Its almost a year now since the hallowed walls of Gatecrasher One came down, but far from destroying the trance-laden dreams of the clubbers of Yorkshire and beyond, instead it seems it has only served to usher in a brand new era of underground success. Whilst club-land leviathans Gatecrasher and GodsKitchen have tried to corner the post-Republic market with lukewarm success, the likes of Off The Rails and Digital Society go from strength to strength with every event and every line-up.
Whether or not this change is symbolic of an overall shift in the balance from the mainstream to the underground again on the trance scene is still debatable, but the clubber-focussed philosophy at the heart of OTR and DS is a welcome alternative to the business-like, profit-driven industry that clubbing has become at the other end of the spectrum.
Following on from a phenomenal first birthday event, Digital Society have continued their impressive and imaginative line-ups, of which April was no exception, boasting return visits for Lange and Alex MORPH and a massive coup in the form of a UK debut for Manuel le Saux, whos cult following on the trance circuit in Europe is about to explode into global proportions. Completing the line-up was new Passion resident Genix, and the ever-reliable DS residents Will Holland and Paul Pearson.
A newer addition to the DS-landscape has also landed in the upstairs room, now hosted by Blank, catering for those of a more progressive, chunky taste, and boasting another highly talented line-up including guests Tom Bailey and Mark Naylor. Despite this only being their 3rd event alongside the main room, theres already a sense of Blank belonging there, and the room was healthily packed all night!
Such is the quality of Will Hollands warm-up sets at DS, Im not alone in wanting to turn up from the very start of the night, and when I arrived shortly before 10.30 the club downstairs was already half-full and an enthusiastic crowd already up for a legendary night. The outside smoking area now boasts a marquee and patio heaters and could technically now be called a third, chill-out room!
The community spirit amongst the crowd at Digital is one of the nights main strengths, and the absence of a them and us philosophy between the clubbers, the promoters, and the DJs is still, in my experience, practically unique. As the club began to fill further as Genix took over the honours from Will Holland in the main room, Lange and Manuel le Saux were out in the crowd chatting with the clubbers. Even Gareth Emery, whose November set at Digital is forever burned in my memory, came along for the occasion despite not being on the line-up himself!
Genix treated us to a chunky, techy set that picked up the pace and by the time Lange came on at midnight the club was in full swing and approaching capacity. Lasers dancing over the packed dancefloor, bar areas the smokers marquee turning into a stroke of genius as it began to rain, and upstairs the Blank room was also rocking, and it wasnt long before I was won over by the sounds of Mark Naylor dropping Liquid - Sweet Harmony (Dave Spoon & James Talk remix).
From one classic to another back down in the main room as Lange closed his set with the incredible Lost Witness Happiness Happening, which I dont think Id heard in a club for at least 8 years, and suddenly the atmosphere, which was electric to start with, seemed to reach new heights. What followed was arguably the finest 3 hour double act seen at Digital so far the only one I can compare it too was the Downey/Tyas insane-a-thon last September, but if anyone was going to top it for me, it would be the combined talents of Alex MORPH and Manuel le Saux both of whom, I confess, are in my top 5.
MORPH took the honours in the DJ booth from Lange and made his presence known straight away, driving trance from the off. Just over a year before, MORPH had been one of the very first to play here, at only the 2nd event, and could obviously see how far the night had come in the meantime. Within the opening 20 minutes of his set the atmosphere in the club had filled with a kind of transcendent aura, the dancefloor heaving and walls shaking.
With MORPH having firmly established his credentials as a DJ these days, its almost easy to forget that hes also responsible for some of the finest trance tunes of recent years. During the coming hour we heard his latest release for Vandit, Alex M.O.R.P.H. & Woody Van Eyden feat. Michelle Citrin - Turn It On, and one of his very finest productions, Super8 & Tab Helsinki Scorchin (Alex MORPH remix), and I like many others were afraid to leave the dancefloor for even a moment!
Then at 3am the wait was finally over, and Manuel le Saux finally arrived behind the decks in a club in the UK, and showed us well and truly what wed been missing up until now! Kicking of with Lemon & Einar K Anticipation, the energy levels were set to maximum and I knew he wasnt going to disappoint. As someone whos never quite seen the point of filler tunes, le Sauxs style suited me perfectly, and by the time hed dropped Onova Platitude as his 3rd tune I knew everything was only going to get more and more intense, which it duly did!
Tune after tune after tune, any fears he might have had about winning over the UK crowds were dispersed very quickly. Digital have brought many UK debuts over the past year but Le Saux topped them all. Comparisons again to last September when he dropped Vincent de Moor Fly Away (Sean Tyas remix) as Sean himself had done that night, and the reaction was just as enthusiastic. At one point a section of the Digital crowd were chanting his name and it was thoroughly deserved.
With the roof having been shaken above its foundations by a truly monumental debut, resident Paul Pearson had to close the night off and duly delivered in every respect. Keeping it banging to the core, a roar went up shortly afterwards as DJ Kim Jetlag (Alphazone remix) hit the speakers and brought the house down once again. The Digital faithful who remained till the close were anything but disappointed, and arguably the finest DS yet was finally over.
The only club I can compare this to in terms of music policy and atmosphere is Gatecrasher when it was at its height and thats no mean feat, nor is it an understatement. While the bigger club-nights remain stagnated and seeking to reclaim their former glories, its the smaller nights that are carrying the torch for the trance fanatics in Yorkshire. This underground movement might just be turning out to be the revolution that has been threatening to emerge for a while, as the Digital Society attracts more and more inhabitants. It seems obvious now that the night is here to stay and will only grow in stature, and with another first class line-up next month, not to mention the DS residents gracing the Red Room at Passion before then, this revolution is a force to be reckoned with.