Dash Berlin & Tritonal @ Governors Island 6/30 Review

Posted by Middy on July 2, 2012

There is always something special about a trance concert and Saturday night festivities of Dash Berlin & Tritonal with Zack Roth opening was no exception. Zack Roth got the crowd nice and warmed up with a new influx of people coming over on the ferries ever hour, creating a new addition to the trance family in attendance. Once 7pm hit and Tritonal graced the decks, the show kicked into full gear with the bass projecting well across the small span of water separating Manhattan and Governor’s Island, getting the party started on the ferry. Once past the thorough, but fast moving security and onto the Island, the excitement was palpable. The sweet, soulful sounds of Tritonal’s trance was blasting out of the speakers at the front of a large tent packed with trance addicts losing themselves in the music. Going further back beyond the tent was a beach filled with people taking a break, enjoying a cold beverage and chatting on the sand with Tritonal still very much audible behind them.

Tritonal played a great set, not just picking songs from their growing discography or confining themselves to trance, but also moving outside of the genre with tracks like twice played in the night Porter Robinson -Language, “Calling”, the Swedish House Mafia remix of “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall”, a mashup by Gareth Emery of John Dahlback – Life, Madeon’s remix of “The Night Out” and more. Those songs got great reactions, but this crowd was truly here for some trance and thus the peak time moments of the sets were from songs like Jochen Miller – Zodiac, Above & Beyond feat. Richard Bedford vs. Omnia & Ira – The Fusion Tonight (Chris Schweizer Mashup) and of course their tracks like “Lifted”, the dub mix of “Slave”, “Everafter” and finishing off with the Seven Lions remix of “Still With Me”, complete with them coming in front of the decks and jumping around like fans. Their stage presence was impeccable, showing off a whole ensemble of dance moves and when they were not displaying their djing abilities, they were leaving the decks for a minute or two to either rage on top or in front of them. More of the recap after the jump.

(Sorry the video isn’t the best, this song was reckless)

Dash Berlin came on at around 9pm and wove together a fantastic set filled with his signature Dashups and mixing in everything from his uplifting trance to even a dubstep drop in one Dashup. He had complete control of the crowd with a varied, yet trance centered tracklist and quality visuals going behind him. His stage presence was impeccable taking time to hand out several signed vinyl copies of his latest album #musicislife to lucky fans in the front row. He would periodically get on top of the decks and throw out water bottles to the eager, sweating fans who had just spent several hours packed together in a tent in the New York summer heat. Jonathan Mendelsohn came on to sing his two collaborations on #musicislife, “World Falls Apart” and “Better Half Of Me”, much to the elation of the crowd. He gave the show an extra boost of energy and putting on display his charisma, stage presence and his vocal prowess. He could be seen later raging in the VIP section and throughout the crowd.

Dash Berlin continued into the the night with his dashups such as one mashing “Disarm Me” and the already classic “Sun & Moon”, while playing a plethora of his own tracks from a bountiful discography. He played songs not just from the new album, mixing in some tracks from his first album The New Daylight and his 4am remix of Armin’s “Not Giving Up On Love”. His sets are always so varied and interesting because of the dashups and he varies his setlists from show to show, providing that element of surprise during the show keeping you on your toes the entire time, always eager for the next track.

Overall the show was incredible. My camera died around 11pm, which gave me an hour of worry free time to enjoy a concert the way it is supposed to be; in the crowd. The whole experience of being able to see the sun set over the Manhattan skyline with some of the best trance Djs in the world playing not 20 feet away from you is one of those things you will remember for a long time. It was a special evening that I am sure everyone there will cherish for a long time and the artists will remember as well. More pictures on Facebook.

Tags: Dash Berlin, Governors Island, Made Event, Tritonal, Zack Roth