Better late than never! I did make it to the last NRGetic Romancer of the year, and a good thing too – there were quite a few new tracks, and once again some blinding sets. Unfortunately, I arrived just after midnight, and so missed Horny’s schranz set, but by all accounts it was very good indeed. I’ll keep a look out for him in the future, particularly as I’m not very familiar with that style.

Cogi played an excellent psychedelic set this time, taking me slightly by surprise. He even included Substanced and Cyrez’s Venom, one of my favourite tracks at the moment. I’ll happily admit that a lot of the tracks were new to me (perhaps I’ll attempt to find out the tracklist for the set, thinking about it) but the selection was excellent. It’s definitely a plus to have Cogi playing independently of the Full Circle DJs at NRGetic Romancer these days – DJ Yousuke’s NRG set (following immediately afterward) bumped things up slightly, speed-wise, and darkened the atmosphere, but expertly carried over the vibe built up during the previous hour and twenty minutes.

COGI / Betwixt & Between

Betwixt & Between was nigh-on perfect this time around, with a set that had almost (almost, mind you) everything. No Surendrajit, once again, but one new track and some wonderful mixing and arrangement more than made up for that. The new track (which I don’t know the name of, I’m afraid) was pretty epic, and featured a something-like-a-flute lead melody (that was perhaps slightly too piercing through Studio Cube’s speakers, maybe a sign that it’s a work-in-progress). Very nice, nevertheless, and it was combined this time with a few classics (such as Reincarnation) and rarer old tracks. Possibly the best live set I’ve heard from him so far, and his (increasingly well choreographed) theatrics behind the decks continue to set him apart from the others. The promo CD presented upon entry, mixed by Betwixt & Between, was also very welcome, incidentally – although as a promo, perhaps I shouldn’t be providing the tracklist here. It does include Surendrajit, however, so I got my fix in the end.

DJ Yousuke / GULD

Guld was once again on top form, maybe surpassing his efforts in October. His set progressed in typical fashion, from Lab 4 NRG up to fast/melodic Finnish Freeform, but this time included a new track by (correct me if I’m wrong) Guld himself, and his remix of Proteus’ I See The Things That You Don’t See. He finished things off spectacularly, with Alek Szahala’s incredible Last of the Mohicans remix (quite possibly my tune of the year).

This event was also very well attended, and here’s hoping the crowds will be similar for the next one in February. NRG/Freeform might forever struggle to match Happy Hardcore for popularity in these parts, but it’s great to see Guld’s efforts being rewarded with an increase in numbers this time around.

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Many thanks once again to Guld and Cogi for the photos used here.