and a relentless palpitating bass line. The beloved trance trinity filled the room with the beats of tracks off the new compilation such as Sunny Lax’s “Isla Mar- garita,” which has received many plays on their Group Therapy radio show. A&B paid homage to closers Norin & Rad with “Aldo,” as well as dropping Ronski Speed’s new track “Pink Skye,” which got beautiful, united reactions from the crowd. “Particularly Pink Skye is my favorite track on the complication because he’s [Ronski Speed] kind of new school, old school - its got one of those break downs that just gives you goose bumps,” Tony tells us. “It is one of those tracks that you just want to close your eyes and feel the dreamy melody seep into your soul.”
A&B also showed us their darker side that night, drop- ping the highly anticipated ID, “Walter White.” A heavy, more aggressive track that you might not expect from A&B, but you can be sure to expect it on Volume 10. Of course, they played some of their most beloved, and classic material, like “A Thing Called Love,” “Alchemy,” and “Sun and Moon,” during which, the room joined together to belt out the tune’s lyrics in unison.
There is great difficulty in putting into words what hap- pens at an Above & Beyond “Group Therapy” show, the successful brand built out of their second artist album. If you’ve ever witnessed the musical intervention that
occurs, you know Group Therapy is nothing short of a spiritual experience. Above & Beyond’s loyal followers put as much faith in the sonic therapy sessions as many do in their own denominations. The simple, beautiful messages, flashing upon the giant LED screen in front of the audience, reach everyone, as if speaking directly to each and every person in the crowd.
A&B of course played an encore, serenading us with what was undeniably the track of the night. Their remix of the classic trance tune, “When The Rush Comes,” as the screen behind Jono and Tony read: “And by the way, your new tower looks fucking awesome,” sent shivers down every single spine in the building. I was able to observe this beautiful musical moment and enjoy it at the same time; the sight of hundreds of diverse people, falling in love with the same track and moment together in complete sync was pure bliss.
After passing the torch to Norin & Rad, it was clear that no one was going home until the last beat. While a newer name to the label, Norin & Rad made their pres- ence known by incinerating what was left of the night with cold hard trance. They kept everyone awake with filthy tracks like “Pistol Whip Traffic” and Gregor Salto’s mix of “Like Home.” The Anjunabeats Volume 10 launch party was a spectacular night in NYC - it was euphoric, enlightening, and quite frankly, magical, all whilst still
managing to be a crazy celebration. After interviewing Above & Beyond and catching up with Andrew Bayar I was finally able to chat with Bruce Karlsson and Nick Sember, better known as Norin & Rad, before their closing set. Their name is derived from the original name of the comic book character, Silver Surfer.
How does it feel to be playing alongside A&B tonight and closing out the night?
Nick: It’s amazing - the vibes that they bring are the vibes that we’re trying to keep up throughout the night. We weren’t used to it in the beginning, but now we know what we have to play and what kind of energy we have to bring after them.
Bruce: But I think the hardest thing is deciding. When you get out there, you see the crowd, and the first thing you think is, ‘do I want to start from scratch and build it up again, or do I keep their energy going?’ We figured out it’s a mixture of both. You want to have that first track that’s really pumping but something to where you can build from it. It’s a challenge. We like a challenge.
How did you first get into producing? What were your musical influences growing up?