Anybody who knows me knows that I don’t like genre’s. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I hate them because I understand why they are necessary at times, and yet if given the option I always like to stay away from them. At the least I like to have the state of mind ‘All Genre’s welcome’. And it’s not even that I want to hear Happy Hardcore, or Trap, or even Melodic fuckin Techno every day, it’s just I still feel the need to include all of it, since having all of it is what makes us Ravers. Ravers are versatile.
But still, even with saying all that, I know deep down my favorite genre will always be Progressive Trance. I discovered it as a teenager, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Not many people really talk about Progressive Trance and yet every time I bring it up to people I meet, they always know exactly what it is, and they always immediately admit their affection as well.
What’s so strange to say about Progressive Trance is it’s perhaps the one genre that gets mistaken for other genres the most, and yet you know it when you hear it, without even thinking twice. In fact, it’s so blended into other genre’s that what’s happened is that many people believe the genre itself has disappeared compared to when I was a young raver in the early 2000’s. Back when it was big. Back when Progressive Trance ruled the world.
In the early 2000’s it can be argued that progressive trance was the hip genre. I guess you could say it’s a lot like how Techno is viewed now. I remember liking it as I matured and hearing the difference in the sound of the DJ’s I loved so much, who all seemed to be playing that same sound at the time. It was the dominant genre back then, and I don’t think that has changed, it’s just it evolved. Progressive Trance is still very cool. And sexy too. I’ve always thought it was very sexy; whatever that means.
Many of my favorite dj’s like Sasha, John Digweed, Deep Dish, and even Nick Warren were playing Progressive Trance. It was the dominant sound I started hearing when going out to the desert gatherings in the summer and the warehouse ones in the fall. And no DJ was better at it, at least to me, than Christopher Lawrence, a Dj I still love to this day. He has the enthusiasm, and the knowledge, and the ability to present Progressive Trance in the timeless way we all see it.
Now, this piece isn’t about any of these Dj’s but I hope if you read this you will look them up as well, because they are the reason I love Progressive Trance, and they are the reason I am now going to talk about Christoph. And the New Progressive Trance.
Right when I say that I want to be clear that there isn’t anything new about Christoph or the music he plays, and yet at the same time to many of us that is what he will always represent, and yet that is also why we celebrate him so much. He clearly represents a new evolution of the Progressive Trance sound, and yet he still encompasses that sophisticated, subtle, driving sound that the genre has also always had. He’s helping it change while still staying true to that original concept. And now he is bringing that to New Mexico.
On February 19th, 2022, Christoph is playing at the Electric Playhouse in Albuquerque, NM. For any fan of Trance, Progressive, or anything in between this is a night that can not be missed. Not only will you get a unique sound in an intimate environment, but you’ll get it surrounded by fellow music lovers who have followed this sound their entire lives.
For me it will be bittersweet since I have had many chances to see him, and yet every time it has gone wrong. For example, this last fall in Chicago he was scheduled to play Arc Music festival and yet had to cancel around a week before we actually got there. It’s frustrating yet understandable since sometimes these things are out of our control, and yet it was perhaps the fifth time I had a chance to see him, and I didn’t.
One time was at EDC, and we just didn’t make it inside in time. One time he was playing on a Friday in Denver, and we didn’t get there till Saturday to see Maceo Plex. One time In LA he opened for Eric Prydz at the Naud Warehouse, and we missed that as well. Just keep missing him, and just barely. Over and over with this last time being the biggest bummer that we even sat with a friend and talked about it after the festival was over.
“Prydz was great, but I wish Chrstoph was here.” She said.
“Same.” I said
I remember her telling us it was her first time seeing Prydz, and
“He was amazing, and that light show, and that Progressive Trance sound. I just love it.”
“Same.” I said.
“But I still like Chrstoph more.”
“Same.”
And it isn’t to say we didn’t like Prydz, because there’s no denying that he has championed the Progressive Trance sound as much as anybody ever, but it is also stating Chrstoph has something, and we see and hear that. He is a New Generation and still a part of what we’ve always loved about Progressive Trance.
We eventually settled on the agreement that Prydz is the best, but Christoph is exciting, and different, and yes his sound is even a little bit sexy. Trance will make you cry, and dance, and forget all the pain, so let it heal you, and let yourself become something new.
I also say all of this, because unfortunately, I will again, miss Chrstoph. Blocks from my house, with friends and foes alike in attendance we will simply stay home. But that’s us, that’s our journey, and we’ll just have to find him somewhere on the road later down the line.
But for New Mexico, for Progressive Trance, and for our Culture I couldn’t be more excited for this night. It’s a night that’s taken decades in the making. Please, go early, stay late, and enjoy every minute of this music we’ve cherished all our lives. This music that saved us. Close your eyes, enjoy the euphoria, and just let go.
See you on the dancefloor. Or not.
Ourdancefloor.net 