In honor of our trip to Mexico City next week for Group Therapy 600, this week's post cannot be anything other than one of my favorite sets of all time: Above & Beyond's very first Group Therapy radio, recorded at their show in Bangalore, India. This was perhaps the biggest mile marker of their career: they shed their "Trance Around The World" branding - which they had used for 9 years - for a new name and visual style, derived from their 2011 "Group Therapy" album. That album is undoubtedly the most important and influential of their career, making this pivot even more significant.

On a personal note, I didn't really get into Group Therapy until the latter half of 2013, so I was about a year late to this set. I was traveling Southeast Asia as part of my career break "sabbatical", and while I traveled through Malaysia in October of that year, I had this set basically on a loop. Unlike most of their sets, this one has no gentle, melodic build-up: it comes in super hot and euphoric and it's party time immediately. Whenever I hear "Wayfarer" - the amazing Audien track that opens the show - I have a flood of memories from that time of my life. I can still vividly remember walking around Kuala Lumpur on warm evenings, listening to this mix while gazing up at the twinkling Petronas Towers. The last twenty-five minutes of this set are an absolutely perfect ascent to heaven.

Without further ado, here's a small slice of dance music history!

1. Audien - Wayfarer (Intro Mix)

Original post: https://soundcloud.com/aboveandbeyond/abgt001