Trance Around the World, the global radio show by Above and Beyond, had their culminating episode in Bangalore earlier this month. Above and Beyond, who founded the radio show, took the opportunity to close out their 450th episode of Trance Around The World (TATW) and rebranded this as Above and Beyond Group Therapy (ABGT). With over 5,000 fans stomping the grass on the lawns of Jayamahal Palace Hotel in Bangalore, Above and Beyond and their legion of followers will never forget this historic occasion on 10.11.12. For any of you who didn’t make it, here are the top 10 things that made it so special.
1) Hosted in Bangalore
Being the city where I grew up, and first listened to dance music, it was great to give something back to Bangalore. And the city is certainly deserving of such a festival as Bangalore has largely been responsible for carrying the EDM movement for several decades.
2) The venue – Jayamahal Palace Hotel
As far as we know, Trance Around The World Bangalore was the first major dance music festival to be held at a Heritage Hotel… the grandeur did wonderful justice to the festival and the fans who attended!
3) Support from local authorities
The police were an amazing help to TATW in Bangalore. They gave very helpful advice, and acted as they were part of the team that just wanted to put on a fun, safe festival for people to enjoy.
4) The audience
Part of the reason the police were so great (and so impressed), was that the audience in Bangalore was amazing. Aside from their infectous energy and enthusiasm, they remained respectful, and the police reported no incidents among the 5,000+ dancing fans… that’s pretty damn cool!
5) The music
All the participating artists were amazing, as evidenced by the physically and vocally exhausted fans who screamed and danced throughout every set. Though the live broadcast didn’t start until 4pm, there were already thousands of fans feeling their groove thanks to the opening acts of Praveen Achary and Pearl.
6) The production
From the LED screens, to the lights, to the sets, everything looked fanatastic. And more impressively, everything ran on time without delays! No IST at TATW!
7) Birth of a new baby
The Bangalore festival was the last of 450 episodes of Trance Around the World, and at the same time it was episode 001 of Above and Beyond Group Therapy (ABGT). With such an amazing start (including global audio broadcast to 32 million people on aboveandbeyond.nu), we couldn’t be more excited for this new property to grown.
8) Group Therapy umbrellas
Even though there was no rain or heavy sun, one of our favorite fixtures throughout the festival were the dozens of Group therapy umbrellas that were handed out.
9) Above and Beyond fan connection
You could see them strung throughout the crowd shaking hands and hugging their fans. The love was felt by the DJs as well, as many of them just stopped to soak it all in… you can always tell when everyone is on the same page that something truly special was accomplished.
10) The Submerge Family
Early on in the planning of this festival the Submerge family knew this could be a very memorable and special event. Team members from all across India came in to Bangalore to help, and the results speak for themselves. Special shout-out to one of our amazing fans, Rupesh, who came in a day early and lent us his awesome lasers to use.
All Photos Courtesy: #10yearsofSubmerge
Follow: @Submergemusic and @NikhilChinapa