Translating The Philosophy Ahead of ‘Residents & Future Heroes’

As promoters, we always like to remind ourselves that any events brand is only as good as its last event. An event that goes well is one that inevitably raises the bar. That kind of success is always hugely rewarding but, once the dust settles, thoughts always turn to how the feat can be bettered, or at the very least repeated.

This was particularly prevalent for us when we were putting together Transcend's upcoming July event. We were understandably buzzing in the aftermath of hosting The Thrillseekers at Plan B in April.

That night was a very literal translation of our philosophy as a brand. It was a musical journey with a clear sense of progression, unafraid to cross genre boundaries, a pure antidote to the 'shock and awe' trend in today's trance clubbing, a trance legend on his game feeding off an excited and expectant crowd. This wasn't even the biggest crowd Transcend had ever pulled, but by so many different measures, it was still the most special party I have ever been involved with.

Clearly, the goal for us as a team, is to continue putting on similar events in London, translating that philosophy on an ever increasing and evolving scale. Yes, putting on names, but putting on the names that best represent our way of looking at music as an art and clubbing as tool of social transformation. We have found that the more events we put on and the more time we spend as a team, the more that ideology crystallises. That's important.

On a personal level, I've been in a particularly idealistic mood of late. I recently redrafted an article I wrote in 2009 about trance culture for www.trancefamilyuk.com and that process really allowed me to relive and reaffirm much of my own way of looking at the cultural doctrine that is trance music.

To me, trance is a wonderfully complex and contradictory brand of music, its culture in particular being an expression of the inner contradictions in the human species that remain ever-present. The modern and the ancient conflict a lot in human cultures, the two are usually diametrically opposed. But, in trance music they sit alongside each other, mutually supporting each other. It seems like a feature of many types of clubbing culture, but even more so in trance music.

..Trance fans are a generation of escapists and idealists who have resisted the will of our rational age to squeeze out the emotional and animalistic aspects of our characters... Phil Dickinson, Trance Culture: The View From The Inside

What I realised after publishing this piece to Trance Family UK was that many of these ideas feed directly into the philosophies of a number of trance brands around the UK and, for the most successful brands, the use of these ideas is always subtle, novel and unique. Or at least, the brands that most inspire us do. It was the sense that we had achieved the same thing that made Transcend presents The Thrillseekers so satisfying.

But, inevitably, being a smaller promoter throws up challenges that make maintaining that continuity of approach more difficult. It's been well-documented, and well-reported by the press, that our home for our last two events (Plan B, Brixton) has been taken over and is undergoing a major face lift. Moreover, in recent years it has become increasingly clear that holding summer parties is harder for promoters as clubbers and DJs alike lead an exodus to the White Isle. A new venue (with 2 rooms) has encouraged us to take a slightly different approach - for the summer at least.

Instead, we've focused on two things; up-and-coming talent that we know will stay true to our staunch belief in the musical journey, and maintaining the friendly, communal feel by involving our new friends, the UK Trance Society.

In headliners Pete Bromage of Rong and Glynn Alan of Trancecoda we have two DJs who will bring their own brands' philosophies to the table, two brands that are major inspirations to us as we continue to grow. It's a unmissable opportunity for London to get a taste of the talent rocking other parts of the country. While the likes of SMX Project, Richard Marriott and Everlight have been with us from the beginning and know exactly what Transcend is about.

Our invitation to let the UK Trance Society take over Room 2 is equally important. Those from the Society who turned out to support our April event played a huge part in creating the electric atmosphere that made it so memorable. In one sense it's a 'thank you'; in another sense it's a recognition that the Society are on our wavelength in terms of trance music and trance culture - the communal spirit, the sense of goodwill and the collective journey. Sure as hell, trance needs that as much as it need as it needs its headlining idols. If anything more so.

For Residents & Future Heroes on July 25th, Transcend will continue building its philosophy and values, becoming even more of an idealistic escapist family. We invite you to join the family and continue the journey with us!

 

~Phil Dickinson

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Lineup: 

Main Room

Glynn Alan (Trancecoda Resident Discover)

Pete Bromage (Rong Resident)

EverLight LIVE (Defcon)

Ben Dursley

SMX Project (Trickstar FM Residents)

Calvin Karass

Richard Marriott (Recoverworld Resident Discover)

Phil Dickinson

 

Room 2: Hosted by the UK Trance Society

Danny Scahill b2b DJ Scotcha

Ben Dursley

Enix

Racheal H

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Venue: 85 Charterhouse Street, London, EC1M 6HJ, United Kingdom

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