Being the opening DJ, I was among the early arrivals to the venue, which allows me ample time to check out the crime scene prior to the mayhem to come. The inside venue of FdB was looking as good as ever, with the Crobar VIP section to the left, the guest section and bar to the right, and a remarkably massive stage right in front of it all. A gigantic circular white curtain was hanging down from the ceiling right in the center of the main dance floor, which later on became the subject of some interesting light shows.
Doors were open at 11PM which was precisely when I started my opening set. Same as my opening for Marco V, it was Melodic Techno all the way, at a lower BPM range this time though, but with the same trippy feeling that I like to send out to the crowd at this point of the night. I speculated that attendance would be ever better than Marco V’s event judging from the amount of people who were waiting outside when I first arrived to FdB. Indeed, my speculations were proven when just at my very first track there were already hundreds of ravers marching in the venue in all of its sections. As the crowd kept growing I began taking the set up a notch, progressively building up momentum in concordance with both the crowd needs and the consideration that must be given for the forthcoming warm up and main sets. Gradually the venue was beginning to fill up, with a couple of thousands already marking their territory towards the end of my opening, and the vibes were looking good already with the crowd grooving in their spots and slowly moving into party mode. Not much more I can say about my own set, one of the disadvantages for reviewing an event I’m taking part of, so I’ll count on your own mini reviews of my performance for that matter!
My fellow NRJ Mastermix partners and Beirut In The Mix DJs Ronin & Nesta were assigned the warm up duties for the night. Picking up from where I left off, Ronin & Nesta continued progressively building up momentum while the crowd continued to expand further. Feeding off my trippy Melodic Techno and shifting domains to some groovy Progressive House, Ronin & Nesta were quick to begin showcasing their refined taste in electronic music and advanced mixing skills over the decks. Their set first followed a somewhat increasing slope in terms of energy level before they began playing around with the crowd’s pace by driving the flow up and down, teasing here and satisfying there, leaving the crowd screaming both ways – either for more, or in gratitude. Ronin & Nesta took all their time in going across their wide taste in EDM while fitting in their track selection perfectly. The crowd was loving them as always, and they were interacting back with the same enthusiasm and vigor that they have gotten their fans hooked to. Another outstanding performance from the boys who are increasingly becoming Lebanon’s favorite DJ duo for more and more people!
Sharam from Deep Dish took over the decks, kicking off his main set with a dreamy intro composed of epic string chords, before the aggressive beat was punched in, setting the crowd ablaze. Drawing his tracks from his Macbook on which Traktor was running, Sharam understood the Lebanese crowd’s psychology and knew precisely what to feed his fans. It also helped that it wasn’t Sharam’s first time in Lebanon, as he has already performed here alongside Dubfire as Deep Dish. I wouldn’t say that Sharam built up his set as most DJs would normally do, bur rather kicked things off at maximum energy and maintained that energy level relatively constant throughout the night. Sharam’s sound was characterized with those dry in-your-face heavy kicks, roaring aggressive basslines, heavy tribal percussion, high pitched effects, and occasional vocals, a lethal combination that proved its worth over the Lebanese ravers. Sharam’s set would often feel monotonous, but that certainly was not an issue for the crowd of thousands that was dancing non-stop all throughout the set. It was dance music in its raw form, not really about well written melodies or creatively innovated sounds that leave a lasting impression upon their listeners, but rather about just getting hooked to the pattern and responding by dancing relentlessly. Sharam slid in his more known vocal material, either through playing his actual production/remix or by throwing in an unexpected acapella, but over 90% of the set was pure underground House music that got thousands stomping and flailing. Sharam was really enjoying his time as well and was feeding off the energy emitted by the crowd to the point that he specifically requested that all lights get shut off to create an even darker ambience. A crowd killer by all means, Sharam delivered a solid performance of tough, merciless, straight to the point dance music, tailored to cater for a crowd that has one thing on its mind: dancing.
The closing set came courtesy of yet another NRJ Mastermix DJ: Fady Ferraye. Amsterdam based DJ, producer, and label head Fady Ferraye had apparently just one thing in mind: to suck out whatever tiny bits of energy were left among the crowd. If my opening can be labeled as Melodic Techno, then Fady’s closing defines Techno as an entire genre! The amount of energy Fady was transmitting through his music was just inconceivable. It was a nonstop journey into hypnotic Techno rhythms, machine distorted vocals, irregular drum patterns, and the occasional acidy touch that adds insult to injury. After I had been dancing nonstop for 6 hours straight I thought I’d be out of any energy to go on, but Fady Ferraye managed to prove me wrong just as he did with the couple of thousand ravers who were unable to leave. A performance that truly stands out and sends you back home in awe, one that I can safely announce is the finest closing set I have experienced in my long history of raving.
Unfortunately I was compelled to leave just when the closing set was, well, closed, and thus I was not able to attend the afterhours session with G! & Special_Kase.; nevertheless I heard nothing but positive reviews about that part of the night… or should I say morning?
With a crowd of thousands, sublime music performances, outstanding organization standards, flawless sound and light, and interesting extras such as those cute little angels flying above the crowd, Q Entertainment and NRJ have closed the summer season with one of the most successful musical nights this summer. To add a cherry on top, it was officially announced via posters that Sander van Doorn will be making his long awaited and much anticipated debut in Lebanon this December! But who knows, maybe we’ll surprise you with a thing or two before then…
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