AR Gang. Also known as Rooler & Sickmode. Ever heard of them? If you haven't, it makes me wonder how it is, living underneath a rock, or in a cave, or on a different planet. Because it is impossible to ignore the rise of these two superstar DJs and producers. A couple of months ago I found a liveset done by the boys, and yesterday on YouTube I noticed the release of their latest song, called 'Too Happy'. I heard t when it was fresh, and I was sitting in my living room with a huge boner, sweaty bollocks, sweaty arse crack, jizz in the pants, but happy and satisfied at the same time. That's what led me to the set you are about to check out. Their set at this year's Intents Festival, held in the Netherlands back at the end of May 2022. They rocked the mainstage, and now you can experience what the thousands of ravers experienced live!
I witnessed the first 'The Gang' set at Rebirth (via YouTube), and now this Intents set. And boy, it is intense. I am not a fan of just any regular artist, they have to bring something to the table. And in this case, it is happiness, and banging tunes. And a bit of banter, that's always an added bonus. At Rebirth you could tell they had fun (a few farts here and there, Ye West, and much more). You can tell when the artists are having fun, that's when you can see them smiling through the set, and enjoying themselves. I did exactly the same at home, dancing with the speakers on max volume.
They were asked to bring the Gang to the mainstage at Intents Festival 2022, and they literally brough the madness. The crowd lost their fucking minds when they brought their energetic set to life. They could have left the MC at home, he brought nothing to the table. Leave the fun and excitement to Rooler and Sickmode. They know what the crowd wants to hear.
This duo seems to be on top of everything, and discovered this 'new' and refreshing approach to Rawstyle/Hardstyle. More melodic, more drama, more happiness, more bass, and more of what the fans need to hear. And them as a duo seem to have cracked the formula, on how to make the perfect records for the harder styles fans.
This is certainly a duo who have earned their place on the mainstage, and anywhere else less big is just a disgrace! They are what the crowd needs to hear, but your question is obviously an important one: did they bring the fire to Intents Festival 2022? Which records were on their USB sticks?
Sickmode - Go Stupid
Sickmode - Hey X3 (Live Edit)
Rooler & Villain - Hammertime (The Gang Edit) w/ Rooler - Diskotek (The Gang Edit)
Hard Driver & Sickmode - NRG
Rooler & Expulze & Narfos - The Vibe
Sickmode - AUDIO DAMAGE (HEY X3 Live Edit)
Rooler & Sickmode - Gang (The Gang Edit)
Sickmode - Klaplongen (The Gang Edit)
Rooler - Move 2 Da Beat w/ Rooler & Sickmode - Let The Bass Kick
Gigi D'Agostino - L'Amour Toujours w/ Rooler & Sickmode - Too Cold
Rooler - Love U Baby (The Gang Edit)
Rooler - Yes! (The Gang Edit)
Smash Mouth - All Stars w/ Rooler & Sickmode - Find You (Walk Away)
Rooler & Sickmode - Too Happy
Rooler & Sickmode - Club Banger
Sickmode & Levenkhan & Rooler - LESGOOO!
Rooler & Sickmode - Too Hot (The Gang Edit) (Intents Edit)
The tracklist is gorgeous. A few tracks I've already heard, and a few new ones. The result is a 30 minute long set, with some sick tracks and some insane crowd responses. They loved the set, and for good reasons. Smiles for miles, happiness seen on everybody's faces. And of course the music being excellent.
The set looks amazing, and it looks packed to the max. I've never been to Intents, but it's certainly on my list. I couldn't rave during the day time: what's the point in the lights? You need to experience the darkness, and the lights need to penetrate your skull and if it hits your eyes, blind you for a second. But hey ho, that's cool though. If you don't fancy the darkness, that's cool.
Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun, and even Sickmode and Rooler are having fun behind the decks. Few fart sounds too, that's important. But also a sneak preview of their latest song, 'Too Happy', and that brings me to the only downside of The Gang and their songs/sets. It's all too short.
Take 'Too Happy' for example. The song is excellent, truly astonishingly good. But it's building up to a climax which only lasts for a few seconds. the last 30 seconds of the original song are just the bloody best, and I wished it would have lasted longer. They know how to build toward this climax, but when the climax is reached, it's too damn short. I wish we could have lengthier songs, would go amiss in a set. Don't get me wrong, it's only positive criticism. My criticism is that I want to hear more climactic moments, and they should last longer. I need more The Gang. And length is important!
All in all a wicked set, and I wish I could see The Gang live one day. They are currently my favourite duo in the world, and their latest song has got to be the best money can buy. If only it were longer. People have said it before: length is always important, and those that say it doesn't, are lying.
We need more happiness in our music, more The Gang, more Sickmode and Rooler. As part of a duo or on their own, that is really irrelevant: as they know how to make excellent music, it doesn't matter what they do. But we need more.
Am I showing signs of being an addict? I need a 'The Gang' fix more and more often. A brilliant set, and 'Too Happy' made this set better. And the 'Too Hot' record, especially when the madness is taken to the next level (see around 31:18 minutes in the video, the girl looses her mind, and rightly so!)
EA Sports, it's in the game!
Act: The Gang (a.k.a. Rooler & Sickmode)
Genre/Style: Hardstyle, Rawstyle
Liveset Info: Recorded @ Intents Festival 2022
Length Liveset: 00:31:52
Tracks: 17 (seventeen)
Download/Listen (via YouTube): CLICK HERE
File Size: unknown
File Type: unknown
Audio: Stereo
Sample Rate: unknown
Release Year: 2022
More Information: Intents Festival - YouTube Channel