The year is 2002, and I'm in the Amsterdam Arena, alongside thousands of others, dressed in white, celebrating this event called Sensation. And I wasn't on my own, I went with a few colleagues from work, who were into Trance, and they told me about this event, and how awesome it was. I obviously had to go, as the price of the tickets were reasonable (€55). But as we were from the most Southern part of Limburg, we had a long journey ahead of us, on a train. But once we got there, we were all OK. Well, nearly, as I purchased a ticket through someone online, and didn't know if the ticket would actually work. I saw people in front of me being rejected due to them having a fake ticket. Shitting myself, I made my way to the entrance, but mine was valid, and I was blessed to walk into this holy arena.
It was a very memorable night. The venue itself looked amazing, and they tried to make it look like you entered a church. A very big church, to be fair. And you had thousands of people dressed in white, which made it even more special. But thousands of people in white don't do anything without an act performing on a stage. And that's where the magic happened.
The line up was a short one, which was good for us. Not too many DJs. DJs could actually play a long time (which seems a bit weird in the current climate). So the line-up was as follows: Armin van Buuren, Erick E, Jean, Johan Gielen, and Marcello. And somewhere in between you had the ''megamix'' section, where there would be no-one on stage, but only a megamix playing through the speakers. That megamix is still one of my most favourite mixes of all time, and that concept was used in many Sensations after the 2002 edition (including the Black Editions).
I don't remember the whole night, only bits of it. The reason? Well, I spent a lot of it on alcoholic beverages, and merchandise (but that didn't get me drunk to be fair). At least €150 has gone down my neck, and I don't know how I survived. But I do remember the acts. Armin's opening was hugely disappointing, Marcello was dope, and so was Erick E, and Johan Gielen was cool too. But what about DJ Jean? Well... that's a whole different story.
Here's the list of all the songs by Jean. This was live broadcasted on Dutch radio, so you might hear some bits and bobs from the radio during the recording.
Moloko - Indigo (Robbie Riviera Tribal Mix) w/ Darude - Feel The Beat
ID - ID
Reeloop - Fuckin' Society (Remix)
Versus - Renewed Energy
Rui Da Silva - Touch Me (Remix)
Shaved - My House
Nebula - Orbital Park (DJ Gollum vs DJ Yanny Remix)
Arome - Hands Up (DJ Scot Project Remix)
Sioux - Pho (Cosmic Gate Remix)
Reeloop - Fuckin' Society (Acapella)
Echoman - Substance w/ DJs Of The Planet - Superdrum
Monza - Turn To Dust (So Get Up)
DJ Rob Fabrie - Make Some Noise
Marco V - Simulated (Marco Vision Remix)
Question Mark - The Birds
Nylon - If You Love Me (Remix)
Acer - The Mixmaster
Marco V - Certainly
Tranquillity Base - Razorfish (Above & Beyond Progressive Mix)
Fascination - Club Night In London
Dirt Devils - The Drill
Mauro Picotto - Ultimahora Ibiza
MBG meets Dr Feel-X - Take A Walk On The House Side
ID - ID
ID - I Dance You
DJ Albert vs Precision - Say Yes (Katana Remix)
Dave 202 & Phil Green - At The End
There are some amazing records in this set. Truly amazing anthems from back in the good ol' days. If you were around in 2002, you would hear most of these songs everywhere, and I still find them extremely dope. Not dated, not old sounding, just dope anthems that have stood the test of time.
During the late 90s I became a fan of DJ Jean, and always wanted to hear him perform. I bought many CDs, especially his IT CDs, as they were a tad different (just look them up on Discogs, and look at the covers). The music was great too. But his Sensation set, that was far less adventurous and I know for a fact that after the first few tunes we all decided to leave our spot at the front and go to the bar or toilet. Jean's set did not impress, unfortunately, and that was disappointing, to say the least.
There are some great songs in here, but the mixing of it all was a tad meh. It was boring. Nothing special. And it could have had potential to be such a great set. And it even had one of my favourite anthems of all time, which is 'The Drill' by Dirt Devils. But it wasn't. It was a forgettable set. I genuinely hoped it would be the best set of the night, but that had to be given to Erick E and Marcello.
You can listen to it, and experience what I experienced in 2002. There are other sets online too. Don't start with Armin's, as the first song is so horrendous, it makes you want to throw your listening device in the bin. As good as the songs are, the mix is bland, and that wasn't what I would expect from Jean, with the legacy he created during the 90s.
All in all, the night would still become memorable. But not this set. Well, maybe in a way it did, but in a not so good way.
I do miss the good ol' days though. The tunes were much better.
DJ: Jean
Genre/Style: House, Trance, Hard Trance, Techno
Liveset Info: Recorded @ Sensation White 06-07-2002
Length Liveset: 01:27:30
Tracks: 27 (twenty-seven)
Download/Listen (via Soundcloud): STREAM HERE
File Size: unknown
File Type: unknown
Audio: Stereo
Sample Rate: unknown
Release Year: 2002
More Information: ------