It was my friend BellaBassFly who first cued me in to this event, going down for the first time in the U.S. and on Valentines Day, no less. Started in 1997, Awakenings is one of the world’s longest running techno parties. Without a doubt, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The line up started with Julia Govor B2B with Kamran Sadeghi, Pan-Pot, a rare set with Nicole Moudaber B2B with Victor Calderone, and finished with Adam Beyer B2B with Ida Engberg. When I arrived at the beautiful Hammerstein Ballroom, the atmosphere was electric. Despite the minus twenty temperature! Sadly, transportation delays and an extensive wait in the extreme cold, meant that I missed the first set, and only caught the end of Pan-Pot. But that being said, once I pushed my way past security into the “at capacity” first level, and merged with the sea of house heads, nothing else mattered.
Awakenings founder, Rocco Veenboer, has said his goal for creating these events was inspired by Grateful Dead concerts, which provides an immersive fan driven show. In a recent article by Thump magazine, Veenboer was quoted as saying he wanted to create, “an escape from reality that helps people get through their day to day and inspires them to do the best they can no matter what their path may be…Once they are fully immersed into the experience the music starts to take hold of them, people can go from not knowing anything about the music to being a dedicated member of the community in one night.” And it does just that.
The 2,000+ attendees that filled the Hammerstein Ballroom and merged into a wave of one, united by the shared love of techno, all moving in unison to the pounding bass. As Moudaber started, the laser show intensified, and from the floor we could see her face projected above us, dancing and smiling.
The crowd loved her energy and went wild. Victor Calderone jumped into the mix and the duo dominated the vast space with pulsating beats that connected us in a moment weirdly reminiscent of that infamous Matrix party scene. Around 4am, the turntables were released to husband and wife team, Adam Beyer and Ida Engberg. I was able to climb the stairs to the first VIP level just as they began their set.
Watching them work together with such symbiosis was a fitting conclusion to this Valentines Day event, and the lasers shrouded the space in red tones, completing the picture. The Awakenings experience was entirely unforgettable, full of sheer talent and love, and as I walked out, everyone else was murmuring the same. We won’t soon forget.
Written by Rachel Koladis
AWAKENINGS > https://www.awakenings.com/us/en/
FB> https://www.facebook.com/awakenings/
TWITTER> https://twitter.com/awakenings
https://www.facebook.com/events/1666652683577562/
Written by Rachel Koladis
Welcoming guest blogger Rachel Koladis. Rachel is a great writer with a vivacious passion for life! Very happy to have her as my very 1st guest blogger!
ABOUT RACHEL >
- Rachel Star Koladis
- Hartford, CT, United States
- I am a self professed foodie / Foodie Blogger/ Nightlife >http://hartfordfoodie.blogspot.com/
BellaBassFly
FB> https://www.facebook.com/bewllabassfly/?ref=bookmarks
TWITTER> https://twitter.com/Bellabassfly
IG> https://www.instagram.com/bellabassfly/
