Photo Credit: Michael Elezovic
Last Friday at Pacha was another one of those nights that I knew before entering that I was going to leave in need of sunglasses from the morning sun. The last time I saw Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano was at EDC NY. They without a doubt had one of the better sets of the festival. But with festivals only having allotted times set out for each DJ, I’m always left wanting more, especially with this Dutch Duo.
After this past Pacha trip, all my wants and needs left hanging from EDC NY were fulfilled ten-fold. Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano didn’t leave one stone unturned with an unheard of 5 hour set. Once taking the stage around 1am after the opening DJ primed the crowd, the bash brothers wasted no time dropping some heavy bass beats with Joe Brunning’s Now Let Me See You Work, which made the whole dance floor automatically erupt. This song, made famous by Carl Cox, has become one of the famous long lasting tenants in their sets to get the crowd in the mood. From the infamous Pacha pit to the Mezzanine tables, everyone erupted and knew this night took a great turn. It was one dirty beat after another and no one was standing still. Anyone that knows these guys knows when the Tribeca beat comes on you have to prepare yourself to belt out some Adele – Rolling In The Deep, which makes their signature mash up so special.
Photo Credit: Warren Whitmore
With one perfect transition after another , I finally started to hear a song they introduced to me a couple of months ago and is now in my Top 25 Most Played on iTunes. When you hear the marching band snares with the deep tech house drums, you know that screaming monkey going to drop the beat. Gregor Salto – Azumba always makes the crowd dance like they’re the Missing Link with his elbow and fist smashing beat. After non-stop movement for about 4 hours, my all-time favorite song of theirs came on, the unmistakable remake of Tiesto – Lethal Industry, which Tiesto has let no one else touch and I hope it stays that way. I think all producers decided to not start a remix once they heard what was coming through their speakers.
Every time I see these two gentlemen, I always have songs I can only label as ID. There was no point in the night where I would pause from dancing and shake my head in disgust from the overplayed song choice that even gets played on the hip hop radio station Hot97 (See: Levels). After a slew of IDs and Ryan Marciano’s generous use of the Pacha horn, they wrapped up an unbelievable 5 hour set. With me being greedy, I wanted more, but that’s what puts the Dutch Batman and Robin in a different class of DJs.
Photo Credit: Warren Whitmore
Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano are the DJs that we are missing nowadays. In a time where DJs are starting to get ridiculed for their DJ technicality and song choice, SJRM never once come up into those conversations. They are one of the few remaining DJs that keep you guessing and make you want to go right home and find that crazy song you never heard before. This was the kind of Pacha night I’ve missed and waited to be a part of again since I first went. Hopefully, DJs will take notes, go home, study, and finally start to impress me every time like this lethal duo.
After stumbling out of Pacha at 6am in utter amazement by the 5-hour bomb dropping that occurred, I think it’s safe to say everyone that attended this night at Pacha either became a fan of this duo or became a super fan. I, for one, am now a super fan, and I would travel across the globe to see these guys again if they never came back to the US. This is what Pacha should be like every night.
