On the 30th of March we were invited by Scantraxx to celebrate the release of E-Force’s debut album “Edge Of Insanity” at a secret location in Amsterdam. What happened and who was there? And what was the secret location? Read all about it here!
Walking from a station, a bit from the center of Amsterdam, the directions from the e-Mail Scantraxx sent guided me directly to the building of Armada and Cloud 9 Publishing. Decorated with texts such as “Eat, Sleep, Publish, Repeat!” the location seemed more like your every-day office building rather than a club. After greeting the team, I was guided upstairs – and there it was: The smallest club I had ever seen in my life! The club room had 3 big couches, a small bar and a small DJ booth and was set up perfectly for live streaming and small presentations. Around 18:30 the DJ’s started to arrive and the first guests were already waiting outside.
Starting off the party, Devin Wild & A2 Records newest addition RVAGE took over the decks first. It was a great start-off set with all kinds of newer Scantraxx and A2 Records tracks, including Devin Wild’s “Men Of Steel” Remix and the E-Force & RVAGE collab “Me Against You” from “Edge Of Insanity”. The room filled quickly and the first people started moving on the dance floor. I decided to head for the bar and grab a free(!) beer.
While I was chatting up some familiar faces, Luna got on stage. The atmosphere was nothing else but amazing right now, and me and my camera decided to hit the dance floor. Showcasing his two collabs on the E-Force album but also playing a lot of Minus Is More stuff, Luna played a good bit rougher than the youngsters before him and the crowd responded immediately: the floor was shaking!
Next up were Digital Punk and Sub Zero Project. And there it was: my first time hearing “The Project” live! The vibe in the small club was now at its peak and first sing-a-longs commenced as the three DJ’s delivered nothing else but a killer set. Next to the Digital Punk & Alpha2 remix of E-Force’s collar with Frequencerz “Attention” and the Sub Zero collab “Here Comes The Boom”, the new Sub Zero track “Bass Train” was played. I headed outside for a second, as the air in the small club rom got extremely hot all of a sudden.
After a cigarette and a chat, I headed back inside – just in time for the main man himself: E-Force! E-Force album showcase set was nothing else but amazing and energetic. The vibe of the album was perfectly delivered through the set, and I was more than happy to finally hear my favourite tracks from the album previews in a live setting. “Stresstest” is probably my Nr.1 track of the album, and one of the more experimental tracks E-Force has created for “Edge Of Insanity”. Just like “Pleasure & Pain” with Delete, it is a track made for a live or club setting and the crowd seemed to 100% agree with me on that one. After an energetic set like it and another drink, it was time to catch some fresh air for a few minutes again.
Warface was already playing when I came back, and I fought my way to the front of the dance floor again. By now even the DJ’s were hitting the dance floor or casually chatting outside. It was a cozy, but lose, get-together of fans and friends of E-Force alike and everyone was having a smile on their face and a drink in their hand. Meanwhile Warfare was busy tearing the room apart with War Force tracks to the left and right and, of course, the FTP remix, as well as a pretty neat “Gangster’s Paradise” bootleg.
Following Warface, Radical Redemption took over – what a set! The floor was shaking and I found myself kickrolling like it was a competitive sports event. Playing tracks like the newest collab with E-Force from “Edge Of Insanity” and the newest “Brutal”, the Radical pulled of a majestic Raw Hardstyle set that kept the crowd dancing like there was no tomorrow. I absolutely love a tiny club setting like this and this release party had been an absolute treat for a “small party enthusiast” like my humble self.
As I came from a little further away from Amsterdam and with public transport, the beginning of Delete & Rebelion’s set meant the end of the night for me. Hearing the roughest of the rough in the background, I said my goodbyes and headed for the metro. What an album release party!
Congratulations on your album, E-Force & thank you for having us, Scantraxx! This was most likely one of the sickest and best album release parties I’ve ever attended. The location was small, but the atmosphere was nothing else but fantastic. The die-hard E-Force fans contributed greatly to the atmosphere and the DJ’s delivered amazing sets from first to last. “Cozy but crazy” might be the right way to describe what happened. We hope the building is still standing and wish E-Force all the best with “Edge Of Insanity”!
Picture Credit: Scantraxx (no watermark) / Hardstylemag (watermark, Sara Ghafouri)
Text: Sara Ghafouri