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Two performing dancers on the main stage showing
off their flamboyant attire. (Roland Ruiz) |
(Continued From SCMF 2012 D1 P2)
After the first day of Sun City came to a close, I woke up with my ears ringing lightly and my legs feeling sore to the point of walking becoming somewhat painful. But I knew after minutes of realizing my current physical state that I wanted more of what day one had to offer. So I got up, took another shower, and strolled out to the local mall to kill some time before it was time for round two.
As it was time to go to Ascarate Park for the final day of Sun City, I came to the situation where I was completely satisfied with myself and this festival enough to where I wasn't expecting too much to come out of the final day. I rushed into the venue and headed towards the main stage once again to see if lightning can strike twice like it did on day one.
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John Dahlbach, center, at the main stage with headphones
positioned on his forehead. (Roland Ruiz) |
The first act to go on was Lucky Date. He performed some of his own songs along with the popular tracks like Steve Aoki's "Turbulence." His set was pretty solid in fulfilling the role of a opening act. The DJ was really laid-back and was interacting with the audience frequently. After Lucky Date, John Dahlbach hit the stage. Although he didn't say anything to the audience during his entire set, the music he was dishing out of the speakers was fantastic. He played some of his hits like "Panic," "Zeus," and to finish out the set "Embrace Me" the Dirty South remix. He was one of the other DJs that I was looking forward to see because of his tracks that I heard previously, "One Last Ride" and "Life," both which he didn't play during his set.
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Morgan Page, center, waving his hand as the crowd
gives him a warm welcome to El Paso. (Roland Ruiz) |
After Dahlbach, it was Morgan Page's turn to shed some light onto the main stage. By then, I looked back and I couldn't see the floor anymore. This was a good thing because it only meant one thing - this party just got started. A big reaction emerges from the audience once Morgan Page hits the stage as he joyfully welcomes himself to El Paso and starting mixing on the tables. He played a combination of trance and house music during his set - I would say 60% trance and 40% house. It was great because his set felt like new music to my ears. My guess was that he plays at El Paso quite often and that's why he got a standing ovation a couple of times during his set. Nonetheless, good quality of music Page played. Sander Van Doorn's turn came after Page's electrifying set. I never heard of this guy prior to the festival, but he played a solid set. He played tracks like Deadmau5's "Professional Griefers," Afrojack's "Rock the House," and Zedd's "Spectrum" the Deniz Koyu remix. The track that stuck in my mind from my set was, at the time, the newest song from Swedish House Mafia "Don't You Worry Child." During the song, he threw his headphones into the crowd as he was close toward finishing his set. More so, the crowd's reaction toward the new SHM song was insane. I felt after hearing this song that this was going to be a radio hit and the pop stations are going to eat this song up.
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Dada Life, center, giving the crowd what it wants - house music
(Roland Ruiz) |
As the night progressed, there were only two more acts left before this two-day experience was all over. The first was Dada Life and they were nothing less from amazing. This Swedish electro house duo was, from start to finish, full of pure raw aggression and the crowd ate it up like candy. Their props were star-striking: Champagne spraying, throwing bananas to the crowd and their name inflated on each side of the stage. Their background was trippy as heck but it correlated to the music they were playing very well. Some of the songs they played was their remix of Kaskade's "Llove," their remix of Duck Sauce's "Big Bad Wolf," and Tiesto/Showtek's "Hell Yeah." They also played some of their own songs like "Happy Violence," "Rolling Stone T-Shirt," and their infamous "Kick Out The Epic MotherF**ker." They also did some amazing collaborations with songs like Beastie Boys' "Fight For Your Right To Party"/ Knife Party's "Rage Valley" and Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl"/ Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso's "Calling (Lose My Mind)." Looking back at Dada Life's set, it was probably my top five greatest live sets that I've ever witnessed. They were just that good and they surprised the heck out of me from the moment they took the main stage.
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Above & Beyond, center, during their moment of remembering
the famous people who died during 2012. (Roland Ruiz) |
Thinking that the final night of Sun City couldn't get any better, the final act took the stage and gave the people of El Paso a 90 minute epic trance ride of their lives as Above & Beyond closed out the festival. Since I knew these guys were going to close out one of the days, I listened to their most recent album
Group Therapy to get a dose of who these guys were (and boy did it work). I liked how their background at times reflected the audience so it felt like you were seeing yourself through the plasma screens. They didn't talk throughout their set, but they typed from the laptop onto the big screen to address the crowd. It was a unique way and my best guess was that it was the way they did things.
I wasn't a huge fan of trance before this festival, but Above & Beyond made me into a believer. They played songs from their
Group Therapy album like "Alchemy," "On My Way To Heaven," "Thing Called Love," "Prelude," and their famous track "Sun and Moon." As the show ended, they dedicated a few minutes of their set for the famous people who have died during 2012 like Whitney Houston, Donna Summer, and probably one of the most forgotten Americans in the 20th century Neil Armstrong. The crowd loved it. Whoever Sun City decided who was going to close this two day festival nailed it to the point where it was practically impossible to get the nail out. The mood was great because it felt like after two days of non-stop heart pounding electronic music - Above & Beyond was the elixir to give the crowd some mellow trance to send them away floating.
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Technicians working on the turntables for the final act of
the 2012 festival. (Roland Ruiz) |
Then everyone's worst fear came, the end of the festival. It was 2:00 a.m. on Labor Day and it was time for everyone to recollect themselves and return home. But on my hand, my flight to go back to Houston was leaving in five hours so I couldn't reflect too much as I went to my hotel and packed everything. As I got back to the airport and ready to head on back to Houston, I quickly reflected that mere hours ago I was rocking my face off and it felt like one gigantic rollercoaster. I couldn't believe how much fun I had and most importantly how I wanted more of it. I knew after Sun City that I wanted to go to more festivals and as much festivals as I can before I come to terms with myself that it was time.
Looking back nine months into Sun City, I can say that this was one of the best times I ever had. Being there by myself had its perks and misfortunes but all in all I came to appreciate the vibe that surrounded me throughout those two days. I also appreciated the city of El Paso and the way it welcomed the dance community with open arms and the people were very nice and helpful throughout my quick stay in El Paso. I don't know whether I can do another year of SCMF, but I'll always remember it for being my first all-EDM festival.
Next Post: Album Review - Armin Van Buuren's
Intense
Posts to Come: Special Announcement from One Nation Under EDM; Memory Lane: Something Wicked 2012 Houston, TX.
Thank you dance music fans for waiting patiently and now it's the time for the highly-anticipated news. One Nation Under EDM will be going to this year's Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas. If you're not going that's alright because I will be giving you the inside scoop behind the extraordinary festival. So stay tuned to my blog to get photos, video (unfortunately with no sound), and many reviews on live acts that will be at the three-day festival. 
