EVENT REVIEW: Trance Sessions presents Cold Blue and Factor B @ ONE LOFT 03-05-19

On Friday May 3, 2019, Factor B and Cold Blue returned to Toronto for one glorious night at ONE LOFT before heading off to Montreal. They were joined by Trance Sessions own Brian Longmire and M45. I’ve been having a hard time finding the words to describe what happened that night. I am so blessed to have experienced a night of such pure, profound joy and euphoric trance feels. A night full of surprises!

Brian Longmire at ONE LOFT

It was around 10:30pm when I arrive at the club. Walking up the stairs to ONE LOFT always feels like walking into my living room. There is a feeling of comfort there. It’s cozy. Intimate. The sounds of Brian Longmire on the decks are warming up the room. Deep progressive vibes are oozing from the sound system. The familiar sound of Kate Bush – Running Up That Hill (Orkidea Pure Progressive Mix) floats across the air as I find my way to one of the couches in the lounge area. As the venue begins to fill up, the air thickens. The room is buzzing. Anticipation is growing.

M45 at ONE LOFT

Suddenly I feel a subtle shift in energy. I look up and see M45 has taken over. These two talents are so skilled and so in sync that their transition was absolutely seamless. They have played together on so many occasions, including many B2Bs, leading to Brian and M45 perfecting their craft. The energy level is dialled up and I am hyped! The club is packed as I attempt to make my way across the dance floor. The tempo is picking up and the bass is getting heavier. I hear the familiar crescendo of Armin Van Buuren’s trance epic Orbion and know that something big is coming. Perhaps foreshadowing, M45 closes off his set with Aly & Fila ft. Ana Criado – All Heaven, a little nod to the euphoria we were all about to experience.

You can check out M45’s incredible set here!

You know when Factor B hits the stage, you are in for something special! I still remember his Toronto debut in May 2018 so clearly. That set uplifted me so high that I felt as though I was floating for 3 days afterwards. This set was no exception. His energy on stage is remarkable. His love for trance is visible. You can see it in his facial expressions. His enthusiasm is contagious.

It is 12:15am and the dance floor is absolutely packed. Factor B dives into classics right from the start. Three tracks in he drops Ferry Corsten – Sweet Sorrow (The Thrillseekers Remix) and I am a puddle of tears on the floor. I have listened to so many Factor B sets and he still continues to surprise me. While his sets are diverse, they are all beautiful and he never fails to bring on the feels. Sandwiched in between a couple of beauties from Above & Beyond, we are treated to his track with Cat Martin, White Rooms. Last year during his Toronto debut, this track was freshly released; a year later, it still hits just as hard and straight to the heart. Tears in my eyes, and arms stretched out the sky, I look around and everyone is right there with me. “For every bracing move. Every sun casts a shadow. And light will turn. Light will turn to dark” Cat Martin’s voice again rings through the air… but there is no darkness here.

Factor B at ONE LOFT

He treats us to a few of his heavenly mashups including Into The Last Light, a perfect fusion of The Thrillseekers vs. Fisher – The Last Time and Factor B – Into the Light. This track gets me every single time and I sang along at the top of my lungs, much to the dismay of everyone standing in a 2m radius. As expected, a few tracks later we were graced with Factor B’s most recent gorgeous uplifter, Anything (For You). This track is going to shine as one of 2019’s standouts for sure. It is a beauty and I fully expected to hear it sometime over the course of the night. What I did not expect was for him to drop Barber’s Adagio For Strings. Factor B closed out his set with his other momentous 2019 release Crashing Over. You can hear the crowd singing audibly over top of the speakers “One look is an endless story. One look and the waves are crashing over. Crashing over.”

It’s 2:30am and my whole body is glowing and I’m drenched in sweat. Cold Blue hits the stage hard. At first, I don’t know if I’m ready for this. The bass begins pumping and my heart is racing. I look up to the stage and see a glimmer in those steely blues and I know we are in for a treat. He dives into a few of his 2018 Black Hole Recordings releases with The Clash and then On The Outside. The dance floor is on fire. He takes us through the ethereal uplifter Another Life. At this point, we are still in the territory of dreamers, but I have an inkling he is taking us somewhere dark. Someplace heavy.

Cold Blue at ONE LOFT

Out of nowhere, he hammered us with …And Madness Remains. This track shows no mercy. The bass is heavy. Relentless. My body shows no sign of giving up. And for that I am thankful as Cold Blue pummels us with Webbha’s dark and dirty techno bomb Third Wave. I think back to his set last year at U4RIA and I can’t remember it being so heavy. Cold Blue has gone over to the dark side… and I like it! The crowd is savage. The air is hot and thick. A break comes in the form of Bliss and suddenly I’m transported to an alternate plane of existence. This track is an otherworldly masterpiece. I love it when a trance track can make feel like I am blasting off to the outer reaches of the universe. Rush is one of those tracks for me, and as with most of Cold Blue’s set this evening, we were treated to the extended version.

Without warning, Factor B walks up on stage to join Cold Blue. What’s happening? Is this what I think it is? Are we being treated to an impromptu Cold Blue/Factor B B2B?

I wasn’t joking when I said this night was full of surprises.

Seeing those two on stage together is such an absolute pleasure. Both of these talents love music and they love what they do. You could tell they were up there just having a blast. Their energy emanated from the DJ booth and into the crowd. You could see their joy spread across the room as they played through a far-too-short but yet still incredible set of trance treasures.

Cold Blue & Factor B at ONE LOFT

When the music stopped and the lights flashed on around 4:30am, I was speechless. I couldn’t believe it was over, nor could the remaining crowd of people chanting one more song. I was floating. I wanted that night to last forever. Both Factor B and Cold Blue made their way out to talk to the remaining enduring trancers and for photos and hugs. My body and brain were starting to fail, but my heart was on fire. We had been through a lot together. I made my way down the stairs and out into the cool May air. I reflected as I walked to the station. My train left Union Station at 6:40am bound for Montreal, so I could do it all over again!

You can check out the full photo gallery from this event on the EDMTOR Facebook page.

Partial Tracklist:
Factor B
BT – Godspeed
Super8 – Alba
Ferry Corsten – Sweet Sorrow (The Thrillseekers Remix)
Above & Beyond – Sun In Your Eyes (Neptune Project Remix)
Factor B ft. Cat Martin – White Rooms
Above & Beyond ft. Zoe Johnston – Treasure (Factor B Remix)
Robert Nickson ft. Cat Martin – Every Sun (Factor B Perfect Sunrise Mix)
Bryan Kearney & Snatam Kaur & Neptune Project vs. Solarstone – Ong NamAztec In Seven Cities (Bryan Kearney Mashup)
Modulations – Spirits
Solarstone & Scott Bond & Factor B vs. Chicane ft. Justine Suissa – Autumn Highhway (Factor B Mashup)
Chakra – Love Shines Through (Alex M.O.R.P.H. Remix)
Factor B vs. The Thrillseekers ft. Fisher – Into The Last Light (Factor B Mashup)
Gouryella – Gouryella
Aly & Fila cs. FKN ft. Jahala – How Long (Factor B Remix)
Factor B – Anything (For You)
Super8 & Tab ft. Julia Thompson – No Frontiers (Factor B Remix)
Factor B – Alpha
William Orbit – Barber’s Adagio For Strings (Ferry Corsten Remix)
Factor B ft. Cat Martin – Crashing Over

Cold Blue
Cold Blue – The Clash
Cold Blue – On The Outside
Cold Blue – A New Spirit
Cold Blue, Johnny Yono – Fall Into Dusk
Cold Blue – Another Life
Cold Blue – …And Madness Remains
Wehbba – Third Wave
John O’Callaghan & Cold Blue – Symmetric
Cold Blue – Bliss
Jorn Van Deynhoven – We Can Fly (Cold Blue Remix)
Cold Blue – Once In Time
Cold Blue – Rush