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First off...a huge Happy 10th to the Guvernment - hard to believe its been ten years for Toronto's crown club already! In those ten years I have to say I have been exposed to some of the best worldwide DJ talent thanks to the Guvernment bringing in all our favourites as well as the up and commers. Big props to Mark for being the mainstay resident DJ all these years and helping to elevate our local talent to new heights with the global community. Putting aside all the beefs we've all had with overcrowding, being too hot and nasty in there and the many other complaints, I think we all agree that the Guvernment has been a big part of putting Toronto on the map in terms of the dance music scene. So much so that guys like Armin, Ferry etc. have personally referenced Guvernment as being one of their top spots to play! That is pretty impressive. But with the amount of work that went into putting together one of the best audio and visual clubbing environments, its no surprise they're so impressed. Thanks Guvernment for the last ten years and here's hoping for another 10 great years!
Onto the night...Kenneth had just gone on by the time we got in (was nice to bypass the line and get in nice and quick!) He was throwing down an impressive set as usual - always blown away by this guy! Awesome job getting the crowd going and spinning a bunch of tunes I haven't heard before - fantastic job. Only wish I could say the same about his label boss and successor on the decks. Good god does Oakenfold not find a new way to stink it up every time! Don't get me wrong I am one of those that enjoyed his earlier works and had a lot of respect for what he did for Trance back in the day but wow did he ever go downhill fast. I avoid him when possible so after the first track (which was decent) we took off for the Orange Room where Crystal Method was doing a fantastic job and provided a much appreciated relief from Oakie's disaster in the KH. I don't think I remember seeing a DJ cut off the previous DJ's track and flip into his...it was horrible! Couldn't even crossfade into his track - I'm not big on needing DJ's to be absolutely technically perfect but that was unacceptable from any level of DJ. Came back into KH for the last 20 mins of his set at which point he had actually gone way back to some old school trance which was great - too bad his entire set wasn't the same. A brief glimpse into the great DJ he used to be. Anyway I'm sure there's some Oakie fans on here that would disagree but anyway that's my humble opinion.
Needless to say we were estatic when he was finally done and Second Sun took to the stage to do their live PA which I was really happy they were doing instead of just a DJ set. We saw them up close in Miami at the Pool Party and their performance was definitely one of the highlights for me. Once again they put on an amazing show blending live vocals, samples and part laptop DJ'ing. I have to say and I think everyone will agree that their re-work on the "This is not Miami > This is Toronto" track was awesome! What a way to get the local crowd into your performance if they weren't already! Awesome job guys! They also did a nice job on performing Depeche Mode's Dream on Live with their vocals and dropping some great trance tracks near the end.
Next up was the guy I was really anticipating seeing...Sander Van Doorn. All I can say is Oh My God. Anyone that was even thinking of leaving...feeling tired...couldn't dance anymore..got a serious kick in the ass! WOW...this guy is definitely the guy to watch out for! Definitely the set of the night for me. I absolutely love his hard, dark style and how well he transitioned between that and some more trancey tracks yet keeping this really dark vibe to it. I didn't see anyone NOT dancing for his set...it was unbelievable. He dropped Pumpkin, Sun Goes Down, a different take on Dark Roast and his remix of Control Freak and Love you more - two Armin tracks back-to-back! I highly recommend seeing him the next time he comes to town - you will not be disappointed. He was really into the crowd as well and looked to be having an awesome time!
The only negative I'd have on the night is the idiotic one-way traffic scheme that the staff use on All Access nights. I know I've said it before but this is the stupidest system I've ever seen in a club - and only here. Guys seriously let people make their way back and forth as they please! It really serves no purpose but to confuse, frustrate and annoy your patrons. There's absolutely no need to direct people one way through the complex. Thankfully it was nowhere near as packed as LoL so there's even less reason to interfere with the people traffic. Your staff could be better used throughout the club to deal with other 'situations'. I sincerely hope this system is abandoned for future events as it really is unnecessary and I think most people would agree.
Anyway had an awesome time and again was really impressed with most of the acts. Didn't really have much expectations so it was nice to be impressed by the likes of KT, Sander, Second Sun and Crystal Method. Would have liked to have checked out some of our fantastic locals up in the Drink but it was way too packed.
Was good to see my friends: RJ, Margaret, Shaya (thanks again man!), John T, and Rich - good hanging with all of you in our many outings at the Guv!
Happy 10th Guvernment and Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Last edited by Trigger on Oct-09-2006 at 19:35
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