Trance Takeover last weekend

So last weekend was Trance Takeover. Its a 2 night event held at Pacha NY and produce by Massive Events. Its almost like a really tiny Electric Zoo but with DJs playing mainly trance tunes - hence the name of the event.

Headlining the first night were Filo and Peri and Marco V. We got there early on friday since my friend won't a Meet and Greet with Marco V through his promoter. I got a chance to see Zack Roth  who was opening at the main floor. I would say he was pretty good playing a lot of psych and progressive trance and he got the crowd ready for Filo and Peri

Then about 11:30, Filo and Peri came up the DJ's Booth to start their set. I would have thought they wouldn't start till midnight but I guess the schedule got change. They started off with Arty's remix of D-Mad's She Gave Happiness, which seems been using as opening for a lot of DJ sets lately. And transition to a mix of different trance tunes like Armin van Buuren's Remix of BT's Every Other Way with little electro (Swedish House Mafia's One) in between. And of course, not to miss out, their own tunes such as This Night which they collaborated with Audrey Gallagher and the classic Ashley with Aruna. They surely got the crowd revved up just in time for Marco V.

This is the first time I've seen Marco V live and didn't disappoint. And we got lucky to get into VIP by this time when we saw his promoter and told her my friend didn't get a chance to meet him. So she let us into the VIP area which was fantastic.

His 3 hour set was mainly composed of hard and melodic trance playing tunes such as Dada Life's remix of Kaskade's Dynasty, Len Faki's remix of Dustin Zahn's Stranger to Stability, Tiesto's Remix of Faithless' Tweak Your Nipples and Stoneface & Terminal's Moment among others. He surely got the crowd pumping and tearing up the dance floor and from my view from above, I could see that everyone was just having a great time and no one even left the dance floor.

Oh, and during his set, I had a chance to meet Bo Pericic, one half of Filo and Peri. Really nice guy.

After his set, I had a chance to meet him which was really awesome. The only drawback was the bouncer who kept on moving him around that I could tell he was getting confused. Anyway, luckily I got a chance to get a picture with him before he was swish away towards the exit.

The next night - Trance Takeover Part 2 - had Ronski Speed and Andy Moor headlining.

I got there around midnight and the place was already banging. Ronski Speed was already on decks and he surely tore up the dancefloor. He played upbeat tunes that makes you just wanna keep on dancing. His set was a mix of old and new trance tunes from Gareth Emery's Sanctuary to Armin van Buuren's Remix of BT's Every Other Way (which Filo and Peri also played). One tune surely got the crowd wild - well at least me and my friends - Ronski Speed vs Oceanlab ft Justine Suissa - E.O.S. Sattelite.

Then Andy Moor took the helm and started off with a melodic deep trance before mixing it up with deep and vocal trance. Now if Ronski tore up the dancefloor, Andy just blew it off the roof. He played a great mix of tunes and mashups such as Faces in a Good Dream which he did with Ashley Wallbridge, tyDi and vocals by Meighan Nealon, mashups such as Gareth Emery Mashup of Lethal Stadium Four, a track he collaborated with Tiesto, Lange, Andy Moor and Komytea; and his own mashup of The Great Escape Right Back (Rank 1 & Jochen Miller & Yuri Kane); and of course, his tune She Moves, a track he did with vocals from Carrie Skipper, which on my own opinion, is one of the top tunes of this year. His set was just out of this world. My ears were ringing after I left..

which reminds me, I have to buy some earplugs

Filo and Peri - Website | Facebook | MySpace | Vandit | BigRoom Podcast
Marco V - Website | MySpace | YouTube
Ronski Speed - Website | Facebook | MySpace | YouTube |
Andy Moor - Website | Facebook | MySpace | YouTube | Moor Music Podcast

Stick or Automatic?

Do you like to drive stick or automatic?

Most of the people nowadays learn how to drive with an automatic transmission. But there are still some drivers, especially enthusiast, who drives stick or manual transmission.

So which one is better?

Automatic transmission is easier to drive since you only have to deal with two pedals - gas and brake. You can see people driving with their left leg up on the seat since you really just need your right leg to step on the pedals making it more convenient. It is also less stressful and tiring since you do not have to keep on shifting while driving which can be really tiring if you are stuck in traffic or even driving in a metropolis.

Of course, there are also drawbacks. First - and I don't know if this is still true - if your car breaks down, you cannot push it to the side or even push start the car because its automatic clutch will not engage the engine while being pushed. Also automatic transmissions are more expensive and harder to maintain. And since its an automatic, the pick up isn't as quick as a manual car and the engine ends up working harder at higher speed.

The good thing about Manual Transmission is that it is easier to maintain and has a lower maintenance cost. Its good for high speed driving since the engine is not working as hard as an engine in a automatic car. It is also faster in picking up speed since you have control on when to shift instead of the computer inside an automatic transmission engine. It is cheaper and lighter and can be push start if your battery dies.

The only drawback with manual transmission is its more work since you have to deal with not only three pedals but also the shifting. It is also harder to learn because you have to find the balance between clutch and gas pedal or else you end up stalling the car or burning the clutch. Then you might shift the wrong gear which can damage the engine and transmission. Also, you have learn to balance clutch and gas especially if you are stopped uphill or else your car will end up going reverse. And it will be tiring to keep on shifting especially if you are stuck in traffic.

So which one is better? Its really up to the driver. I prefer driving a stick since its more fun and I the gas mileage is really great. Of course it can be tiring if I get stuck in rush hour traffic that by the time I get to my destination, my legs are slightly tired.

But it is worth it.

So which one do you prefer?

Of Johnnie Walker Journey and Fashion Night Out

September is really off to a good start. Last weekend was Electric Zoo, this week was Johnnie Walker Tasting Event and Fashion Night Out in line with Fashion Week.

I headed to the city for Johnnie Walker Tasting Event. The last time I went to a tasting event was almost a year ago so I was eager to go to this one.

The event started with a little cocktail hour where guest are treated to a cocktail made with Johnnie Walker Black Label and some hors d'oeuvres. So I tried the Old-Fashioned which had a slice of orange, lemon, cherry, sugar, bitters and water. It was a pretty interesting drink.

Afterwards, they asked the guest to go to the tasting room where a Johnnie Walker ambassadors guided us through the journey of Johnnie Walker. The last time I went to a Johnnie Walker tasting event, the video presentation and lighting effects was really phenomenal. This time around, the video is much different but still quite interesting. It was still quite an experience sniffing and tasting the various labels of Johnnie Walker.

We started off with Black, followed by Red, then Gold, Green and finally Blue. Each brought out a different taste in our palates. Black has that strong aroma while Red had a sweet aftertaste. Gold was served chilled and the ambassador highly recommends it to be chilled before serving. As for the Green, we tasted it differently, the ambassador asked the guest to pour a drop on the palm of our hands, rub them together and sniff the aroma of the Green label. It had the nature flavor to it. And finally, the Blue Label, Johnnie Walker's premium blend with every bottled serial numbered accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and its one of the most expensive scotch whiskeys in the world. I could say that I have drank a Blue Label (cross off my bucket list).



Then came Fashion Night Out...

Fashion Night Out is an event that happens during NY Fashion Week. For one night, stores had special promos and discounts - not to mention celebrities and parties galore - to lure shoppers back and revive the fashion industry. For me though, the lure was DJ Fedde Le Grand playing a set at the Armani Exchange Flagship store in Soho.

So we made our way to Soho and the place was already getting crowded with fashionistas, fanatic fans and bargain hunters. Not to mention food and fashion trucks plying the streets of Broadway, Prince, and Mercer. We stood in line outside Armani Exchange and was awarded with a iTunes gift card which I could use to buy the new A|X Music mixed by Le Grand himself and VIP tickets to Pacha, NYC. He started his set with Back and Forth ("Put Your Hands Up for New York") to get the crowd rocking and kept the momentum with a mixture of House music. A|X store employees were probably surprised while shoppers were mesmerized by the fistpumping crowd  singing and chanting while Fedde played tunes from A|X Music as well as his own tunes. The crowd dissipated after his set was done.

Soho was surely packed and I was surprised that some of the side streets were not closed during the event. I passed by 3.1 Phillip Lim store and the crowd outside was having a great time with the street party and music was blasting from inside the store. While the Piperlime store had the crowd spilling towards the street that traffic was on a standstill. The crowd was apparently there to catch a glimpse of Rachel Zoe. I think that Fashion Night Out was a success this year and cannot wait for next year.

Of course the night didn't ended without having some food, stopping by Bar 89 and had the 89 Club with Chicken and Avocado. It was delicious.

Links: Johnnie Walker | Fashion Night Out | Bar 89 | SoHo | Armani Exchange

Thats was.. Electric Zoo

Electric Zoo, the largest EDM festival in New York City was just held last weekend and it sure was a great experience. The 2 day - 12 hour festival produced by Made Event brings together some of the biggest name in the EDM business such as Armin van Buuren, Chemical Brothers, Markus Schulz, Afrojack, Gareth Emery, Victor Calderone, Cosmic Gate, Above and Beyond, Axwell, Benny Benassi, Rusko, ATB, Laidback Luke, Steve Aoki and many more.

Sure was packed when I got to Randall's Island Park on Saturday. Luckily, hurricane Earl decided to not visit New York that day but it sure was windy. There was a long line just to get through the first checkpoint. After that, there was another checkpoint for security purposes. I wouldn't mind such security as long as there are no troubles within the festival especially after what has happen at Electric Daisy and the Love Parade. I had a chance to see Glenn Morrison, Gareth Emery, Markus Schulz, Afrojack, Chuckie, Benny Bennasi, Boris, ATB, Kaskade, Axwell, and The Chemical Brothers. I would say the best set that night was Gareth Emery. He just had the crowd pumped up from the beginning to the end even during a short lull when the equipment died on him during the time he was playing Stranger to Stability. ATB's set was a bit weird especially when he had a Rage Against the Machine tune within his set. Afrojack, Chuckie and Axwell just wowed the crowd while Chemical Brothers got the crowd going with their unique set and lighting.

Sunday felt so different. The weather was really gorgeous with the sun shining and wasn't as windy as Saturday. I got there and surprisingly there were no lines and seems like everyone was still resting their sore legs from Saturday. But the crowd sure got bigger as the day progresses that by 12:30pm the place was getting packed. I had a chance to catch D. Ramirez, Cosmic Gate, Laidback Luke, Moby, Above and Beyond, Sander Van Doorn, Fedde Le Grand, Diplo, and of course, Armin van Buuren. The best set would go to Armin van Buuren and Cosmic Gate while I was really surprised with Moby's and Fedde Le Grand's set. And I had a chance to meet Nic and Bossi of Cosmic Gate.

Great weather, great music, good food, great crowd and awesome friends make up a really awesome festival.  Can't wait for Electric Zoo 2011.

Electric Zoo website

Electric Zoo Reviews	DJ's Live Set	Photos
Moby's Electric Zoo BlackBook Mag Sputnik Music NY Times Dont Forget to Go Home Dancing Astronaut TGRIonline Big Shot Day 1 | Day 2	Glenn Morrison Dirty South	The Culture of Me Nicky Digital - Day 1 Nicky Digital - Day 2 Metromix Gallery Dirty South Pic Joachim Garraud Pic Brooklyn Vegan Day 1 | Day 2

Electric Zoo is here!!

Finally, one of the largest electronic dance festival is here...Electric Zoo!!

Randall's Island Park will be transformed into a dance arena when it host Electric Zoo, New York's Electronic Music Festival this labor day weekend. The two-day festival will feature at least 50 different DJs from trance to progressive to house to dance.

The place will have four different stages namely Hilltop Arena, Sunday School Grove, Red Bull Academy Riverside Stage and the Main Stage.

DJs that are performing include Armin van Buuren, Gareth Emery, The Chemical Brothers, Benny Benassi, ATB, Markus Schulz, Major Lazer, Boris, Tom Middleton, Axwell, Kaskade, Afrojack, Chuckie, Glenn Morrison, Pete Tong, Paco Osuna, Sleepy & Boo, Moby, Fedde Le Grand, Laidback Luke, Above & Beyond, John Digweed, Cosmic Gate, Sander Van Doorn, Steve Aoki, Wolfgang Gartner, Diplo, Victor Calderon and many more.

The festival is from 11am to 11pm. That's 12 hours of non-stop dancing, trancing and fist-pumping. Of course, you will need to replenish your energy and the festival wont disappoint (I hope!). There will be various food vendors such as Ruthy's Bakery, PizzaMoto, and Kwik Meal will be present as well as food trucks Mexicue, Rickshaw Dumplings, StreetSweets, LCB Burger Truck and Green Truck.

I miss this last year and I'm sure hell won't be missing out this year. I can't wait!!!

Electric Zoo Festival
@ElectricZooNY