I call John “Bae” because for me, he comes before anything else in trance

Rave withdrawals are real, and after an amazing time at EDC and Luminosity, I felt the unavoidable doom. Never the less after my Europe trip, my Facebook feed was bombarded with the much-anticipated night of my favorite trance label – Subculture. And just around my neck of the woods, on July 1^st, the sold out Subculture LA took place at the historical Belasco Theater. The buzz was definitely in the air.

Arriving there early, I wasn’t going to miss any moment as LA local, Kristina Sky opened up doing what she does best by setting the bar high laying down some serious classics along with some of my favorite John O’Callaghan tracks. Kristina is definitely the ‘Queen of Trance’ in my opinion who is always gracious and amazing on the decks. As the dance floor filled up quick, Trance Family LA members made their ways in along with members from Fresno, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, and Las Vegas

Not knowing what to expect from this legend, Giuseppe Ottaviani just blew me away even though I have seen him countless times. Hard doesn’t even describe it whereas ‘masterful’ might be a better description. The perfect opening for John O’Callaghan, I was beside myself as G.O had my blood pumping as the crowd was going crazy waiting in anticipation for the main event.

John O’Callaghan is a true legend and watching him on the decks is like watching a master chef in the kitchen. A true journeyman, he took his audience on a melodic adventure weaving in and out of tunes so easily while gripping everyone by the heartstrings. Though there are some serious titans in tech trance, in my opinion, no one can interweave tech and uplifting better by uplifting your emotions high then dropping it down with a track that moves your soul. By the time you were done, you have just witnessed excellence. This being the fifth time I saw him since Dreamstate SF, and it was by far the best yet 2-hour set to date. It was so beautiful that I completely forgot about the outside world.

Scoping out the party from up in the VIP balcony above the stage, I was truly blown away by the turn out as I have never seen this venue so packed before. No empty spaces in the building as it was body to body from front to back while enjoying one of the greatest label in trance.

On next was someone who wasn’t going to be outdone, Bryan Kearney put ‘the pedal to the metal’ from the get go and ‘just wow’ as he wasn’t messing around. Not quite recovered from John’s set, I kept on dancing. And with Will Atkinson closing out the night, his set was a perfect balance that kept you going, but enough without yearning for that encore. I waited to the very end to meet Will for an autograph and photo-op. He was one of the few trance DJ I had yet to meet but not anymore. I got my infamous Trance Family LA flag signed and spoke with the legend. It was the perfect ending to a perfect night.

Subculture LA was a hit. The music was banging, the DJs were perfect 10s and fans had the time of their lives. It was impressive to see how massive the Subculture label has reached. I left the Belasco with an affirmation of my opinion to my favorite label and my favorite DJ – John O’Callaghan. I cannot wait until Dreamstate LA where I will be able to hear even more Subculture artists under one roof.

-Danielle Sanders