Now at the mid-way point of the season, SHINE has been offering Trance fans a Thursday night meeting ground each week at Eden. With the legendary Paul van Dyk at the helm, there's no disputing the standard of music on offer, nor the passion of the global Trance family.
Last week we headed down last week to check out PvD and see how Eden and San Antonio handle the crowds of sweating, stomping Trance lovers.
Irish DJ and producer Bryan Kearney played an extended three-hour warm-up set, displaying all the technical ability that's seen him rise to the top ranks of the scene.
With the crowd slowly building, Bryan took us from classic Trance beats including his own All Over Again and andhim's crossover track German Fall into some hardcore Fergie mixes such as Testify and more of his own studio work, including Urban Shakedown and Free.
By the time 03:00 rolled around, though, you could sense the suspense in the air. It was high time for the master to take his position in the booth. A sinuous intro led straight into his high-impact opening track.
The effect was instantaneous as the tempo surged and the dancers - Paul van Dyk devotees in their element - went wild. Whenever Paul comes on, it's crystal clear you're in the presence of a dancefloor colossus who's spent nigh on three decades honing his craft.
The dancefloor's elation was matched by the unbounded enthusiasm of PvD himself. Fist pumping, feet stomping, he eyed the crowds with a smile on his face as he brought in every drop.
Bouncing about with pure joy and flitting from deck to deck, he wove his sonic journey, captivating the by-now heaving dancefloor with awesome modern Trance tunes including Shine On, Tomorrow and Beautiful.
We rarely see a DJ so invested in the crowd experience and loving every moment as much as those on the floor below. It was a privilege to share this moment with our fellow clubbers.
SHINE is an occasion to witness a true master at work. Although Aly & Fila fill in this week, PvD has two upcoming special six-hour solo sessions on August 25 and September.
There's no better time than now to catch PvD in this special club on that incredible Void Incubus sound system. Although we are now over halfway through SHINE's 12-week voyage, there's still plenty of opportunity to catch the Vandit boss and the fellow artists he has enrolled.
SHINE is truly a must-do for all Trance fans or, indeed, any long term admirers of dance music.
See below to find line-ups for the rest of summer and tickets for each date.
WORDS | by William McKenzie and Hayley Morgan
