It’s no secret that Houston LOVES its Trance. In fact with the creation of last year’s all locals trance event, “Lazer Trance”, it merely seemed to cement something that most local EDM goers had known for years. The event was put on by Houston event company heavyweight, Nightculture, and spearheaded by longtime event promoter turned DJ, Wes Walz. Walz and Nightculture successfully produced 6 of the shows with fans almost immediately adding the event into their monthly “must attend” routine of EDM festivities.
Walz put Houston local Trance heavyweights on stage such as Matthew Dunn, Sven Neer, Lawrence & Celauro, Jasmine Rose, as well as himself during his tenure as the manager of LT. The thing that seemed to “click” so well with Walz’s formula, was that he kept a core group of consistent heavy hitters flowing through the main stage as well as used the other areas to allow for newer, lesser known trance DJ talent to grow and flourish.
In March, Wes announced that he and Nightculture were parting ways under amicable circumstances and he would no longer be associated with LT in any form. Many of the loyal fans of the show were deeply concerned that the show would not “feel” the same and possibly lose its momentum without Wes at the helm.The show’s reins were then handed off to LT regular Steven Lawrence, who immediately took hold and continued on with the March LT. The show’s lineup was met with skepticism as it featured a drum and bass area, and a main stage lineup that (with the exception of the night’s headliners, Lawrence & Celauro) wasn’t exactly known for trance.
The March Lazer Trance had a modest turnout in comparison to past LTs (mostly due to some nasty weather that night) and there were complaints a plenty (lack of Trance in the main room, the drum and bass area, the terrace being the only area that actually played Trance all night, etc), but overall, everyone who went seemed to find something they liked about the night and in the end, isn’t that what a party/event is all about, having fun? The honest truth was that the night wasn’t lacking for talent; in that department it had plenty of rock stars for the evening. The issue was that it felt like a great party, just not a Lazer Trance party.
Fast forward to April. Walz announces his new solo Trance event hosted by Limelight (formerly Rich’s), titled “EnTrance” premiering in May. The night was a solid opening, which is saying something considering it had to compete with a Rocket’s NBA final game. Lineup for the evening consisted of many of the original LT heavy hitters including Wes himself, Matthew Dunn, Sven Neer, Brian Stoval and the usual suspects rounding out the Red and Blue rooms. The night clearly had a different vibe as it was held under the iconic Rich’s spiked disco ball in a much more intimate setting than the sprawling open theater like area of Stereo Live’s main room.
With LT seeming to “sit out” May the inevitable was sure to happen, and it seems with June here, it finally has.
The 2nd edition of Entrance falls on Friday 6/6 and the newest Lazer Trance will happen the following day 6/7, both events will land in the same weekend.
The lineups of the two shows seem to be very telling in regards to the direction both shows may or may not take. Entrance seems to hold the more seasoned Trance DJ talent in numbers, whereas LT once again, has Lawrence & Celauro headlining with part of their supporting cast of DJs not necessarily known for Trance both on the main stage, and the terrace. These names may not be readily identifiable with Trance per say, but are certainly not unknowns by any means (Matty P from the Electro Enforcers and Albert Fix, a Nightculture mainstay and primarily House and Progressive talent) . Although Entrance has the more established trance DJ lineup overall, Lazer Trance definitely has the element of something different in it’s corner. Thankfully for all the Trance purists out there it does appear that the LT team has removed the drum and bass area and gone back to an all trance format with the addition of their Psytrance loft. Entrance seems to be pulling out some new moves as they are breaking (if only a bit) from the all locals format, and are bringing down Noah Neiman. Neiman is a Lange Recordings artist who happens to be based out of Austin, TX.
It seems both events are looking to define (or redefine) themselves and Houstonian Trance fans should be nothing but excited for both shows as they grow. Whatever you decide to do this weekend, if you’re in the Houston area and are a Trance fan, you’ll have no shortage of great music to entertain yourself. We recommend checking out BOTH events as they’re sure to offer something different at each one.
Here are the details on both events:
Entrance 6/6/2014:
https://www.facebook.com/events/719117374798082/
Lazer Trance 6/7/2014:
https://www.facebook.com/events/313269408826374/?ref=70
