The rain came down as the bass seeped out of the doors. My companion & I, safe under an umbrella, waited to get in as the Santos Party House massaged another Friday night event into itself. Esscala Entertainment has done the work slowly but persistently, building a name for itself over the last year and they are now my go-to for trance in Gotham. Tonight, I was delighted they’d scored Giuseppe Ottaviani, a rising star in the trance community. A fun producer who could do his fair share of spinning besides dropping a couple of clever tracks that have gotten picked up by Armin and others doing the weekly trance podcast thing, I couldn’t wait.

Picking up my Strongbow cider (excellent choice for a draft option, kudos to Santos for that) and found one of the remaining spots on the central couches watching Rory James push out an almost intimidating amount of bass. The mix of electro, trance and some spicy house kept the well-dressed crowd moving, with clusters of professionals, weekend warriors and students out for a good time in the torrential downpour. Rory James kept the energy up and allowed the people who were waiting for this to happen.

While there may have been a bottle or two in the mix, this crowd was very much here for one reason, and one reason only. The music and specifically the trance. Ottaviani seemed to have found a very supportive crowd, that could not wait for him to take the stage. They’ve heard his CD special (posted below) and they couldn’t wait to hear it live. Santos has maintained a pretty great sound system over the years and I was quite pleased Mr. Ottaviani knew how to use it.

The set was harder & heavier than trance previously, carrying on the tradition of Gotham rocking harder than most. While sometimes I miss his transitions when I listen to his GO ON AIR podcasts while he speaks, there was no distraction this time. There was no question that he’s definitely got the chops, with flawless transitions and some seamless energy builds. Trance producers sometimes can’t walk the walk when it comes to dj’ing a main room, but there was no sign of that here. The surprise guest vocalist singing along to one of the better singles off Magenta was a fantastic addition to the night. Though, personally, and I’d imagine for most of the people in the room, the highlight of the evening was his excellent usage of a Red Hot Chilli Peppers “By The Way” remix.

The weary crowd stood up and the entire room jammed out to the trancey re-imagining of the powerful crowd favorite. A great call by an up-and-coming DJ. The drinks were served cold, the lights & smoke machine used well, an all-around hot shit party done by Esscala Entertainment. Time for bed, Figment is tomorrow.