Let’s be honest, I walked into the venue with zero expectations. Who is Giuseppe Ottaviani anyway? I’ve never heard of him.
Plus, all other times that I’ve seen Paul van Dyk perform were within four walls, in a tightly enclosed area (read: club). And I thought that this time wouldn’t be any different from the rest. Plus, Paul van Dyk has been around for as long as I can remember. He was, to me, and I’m not afraid to admit it, “old news”.
But boy was I wrong.
I was wrong a few times over! Firstly, Italian trance producer Giuseppe Ottaviani did not disappoint! His set was filled with hits back-to-back. Some, we knew by heart – especially when he played Ferry Corsten’s “Out of the Blue”. Talk about getting a crowd going.
And when Paul van Dyk finally took the stage..why don’t I let the video do the talking:
Mind blowing! The stage lighting was at its best, and the LEDs came to life. May I stress, the LEDs! To say that we weren’t already propelled away would be a complete and utter lie. Before we could even catch our breaths, world-renown DJ Paul van Dyk churned out tracks after tracks that got everyone up and on their feet.
Some off their feet, I dare say. Because who can help but jump around with their hands in the air, waving ‘em like they just don’t care? The crowd went absolutely mental. Who wouldn’t? We’re talking about the true “father of trance” right there!
When I said that Paul van Dyk was “old news”, I totally took it back within the first 15 minutes of his set. You see, he promised to take us on a journey, he promised an entire new concept. He knew that he had to come up with something so special, that it would be talked about for years after.
He did just that – when he immersed the crowd in a live cinema performance of “Evolution”. Paul van Dyk took the idea of visuals, wrapped it around his evolution of electronic dance music (EDM), and took us all to greater heights on his first ever Malaysian outdoor appearance.
Everyone and I mean everyone, walked away that night after the lights were finally dimmed, with tired but satisfied smiles on their faces. I don’t know about everyone else but I was still reeling from XPLAY Future Sound System until the next day. Actually, even until today.
Thank you, Future Sound Asia and Celcom for the phenomenal party. It’s one I won’t soon forget.
