July 17, 2000

Roseland Ballroom, New York

[a]Paul Oakenfold[/a] and friends play a 6-hour tranceathon in the Big Apple

All dolled up for an important date (Projectors! Dry ice! Lasers!), Roseland hosts a bill tonight (July 13) that rivals anything at Twilo, New York's equivalent of Gatecrasher or Cream. Max Graham, Paul Oakenfold and Sandra Collins spin a six-hour trance marathon that leaves baggy pants in twists, and visors mischievously askew.

Each of the DJs does an excellent job of courting the crowd, albeit in different ways. Oakenfold is, of course, the master at all of this; his majestic aural landscapes are full of peaks and valleys and rivers of delight. There are intense sunrises at the top of every mountain, and surprises at various turns - a mix of Radiohead's 'Street Spirit (Fade Out)', for example. His two-hour set is strategically placed in the prime hours after midnight.

He's a hard act to follow, but Sandra Collins holds her own into the wee hours of the morning. Her hard trance is more like a long drive than a rollercoaster ride, but it's a journey nonetheless. Collins relies heavily on tracks from her recent release, 'Tranceport 3', opening with the same, slow-building introduction that, unfortunately, is the perfect time to head to the loo. The dancefloor starts to thin shortly after Oakenfold finishes his set, but it's no reflection on Collins' skill as a DJ - it's just that we're all a bit knackered by now.

No doubt opener Max Graham has something to do with that. The Vancouver-based DJ inflicts a cruel punishment on the fashionably late: he's actually good. While maybe not as smooth or seamless as Oakenfold, Graham stocks his set with those critical moments of spontaneous self-combustion. As all good DJs know, they are the key to clubbers' hearts.