Review: Skylab 2011

As we pulled into the parking lot of the Denver Coliseum last Saturday there was an unusual level of anticipation for our first Skylab event and our first indoor massive in Denver.  Triad Dragons had already put on some great events throughout the summer so we knew it would be good but to be honest we did not expect Skylab 2011 to be as good as it was.  The coliseum was a perfect venue for such an event and reminded me of epic indoor events back east like Resolution at the Bell Center in Montreal.

We made it inside just as BT began probably the most unique set of the night.  He really took everyone on a rollercoaster journey that started with some very easy going low BPM progressive and built to some extremely high energy trance of years gone by with BPM’s in the 180 range. His track selection was obviously very diverse and included material from his recent  remixed artist album, some dirty dubstep, Swedish House Mafia’s ‘Save the World Tonight’, Martin Solveigs ‘Hello’  and much more.  It was all over the place and you never could predict what was coming next, but it worked amazingly well and set a nice tone for the rest of the night.

I had arranged to interview the next DJ, Fedde Le Grand before his set, but due to some logistical issues there just was not time to squeeze it in before he took to the stage.  It was disappointing but such is life and I actually got to sit down and have a nice casual conversation with Alexander and Sebastian from Cazzette just after they finished up playing the Fuel Pod.  They are some extremely talented and nice guys that have a very bright future ahead of them in the EDM scene, especially with Avicii’s manager Ash Pournouri helping push them along.  I was bummed to have missed their set but am sure I will get to taste their banging electro house sometime in the very near future.

As I made my way back out to the main stage Fedde was just embarking on his set, opening up with the very funky tune ‘Back and Forth’.  From there he continued to play a crazy high energy set filled with his own progressive club bombs like ‘Running’,  ‘Metrum’, ‘Control Room’ and his current #1 Beatport killer ‘So Much Love’.  Although I am a huge fan of these new productions my personal favorite moment of his set came when he dropped ‘Faithless – Insomnia (Rene Amesz & Peter Gelderbloms remix)’.  This timeless anthem never gets old and when he cut it loose the crowd responded with one of the biggest roars of the night (see the video below).

Following Fedde came arguably the hottest DJ in the world, Avicii.  Over the past year his epic productions have taken the world by storm, constantly pulling in fans who previously have never been part of the EDM scene.  Combine this with an extensive tour schedule across the US and the only group to rival his popularity here in the states right now would have to be his fellow countrymen, the Swedish House Mafia.   Having already seen him play twice over the summer I thought I knew what to expect, but on this night it felt like he delivered a little something extra.  He started off with the gorgeous ‘Fade Into Darkness’  and then continued through the paces with ‘Le7els’, ‘Bromance’, ‘Enough is Enough’, ‘The Island Pt 1’, ‘Calling’. ‘Teenage Crime’ and a number of his unmistakable bootlegs that have been rocking crowds across the globe all summer long.  While reviewing his set at Global Dance Festival I will admit to being a little critical of his performance value behind the decks.  However, on Saturday night I could not find a weakness in a single thing he did.  In fact there was an indescribable energy he brought to the crowd, reminiscent of all the truly great DJs from the past and present.   As he  set the Coliseum ablaze I  was left with no choice but to pack my camera away and join the madness in the heart of the dance floor because I could no longer hold the ‘fan’ inside of me back.

Dash Berlin was tasked with the tall order of closing out the night after Avicii’s world class performance, and to his credit he managed to build off of the energy in the room, taking things even higher with a rocking selection of uplifting vocal trance. He perfectly blended new and old with classics like ‘Man on the Run’ and ‘Reverie’, alongside new missiles like ‘Shogun – Skyfire (Alex MORPH remix)’ . His energy and enthusiasm for performing squeezed every last bit of juice out of the crowd and was perfect ending to a truly fantastic night.

Once again hats off to Triad Dragons and Beta Nightclub for organizing such a stellar lineup and pulling out all the stops with easily the best stage lighting I have seen in Denver all summer long.  They gave everyone in attendance a night that they will not soon forget!

VIDEO

BT – ‘Save the World Tonight’

Fedde Le Grand – ‘insomnia’

Avicii – ‘Calling & Drowning (Avicii Remix)

Dash Berlin – ‘Man on the Run’

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