- It was enough to make any prog fan drool all over their Global Underground collection: Three acts (Sister Bliss, Hernan Cattaneo and 16 Bit Lolitas) rubbing shoulders on one bill, who in their own way, symbolise the enduring appeal of the progressive movement—regardless of whether you're a golden oldie, established clubber or new kid on the block. Early on, though, all these headliners presented an issue. Sister Bliss—the all-conquering Faithless matriarch—may have had the masses dancing via early progressive bombs "Insomnia," "God Is a DJ" and "Salva Mea," but that doesn't mean she's mastered the art of a carefully crafted warm-up set.
The clock had barely struck 12:30 AM by the time Blissy slammed her foot on the accelerator and threw down bouncy vocal trance—the kind that'd even raise eyebrows from Judge Jules himself. Suddenly the dance floor was a throbbing, sweaty pit of stumbling girls in skimpy black dresses, ear-piercing screams and the kind of hazardous dance moves that'd tempt you to pack a set of cricketers pads for protection next time you venture out clubbing.
By the time Bliss dropped her new Faithless favourites "You're the Sun to Me" and "Tweak Your Nipple," the night felt to be reaching its climax—an unnerving state of affairs considering Cattaneo was the next batter up to the plate. And when the Argentinean wandered down for a look 30 minutes before his set started, he could barely hide his bemusement. Ever the silky-skilled professional, Cattaneo knew exactly where to take it, dropping a shimmering slice of progressive trance reminiscent of James Holden's pre-Balance days as his opener, before continuing in a stomping direction, knocking out a slew of cuts from his Sudbeat imprint, including the tech-laced "Circles" from new signing M.O.D.E.
Cattaneo's set was perfectly paced and provided a delicious bridge for 16 Bit Lolitas' Ariaan Olieroock to take over. Olieroock dropped chunky cuts to the appreciative dance floor, which by now had thinned out, as the remaining revellers indulged in a dirty prog stagger, clearly enjoying the extra leg room. Olierook mounted a strong case as the DJ of the night, interspersing his balls-to-the-wall progressive with the odd melodic inflection (think Origene's vocal trancer "Sanctuary"), but unfortunately tripped at the final hurdle. Sasha's remix of Ladytron's "Destroy Everything You Touch" had the makings of a triumphant final track until Olierook fluffed the final mix and responds to the crowd's call for "one more" by flicking the levels up and down as the track gradually wound down. An unworthy end to an otherwise cracking set.