Crush San Francisco with Andrew Rayel Event Review
This past Saturday was a very special day. Of course, it was Valentines Day, which for some is know as Singles Awareness Day. No matter how you look at it, the 14th of February is a time to get together and share your love for each other, friends, or whomever. This year Valentines Day fell on Saturday, which is even better. What made it extra special was the opportunity that Insomniac gave to San Francisco as the host of the 2nd inaugural Crush event, which was held in tandem with Crush Southern California as well as a week before Arizona’s Crush event. Seems like we have another Insomniac staple growing on us to join EDC and Beyond Wonderland. Headlining acts for San Francisco included Firebeatz, Tommy Trash, Sander van Doorn, and Andrew Rayel. The night was filled with love and the biggest baddest beats in the city. The crowd was energized from start to finish.
I’d like to highlight one particular set that by far was the best set of the night. It came from the youngster Rayel. At only 22 years old, Andrew Rayel is taking the EDM world by force. Some dub him as the young Armin, because not only does he bring it with the beats but his stage presence and ability to amp up a crowd are bar none. Known for his unique and very own sound, Rayel can be accredited for selling out the Bill Graham Events Center which has a capacity of a little over 6,000 people. Coming on a little before 11:30pm the crowd was already in party mode thanks to the always energetic and crazy Tommy Trash. It was definitely a different change in tempo with Rayel hitting the decks, but it complimented each others styles very nicely.
The hard thumping trance, which can also be classified as trouse – ie trance infused with house and vice versa – would dominate the at capacity Bill Graham for the next hour and a half. Everyone was on their feet and dancing in a chaotic storm of trance dance. Some notable tracks throughout the night from Rayel included the almost instant classic of a single, One in a Million, featuring John Mendeleson and remixed by the LA native Paris Blohm. Hardwell’s Dare you feat Matthew as remixed by Rayel as well as the single Followed by Darkness plus Dark Warrior were some other great hits thrown out by Rayel in his set. As Rayel said, he “believe[s] music is a universal language that unites people with nothing but love.. to make sure that my tracks are all about emotions and happiness. That’s what’s driving music, making the world a better place”. Well said. To check out more tracks by Rayel head over to his Beatport page HERE.
Ending the night with a bang was Sander van Doorn and he put on a great show. One thing was for certain, everyone shared their love of music at Crush SF.
