After what seemed like the longest 2 years without our yearly dose of trance in Southern California, we were beyond ecstatic to be returning to the NOS Center for Dreamstate.
Die-hard trance fans, casual listeners, and those who just wanted to check out what an all-trance event would be like, came together for 2 nights to experience this one-of-a-kind festival. The excitement was through the roof as headliners piled in early to get the most out of their time there.
The weekend brought us a stacked lineup spanned across the 4 stages on both nights. Whether your preferred flavor was progressive, tech, or psychedelic, the set to catch for night 1 had to have been the legendary Darude at The Vision. After opening his set with a classic Rickroll, he delivered a high energy set which gave us a full circle moment after so many years of listening to Sandstorm.
The Sequence stage turned out to be the stage that was hardest to leave, with a schedule packed with every big name in psytrance you could think of. With Ace Ventura's unfortunate absence, we were able to experience a Liquid Hook set instead, which was just as satisfying. Needless to say, Astrix still threw down for both his solo set and Alpha Portal (his duo with Ace). Other notable sets from the first night included Aly & Fila, Kai Tracid, and Grum.
The second night brought out many more heavy hitters, including Audien's Dreamstate debut. Fans were also treated to a laser-packed set from Gareth Emery, which was a stunning set to see. The Sequence stage featured sets from Infected Mushroom, and the all-around psytrance favorite Vini Vici.
Overall, Dreamstate was the breath of fresh air many of us needed after a time full of uncertainty. No matter the state of the world, being able to come together and enjoy one of the oldest forms of dance music truly has healing properties.
We look forward to many more years of Dreamstate to come, and to celebrate Trancegiving again.
