A report for Dream Creation magazine about one of the first mega-trance parties that I went to, in February 1997. In many ways it highlighted, for me, the strengths and weaknesses of the trance movement, and the challenge of getting it to a larger audience – and I think that what I wrote still applies. Unfortunately I have no pictures… Read on:

Recipe for one of the largest hi-tech psychedelic trance parties ever held:

1. Book one of the most famous event spaces in Japan;
2. Book some of the biggest names in the business;
3. Advertise extensively so that 8000 people show up;
4. Cook for 14 hours.

Thus Aurora Psychedelica took place February 10/11 [1997] at the Makuhari Messe event hall in Chiba, near Tokyo. While there have been larger crowds at parties, there have been few parties this LONG that were so organized & hi-tech with such first-rate artists: DJs Tsuyoshi, Andre, DanDan, and Keisuke, and live acts Total Eclipse, Doof, Chakra, and Masa. It was certainly a first for Japan.

The doors opened at 9PM for a 10PM start, and the crowd arrived early. Entry was smooth, frisking being unnecessary in Japan. The space was enormous, a cavernous central stadium complete with elevated seating for great views of the dance floor. Circling the outside of the musical space was a plethora of stalls, with everything from organic food to batiks and clothes for sale, as well as video games and internet terminals. Some UV-lit clothing stalls were inside the dance hall, visually complementing the seemingly minimal yet beautiful decorations (due to the scale of the massive venue and not enough black light).

At 10 PM sharp, the ambient introduction stopped (a small chill-out room continued this vibe) and Keisuke (Matsuri) took to the stage, located in the center of the hall. After a VERY short build-up, he launched into some wicked full-on trance. The crowd, mostly young Japanese at this point, was going bonkers, reacting perfectly to the nuances of the music, cheering wildly at every build-up. I recall noticing that the time was 10:45. With some 13 hours left, how could this keep up? The answer is simple: it couldn’t.

Keisuke’s superb set led into a live set by Masa (Tokyo Tekno Tribe), which was good and danceable but not entirely my style. Andre followed next, playing some crackling tunes (Snarling Black Mabel still does it for me), but somehow the crowd seemed indifferent. Could this be an amplification of the DJ’s own sentiments? (Several artists seemed less than overjoyed, perhaps due to the scheduling.) At 3, Doof put on a great live show that thoroughly rocked the house…great vibes in all respects! Chakra was next, getting as strong a reaction out of “X-Files” as he did at Zencentricity [a huge Matsuri party in London] last October. One of the most memorable images of the evening was his popular Taiyo remix, with Tsuyoshi as the drummer. Phenomenal!

At 5 AM, with another 7 hours yet to go (that’s a whole party!), Tsuyoshi put down his drumsticks and got behind the decks. This was perhaps where the layout of the party revealed its weaknesses. After a few approachable tunes, Tsuyoshi launched into a fairly experimental set, which some might have deemed too repetitious at parts. Lots of people couldn’t identify with the music, so they decided to step out and go shopping or play video games. Had they stuck around, they would have heard how he was deliberately playing limited patterns and frequency ranges to create a mantra, only to blast you out of what you became accustomed to when the time was right. (Very philosophical, really.) In context, it made sense. But the fact that the opportunity, nay, invitation to leave the music was there led a number of people to wander away. How is a shaman supposed to teach if the students walk away? At rock concerts, patrons don’t have a choice – if you don’t like it, you leave; you would probably tend to stick it out a bit and see what comes next, allowing context to come into play. Too bad this wasn’t the case here.

Total Eclipse’s live act came next, and the floor filled up as their amazing morning music set a different vibe. The complexity of their baselines (listen to the Starchild remix) and the refinement of sound alone would have made it all worthwhile; here, too, familiar tunes took on a new air, and their 90 minute set was splendid. The chill-out room was overflowing at this point, as dancers became worn-out. Gio (Makyo), who has long been Tokyo’s best ambient DJ, cast a spell over the room that had sounds whispering in the ears of lucky listeners. I was too blissfully hyped to chill, however, and went back to catch the last set of the night.

I don’t why DanDan (Typhoon = DanDan + Total Eclipse) isn’t more famous, as he is one of the best DJs I’ve ever heard. Playing from DAT only, he offered 3 hours of awesome, full-on, deep, funky, spiritual tracks, brilliantly mixed. I haven’t a clue how he pulled off some of those mixes. He had a few tricks up his sleeve, putting on Prana’s semi-ambient classic Aquaspace (wicked) in between full-on tracks, and ending with Prana’s Indigo, which sounded so new and fresh (it wasn’t a remix!) He then played three encores (including Typhoon’s eerie Overture) while a handful of dancers and confused, polite security personnel (“The party should be over but the music’s still on…what should I do?”) still occupied the area surrounding the stage. By 12:30, the music was off and people were slowly making their way out (without so much as a prompt from the quiet security – what a change from London!)

As brilliant as this party was, it simply tried to do too much. Everyone was so wiped out that only 50 people showed up when Total Eclipse, DanDan, and Andre played a few days later. A party doesn’t have to be this big and full-on to be memorable – as far as size, artists, music, and vibe go, Return to the Source’s 7-hour New York party wins hands down. The fact that I met one friend for the first time in the last minute of the last encore is a sign that big is not necessarily better – if you can’t find you friends at a party, how can you find yourself? And isn’t that the point? But I will never forget the scene at 10:45, the youth of a repressive culture responding with such heart-felt enthusiasm to the music of the future, played by one of their own tribe. In this respect, this party was a landmark event.