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

It’s been about a month since the last episode, and a few bits of news from that time all point to the same show, so this week we’ll be revisiting Cristoph’s banging set at Audio in San Francisco from early 2020.

In July, the world finally received Cristoph’s private edit of “Where’s The Music Gone”, a Pete Tong remix he’s been playing in his sets for 7 years (!) without a proper release. At about the same time, Audio celebrated their 10-year anniversary with an open-to-close set by Spencer Brown. (We were at that show, as well as the Eli & Fur show a couple weeks later.) And just yesterday, Cristoph announced a September gig in San Francisco, so it seems appropriate to pull out this deep cut from the Cristoph catalog. This is a dark, hard-hitting – but also really melodic – set that’s mostly typical of his sound, with lots of Eric Prydz (his mentor), Jeremy Olander, Yotto, Dosem, and the like.

This show was recorded by a fan, so it includes all the audio from the room. Not surprisingly, the quality of the music is kind of poor, but all the ambient sound really captures the energy and controlled chaos of Audio: from the cheering to the chatter you can overhear to the air blasts, you’ll kind of feel like you’re actually there in the room. This party happened mere weeks before the coronavirus lockdown in San Francisco, so in retrospect, it was probably a super-spreader event. Enjoy the music here without the risk of contagions!

1. Everything But The Girl – Missing (Cristoph Private Intro Edit)

Original post: https://soundcloud.com/idjunkie/cristoph-audio-san-francisco-2020

Later today, we’ll be seeing Above & Beyond play at a Pride block party here in San Francisco, so for this week I’d like to dig into the archives and pull out a really old set of theirs. This isn’t the original recording, but instead one of Tony’s “recreations” that he streamed during the pandemic lockdown. It’s from their first show in Argentina and actually predates the release of their first album, though some of the songs from that album do make their way into the set.

It’s a bit of a trip to listen to their old sound, as it feels pretty different from their shows in the “Group Therapy” era. It’s not better or worse, just a different style. Twenty years makes a big difference, especially in dance music. I really like the old sound, so these old sets are a treat for me. I hope you enjoy too!

1. Karen Overton – Your Loving Arms (Club Mix)

Original post: https://youtu.be/b13vktLlVso?si=2zhAr2Bo9WtRo1oM

Michael Cassette is definitely the most mysterious character in the Anjuna catalog. For starters, I’m not even sure how to refer to him/them, since by some accounts, Michael Cassette is a front for the Finnish duo (possibly trio?) Komytea. By other accounts, Michael Cassette is only one person (Erkka). For the sake of my sanity, I’ll refer to Michael Cassette as if he was a real person. He’s incredibly private, rarely tours, and honestly there isn’t much information available about him.

With a name like that, it should be no surprise that his brand of progressive house is dripping with 80s vibes, synthesizers, and a beautiful neon glow. He broke onto the scene in 2010 with his first (and only) album Temporarity, which has achieved cult status, especially among Anjuna fans. He released a collection of “lost tapes” at the end of last year and has produced some other remixes over the years (including Oceanlab, deadmau5, and The Midnight), but for the most part, his catalog is defined by that one album.

Needless to say, when I saw that Michael Cassette was on the lineup last year, it became my top priority to get everyone in our extended friend group to go to that show and, oh boy, it was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had at Explorations. The crowd was made up of two types of people: those who knew exactly what was about to happen (and were amped for it) and those who had no idea what was about to happen (and were blown away by it). Within 15 minutes, even the Michael Cassette “virgins” were screaming that we had to push to the front of the crowd. And the fact that he’s Finnish was an extra bonus for the Finnish friends in our group, making the whole thing even more special.

All told, it was such a fun and incredibly unique experience. And a bit surreal too. He looked and acted like Coach Beard from Ted Lasso: serious and stoic the whole time, barely cracking a smile or acknowledging the crowd, cranking out this set like a synthwave psychopath. And every minute of it was pure joy.

1. Michael Cassette – ID

Original post: https://soundcloud.com/anjunadeep/michael-cassette-at-the-cove-anjunadeep-explorations-2023

First things first: last week’s episode was M.O.S. This week’s episode is P.O.S (the non-trance alias of Above & Beyond’s Paavo Siljamäki). The alphabet soup similarity is a complete coincidence. Okay, glad that’s out of the way.

Second, this is not a recording of Paavo at Explorations, because as far as I know, that doesn’t exist. However, in the fall of last year, Paavo released a video of him playing this set on a lake in Finland. Within a few minutes of turning it on, like a soldier suffering from PTSD, I started having flashbacks. Thankfully, mine were of the joyous sort: happy memories of dancing with friends under the stars by the ocean.

Without a doubt, Paavo has played one of the best (if not *the* best) set the last two years in Albania. His 2022 masterpiece was an incredibly rare gem: all of us in attendance were blessed with two hours of music no one had ever heard, crafted during the dark days of a global pandemic. In an age where dance music is usually released as singles, having an entire album of new material – let alone enough for two or three albums – is unheard of. That kind of surprise drop is usually reserved for the likes of Beyonce.

In 2023, I ended up at his set almost accidentally, thinking I would just “catch a bit of it” and then head off to another stage. But boy was I wrong: it was evident from the start that, once again, this would be something incredibly special, and it was: a beautiful, rocking emotional journey over two hours. Again, this Finland set is only an approximation of what he played that night, but it hits all the same notes. The second track in this set – an ID, of course – is seriously one of the most beautiful layered melodies I’ve ever heard.

Needless to say, I will be prioritizing Paavo in my itinerary this year and I hope to see all you Explorers there too!

1. P.O.S. – ID

Original post: https://youtu.be/EpmAe7LHLh8?si=zxKUehqtESaQxQGe

The schedule and set times for this year’s Anjunadeep Explorations were just released yesterday, and we’re mere weeks away from our little slice of heaven on the Ionian Sea, so the next few episodes (to be published weekly instead of bi-weekly) will be a “Journey to Albania” of sorts.

M.O.S. – “Melody of the Soul” – was a trio from Russia when they played this set two years ago. Since then, one of the members (Oleg) amicably parted ways to pursue his own projects, and now M.O.S. is just a duo (Paul and Ilia). They are masters of easy-on-the-ears organic house and they’re music is just as good for studying or working as it is for partying. Their podcast (“The Soulcast”) is excellent and absolutely worth a subscription if you like what you hear here.

This is the only set (to my knowledge) that was not released officially by Anjunadeep, but instead released by the artists themselves. I’m not sure why exactly, but I really love their sound, so I’m more than happy to try to get them some more publicity. Actually, maybe they don’t even need it, because they have a pretty great time slot this year: they’re closing out the first night with a 3-hour set at Yacht Club.

To all you Explorers: I’ll see you at Yacht Club!

1. M.O.S. – A Little Story About Big Whale

Original post: https://soundcloud.com/mosmusique/mos-the-cove-live-from-anjunadeep-explorations-2022

We’re off to see Carl Cox (and others) today at a day party in SF, so it seems appropriate to pull this set off the backlog and publish it. Nominally, this was a small party in Scotland to celebrate Carl Cox Motorsport winning a podium; in reality, this is an absolute clinic on house music over the years. He covers a ton of ground in 90 minutes, hitting a lot of different decades, artists, styles, and labels, and somehow it all blends perfectly and seamlessly, which is exactly why Carl Cox is one of the best in the game. Grab your notebooks and pencils and get ready for a house music masterclass.

1. Joel Corry – Liquor Store

Original post: https://youtu.be/HBUfqPBD7Uo?si=DX_fjphymZecq45O

Due to an early set time, overly aggressive security screenings, and just plain bad luck, we missed Purple Disco Machine at Coachella last weekend, so I’d like to make up for that (in some small way) with this episode. Tino Piontek – better known as Purple Disco Machine – has been one of my favorite DJs and producers ever since I saw him at a small club in San Francisco in 2015. (That set is actually available online: https://soundcloud.com/purplediscomachine/purple-disco-machine-live-harlot-san-francisco)

Not surprisingly, his specialty is disco house and nu-disco, with a lot of 70s and 80s influences, and his sets are just pure fun. His talent for the remix is unparalleled and he’s applied his golden Midas touch to songs by Lady Gaga, The Human League, Claptone, Fatboy Slim, Chromeo, Faithless, and many others. He also has a lot of original music, including one of my favorite dance tracks of all time, “Sambal”, an Indonesian-inspired melodic banger that always leaves the dancefloor in a state of partial shock. Explore his back catalog for lots more gems.

He’s come a long way in his career and it’s truly heartwarming to see that he now plays to packed clubs and huge festivals. For this episode, we’re going right to the granddaddy of them all: his 90-minute set at EDC Mexico two years ago. It’s one of the best DJ sets I’ve ever heard and it’s impossible not to be in a good mood when you listen to it.

1. Patrick Cowley – Menergy (Purple Disco Machine Remix) (Lorenz Rhode Intro Edit)

Original post: https://www.youtube.com/live/Q-DCrmPHNBI?si=Lu48Mi4CH2ujguU_

Happy Coachella Weekend One! I’m currently in cold and rainy San Francisco, but I will be going to the desert next weekend as a very late addition to my wife’s friend group. The lineup is okay, but the main reason I bought a last-minute ticket was the announcement that RÜFÜS DU SOL and Eric Prydz will be playing very long sets – Weekend Two only – at the new Quasar stage Friday and Saturday evening (respectively). In honor of my favorite Australian indie dance trio, here is a great livestreamed set from Miami during the pandemic. Lots of club remixes of their songs, but also lots of good progressive melodic house with the same vibe.

There are some blips in the original audio around the two-thirds mark, probably due to technical issues with the stream. It wasn’t me so don’t kill the messenger!

1. RÜFÜS DU SOL – Alive (Anyma Remix)

Original post: https://www.youtube.com/live/eakRAd2AklU?si=w1hqalE2srXp_5PA

In honor of the gorgeous clear-vinyl box set of this album being delivered to my home this week, it seems only appropriate that this episode should highlight OceanLab, the side project from Above & Beyond and vocalist Justine Suissa that got me hooked on beautiful dance music over 15 years ago. Compared to your average album of dance music, Sirens of the Sea feels blissed out, Balearic, downtempo, and even downright soft in places, but that’s exactly what makes it so unique and brilliant.

The whole album is saturated with beautiful melodies and angelic vocals and serves as the musical foundation for countless high-energy remixes that have been released over the years since. The 2009 follow-up (Sirens of the Sea Remixed) is a 20-track masterclass on club mixes. And just two months ago, Marsh released his own version of the title track, proving the album is still relevant and popular with fans.

With that, please enjoy this timeless piece of dance music history.

1. Just Listen

Original post: https://youtu.be/p_TkwNLJn68?si=NC7Lp1n0f1jLbzOX