Tritonal Mainstage Debut At Pacha NYC Thursday, April 19, 2012

Right before Tritonal took to the booth as the headliners for the third week of Pacha NYC’s “Trance Takeover Thursdays,” I knew Pacha was about to experience a set that would send the fervent trance fans who appeared on a weekday into a massive frenzy. How was I privy to such knowledge? Well, I had the opportunity to chat with Chad and Dave as they were making their way downstairs from a meet and greet with a few lucky fans to prepare for their set and what they told me gave me all the info I needed. I asked them what direction they plan on taking with their music in the future—a question that usually elicits a careful, reserved answer due to the ever-expanding genres of EDM that are now being meshed together by many producers/DJ’s—their  answer, and how they answered my question, was what got me excited.

At first they both started answering at the same time. Then, things became real interesting. Chad would start talking and then look over at Dave. Dave, on cue, would continue and finish the thought, and vice versa. Besides for their ability to be in complete synchrony when not creating or spinning a track, it sure was a cute scene. I had only heard that they did such things but dismissed it as a journalist trying to sensationalize on Tritonal’s good-natured mannerisms. I can say in all certainty, at the expense of sounding cute—so it must be true—that they do, indeed, finish each other’s sentences. Seeing the closeness between the two of them in person made me realize just how passionate they are about EDM.

However, that isn’t what got me all excited for their set. The content of their answer made me want to jump and scream on the spot. To quote both (remember they were talking at the same time), the direction that their sound will follow will have “big riffs and hard, pounding beats.” Additionally, Dave said on a recent “Air Up There” radio show that they aren’t concerned with the label of a song. All they care about is whether it’s “hot or not.” If the combination of these quotes doesn’t get an EDM lover all pumped up, I don’t know what will. From that moment on, I knew that “big riffs and hard, pounding beats” would pour out of Pacha’s speakers and the dance floor would take a beating.

Now to reminisce about their “absolutely electric” set: Immediately upon entering the booth, even before they set up the equipment, Chad and Dave went and waved hello to the crowd who responded with a mighty roar, eager for Tritonal to start spinning. Tritonal obliged and opened with Eric Prydz’s remix of Midnight City by M83 followed not too long after by the new Porter Robinson song, Language, which has taken the EDM world by storm, a further indication of their keenness to expand the horizons of EDM. Early on in the set we got to experience the brand new Super 8 & Tab remix of Tritonal’s song Piercing Quiet. As expected, Chad started doing his elaborate hand motions signifying a world in motion. To the untrained eye and/or to those who don’t know the lyrics to the song, it looks very similar to a rain dance. Yes, Chad is quite proficient when it comes to the rain dance.

From the very beginning, the defining features of a classic Tritonal set were beginning to emerge: Chad bouncing around the booth, Dave playing the air piano, massive bass lines, songs with lyrics that had people singing their hearts out, and a song selection that any trance enthusiast would travel hours to hear live (my friend came by bus all the way from Toronto, Canada). Chad had a towel nearby during the set to wipe the sweat off his face. This may seem disgusting to some, but I desperately wanted that towel as a keepsake. He would swirl the towel in the air as if at a ballgame imploring his team to come back from a deficit. Chad’s urgent waving of the towel inspired even the weariest dancers to continue dancing. My friend told me that every time he got tired he would step back from his position up against the DJ booth to look at Tritonal’s energy and renew his vigor to dance.

At one point, Chad stood up on the DJ booth to toss out Tritonal lanyards to the crowd. I was in front at that moment and literally was jumped on by zealous fans attempting to get the merchandise. Those lucky few that snatched the gear were envied by everyone for the remainder of the night. Multiple times during the night I heard people yell out “I love Tritonal.” As one of their biggest fans, it made me proud to hear that Tritonal has made such a huge impact on others’ lives as well. To me, and many others, EDM is more than just awesome music at a nice club with insane lightshows; EDM is part of our lives.

The best part of the night, in my opinion, was when Chad and Dave went on a “Tritonal tear” during their set. That is, they played a bunch of their new songs, remixes and mashups basically consecutively, giving the ardent fans exactly what they came for: TRITONAL. During this incredible stretch Tritonal played their new club mix of “Everafter” right into Rafael Frost’s new remix of “Something New.” To sing along with and hear hundreds of people singing their hearts out to the lyrics of those songs, I really felt as if I had just found “something new, a different kind of life”—one only given to me at that precise moment. Yes, in middle of Pacha’s dance floor with music blaring and surrounded by hundreds of jumping, yelling maniacal fans, Tritonal and their emotionally laden songs penetrated my inner self and brought about a novel, “perfect awakening” of my spirit.

To close out their 2 hour set Tritonal played one of the most beautiful trance songs I have ever heard: Above & Beyond’s “Prelude.” As Dave and Chad had their arms outstretched in the booth and all of us on the floor had our eyes and arms raised to the Trance Lords above, there was an intense energy in Pacha that united the trance souls of everyone throughout the venue. The moment was both magical and mystical. The girl next to me was crying and kept repeating, “This is beautiful.” To quote A&B’s own saying, “Life is made of small moments like these.” My life at that moment was comprised of Tritonal, dear friends, Pacha, hundreds of other EDM aficionados, and the dance floor. What pure and utter bliss!

After the set, both Chad and Dave stuck around to talk to the fans in VIP and take numerous pictures. The level of humility that they embody is awe inspiring. They genuinely care for each fan and want to make each fans’ experience the best possible. To illustrate: I had given Chad a sharpie to sign my ticket. During the process of him signing it, the cap fell on the floor and couldn’t be found. Chad started searching wildly to find it, and when he couldn’t he looked at me with such a sorry face I started to feel bad. For goodness sake, it was a marker cover! Yet to Chad it was a fan’s belonging and deserved to be given back complete. Truer dedication cannot be found in people, let alone in a music star.

Now that I have completely inflated Tritonal’s ego, it’s time for me to inform you when you could next see them in NYC. Tritonal triumphantly make their return to NYC on Saturday, May 19, 2012 at the ASOT Invasion tent as part of EDC NY. If you want any of what I, along with countless others, have experienced, I highly suggest you go to one of their live performances.

Partial Tracklist:

Intro: M83 – Midnight City (Eric Prydz remix)

Porter Robinson – Language

Tritonal – Piercing Quiet (Super 8 & Tab remix)

Andain vs Rafael Frost – As the Rush Comes into Smash (Tritonal mashup)

Cosmic Gate & Jes – Flying Blind

Ferry Corsten – Punk (Arty Rock-n-Rolla remix)

Tritonal – Everafter (Tritonal Club Mix)

Tritonal – Something New (Rafael Frost remix)

Tritonal & Kaeno – Azuca

Mat Zo & Arty vs Avicii – Sometimes I Get a Good Rebound feat. Etta James (Tritonal mashup)

Super 8 & Tab vs Tritonal – Perfect Awakenings (Tritonal mashup)

Tritonal – Can’t Keep It In feat. Jeza (Tritonal Club Mix)

Rafael Frost – Channel 4

Tritonal – Slave feat. Fisher (Tritonal & Ben Gold Club Dub remix)

Rank 1 & Jochen Miller feat. Sarah Bettens – Wild and Perfect Day (Cosmic Gate remix?)

Above & Beyond – Sun & Moon feat. Richard Bedford (Club mix)

Tritonal – Still With Me (Tritonal Club Mix)

Finale: Above & Beyond – Prelude