Godskitchen Fusion at H2O + Trinity
Trinity Superclub, Cape Town / H2O, Wild Waters Complex, Johannesburg
September 30, 2011 / October 1, 2011
When we heard that the world famous Godskitchen was teaming up with H2O (South Africa’s most famous outdoor electronic music event) to launch its brand new groundbreaking production concept – Godskitchen Fusion, we knew that it was going to be nothing short of absolutely massive. When the DJ line up was revealed only a month before the event we were certain that the first summer party of the season featuring three of the hottest international names in the EDM industry; Dash Berlin, Gareth Emery and Aly & Fila on October 1, 2011 was an event not to be missed.
Since you can’t bring the hottest artists to South Africa and have them play in just one city, Godskitchen kicked off the South African tour on September 29, 2011 with an exclusive, intimate club show at the infamous Trinity Club in Cape Town. With the double header international DJ line up of Gareth Emery and Dash Berlin supported by South Africa’s hottest trance talent Protoculture and house talent Dean Fuel, it promised to be a spectacular night (Aly & Fila played in Durban at Origin on the Friday).
We were lucky enough to attend both events and this review is going to take you on our two-day city hopping party experience.
Night 1: Godskitchen at Trinity Club in Cape Town
Not only was this party being held 1200 km from where we live but it was also the first club party that we were attending. And to say that we were excited would be an understatement. In spite of this, after a 3-hour sleep that night we almost ended up missing our 6 AM flight because we didn’t know the parking areas around our very own OR Tambo International Airport. Luckily we made it onto the flight and made it to Cape Town. Once we landed in Cape Town we did some sightseeing at the V&A waterfront before getting ready for the party which officially began at 8 PM. When we arrived at Trinity (one of the first) we were greeted by the deep house sounds of Dean Fuel. The club was quite empty but as Dean Fuel progressed into his 3-hour set it filled up. And by the time Dash Berlin came on at 12 AM the club was packed to capacity. Dash Berlin came on with an intro of "Man On The Run", and to say that every single partygoer in the club went absolutely insane does not do justice to the statement. It was our first time seeing Dash Berlin and we did not know what to expect. But the moment he came on with his iPad displaying a welcome message for the crowd to the intro, we knew that it was just the beginning. He started out with high energy dance tracks like Sander Van Doorn – Koko and Nadia Ali feat. Star Killers & Alex Kenji – Pressure, which then led into many of his own tracks: Dash Berlin with Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren – Man On The Run, Dash Berlin feat. Emma Hewitt – Waiting, Dash Berlin – Till The Sky Falls Down, Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren – You Never Said, ATB & Dash Berlin – Apollo Road, Dash Berlin feat. Solid Sessions – Janeiro. He also added flavour to his set with tracks like Tiësto’s "Lethal Industry", Ferry Corsten’s "Punk (Arty Rock-N-Rolla Mix)", his remix of Medina’s "You & I", Simon Patterson & Greg Downey feat. Bo Bruce’s "Come To Me" as well as the famous Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford – Sun & Moon and his remix of Armin van Buuren feat. Sophie Ellis Bexter – Not Giving Up On Love" which had the crowd raging. We can honestly say that we have never seen 90% of a crowd sing along to every single vocal track played. It was definitely hair raising. The mood in the club throughout Dash Berlin’s 2-hour set was indescribable and the following words are the only ones that epitomise the atmosphere: energetic, ecstatic, passionate, a definite love and craze for Dash Berlin and his music.
Apart from the music selection Dash Berlin’s energetic stage presence most definitely captures and sustains the crowd’s attention. You can see that he is not just there to DJ but to wow crowds and leave a long lasting impression with his DJing style. His interaction with the crowd through his charismatic dance movements, standing on the decks every now and then, random messages displayed on his iPad, as well as handing out of freebies (Dash Berlin T-Shirts) works spectacularly well and is indicative of his passion and love for what he does. Don’t be fooled though, he does not let this detract from his mixing which he does effortlessly and perfectly.
Dash Berlin most definitely had the crowd fired up by the time Gareth Emery took over the decks, in fact we were not sure that they event wanted Dash Berlin to end. You know the saying – all good things come to an end. Well that was definitely not the case here, Gareth Emery took over the decks and wowed the crowd like only he knows how to do. Opening with the legendary Ashley Wallbridge – Vision definitely set the pace for his set – bold, energetic and fresh which had the crowd jumping screaming and dancing throughout. Gareth’s mixing style is nothing short of brilliant. You can see his attention to detail when you watch him and his ability to fuse different music genres (house, progressive and trance) within his sets is effortless and faultless. His set was a mixture of Garuda favourites: Gareth Emery – Into The Light (Benjamin Bates Remix), Mark Eteson feat. Audrey Gallagher – Breathe On My Own, Gareth Emery feat. Ben Gold – Flash, Ben Gold – Colossal, Gareth Emery feat. Ashley Wallbridge – Mansion, Gareth Emery feat. Lucy Saunders -Sanctuary and Above & Beyond & Gareth Emery pres. OceanLab – On A Good day (Metropolis) as well as some other EPIC tracks such as the Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics) vs. Arrival (Gareth Emery feat. Brute Force – Ashley Wallbridge Remix) mashup, Tiësto – Maximal Crazy, Wippenberg – Chakalaka, Kernkraft 400 – Zombie Nation (Chris Schweizer Bootleg Mix), Markus Schulz & Jochen Miller – Rotunda and absolute crowd pleasers Ferry Corsten & Armin van Buuren – Brute and Above & Beyond – A Thing Called Love. Gareth Emery also has an exciting stage presence. His delightful, cute dance movements and actions combined with his signature cheesy grin definitely entices the crowd and gets them screaming, dancing and jumping to every tune. The highlighting moment of Gareth’s set was when we he ended with "On A Good Day (Metropolis)" and everyone sang along; it brought tears to our eyes and definitely felt like us "on a good day".
To be totally honest, unlike in Dash Berlin’s set where the crowd knew every single track, through Gareth Emery’s set it appeared that they could only identify with the "hit" tunes ("Mansion", "Brute", "Sanctuary", "Zombie Nation" and "On A Good Day (Metropolis)"). Despite this Gareth most definitely had them captivated to dance their feet off and although the atmosphere was a little less crazy, it was still energetic and absolutely electric. Despite many DJ’s dissatisfaction with getting on the microphone during their sets, Gareth’s short speech in the beginning and at the end of his set definitely works to capture the crowd’s attention and in our opinion adds that extra pleasure to his set. It was crazy how quickly two hours went by and right after the dashing Mr. Emery was South Africa’s very own trance legend Protoculture.
By this time quite a few people had left already and we say that they definitely missed out on an absolutely banging set from Protoculture. Having seen him play before at the ASOT500 celebration party in Johannesburg, we thought we knew what to expect but he definitely took it to another level. Protoculture’s lively stage presence and perfect, faultless mixing combined with his progressive trance set was a perfect ending to a long night. With tracks like "Max Graham – FYC", Armin van Buuren feat. Ana Criado – Down To Love, Max Graham & Protoculture’s epic remix of Grace – Not Over Yet and Protoculture – Liquid Logic People were most definitely not ready to call it a night. A definite standout memory from Protoculture’s set was when he played his infamous "TranceFamily favourite" track featuring Shanon Hurley – Sun Gone Down. Everyone (and we mean everyone) who was there went crazy and it definitely brought back ASOT500 memories (where we all heard it first). It was quite unfortunate that his set was just an hour long as it was clear that nobody wanted him to end at 4:15 when they cut the sound. One thing is certain – when Protoculture DJs, he exudes passion and love for what he does and this definitely adds an ambience to his sets like we’ve never experienced before.
Overall, all the DJ sets were complemented by the specially installed Godskitchen LED visual show backdrop, crazy lighting and smoke machines. Throughout the party we stayed upstairs in the VIP section as the dance floor was rammed with crazy party goers. We tried venturing down to experience the party from the main dance floor but it was just too cramped, hot and uncomfortable. I’m sure we don’t speak for ourselves only when we say many thanks to Trinity and Godskitchen for hosting the party as it was most definitely a night to be remembered.
Night 2: Godskitchen Fusion at H2O Johannesburg
After a long day and a memorable night of partying, 1 hour sleep and a 2 hour flight back to JHB we were on our way to H2O to see Dash Berlin, Gareth Emery and Aly & Fila. Although H2O is a huge, huge event in South Africa it was our very first time attending so we were a little anxious.
H2O is an all day outdoor event which is held in a water park and attendance figures are in the 15,000 to 20,000′s. Walking in to the Wild Waters Complex at 6 PM saw the venue extremely packed and one thing is certain: We have never ever before seen so many hot bodies (male and female – we don’t discriminate) in one place. That aside we arrived just in time for the launch of the Fusion concept and opening act Dash Berlin. To be totally honest we thought that the imposing structure, lighting and visuals of the Godskitchen Boombox were mind blowing. Well, the Fusion concept managed to exceed that and take it to another level. Unlike the square 2-dimensional boombox, the Fusion structure which featured the fully integrated DJ booth, was more cubic and 3-dimensional. This coupled with intense lighting, lasers, and a combination of LED visuals and projection was astounding and jaw dropping and created an energy that was absolutely electric. According to Godskitchen, Fusion represents the point at which the elements come together to produce the unique energy that is ever present in Godskitchen shows and we can concur that it most definitely was successful in doing so.
We were lucky enough to experience the show from the floating VIP dance floor (constructed over a wave pool) which was located a short distance away from the general admission dance area. Been separated from the DJ booth by a sea of water and a crowd of people was absolutely spectacular. In the dark all you could see against the night time backdrop was the imposing cubic 3D Fusion structure, breathetaking, bold, unique visuals, intense lighting, sparkles when the lasers caught the water and a sea of crazy people going completely wild to the music.
Dash Berlins’s stage performance and energy was much the same as in Cape Town with the crazy dance moves and signature "Dash Dance", the iPad, the standing on stage and handing out t-shirts, although luckily for us he did change his set up a bit. Again he had the 1,000′s large crowd eating out of the palm of his hand as they went absolutely crazy for him, singing along to every single vocal track, dancing screaming and jumping. In all honesty there is no single track that Dash played that was not a hit with the crowd, however outstanding moments were definitely when he played "Man On The Run", "Till The Sky Falls Down", "You Never Said", "Janeiro", and the infamous "Lethal Industry", "Sun & Moon" and "Not Giving Up On Love". Dash’s remix of "Medina – You & I" was a sure crowd pleaser as the original is a hit on South African radio at the moment. Another track that deserves a mention as going totally off is the Dash Berlin rework/mashup of Cygnus X – Superstring vs. Faithless, Insomnia, We Come One. South Africans undoubtedly have a heartfelt love for Faithless and when Dash dropped this insane mashup, partygoers could not contain their excitement and the dance floor exploded. Overall, the energy of the crowd most definitely created an atmosphere that was captivating and completely explosive – BOOM!! All we can say is that we knew Dash Berlin was "massive" in South Africa but we definitely underestimated just how massive he is – WOW!
Now for Gareth Emery, well let’s start by saying that Gareth brought his British weather with him to the event. Just as he started his set, thunder and light drizzle and 15 minutes into his set the light drizzle had become torrential rain and freezing cold. Although this saw majority run for cover it also so saw many brave the rain to see him play. Uncertain as to whether or not he would continue he put the crowds doubt at ease when he said – "Johannesburg, it’s raining but we don’t give a f**k, make some f**king noise". Massive respect to him for this as even though he was partially covered by the Fusion structure it by no means protected him from getting wet as well. Also massive respect to two of the production crew members who sat still on the DJ booth for almost two hours holding a waterproof plastic covering over the decks so that the party could continue. At one stage the main speakers sound even went out yet this did not deter the crowd or Gareth. Midway through the set we decided to leave the VIP dance floor and go front centre of the DJ booth in the general admission area and it was absolutely amazing. Nobody cared that it was raining, nobody cared that they were wet, nobody cared that it was absolutely freezing, all they cared about was Gareth Emery and the music. A highlighting moment was most definitely when Gareth dropped Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford – Sun & Moon. The hyped up crowd went absolutely crazy and it definitely set the mood for the rest of his set for all of "raving in the rain". Gareth also "pulled a fast one" on the crowd when he dropped one of his set favourites, Robin S vs. Save The Robot – Show Me Love (Ben Nicky Ibiza Summer Mashup). "Show Me Love" is a renowned old school South African partying favourite and the mashup definitely surprised the crowd since it was unexpected for a trance DJ to play house. Although the mashup is different to the original it without a doubt did the damage on the dance floor. Overall his set was high energy and pretty much the same as the Cape Town set with few tweaks here and there. However, irrespective of the music he played we are 110% certain that partying to one of the world’s top DJs at an outdoor H2O Godskitchen show in the rain is an experience that nobody will forget!
Surprise, surprise just as Gareth ended the rain stopped. This made way for the Future Sounds Of Egypt legends Aly & Fila. Now we know for a fact that many were looking forward to their set as they were scheduled to play at H20 previously but couldn’t make it due to visa issues. So despite the cold which was left after the rain, the crowd were going mental for them. Fila represented the duo at H2O Godskitchen as it was rumoured that Aly was ill and could not make it. Despite this, Fila who is noted as one of the most established stars in the trance industry delivered a high energy uplifting set and most definitely did a perfect job of closing Gareth Emery’s set with his brilliant mixing and set selection. He opened his set with the W&W remix of Aly & Fila’s "My Mind Is With You" and in typical uplifting and the Future Sounds Of Egypt style, he maintained the 140 BPM pace and kept the crowd entertained with tracks like Aly & Fila – Sandgroper (Bryan Kearney Remix), Motorcyle – As The Rush Comes, John O’Callaghan & Kearney – Exactly, Solarstone – Touchstone (Aly & Fila Remix), Above & Beyond – Home and Max Graham – Nothing Else Matters (Aly & Fila Remix). The highlighting moment of his set was most definitely when he played a 2011 top Trance tune contender, their infamous "We Control The Sunlight" feat. Jwaydan’s sultry vocals. Although there was no sunlight, the crowd definitely did control the party lights in the nightsky with this track – amazing! Fila then ended his set perfectly with two well known and legendary trance classics: Armin van Buuren’s "Burned With Desire" followed by Paul van Dyk – Tell Me Why (John Askew Remix). There is not a single South African trance lover that does not know or love these two tracks and yes they definitely made for a perfect ending to the H2O presents Godskitchen Fusion event.
Overall an absolutely massive weekend. Experiencing both Dash Berlin and Gareth Emery in an indoor club environment and outdoor festival environment was nothing short of amazing. Overall we found that in both events the South African crowd were definitely more acquainted with Dash Berlin and his music rather than with Gareth Emery or Aly & Fila. Some people especially at H2O knew none of the artists but this did not stop them from having a massive, massive party. Whether, indoor or outdoor Godskitchen undoubtedly knows how to take you on an amazing journey of trance, dance and all things crazy with their parties. Having experienced this journey at South Africa’s very own Trinity Club and H2O outdoor dance event made for a weekend that we would relive in a heartbeat!
Unfortunately we don’t have any high quality pictures from the events as a friend misplaced the camera at the Trinity event. Pictures shot with our phones are not very clear but give you an insight of the madness at Trinity and the rain at H2O made it impossible to get a decent shot.
Reviewed by: Layla Dangor & Yasmin
Special thanks to Fahraaz Patel for the input on the Aly & Fila section.
Special thanks to Delwyn Verasamy for letting us use his photographs from H2O. He holds copyright to these pictures and they are exclusively for use of this review and the Trance Hub website.
Event courtesy: Sonic State / Vanderkiljie
Photo Gallery
Check out the entire photo gallery from Godskitchen Fusion – courtesy Delwyn Verasamy.
Ah that sounds so awesome!! There’s nothing like dancing/raving in the rain, and to a Gareth set?? I keep reading so many comments about this event, glad you had a great time. :)
Was really disappointed with the light-show at Trinity …Godkitchen failed there [Ive been for 3 GK events]- wasn’t asking for the Boombox, would’ve loved the Fusion set up though [or bits of it seeing as Trinity is tiny]… JHB lucky bastards :)
But yeah DB is a real crowd pleaser, epic vocal trance. GE is on another level, didn’t think he’d pull off the 4 beat transitions live, as he does them in Abelton for his podcasts. Madness! :)
great write up, just a correction for you, intro to Dash Berlin in Cape Town was “waiting”
H20 GODSKITCHEN FUSION JHB OCT 1st 2011 WAS ONE OF MY BEST H20 EVENTS I HAVE EVER ATTENDED …..
What an incredible review! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks guys for positive feedback.. And actually it was a Dash Belin intro edit of his tracks..