United We Groove

One of the greatest things about summer is going out on the water. So, the idea of a boat party always seems fantastic. However, most boat parties have a lot of setbacks, from crowdedness, sea sickness and being overpriced. None of this was the case with this summer’s United We Groove boat party in beautiful San Diego California. Taking place on July 16^th to close out the San Diego Pride weekend, United We Groove  is the brainchild and the real queen of trance, Kristina Sky, brought together artists and labels from around the globe, creating one epic vibe headlining Giuseppe Ottaviani, Roger Shah, Ciaran McAuley, Luccio, and of course Kristina Sky.

The music started at 4PM during boarding with Miami’s Luccio kicking it off and at 5PM sharp the Hornblower cruise ship took off for a 5-hour excursion around the San Diego Harbor. I was really impressed with the size of the boat. It was massive with three-stories where you couldn’t feel any of the waves on any level of the boat so no need to fear sea sickness. The best part of the boat was ample space to dance, chill, sit, eat, get out of the sun and talk. You could just get lost staring at the ocean for hours while some of the best music was being played throughout the ship.

The lineup was perfectly curated for the occasion and location. Starting with progressive and going up to uplift, the feelings were captured in the music. After Luccio, Kristina kept the flow going getting everyone up and ready as we toured the harbor. Seeing iconic views like the Coronado Bridge, the US Navy Fleet and downtown San Diego, it was easy to get lost. The picture-perfect day allowed for everyone to take it in and capture some great shots for the memory books.

Kristina turned over the decks to Roger Shah who played an epic set as his alias Sunlounger. His Sunlounger alias sets are always perfect for the beach. Bringing the vibe of the islands, he had the crowd dancing to his San Diego debut for the alias. With his iconic keyboard, he played some of his best tracks including my personal favorite, Lost. Hearing the opening notes, I ran up from the third deck to dance with my friends. People really came from all over Southern Cali for this event, and although the ship was large, the one-thousand cap of attendees still made it seem incredibly intimate.

Roger turned the decks over to the Italian maestro Giuseppe who was also debuting his alias Horizon in San Diego. Playing the sunset set, Giuseppe captured the emotions of the environment and the crowd. Showing why he is the master; his Horizon alias set was the perfect sound for that time of night. After a long day in the harbor and just over an hour to go, the decks were turned over to the birthday boy Ciaran McAuley who brought it home. Playing some big classics and new remixes, the crowd ate it up and in true fashion, Ciaran was overrun with emotions. Leaving his heart on stage, security was seriously about to kick him off the boat after we docked back in San Diego. As we started to exit, Kristina thanked the crowd with a lost voice, while those who helped put UWG together celebrated their success of an amazing night.

United We Groove was the perfect boat party.  The energy of the crowd, the music, the vibe is what every single trance fan say they are looking for all the time. Over 6-hours of a perfect progression of music, with intimate vibes, headline names and epic scenery.

If you missed the boat this year, you really do not want to miss it next year.

-Danielle Sanders