas/Bizarre Contact & Vini Vici Remix, scorching the decks with hit after hit, I couldn’t tear myself away from the dance floor and kept going right til the very end. I even stayed past the house lights coming up at 11AM to say a few words to the artist personally.

Although the crowd thinned noticeably when 10AM rolled around and Darren Porter took over in the Heaven room, I remained in Hell listening to Berg. Several of my friends and remaining EDM TOR team members took to the Heaven room enjoy a high energy, uplifting set. Darren Porter delivered a thrilling closing set. Switching between hard hitting bangers and euphoric masterpieces, Darren filled the room with energy and put smiles on people’s faces. From epic tunes like Sean Tyas & Richard DurandThe Potion to GouryellaAnahera, Darren closed the night perfectly. One of the many highlights of his set was his own remix of Mark Sherry & The Space BrothersLet It Come. This massive tune had everyone going hard!

 

Waves of exhaustion rolled over me, and I decided to call it a night and headed for the exit after collecting my things from coat check. I was surprised at the number of people that still remained as I made my way out; those true and genuine “handful” of trance fans that “couldn’t help but jump around even though we were all out of steam!” I salute you all! With many backward glances – until the harsh light of day forced me to realize that yes it was actually nearly noon outside – I left Circus. Points to you guys for having a venue where you can leave in the middle of the day still under the impression that it’s 3am until you hit the street! All in all, despite never needing a nap more in my entire life, Trance Unity was a fantastic experience and I would definitely recommend it as one of the best large-scale trance events to mark on your calendar for next year. The community vibes, united in a love of trance – in all its forms, uplifting to psy – were as pure as the sound, and the benefit of Circus being after hours and not serving alcohol eliminated the sloppy type of crowd that diminishes an immersive experience like Trance Unity. Monkey Buzinezz has clearly recognized and addressed a need in the trance scene and the people have spoken! Selling out multiple ticket tiers, and creating a series of lead up events – Road To Heaven, Road To Hell, and Last Day on Earth – prior to the main June 4th event, will hopefully convince the organizers to continue this event series, as word spreads and more trance pilgrims make the journey to Montreal for future events!

*DISCLAIMER* We apologize for the delayed posting of this review. The EDMTOR site had been experiencing technical difficulties that needed to be resolved prior to posting. We thank you for your patience. Once again, we would like to thank Monkey Buzinezz for putting on undoubtedly one of the best trance nights in the country. When you’re in Montreal, make sure you go out and support their events.

The cherry on top! Here is the 2017 EDM TOR Trance Unity inspired playlist! All of the songs we have identified as being played at Trance Unity, and found on Soundcloud, are added to this playlist.

PARTIAL TRACKLIST:
Marycee
Yotto – Fire Walk
Above & Beyond – Counting Down the Days
Tempo Giusto
Tiesto – Just Be
Protoculture – Music is More than Mathematics (Tempo Giusto Remix)
Tempo Giusto & HP Source – Foul Language
Tempo Giusto & Jace Headland – Super Cool
Simon Patterson – Smack (Waio remix)
Karl K-Otic
Cosmic Gate – Exploration of Space
Richard Durand
Richard Durand – Sunhump (Psywork Remix)
Armin van Buuren – In and Out of Love
Ben Nicky
Gareth Emery & Ben Gold – Until We Meet Again (Ben Nicky remix)
Vini Vici & Ace Ventura – The Calling
Tiesto – Lethal Industry (remix)
Too Many Artists – Shut Up Satellite (Ben Nicky mashup)
Gareth Emery – Reckless (Standerwick Remix)
Armin van Buuren & Highlight Tribe – Great Spirit
John O’ Callaghan – Find Yourself
Sheridan Grout
Sheridan Grout – Puma
Steve Allen – Once Chance (remix)
Sheridan Grout – Holding On
Ben Gold
Gareth Emery & Ben Gold – Until We Meet Again
Ben Gold – More Than Anything
Ben Gold & Standerwick – Vendetta
Gareth Emery – Saving Light
Dash Berlin – Shelter (remix)
Lange
Lange – The First Rebirth
Sander van Doorn – The Riff
Lange ft. Jennifer Karr – Songless
Bryan Kearney
Gareth Emery – U (remix)
Craig Connelly feat. Jessica Lawrence – How Can I
System F feat. Armin van Buuren – Exhale
Will Atkinson – Hermosa
Push – Universal Nation
M.I.K.E. & Fred Baker pres. Active Sight – Never Ending (Bryan Kearney Remix)
Fleming & Lawrence
Tweakers – GMS (Volcano & Sonic Species Remix)
Mantra – Electric Universe
Berg
Berg – Bayaka
Randa – Berg
Astrix – Life System (Blastoyz Remix)
Berg and Skazi – Power of God
Berg and No Comment – Round Trip
Vegas – Answer From The Stars (Vini Vici & Bizzare Contact Remix)
Highlight Tribe – Free Tibet (Vini Vici Remix)
BYOB (Warriors remix)
Berg & Blastoyz – Down the Road
Darren Porter
Darren Porter – Deep Blue
Gouryella – Anahera
Mark Sherry & The Space Brothers – Let it Come (Darren Porter Remix)
Cosmic Gate – The Theme
Ralph Fridge – Angel (Club Remix)
Ferry Corsten & Armin van Buuren – Brute
Johan Gielen – Physical Overdrive (Darren Porter Remix)
Underworld – Born Slippy
Darren Porter & Manuel Le Saux – Loud Noises
Sean Tyas & Richard Durand – The Potion
Tritonal – Blackout (Reorder Remix)

 

LINKS:

Tomac
Website
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Soundcloud
YouTube
Ben Gold
Soundcloud
Youtube
Facebook
Instagram
Bryan Kearney
Website
Soundcloud
Facebook
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Instagram
YouTube
Darren Porter
Website
Soundcloud
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Fleming & Lawrence
Website
Berg
Facebook
Soundcloud
Youtube
Niles Baxter
Facebook
Soundcloud
Instagram
Dave Nadz & LeBlanc
Soundcloud
Website
Facebook
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Chris Element
Facebook
Twitter 
Instagram
SoundCloud
Tempo Giusto
Soundcloud
Facebook
Twitter
Website
Youtube
Karl K-otik
Website
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Instagram
SoundCloud
Mark Sherry
Website
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SoundCloud
Lange
Soundcloud
Website
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Instagram

YouTube
Ben Nicky
Website
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Instagram
SoundCloud
Alex di Stefano
Facebook
Soundcloud
Richard Durand
Soundcloud
Facebook
Website
Twitter
Instagram
Seven Ways
Soundcloud
Facebook
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Sheridan Grout
Facebook
Soundcloud
Instagram
Twitter
Marycee
Soundcloud
JCP
Facebook
Soundcloud
Ross
Facebook

Jade – EDM TOR

 

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About Author

Jade is an editor and writer at Tranceported. She moved to Toronto in 2015 and dove head first into the city’s rave scene. Drawn most strongly to trance, psytrance, and happy hardcore genres, she can be found on the dance floor at least once or twice a week in different venues across the city. When not playing with words on a computer or burning up a dance floor, she likes the outdoors, LARP, attending conventions and playing with her dog and cat.

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