Jun 13, 2002 - Text: Sam - Photos: Sam

For the third Chaishop Tour in Mexico Mark & Mario of Haldolium and me started on friday morning by KLM via Amsterdam to Mexico City. The flight was fast an nice and finally we met DJ Vazik and DJ Shove - the two mexico side organisers and my friends - at the airport. We were lucky to rest a bit but too early for this. Also Gabe (Wrecked Machines) was going to arrive from Brasil at the same time. Or did he arrive already? Where is he?

Brasilians are a difficult subject for Mexico. Since some of them come to "escape" to the US (what a strange decision!) they try to give every Brasilian a really really hard time. They let Gabe wait for 6 hours in the imigration and ask stupid questions and generally make him feel cattle.

Luckily we "escaped" earlier with some friends who brought us by car to 1h away but beautiful Cuernavacas. Swimming Pool, Studio, Sun, Gallery, Quesadilla's - what do you need more?

Quesadilla Attack

The party startet on saturday evening on an Island in Mexico City. Everybody needed to take a boat to float over to the party. Romantic!

It was still amazingly warm for mexican circumstances, the sound system was ok and the location just absolutely beautiful. People started to arrive and the location was filling up quite fast. DJ Mun (MX) startet to play, Mug live (Mx) took over and then Flix (Mx) played. I was very positively suprised of the great and up-to-date music everyone of them played!

Mexico is not anymore a full-on resort. The music beeing played there is the full range of trance music depending on the dj. No setback from Europe. Right Up-To-Date. And great mixing as well.

After Flix DJ Geza took over. Geza is one part of Chaishop Mexico and studying now in California. He came for our party and a longer stay temporarily to Mexico. Geza played quite energetic technotrance and psytrance.

Usually Mexicans need five hours or so to warm up. Different to most of other countries I recognized this special behavior in Mexico (which doesn't mean that lateron they do not party...). But this party was... totally different! People started to freak out nearly from the beginning. What happened? I was happy!

After Geza came Gabe. Gezabe, Gabeza, Gabbazaze, Gebrazaliza?! Anyway groovy well produced psytrance from Brasil by one of the most successful liveacts from new trance paradise. Unfortunately Windows was not on Gabe's side and ignored him with a blue screen. The live act needed to continue without the desktop computer. Gabe added a dj set to his live making everyone jump and freak and fun.

Meanwhile it was very cold but at least it was warmer that on the fucking cold parties that I attended during my previous visits to Mexico. The sun finally came to delight us all and then Haldolium startet to play.

DJ Geza, originally from Mexico, is now living in San Francisco and came specially for this party

Energized by Full Moon

Slide projections to psychedelize our minds

Gabe from Brasil was doing a live act and dj set - full on!

I have to say, Haldolium is still one of the greatest trance live acts I know. They perform a lot of sounds live (like drums, synth, mixing), they play a killer set really moving the crowd and they produce very well. So what to say, Haldolium rocked the party!

A lot of people came in the meantime, I estimate the size of the party between 1200 and 1500 people. Not only under the rain cover but also all around people were dancing. Tents were beeing build, people strolling all over the meadows, nice smell around - the energy was great!

But it was not so everywhere during the party. Partypeople in Mexico tend not to respect party organisers to charge money for parties. At the door people were using a lot of pressure to get in for free or cheaper. Partly the door people couldn't hold them back. Other people rent a boat to land on a different spot of the island to get in for free. On other parties partypeople used knifes or broke doors to conquer the party. In the end the local organisers of this party made loss although the party looked in all aspects successful. This is not how it should be. Partypeople in Mexico should think about that bringing international artists and renting good sound systems and locations cost money. There are cheaper parties for those you have a more limited budget. Why does the scene fight the scene?

Haldolium ended with a big applause and it was my turn to continue. I was in a mood not imaginable to be better. I met loads of old friends, was at a wonderful party and could play my favorite music. And so I did.

Well I had a lot of fun and I guess also my audience. Actually I had so much fun that I got totally drunk starting to hold lectures between the tracks. Not very professional but very funny... in the beginning. The rest is hard to remember ;->

After me came DJ Vazikie and DJ Shove both from Mexico. They are both brilliant djs and sure more professional then me. I was not that much present so hard to say what exactly they played. Then the party ended happily for afternoon.