We at the Bangin HQ are still recovering from the spectacle of wonder that took place over the weekend. It’s taken a long while for us to come to our senses and gather our thoughts for us to present to you, in the best way we can, an account of how the city of Mumbai experienced Group Therapy.
Group Therapy is not only a radio show by the three pioneers of emotional trance, Above & Beyond, it’s a movement, an ideology, and truly therapeutic in every sense of the word. Over the past weekend, the good people at Submerge brought them down to India so that faithful patrons who attend Group Therapy sessions every Friday got a chance to experience the real deal, and those that haven’t ever witnessed the magic, got to do so for the very first time.
From the very moment Submerge had announced the Group Therapy India tour, till the date it eventually commenced in Pune, we were faithfully counting down the days till we could be part of that something which was so much bigger tjan ourselves. We were waiting anxiously to witness the true potential and power of pure, sincere and truly emotional music. Some of us at the Bangin Beats revere them as much as one would a God, simply because of the sheer influence their music has had on our lives.
Finally, after weeks of waiting, (and what seemed like an eternity), the day came, when they started their tour in Pune, then Bangalore, then Delhi and finally, Mumbai.
We arrived at the beautiful venue, that is Kamalistan Studio, at 5 pm, to find Club Royalty Resident DJ Willy spinning his set of Electro and Deep house tracks. The arena had the ticket counters neatly spread across one end of the venue whereas entry into the playing arena was at the other end. On entering, our gaze took us to the enormous stage against the backdrop of the November sky and amidst lush green landscape adorning it. The other side showed a terrain of earth and stone, as we were encompassed in the most beautiful natural setting the city of Mumbai could offer! As fans, Above & Beyond devotees and audience members made their way into the arena, DJ Willy welcomed them with his assorted collection of energetic house numbers. With tracks like Fisherman & Hawkins massive “Apache”, he got the crowd just about pumped before he turned the tables to render the atmosphere smooth with his deep house selections. With the awesome talents of Hot Since 82, with his remix of Green Velvet’s “Bigger Than Prince” and the harmonious “Chords” echoing away from the hills around us, Do Santos & Simone Vitullo’s “My Bassline Friend” and CARUSO’s “Rastaa” did more than aptly to spread the warm vibes to tone down the chilly November evening. At around 6 pm, Submerge director and host of the evening Nikhil Chinapa took to the mic to entice the crowd further as he made way for the fantastic Pearl, to provide us with one of the finest opening sets we’ve witnessed in a very long time!
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/103082310″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Pearl is known for her dark and moody selection of tech and trance tracks. It would be apt to describe her approach to DJ-ing as classical, as she curates her sets with moods rather than crowd favorite anthems. Her opening set started with the dark and melodic sounds of Overloque’s “August 6″ and gradually increased in tempo and progression, as a sign of things to come. With the sun setting in the background and the trees dancing away to the sweet sounds of the Dale Middleton Remix of Yunta’s “Distorted”, Pearl infused the beautiful vibes from Alexander Malas’s “The Other Side Of Tomorrow” with Dataminions’s tasteful “Big”. Even though the crowd began to thicken, the sweet musical notes unfolding from Pearl’s magical set were widening our dancing spectrum, as we shut our eyes and raised our hands to let the music take control. The satiating symphonies of the Airwave Remix of Michael & Levan & Stiven Rivic’s “Sounds are Deeply on Surface” were so complete, that people put down their placards and bags or purses to become united with the surrealistic sounds of progressive music. The pleasure of being part of a Group Therapy concert was augmented through Pearl’s majestic set, especially when she dropped the Joe Kendut Remix of Acida Corporation’s “To Get Higher “. As dusk settled, and we got a full view of the exquisite visuals and light work setup on the stage, a quick glance around revealed a smiling audience as they received the incredibly talented Airwave’s elegant “Atlas Winds”. Pearl revealed later how ‘the track was a request and that she simply had to play it on that sort of a sound system!’ Pearl’s set definitely set the mood for Seven Lions forthwith, as the crowd awaited to be hit by those stormy electro sounds and dubstep attacks they had been anticipating for weeks.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/34183129″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/75733129″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Jeff Montalvo, better known as his stage moniker, Seven Lions, was introduced to the world when his contest-winning remix of Above & Beyond’s “You Got To Go” sat at #2 on Beatport’s Dubstep chart for over 6 weeks! The announcement that he’d be touring with Above & Beyond on their India tour was met by much adulation from his fans in India, and the crowd didn’t disappoint as they welcomed him with loud cheers and thunderous applause. He began his set with his own “The Truth” closely followed by the aggressive “Now or Never” by Chris Schweizer. Right from the word go, his set infused some hard hitting basslines and energetic synths to catapult the crowd few feet of the ground. With the massive trap intervention of the Kill The Noise Remix of The M Machine’s “Ghost in the Machine”, he got the Electro house listeners jumping for more with “Big bang” by Twoloud. Seven Lion’s energy was so infectious that seeing him headbanging to his own track “Strangers” his collaboration with Myon & Shane 54 & Tove Lo, the crowd in the first 10 rows was synchronizing their own headbanging and hand waving to create an awesome spectacle! Feeding off the energy of the crowd Seven Lions dropped a bass infused mashup of Seven Lions vs. Nicky romero & NERVO’s “Fractals vs. Like home (acapella)” with the happy “Technicolor” by Madeon. His set ranged from Electro chart toppers to Dubstep anthems to Trance classics with the likes of the Chris Schweizer Mash up of Armin Van Buuren & Tomas Heredia vs. Alex M.O.R.P.H. & Sylvia Tosun’s “Communication Love“. More grimey, bass heavy power was added when the awesome Oh Snap! Vs Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Remix of “Wakanda” was paired up with the first classical-then destructive “Bach off” by Terravita.
The range covered by Seven Lions through his set was simply outstanding as he remixed the trance legend Paul van Dyk feat. Plumb’s “I Don’t Deserve You” only to fade it into the melodic vocals of Lana Del Rey’s “Young & Beautiful”. He ended his stellar set with the massive DANK Remix of Avicii & Nicky Romero’s“I Could Be The One” and the ruinous trance rifting Simon Patterson Remix of Neelix’s“Leave Me Alone”. With that came to a close a superb set by the American wonderkid producer and as our heart began to pound harder, with the hills behind us, trees around us, the November breeze gushing over us and the anticipation of Group Therapy…this night had had all the qualities to be an unforgettable one for us and now would come the moment, that we had been long awaiting!
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/106186251″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/104565766″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/95909801″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Within a few moments the screen behind the console on stage blacked out, and the distinct logo for Above & Beyond appeared. It was so magical looking at that logo right in front of us, almost as if it were a beacon of light to shine through everything dark. All those days, weeks and months spent in anticipation had finally culminated in this moment, right now. Not before long, Tony McGuinness and Paavo Siljamaki had appeared on stage (they were without Jono Grant, as he was back home curating their radio show and working on their next studio album) and took to the decks. This was the moment of truth for most of us present there. We had spent weeks in preparation of the vast expansive journey that Above & Beyond would take us on for the next two hours. And indeed, it was a journey. A journey to the deepest reaches of our souls, a journey through the vast plethora of passion, emotion, love, warmth, comfort and excitement.
The screen suddenly filled with a bright vibrancy of colours as they pushed play and the familiar tune of the Club Mix to Mat Zo & Linnea Schossow’s “The Sky” started beaming from the speakers. Taking us all the way back to where this entire phenomenon started; the historic & monumental first episode of Group Therapy, that took place right here on home soil, in Bangalore. From those amongst us, that were present for that epic event, it had sparked an immediate feeling of nostalgia, as many had described that night to be the best ever. To add to it all, reading the words “We’ve Found Home” on the screen just amplified the feeling of pride and nationalistic sentiment that united the entire audience. It made us proud that our great country formed an integral part of their celebrated story. As we were reeling in from that wondrous feeling, we were softly guided to Arty’s remix of London Grammar’s heavenly Hey Now. As they had rightly said, it was music straight from “Rainy London Town” brought so elegantly to the shores of warm Mumbai city. The powerful vocals had everyone sing it out with such zeal, it was stupendous. Those warm melodies and soft beats clearly took a hold of everyone’s heart as we all had lost ourselves to London Grammar’s resplendent vocals.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/42755588″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/101724815″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
They then went on to play the new remix of an Above & Beyond classic. A special treat to all Above & Beyond faithfuls; and even more so since Paavo had decide to narrate their inspiration behind the song via his messages on screen. It was the Genix & Las Salinas remix of Anjunabeach, the very famous beach that served as a host to parties in Goa that shares it’s namesake with their very own label. Paavo told of a story about a particular beach they had heard of, where every full moon night, people would gather, irrespective of division, to party. This again aroused feelings of nationalistic pride. This beach they spoke of, formed an integral part of the creation of Dance Music culture and it was part of our very own country. As the melody of Anjunabeach swept over us, they took us further on their journey. We could hear the immensely overbearing introduction to their very own Club Mix of Alchemy, a song where Zoë Johnston’s vocals bring out the agony of a spurned lover. Most of us are of the view that Ms. Johnston’s voice has a certain kind of sorcery to it. That coupled with Above & Beyonds wizardry in production, completely amplifies exactly what the song’s protagonist is going through. This had us all echoing each and every word that Zoë sang out. This moment where everyone was unified by one common emotion of raw passion, well, it truly can only be best described as Alchemy.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/122093950″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/66201503″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Next up was Above & Beyond’s very own tribute to cult favourite TV Show, Breaking Bad; Their very own interpretation of the show’s lead character Walter White. Having debuted this during their iconic 450 show, right here in Bangalore, this once again gave everyone a sense of nostalgia. For those that were new to this production, the serene breakdown with a terrific build up, left them speechless. Just like the protagonist, the song goes on a journey from pure and light melodies to dark, haunting beats. This was followed by a new unreleased Above & Beyond track, Sticky Fingers. A truly captivating song with a beautiful piano melody and such powerful lyrics and a stupendous drop. This had everyone grooving in such perfect synchronisation, it was almost as if we were choreographed. Like the lyrics, this song has still left it’s sticky fingers inside our heads. But the only difference is, we don’t ever want it out.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/88989252″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/117445604″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
At this point, the vibrant visuals on screen, and the dazzling light show had faded away to showcase one single colour, blue. Before long “Blue” was the only word on screen. At once we all knew it was time for their spectacular remix of New Order’s Blue Monday. The stuttering beats at the intro almost resonated with our heartbeat. The excitement of getting to hear one of their newest productions on home soil was much more than most of us could contain. The bassline and retrostyled beat brought back the impact the original had on the 80’s & 90’s. This groovy ear worm of a bassline gave way to an almost tribal beat, that had us stomp our feet on the green pastures of the Kamalistan venue. They stole our heart away with this electrifying remix of such an iconic track from a few decades ago. After this the familiar starting lines from one of their most famous productions could be heard. “There was a time, There was a place…….” it was time for them to remind us about A Thing Called Love. A large heart appeared on screen and the audience was swept with a wave of affection. For those of us that had forgotten, it was a perfect reminder. It served as a gentle nudge for us to forget everything that tied us down and take hold of of the most compelling and powerful of human emotions. They had reminded us to let the people we love know that we loved them. And to never ever let that emotion go for anything in the world. The most beautiful thing about this moment was that people did take notice. Everyone instantly grabbed on to the ones they loved the most: their friends, lovers, members of their family. The effect of this single song served as a perfect testament to the power of Above & Beyond’s Music.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/117363932″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
After this pivotal moment in the set, the next track was the Instrumental mix of Arty’s Believe In Me. The serene melodies swept over Kamalistan like a wave. It’s easy to see why the trio are so fixated over this Russian wunderkind. This then gave way to the thumping bassline of the club mix to Above & Beyond’s “Black Room Boy“. This club monster told a story of a boy who’s entire world revolved around cyberspace and how he spent most of his time trapped in a black room. One of our personal favourites, it had us singing out all the vocals at the bridge and pulverize the floor at the drop. Next up was one of their favourite Americans, Andrew M. Bayer’s Club Mix of “Need Your Love”, where, according to Tony the ‘M’ stands for ‘Mmmmmmm……..’. We couldn’t agree more. The beautiful piano breakdown to this epic production truly showcased Bayer’s musical ingenuity. The hard club beats coupled with the rolling progressive melody sent every one present into a dance frenzy. It’s truly a mystery how Above & Beyond and every artist on the Anjuna label, can perfectly amalgamate emotive melodies with club friendly sounds, so that the listener feels a rush of emotion through his or herself, whilst dancing the night away.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/81791988″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/105083460″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Next on the cards was Above & Beyond’s deep & dark Mariana Trench. This is one of those moments that silenced everyone. The breakdown was so pure and moving, some of us had tears in our eyes. We could feel chills roll down our spines and our hair stand on end. As the melody progressed, the intensity of what we felt kept increasing. It was so overpowering, I’m sure it had moved each and every member of the audience. The melody took a firm hold on all of us till all of it culminated into that deep, electro-infused drop that had us let go of whatever we held on to. We lost all our inhibitions, fears and anything that still kept us tied down at this point, and literally let ourselves go. I think this is the closest anyone could have come to an out of body experience. This was followed by an Above & Beyond classic that was re-invented by Myon & Shane 54 and Above & Beyond. It was Underwater, and it was song by India’s very own Rani. During which Above & Beyond paid homage to the wonderful singer right from her own soil.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/120908703″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/117402488″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
Then came the premier of an unnamed Above & Beyond track. A track which stood up to the amazing production standard that they’re known for. To say it was moving, would be an understatement. To say it was inspiring, even more so. The sheer wonder this track had instilled is a little too hard for us to put down in words. It was, in the best way that we can put it, ethereal. After the amazement they had induced upon us, they had decided to tell us a little story about Maor Levi, through his song Holding On. Maor Levi, an Israeli native, had written this song just when his family was going through troubled times during the strife in the middle east. It was so that them, along with anyone else who’d listen to it, would hold on and persevere through whatever dark phases they were going through. It was this very effect that this song had had on all of us when we first heard it. It gave us the strength we needed to keep ourselves together and make our way through the darkest, toughest segments of our lives. This was followed with another one of Ilan Bluestone’s unreleased gems, Spheres. By this time around, we couldn’t get enough of what we were hearing. The wave after wave of overbearing, immenae emotion that these two men had subjected us to, it was as though we were in heaven.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/95206888″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
It was now that time that a lot of hopefuls had spent countless hours gearing up for, by way of their colourful banners and messages. It was time for someone to Push The Button. Most of us had our hearts stop with the eager anticipation that anyone of us could have been picked. Paavo came up to the front of the stage and had chosen one lucky girl. She had pushed the button to Sun & Moon. A song that everyone sang out in unison to. A song that had all of us grab on tightly to our significant others while we sang out loud, as an expression of our love. They had decided to end the night with Velvetine’s Great Divide. One of our personal favourites, it struck a chord with every one. A perfect way to end the very emotional sojourn that they had taken us on. The resplendent chorus of this track, emphasized the very message that Above & Beyond strived to send out, “Love wont happen till you try to cross the Great Divide.”
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/65868249″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
After which there was a huge “Thank You Mumbai” on screen, and must of us were still in awe of what he had just witnessed. While Tony & Paavo hugged each other, the crowd could be heard begging for one last song. After paying heed the audience’s demands, they decided to chose another lucky soul to push the button. This time, to everyone’s surprise, the lucky one was a boy. A boy so overcome by the opportunity his idols had bestowed upon him, you could see it in his eyes. After hugging his idols with what seemed to be a bear like grip, he pushed the button to the most moving end to a show we had ever witnessed. It was the acoustic version to Above & Beyond’s On A Good Day. At this point, we couldn’t control ourselves. The crowd was filled with teared up, emotional faces, looking up to the sky as an explosion of beautifully coloured confetti engulfed us all. It was the most powerful moment for all of us present.The atmosphere was overflowing with an electric mix of a bevy of emotions. Joy, that it was one of the best things this city had ever experienced. Passion, because most of us we reminded to love again. Sadness, because one of the most defining evenings of our lives, was over. Amazement, that music has such immense power over every individual. It was a moment that etched itself on the very being of everyone present there. No one would ever forget the day Mumbai had received Group Therapy.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/115337450″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
It was a day, that Nikhil Chinappa himself had said, left him so emotional, that he was rendered speechless. A day where the fast paced, ruthless city of Mumbai seemed as though it had come to a standstill, to give way to such an enchanting evening. A day where the citizens of this Maximum city put aside every possible barrier and came together to celebrate the joys of music. It was a live example that the ideologies that dance music was based on, Peace Love Unity & Respect, manifested itself in each and everyone of the thousands gathered there. Such is the power of the Music. Such is the power of Above & Beyond.
——————————————————————————————————————————-
Special thanks to Submerge Entertainment for giving us all some Group Therapy, there’s not much we quite like more!
Reviewed by: Hamed Khalidi and Shule Puri
Edited by: Saurabh Dhope and Kabir Uppal
Reblogged this on Hamed Khalidi Blogging.
:’) Such Memories!!
Beautiful no?
[…] ABOVE & BEYOND, GROUP THERAPY MUMBAI […]
[…] and fell head over heels for it. We heard it again, when we watched them perform live during their Group Therapy India tour. Now this epic, monumental track has finally hit the shelves as […]
[…] mesmerizing the electronic music fraternity in India only a week ago, Jono, Tony and Paavo have kept the joys coming with a twofold surprise – the official releases […]
[…] who’ve attended any of Above & Beyond’s live shows recently, including their recent tour of India, we’ve already heard Above & Beyond’s collaboration with Alex Vargas, one of the […]