Ferry Corsten and John Dahlback kicked off Made Event and A|X Armani Exchange’s new event series this past Saturday at the 2,100-capacity Nokia Theatre in Times Square. Featuring a massive expensive and expansive sets of lights, the group behind the Electric Zoo Music Festival created a stage that transformed Nokia Theater to a dance music getaway for a night. Poised to please party-goers with a concert-style production, the artists took advantage of the sound, lighting, and visual effects put in place and shook a packed house with house and trance music.
While John Dahlback may be in his early twenties, the Swedish house music producer exudes experience. At the age of 25, it is easy for Dahlback to look young, but pressing away at knobs, the skills he has honed since starting his career at 16 (the same age Corsten released his first album) gives some of the best in the industry a run for their money. With a commanding body of work, Dahlback’s chart toppers has solidified him and his electro-house productions as a sensation – his most recent “Love Inside” featuring Andy P. Dahlback played a variety in a style that has garnered him respect from fans and DJs alike who praise his countless tracks, remixes and appearances – this writer included. Sweating behind the decks, he pumped sounds that worked-up the audience and set the stage ablaze for Ferry Corsten.
Stepping onto the stage it was apparent that a star was in the house. Ferry Corsten, the Dutch producer and DJ, has the ability to pull audiences in the ten of thousands to his events – the Nokia Theater doesn’t have the capacity, but it was obvious the thousands who were there considered themselves lucky to be in the same room with one of the World’s top DJs and music producers. From screams to coo’s and an ovation at appearance, Ferry’s responded by taking advantage of the full audio-visual production. The lights flooded the room and exploded to the glee of the audience – as if it were the Fourth of July on a stage. With a bit of “je ne sais quoi” about his ways, Ferry makes the connection of music to elements of feelings that are accentuated in trance. As if he were talking to the audience with his choice of song, Ferry infused elements of trance like a ballad – almost as if he were executing a symphony and orchestrating a cinematic score. From the stage, Ferry was a conductor at a podium illuminated in rays of light that rendered the stage to a floating deck with the DJs at a center of a cloud and haze of lights. The audience erupted in excitement and sang along like a choir when Ferry played “Silence is Loud” by Altitude. He was met with the same fervor when he played his mix of “Catch” by Kosheen and his original tracks “Forever” and “Beautiful.”
If the first is of any indication of what is to follow, then we anticipate the series to be of experience and surprise surmounted by a great venue with talent – right in the heart of New York City. Ferry Corsten set the mark – making it clear as he remarked “this is number one.” In any case, the DJs felt their audience, connected with them and delivered what they wanted and left them begging for more. Past four o’clock in the morning, the room was still packed – no one wanted to go home. So, what does a magician do when he’s already pulled many tricks from his sleeves and the audience begs for more? Ferry met the crowd’s demand with “Radio Crash.” But, of all the tracks he played, the song that exemplifies Ferry’s work and hit home for the audience was his original song “Made of Love” featuring Betsie Larkin – Check it out below.
For more on Ferry, tune in to his show on Sirius XM Radio, Corsten’s Countdown every Wednesday at 9pm ET. Upcoming spring dates in the new series at the Nokia Theater will feature, ATB, Eric Prydz and Sébastien Léger at the Rockwell Group-designed Nokia Theatre.
CHECK OUT photos from the illuminating night by Oliver Correa. Click through for a list of Made’s upcoming events and video for Ferry Corsten’s “Made of Love”
Made Event NYC Upcoming Dates
