Daniel Kandi and Richard Durand in LA Labor Day! (Preview)

Source: Lohb on Flickr

Damn! Drat! Fiddlesticks! Now I am definitely regretting my decision to go to northern California for Labor Day weekend (well… not completely. I am seeing family up there). But the lineups for Atlantis and Circus Hollywood are triggering dopamine reactions unseen of in my trance-addicted brain. The promoters at Circus are staying on track with bringing trance to Los Angeles by inviting Daniel Kandi and Richard Durand to play there on September 5th. What does that mean for you? A world of bliss. Read on to hear just why I am so excited.

Daniel Kandi brings one word to my mind: Epic. Epic, mindblowing, heaven ascending trance. That’s right, I’m going to put myself out there, sound crazy, and say that when I hear his tracks I think of myself standing on a giant mountain overlooking lush valleys of giant dinosaurs, explosions, and beautiful women. And I can fly. Epic. Here’s a taste:

Kandi’s DJing, I can testify, is also on point. I am drawing my evidence from his back-to-back performances at ASOT400 (videos here). You are probably asking: if he’s so great, why isn’t he playing all over the world all the time like Tiesto or Armin? Without going into great depth, there are numerous issues besides talent that go into a DJ’s ability to freely roam the world and play music. For an example, read my analysis of the DJ Mag Top 100. Long story short, do not doubt the greatness of this DJ. I am happy that the Circus promoters are showing themselves to be true fans of the trance genre, and are bringing artists well renowned in the trance world to Los Angeles. Armin Van Buuren is a huge fan of Kandi as well as Above and Beyond, so I am eager to see what he brings over to this coast (probably some jetlag and alcohol, to begin with. I don’t know how these guys do it; I would probably fall asleep at the decks).

The other DJ would be Richard Durand. He is on the intense, harder side of trance a-la Simon Patterson. He is very good at constructing his beats and is definitely an up and comer in the trance scene. I have seen videos of him playing and I can safely say that he too will destroy the dancefloor. For example, here is him messing with some Michael Jackson:

Durand has just released his first artist album, called “Into Something”, and has done remixes for Prodigy, Armin van Buuren, Tiesto, and you have very likely heard his famous Madagascar remix played at events worldwide all throughout 2008. Want more? My favorite track of his is probably his remix of Skunk Anansie’s Brazen Weep:

This night at Circus confirms a turning point in LA’s dance scene. New artists are being brought over to test out their wares, and the momentum will only continue from here. This is a great time to be reading this blog, folks, because it looks like the promoters are ready to ratch things up a notch, bring in some fresh talent, and get the feet moving to the beat of different drums. Awesome, epic drums. I suggest you turn the lights down, get rid of all distractions, and listen to Kandi’s most epic song by far. Tell me it’s not mindblowing:

© 2009, M Silin. All rights reserved.