Pacha: Above & Beyond Review

Above & Beyond In NYC
Mike Schirtzer

http://trance.nu/v3/news_show.php?id=3759
June 1st 2007 New York City- Above and Beyond came to Pacha New York to celebrate their latest compilation, Anjunabeats Volume 5, and the continued success of their weekly radio show “Trance Around the World”. Made Events (www.madeevents.com) presented this event and has definitely become the premier trance promoter in New York. Usually only two of the three members show up, and this time Tony and Paavo were on the decks. New York’s own Jason Jollins (Acute Recordings) opened up the night, he has also opened up for the likes of Armin Van Buuren and Ferry Corsten in the past, so it was no surprise that his opening set was a great one that had the crowd dancing and clapping along.
Above and Beyond can proudly say that they are trance DJs/producers, while others seem to be bothered when they are called trance DJ’s, A&B seem to relish it. Some criticize the fact that they seem to play only trance tracks, but I believe that’s what the fans come to hear and they never disappoint. A&B also have no problem spinning their own tracks, they spun Air For Life, Can’t Sleep, Razorfish, No One on Earth, among others. While others seem hesitant to play their own “worn out” tracks, A&B understands that there are those that come from all over to see them and enjoy hearing the hits. Not to say they don’t come through with cutting edge stuff, Sander Van Doorn’s latest release of King of the Castle and Cosmic Gate’s Analog Feel were among some of the newer tracks played. Their own vocal tracks as well Luminary’s Amsterdam, had the crowd singing along the whole night.
A&B seem to really embrace their fans, signing autographs, reading the texts on mobile phones that are handed to them, and just seemingly enjoying themselves. They do not have the “look” of the bigger name DJ’s, but that’s what makes them so accessible to the masses. I’ve attended many events across the EDM world, and the guys of A&B always have the energy as if it’s their 1st time in front of a big crowd and appreciate every minute of their success. When the DJ’s are having a good time it’s like a virus that spreads across the club.
The low point of the night was the extreme heat inside the club. The world famous Pacha uses fans as air conditioners and the people at the club had a hard time dealing with the immense heat. With the high drink prices, the least Pacha could do is have their patrons made to be comfortable. The big problem in the EDM scene right now here in NYC is there aren’t many big clubs any more, just a couple of years ago Roxy, Crobar, Spirit, Avalon, and others were fighting for customers. All those named have since closed sown, and Crobar has changed management and owners and is not bringing in the first class DJs anymore, so Pacha is left to dominate the club world here in New York. The lack of completion is not good for the clubbers and opens the door for many problems, let’s hope another super club surfaces soon.