We all knew it was coming sooner or later, but for some of us, the wait was excruciating. As a result, when news of the first ever NYC Coldharbour Night was announced, many people were vocal about it. From forums to Facebook, everyone was buzzing about Coldharbour Night. Some were wary, and most were excited. Much of the talk was focused on the venue, the “new” D36. Revamped and renewed to its current glory last year, this long-standing venue boasts a very decent sound system but tends to lack trance.
The current campaign for some people is to bring trance to D36 (as well as a few other places in NYC). Although the campaign has not gone unnoticed, it has not gone smoothly. With news of Coldharbour Night being held here, a glimmer of light started to grow in the hearts of many trance loving D36 hopefuls. Coldharbour Recordings, founded by the great Markus Schulz is not only a well-known trance label and powerhouse, but it currently boasts some of the top talent in the trance DJ and production world. For this event, we had the pleasure of hearing Grube & Hovsepian, Mr. Pit, and KhoMha, Mr. Schulz’s newest protégé.
The trance world has been watching as Markus took in “little” KhoMha and helped him to create such monsters as “Mind Gamer,” “The Dark Night,” and KhoMha’s remix of Markus’ Dakota production, “Sinners.” Coldharbour and Markus have been posting pictures and social statuses involving this not so small new addition to the team, including ID teasers and little kittens that may or may not be decoys set forth to ward off questioning eyes to the mixers and screens in the background. To put it lightly, Mr. Schulz has this guy busy and for that, the trance world thanks him. As if the community of trance lovers didn’t already owe Markus Schulz enough, he has seemingly devoted his time to molding and promoting KhoMha, and the results have been mind blowing! Markus has taken captive this young masterpiece of a Colombian Producer and forced him to create banger after banger for us. Okay, maybe he asked nicely, but I like to imagine it was like a scene from the movie “Taken.” Watching KhoMha on the decks, I couldn’t help but think, “Awe, it’s a little Markus!” He embodies every ounce of energy that Markus brings as well as many of Markus’ patented “moves” behind the decks.
The expectations for most for KhoMha’s set were big enough to land Khomha a staring role, however, it cannot be overlooked that the other members of this evening are some serious veterans of the Coldharbour crew. Mr. Pit, for example, has been creating massive tunes for years. We’re talking songs that everyone knows, songs that people have spent months begging for the ID to be revealed, and songs that still live in today’s sets years later. I can personally say that many of Mr. Pit’s tracks hold permanent spots on my list of all time favorites. Many, if not all Coldharbour fans probably feel the same way. Mr. Pit, known to some as Adrian, stakes claim to tunes such as “Shana,” “The Cube,” and “Isolarium-,” the latter featured on Markus’ Coldharbour Selections 15. The list of his remixes and reworks is long enough to make you dizzy. Adrian knows his way around a bassline better then Homer Simpson can navigate a box of donuts. Adrian is the epitome of an oxymoron. Polite and quiet, taking the stage with a small smile and gentile head nod, he then drops his first bassline and you are quickly made aware that this guy might have some very dirty intentions on his mind, and all innocence is lost. He is filled with energy and it is obvious that his music comes from his soul.
By now, reading through the line up a fan is virtually weak from expectations alone. However, this line up had no intentions on letting in. As if KhoMha and Pit were not enough, they included the duo Grube & Hovsepian. Generally, when I come across a new trance follower, one of my first questions is “Do you know who Grube & Hovsepian are?” I ask that right after I ask how they feel about Dubstep and Guetta, because, lets face it, some people are not even reachable. Tim Grube and Mike Hovsepian are seasoned pros. They’ve been with Coldharbour forever and when one thinks “Coldharbour” one had better immediately think of this duo. They are not only purveyors of bass (as I believe I have made well aware I am a big fan of) but they are incredibly diverse. These guys are one of my favorites when it comes to remixing and I believe it is possible that they actually breathe to the beat of the Coldharbour sound. One of their newer songs: Elevation vs. Grube & Hovsepian – “City of Angels” has solidified their place on the ever-evolving trance map. They have managed to work with a melody taken from any genre and create a trance masterpiece that even Emeril Lagsee would be silenced by (assuming it was food; don’t we all compare music to food nowadays?). The fact that these guys were finally stepping into NYC and taking the stage means that NYC finally has one more badge of accomplishment in the trance world. Without hearing these two together live, you just cannot say you’ve seen all of the best.
The Florida native, Michael Gin was given the honors of opening for this evening, another move that was not surprising to me with the TranceFamily MIA presence in the house. The Esscala Entertainment Group, along with help by EDMNYC, are well known for their friendship and collaborations in Miami, just one more thing NYC and the rest of the world can be grateful for (trivia: Miami is the home of Coldharbour Recording Studio. If you don’t know, now you know). Starting out the night a bit slower and more melodic, Mr. Gin did a great job at getting the crowd ready. Some bass here, some guitar riffs there, he’s becoming quite the pro as well, and I see him soon leaving the opening world and joining the headliner crowd.
Soon enough, the crowd started to grow and the anticipation could not be denied. It was almost midnight and in the world of EDM and that means: headliners! First up, was Grube & Hovsepian and I could not mask my excitement. I began running back and forth to everyone I could find to assess who was new to their world and who had already had the pleasure of experiencing the twosome. Then it happened. They finally began and words left us all. Slowly, they began with melodic house music. I watched as the crowd downstairs not only grew, but also began to move like a sea brewing before a storm. Each tune moved to the next with perfection until we all found ourselves no longer swaying, but bouncing to the larger, louder beats. It was happening. Trance, but not just any trance, Coldharbour trance. Melody paired with banging bass paired with breaks and moments of pure seduction. The boys worked through their set perfectly by slowly cooking towards the high point where they would work KhoMha in, in all his fantastically hard bass glory. Almost an hour went by when I realized my newest favo
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