Resolution 2018 by USC Events was a night to be remembered, even if we didn’t celebrate on New Year’s Day this year.
WaMu Theater was once again transformed into a magical place for EDM fans to gather to celebrate the end of the year. The talent was diverse, the production was quality, and the vibes were great. It seems like the only thing we were missing at Resolution 2018 was an official countdown with the move of the event to December 29 due to the NFL game this year.
After going through a quickly moving line for general admission, it was time to start the night. We arrived inside slightly later than we expected, so we weren’t able to see local talent, legend Johnny Monsoon, like we had planned. Instead, the first stop was to visit the Clock Tower stage to experience mau5trap artist BlackGummy.
BlackGummy started off the night and was quite possibly the most impressive set I saw.
The kind of vibes that his set gave off were similar to when I saw deadmau5 perform live a few years ago, weaving progressive with hard-hitting beats. BlackGummy played his own productions, which are expertly crafted and mixed together, along with other tracks that worked well like the classic Cirez D track “On Off”.
The Clock Tower stage was home to most of the progressive, trance, and house music of the night and was located at the same spot the bass stage was at for FreakNight this year. Due to the smaller crowds that these genres bring to the Seattle scene, the previous problems of the acoustics we experienced due to the elongated hallway were less noticeable since we were able to be closer to the speakers.
Overall, the setup of Resolution 2018 allowed traffic to flow a lot better this year, but the hallway leading to the Clock Tower stage felt slightly neglected.
In addition, the separated bar area near the stage remained too far away, as it had been at previous events. It now had music playing, but it wasn’t the same music as the stage, meaning we couldn’t hear the set we came to see. It became a whole new area to experience rather than an extension of the stage, but that wasn’t necessarily a positive.
Not soon after, we moved to the main stage to experience the multi-talented, multi-genre artist K?D. If there was one set to introduce your friend to vast amount of sounds available in electronic music, this was one of the best artists to see at Resolution 2018. K?D’s transitions between genres were smooth and were surprisingly seamless, especially when he would move between dubstep and hardstyle. The only genre that didn’t get much love was trance, but the sounds of happy hardcore and industrial made up for it along with his kaleidoscope-like visuals.
The sound and production at the main stage were of similar quality to what we’ve come to expect from USC Events, which is to say it was a real treat to experience.
The curved LED stage design paired well with the circular light placements above and blasted the large room with a spectrum of light. Dancers, CO2 cannons, and the white and gold theme felt throughout the room were the finishing touches it needed to make it a festive New Year’s celebration party.
NERO performed a DJ set with only one of their members but that didn’t make it any less epic. This was the first time I had seen a performance by them since 2014, so it was great hearing some of the tracks off their second album, Between II Worlds. The essence between their first album tracks and their latest album still captures the feelings of original NERO productions, but ultimately it’s more about grooving with their current sound than intense dubstep drops. Their collaboration with ZHU called “Dreams” features a telephone sample that interrupts the pounding rhythmic beats and was my favorite song to hear from them on the massive sound system.
While we ultimately chose to see NERO perform, it was a difficult choice between them, GHASTLY, and Ilan Bluestone.
The set conflicts for Resolution 2018 were a bit of a damper, including having to choose between Feed Me and Ferry Corsten since they were some of the artists we wanted to see the most. The disappointing feeling we felt after seeing the set times released on the day of the event made the price of the event feel initially not worth it compared to what it cost to go to FreakNight.
Surprisingly, the sets we were able to catch were breathtakingly good, including Gorgon City and Destructo which made up for the other set conflicts. We also caught a few minutes of Feed Me at the Enchanted Forest stage, but the bass was too muddled for our taste so we didn’t stay long.
One activity that USC Events does generally hold every festival is a meet and greet booth with some of the artists throughout the night.
The lines are generally fast moving and it was fun to meet Destructo after his infectious house set. Of course, meeting Gary Richards, also known as Destructo, wouldn’t be complete without worshiping a pineapple. It would have been nice to have a kandi making station or other activities to pass the time if none of the artists seemed interesting enough during a given hour.
The Conscious Crew chill zone was expanded and was a nice area to walk through.
It seemed to be larger than before, but the popularity of the area seems to be growing faster than they can keep up. There were also virtually no lines at the free water stations, which helped keep people hydrated.
Because attendees were able to access water, medical attention, and stay cool, it seems the vibes of the night were better. Even in crowded areas we had people come up to us to wish us “Happy New Year!” There seemed to be a hint of hope that 2018 would bring a better tomorrow, and Seattle shared the love that night.
Finally, to close out the night, we made our way to witness the trance legend Ferry Corsten perform back at the Clock Tower stage.
“Drums A Weapon” and “Wherever You Are” from his album Blueprint were epic over the sound system, and the emotionally written messages across the screen during the set rivaled Above & Beyond’s. While I was sad to not see Ilan Bluestone perform the hour before, Ferry Corsten proved why he remains the best producer in Trance with his timeless sound.
We joined fellow Seattle Trance Family members to hug and celebrate the end of 2017. There was every reason to! The resurgence of great sounding trance is back and alive in our city and our scene.
