The Cosmic Gate Experience
This past week, Morrie and I had the opportunity to experience Cosmic Gate’s Los Angeles stop on their current tour in support of their fifth studio album, Wake You Mind (Black Hole). With multiple singles off their Back to the Future (Black Hole) album residing in Beatport’s top 10, the debut of their BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, and their Wake Your Mind world tour, 2011 has been a whirlwind of success for Cosmic Gate.
On Wednesday, November 23, we met with Nic and Bossi in Hollywood just before their performance at the Exchange nightclub of downtown Los Angeles. We set out to discover a little more about the duo’s inspirations and intentions in regards to the new album and their musical endeavors in general. Being the ballers that they are, they never ceased to amaze us with every response. Enjoy!
Following this interview, we rushed straight over to the Exchange to catch Cosmic Gate’s long awaited set. And boy, was the anticipation high. Prior to the duo’s appearance, the crowd relentlessly chanted “Cosmic Gate! Cosmic Gate! Cosmic Gate!” Despite being born and raised in Los Angeles, this was the first time I found myself at the Exchange. Upon entering, the opening DJ was playing some fun tunes, but he was not pleasing the crowd. We could just feel the excitement for Nic and Bossi’s appearance.
As soon as the duo showed their faces right at midnight, the crowd roared. The smiles on Nic and Bossi’s faces were genuine and the crowd couldn’t stop moving their feet upon the first drop. The room was overflowing with people, lights were flooding, visuals were explosive, and the sound was booming. The bass was heavier than I have ever experienced before. The energy flowing through the veins of Nic and Bossi was contagious. I have never seen more energy in the DJ booth before. They smiled, danced, and interacted with the crowd throughout the performance. You could see the love and excitement in their eyes that was apparent in their responses in the interview. There was indeed a fiery passion for their career.
The two producers did not refrain from sharing their love for electronic music throughout the set. You could feel their passion vibrating from the stage and we couldn’t help but smile every time they gave each other a hug or started jumping uncontrollably when dropping a tune. They dropped their entire Wake Your Mind album sporadically throughout the 4 hour set along with just about every previous Cosmic Gate single that shakes your bones, and even crowd pleasers like Avicii’s “Levels,” Above and Beyond’s “A Thing Called Love,” Arty’s “Kate,” Sander Van Doorn’s “Love is Darkness,” and a mashup of “Prutataaa” by Afrojack. Cosmic Gate’s “The Theme,” which has been a frequented anthem for many DJs worldwide, was a highlight of the set, getting the crowd jumping and screaming. Additionally, they presented Los Angeles with live performances from Jes (“Flying Blind”) and Aruna (“All Around You”). Goosebumps everywhere.
One of Cosmic Gate’s dominant talents is maintaining the heaviest bass throughout their sets while simultaneously increasing the heaviness and bass of every single drop. From minute one until the end of the set, the crowd was hooked. An overwhelming enchantment of trance house, lights, fog, and chaos was apparent for the entire four hours. At the end of their set, the crowd continued chanting for more and for the first time in my experience, these guys listened and graced the crowd with four more songs. They even stuck around after the performance for pictures, signings, and conversation. If you ever have the opportunity to catch Cosmic Gate live, we guarantee that it will be a night to remember.
For more information, visit www.cosmic-gate.de and www.blackholerecordings.com. To purchase the Cosmic Gate Wake Your Mind (Black Hole) album, visit the iTunes store at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/wake-your-mind-deluxe-edition/id471257435.
photo credit: Gerard Henninger
