[Event] Fear and Loathing in Space City - A Noble Quest to Galaxy Station presents: Mission Control

Chapter 1 - In the Beginning

Hi! My name is Brando, and I make cool things awesome!

I like to do various things with computers, and I love Trance Music. Currently I live in a town called Bon Temps in the beautiful southern state of Louisiana, just down I-20 from Shreveport. Unfortunately for me, Louisiana doesn’t have Trance, and that has been the source of much sadness in my life.

To remedy that emptiness, I found my refuge in Cyberspace. YouTube and Twitch were places where Trance was thriving, and I was able to meet wonderful humans from everywhere around the world. I have made so many real friends that I’ve never even met IRL. It’s so great. I could travel the globe and never have to get a hotel room since I know enough good people whose couches I could sleep on. The internet is simply miraculous. What a time to be alive!

So… I did the online DJ thing a bit, and I also made what I like to call Trance Movies. Those are DJ sets with dope visuals added to each song to create a full AudioVisual Experience. I just love it when you go to a rave or festival. They have ethereal music paired with the coolest fucking visuals you ever saw in your life. Experiencing music with all your senses is the way, so I did my best to recreate that feeling that I could enjoy from the comfort of my own home. I have shared them with several friends who are either broke like me or physically disabled, both groups living with the FOMO I know all too well.

Fortunately, my adventures through electricity have granted me countless opportunities I could have only dreamt of 25 years ago when I got my first pair of turntables. I’ve DJed in bars, nightclubs, and many other different types of venues. I got to work for several trance groups such as Music First, Trance Addicts, and Church of Trance. Even Subculture, Tranceform, and Suanda have relied on my creativity. I have also been fortunate to be on the team that puts on events across the pond in the UK, called Anomaly. Though I haven’t been there IRL, one day I’ll get over there to play a set for the Anomaly Summer of Love Festival. It’s going to happen. And while all of those were epic, I’ve also made logos for amateur DJs and events. It’s been a fun journey.

Chapter 2 - Origin Stories

In the last year I hooked up with this dude in Houston named Art Martinez. He runs the VOXHTX crew over there, and they dabble in all the genres of electronic music. They even had Superstar DJ Keoki come in for a show not too long ago. That dude created the first “techno” CD I ever bought. He’s a pioneer! While I no longer have my vinyl collection, there were a couple records I never got rid of. So, I ran to my closet to snag the limited edition white pressing of his Jealousy EP. It had 2 records and some cool 12” photos. I was able to get him to sign the main record for me, he kept the other one, and then he signed the pictures for a few of my friends. It was really amazing. Art is such a legend for getting that done for me.

Not too long after that, Art told me about a Trance show coming to Houston. He knew that’s my favorite genre, so it would be a prime opportunity for me to finally make that 5-hour drive. The lineup was to be completely insane! I’ve wanted to see BT and Markus Schulz for at least 25 years. And with Nifra, Billy Gillies, Sarah de Warren, Jerome Isma-Ae, Ilan Bluestone, Shay Castro, and some local talent, are you fucking kidding me? Most of these artists almost never play on this side of the planet. I told Art I’d get a VIP ticket ASAFP. Three of the DJs playing produced songs I used for my RAVE@HOME project, so it was crucial I meet them and have them sign their book pages.

About a month before the show I found out my company may be closing at the end of the year, and I could lose my job. I called Art to let him know I just couldn’t afford the ticket right now. With job uncertainty money is uber tight. Well, he wasn’t having that. He told me to do whatever it takes to get my ass to Space City on December 7^th. He’d make sure I got in to the event. There’s just no way he’d let me miss this.

Also, I applied to be a volunteer on the Galaxy Station web site. With my decades of experience running events as well as doing marketing/advertising, I knew I could be an asset to the team. I even offered to pick up trash if that’s what they needed. Earth is my favorite planet. If picking shit up while I’m having the time of my life gets me a free ticket, I’m so fucking there.

As we got closer to the event, a dude named Andrew Winters reached out. He was the main promoter, and Art called him for me. They wanted to know if I could make visuals for the 2 stages. “Of course I can make you visuals.” I said. “That’s my thing! Please send me all the logos and everything else I need, and I’ll make it happen.” He was so thankful that he saved me a VIP ticket for the show. HOLY COW! I’m going to a trance (sort of) festival in Houston! I’ve really been needing this for a very long time. Let’s geaux!

Galaxy Station presents: Mission Control Flyer

Chapter 3 - The Journey Begins

I’m preparing everything for my trip on Friday, December 6th, 2024. Everything is coming together. I get a call from my internet friend, Nhat Nguyen, who is a Houston-based DJ and photographer when he’s not running NASA for his day job. Well Nhat is volunteering his photography skills, and he wanted to know if I would mix a B2B set with him from 4-6. Andrew and Art wanted to reward Nhat and I for our contributions. “Are you for real? Oh my Zeus! Yes I’ll play a B2B with you!” I said so fast he couldn’t understand me. This is the coolest thing in the world!

I have had a flash drive in my pocket at every single DJ thing I ever attended because you never know. I chose to always be ready in case an opportunity for me to DJ came up. When I was 19, I got to spin 2 records at The Mansion because a DJ was late. That was the first time I ever played anything live. Since then I’ve had the lucky breaks to jump behind the decks at bars, clubs, and parties. With all that in mind, I had my DJ flash drive prepared for multiple situations while I’d be in Houston, so I was already ready to go. Hell yes I’ll play a set on the main stage, the same one my heroes will be playing on. So much yes!

Galaxy Station presents: Mission Control Set Times

On Saturday, December 7th, 2024, I drove into Houston grinning ear to ear. I went straight to Nhat’s house so we could pre-game, strategize, and drive to the rave together. He was also letting Andrew use his CDJ3000’s, so I was very excited to finally get to play on them. I haven’t touched a CDJ since my CDJ400’s and the CDJ1000s and DVJ1000s that were in the booth at the old Phoenix Underground in Shreveport. I never got to play on 2000s, and I’ve been foaming at the mouth to experience the badassery of the 3000s.

Brando Trancelot photo taken by Nhat Nguyen of NN2M Photography

We get to the event at 3pm. Our set begins and the doors open at 4. We have one hour to set up the decks and be ready to rock. No problemo. That’s plenty of time! Surely it’ll be a simple thing with no issue, and we’ll get to begin. Hahaha that’s what I thought, but as Trance Jesus always says, “If you want to make Dad laugh, tell him your plans.” I should have known better. I’ve put on events. Things happen. You have to be prepared for anything, and boy was this one of those times.

128GB MOVESPEED Flash Drive with USB-A and USB-C

Chapter 4 - Don't Panic

There are two phrases I like to use when talking about DJing or life in general. Both of them come from literature and are super important words to live by. The first is from Douglas Adams. His book The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is one of my all-time favorites. I quote it every day.

“I like the cover," he said. "Don't Panic. It's the first helpful or intelligible thing anybody's said to me all day.”

Don’t Panic. It’s simple and yet something I have to remind myself of often. When shit hits the fan, don’t panic. Breathe. You have to think you’re way out of any situation, and you can’t do that if you’re freaking out.

The Back of my rave book where it says, "Don't Panic."

Then there's the ever pertinent phrase, “Just keep swimming. Just keep ~~SWIMMING~~ SPINNING!” Dory knows what's up. You should listen to her wisdom.

“Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming!” - Dory Fish

Dory was a smart fish. In Finding Nemo she sang, “Just keep swimming.” Whenever she swam near danger such as a shark hangout. It fits along side “Don’t Panic” well, so I use them both. Whenever you’re DJing and you make a mistake, you can’t just stop. The party must go on! Just keep swimming. Just keep spinning!

These two life lessons had my back when Nhat and I got to 8^th Wonder Brewery, the venue for Mission Control by Galaxy Station. I could never have imagined what following awesomeness would transpire as I parked my car across the street from my next mission, but I was certainly ready for it. All my life experiences had brought me to this point. It was time to shine.

CDJ3000s connected to a DJM900 Nexus

It’s 4pm on Saturday. Nhat and I walk in with our gear. As we get to the gate, we’re greeted by a friendly sheriff’s deputy who was managing the back entrance for the evening. Since I don’t remember her name, we’ll lovingly call her Deputy Diamond for this blog post. She was really cool and deserves a worthy moniker.

Close by the back entrance was a dude named Christopher Helm who is affectionately known as Bullett. He’s the guy responsible for Dragon's Breath Fog Juice, a Texas based atmospheric company. They create stunning atmospherics for concert stage, theatrics, Halloween, festivals, and stuff like that. He was also one of the people putting on this show, so he let Deputy Diamond know that Nhat and I were Event Staff. That was pretty cool. I much prefer to work and event than to just be a regular customer. As we went in Bullett introduced me to every person involved, so it was unbelievably epic to be part of the team from the very beginning. The entire night people knew who I was, and that made me feel good.

Brando and Bullett

So, we’re on the main stage setting up the CDJs. Steven Lawrence aka TR3N brought is incredibly dope white Pioneer setup. His two CDJ3000s and DJM900 Nexus are the white edition, just breathtaking. Nhat brough his two black CDJ3000s so the main stage would have 4 decks. We began plugging everything in so we could begin our set at 4. “How do you get them all to talk to each other?” I asked Nhat. “Oh, you have to run network cables to link them all together.” He said as I opened my spare backpack that has every type of cable you could possibly need.

We hooked the 4 decks and 1 mixer to my NetGear Nighthawk router link switch thing, and I plugged in my flash drive. It was time to be awesome, but this warning popped up that I had never seen before. Apparently the black CDJs and the white CDJs each had a different firmware version. The only way for them to talk to each other was to update them all to the latest release. It’s like 3:30 or 3:45, and we are panicking. I pulled out my rave book and handed it to Nhat. He read the back cover, “Don’t Panic,” and looked at me wide eyed. I told him, “We got this.”

As he pulled out and booted up his laptop, I turned on my phone to be a wireless hotspot. Since Pioneer can be temperamental, we needed a FAT32-formatted flash drive to do the update. I grabbed one of the umpteen flash drives from my backpack and handed it to Nhat. He was already scrolling the Pioneer DJ website to download the latest firmware. It was 4 o’clock, time to begin our set. He hadn’t even updated the first CDJ.

The CDJ3000 I played most my set on

The far-right deck had my flash drive in it. I picked a song to start with, cued it up, and hit play. Nhat stuck the firmware flash drive into the far left deck to begin that process. I told Art and Steven that the booth monitors were in a weird spot, and I didn’t think they were connected properly. Those two jumped into action, moving each speaker to the optimal location. Then they spent the next little while fixing the wiring and levels so it was just right. My song was coming to an end, and I only had the one CDJ working at that moment. What do I do?

Nhat Nguyen of NN2M Photography and VOX Events

I slowly faded out the volume of the track, picked another one quickly, and hit play. Nhat was deep into update mode, so we didn’t really get to do the B2B. I played almost the entire hour on one CDJ. Towards the end of our scheduled set, everything was finally working and ready to go. My last three tracks were mixed flawlessly, and I was able to get some great pictures of me and some of Nhat before it was time for the original first DJ to start his set, That_1, the DJ handle of Art Martinez.

Art Martinez aka That_1 of VOX Events

Chapter 5 - Fun Mode Activated

I unplugged my headphones, put my stuff in my backpack, and I rushed to the front of the stage so I could check out Art’s set. I wanted to get a good look at the stage setup to be sure we didn’t need to do anything else before it really picked up. I walked around and looked at each stage from every angle. People are dancing, and it was time for me to go into fun-mode. I had completed my required work and could just enjoy everything from that point on.

I grabbed my rave book and some pens and walked into the main bar area. There was a side room that was being used as the Green Room, so I took my book there so it could get signed by the DJs. I set it up with the pens and a polite note asking people to sign it. It’s a part of the RAVE@HOME thing I made, and I added several blank pages at the beginning and end so I could get it signed like a yearbook. It’s very special to me.

8th Wonder's Cannabis-Infused Wonder Water

Now that that was done, I needed a drink. I was so tired from running around that my mouth was beginning to dry. I asked a friendly employee for a water so I could rehydrate. While I usually go for bottled water, she gave me their brand that comes in a can, Wonder Water. It had a lime taste and was sparkling. Since I don’t drink alcohol, I figured I’d just drink these waters all night. I had my backup Dr. Pepper in the car, so I was set.

There was a guy named Zach Shireman who runs the group Unhinged HTX. He also helped run this event, and I crossed paths with him many times. They started out as a promo team but quickly began to throw their own shows. I have talked with Zach about helping his team as well. There’s just so many cool ravers in Houston. I want to party with them all! He’s got this really dope event for New Year’s, but I’ll be back in Shreveport playing two gigs that night. Hopefully I’ll see him again for Valentine’s Day, which is the next VOS show featuring AK1200, D:Fuse, Kelly Reverb, and Thee Filth. If I’m a good boy this Christmas, Art said I might be able to play a set that night. Cross your fingers!!!

Andrew Winters of Galaxy Station and Zach Shireman of UnhingedHTX

Another wonderful human I met was Art’s partner, Keely. She was so nice and welcoming. I had been dancing around the property for 2 or 3 hours when she tackled me from the side with the biggest hug ever. She was giggling because Sarah de Warren had just signed my rave book. Apparently, she asked if it was okay to use foul language, and Keely told Sarah not to worry. “Brando is totally fine with you swearing in his book.” She told her. It was hilarious. I turned the pages to find her note and saw, “Bad Bitch Brando, we love you!” signed by Sarah de Warren, and I laughed my ass off. I’m good with that title haha.

Sarah de Warren's Bad Bitch Brando message

I had moved around, finding multiple spots that were great to chill. I had one in particular that allowed me to see both stages at the same time. Hearing both at once was kinda like when I’m cueing up a track in my headphones. My system really allowed me to experience every single DJ’s sets, the people of the party enjoying it, as well as the various dogs I met walking around. It was such a perfect venue for this. It was just the right size so I didn’t die from exhaustion every time I moved spots.

BT began his set at 9. Of all the DJs performing, he was the one I was most excited for. Dreaming was the first record I ever bought, and I’ve been playing his music ever since. I used 3 of his tracks in RAVE@HOME, so it was essential I get him to sign one of his pages. I got to hear him drop so many of his all-time classics. It was everything I expected, and more. I danced and sang and recorded one short video that didn’t pull me away for too long. I wasn’t missing a second!

Towards the end of his set I went behind the stage so I could greet him, and of course, there were like 100 people waiting, so I took my time and enjoyed Ilan throwing down. After a few songs had gone by, BT and his people were walking away. “Brian!” I called out. I walked up to him and extended my right hand to shake. “Thank you for everything. I’ve been loving your music for decades! Would you be willing to sign my rave book? I also wanted to give you this rave keychain I made. It contains all the audio and video files from RAVE@HOME. Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for the emotions.” He gave me a hug and thanked me. My primary objective was complete.

BT at Galaxy Station presents: Mission Control

As I made my way to the other side of the stage, Nhat introduced me to his sister Vy. She was assisting him with taking photos, and she loves vocal trance, and instantly became friends. I noticed she was so close to the speakers, so I grabbed my extra set of ear filters for her. Too many people don’t realize how important it is that you wear protection at music events. Please go buy some Eargasm or Decibelz or Hearos. They make the music quieter without dulling the sound like foam earplugs do. You need to protect your hearing!!!

Nhat and his sister Vy

On the second stage a bit later, I joined Art and Keely by the DJ Booth as Sarah de Warren was teaching a Master Class on Awesomeness. The crowd was going nuts, and so was I! There were all these dancers with cool blinky lights and things. The venue had some really nice lighting, but it was too bright for what we were doing. I bumped into (I think it was) Bullett from Dragon’s Breath and asked him if he thought we could get them to turn off those lights. Everything was too cool to have light pollution getting in the way. *Lights Off* Good job, Chris! That’s much better!

Back over on the main stage, Nifra was killing it. I rushed back over to feel the earthquaking bass being delivered my way. I’ve always wanted to see her throw down live, and she did not disappoint. Whoa. It was so good. I recognized a few tracks and was completely taken aback by the unknown beats she mixed in. It’s like she reached into my soul. I had to give her one of my spaceman tokens. I didn’t have enough money to buy that many rave keychains, but I came with several extra spacemen. I palmed it to her as she walked off the stage and said, “Thank you so much. You are amazing. Please take this spaceman token I give to people I love.”

During my time in Houston, I came across a couple who were both wearing astronaut costumes. They looked so cool together, so I had to give them one of my spacemen tokens too. They needed one. I only wish I had purchased more to give away!

Astronaut to whom I gave a Spaceman token

As I was walking through the crowd, I spotted this guy wearing a cool Star Wars backpack with LED lights. It had the design from the first movie’s poster, and I recognized it instantly because I just helped someone move, and they let me keep an old canvas print of that Star Wars movie poster. I had it in my trunk, and I thought it would be cool to give it to this stranger. I said hello and asked him not to leave that area for a bit, ran out to my car to get the canvas, and then brought it back to him. He was so thankful he actually asked me to sign the back of it for memory’s sake. I did and then hung out with him and his partner a little while before moving on. His name was Ross, and I sure hope he comes to the next one.

Billy Gillies was supposed to be next, but he unfortunately had flight trouble and never got out of Ireland. I was so bummed he wouldn’t be playing or signing my book, but it’s okay. Life happens. Shay de Castro also had problems that kept her from performing. I think she might have been sick. I felt bad for her, but I’m glad she was able to rest and recuperate. All of the other DJs shuffled around to fill in the gaps, so the party was legendary none the less.

VIP Lanyard

Markus Schulz came on the main stage next. That man is a master of Trance. Between his productions as well as his Coldharbour label and mixshow and team, there’s always magic coming out from them. He’s one of those DJs everyone should see once in their life, and I got to see him play an extended set. It was incredible hearing classics I recognized, new gems he’s put out in recent history, and he even dropped his Linkin Park tribute for Chester!

Andrew and Markus

Chapter 6 - The Road Home

The show was over, and everything was magical. Now it was time to break down the stage and go to the next party! I met with Nhat and Art as we unplugged everything. “Where are you going next?” I asked. Nhat told me, “I’m going home to go to sleep. I don’t have the energy for Afters tonight. I looked at Art who said, “Sorry, Brando. Keely and I have to wake up early with the kids. We’re not going to go out either.”

Brando Trancelot playing the main stage

It's 3am, and I was hoping to continue the rave. Unfortunately, my Houston peeps weren’t feeling it. Instead of rolling solo, I decided I would move on to the next stage of my quest. I planned on driving up by Austin to finally meet my internet friend Eric. We met on Twitch during the pandemic and have been friends ever since. He DJs as Music4DaMasses, and I wanted us to do a B2B stream. Originally I was going to drive in Sunday morning, but I went straight from the show. Fortunately, Eric was awake when I got there at 6am. We hugged and talked for about an hour. “I need a shower and a disco nap.” I told him. We could stream after I woke up.

“Holy fuck!” I screamed out loud as I woke from the deepest sleep I’ve ever had. It was like 4:30pm. I didn’t intend on sleeping this late. I look up and see Eric laughing at me. “You talk in your sleep,” he told me. “Oh yeah!” I replied. “Sorry about that. It’s a thing I’ve always done.” After he stopped chuckling at my weirdness, he told me I let out several “Oh fuck!”s followed by a drawn-out, “Fuuuuuudggge.” He and his partner found it comical. I felt bad about it, but shit happens.

Brando aka Trancelot and Eric aka Music4daMasses

I brushed my teeth and came back into the living room. Eric told me that some work stuff came up, and I told him how my entire body hurt. We’d have to do the stream next time. I was ready to go home. Even though we only got a short time to visit, it was totally worth the detour. I paired up with a few random drivers on the way home who liked to fudge on the speed limit, so I made excellent time driving back to Louisiana.

I got to the state line about 9 I think. I knew my wife would be asleep, and I was off the next day. I decided to drop by my friend Rici Loc’s house. He’s also a DJ, so I wanted to share my adventure with him. He’s an OG raver from back in the day. We plan on taking several trips to Dallas, Houston, and NOLA in 2025 to get our rave on. You should totally meet up with us. We also upgraded my Ableton so we can make music. Apparently that’s the only way to get a gig DJing Luminosity or Dreamstate. I’d like to play those stages.

BT Signed my Rave Book!!

Home. Midnight. It was a trip I’ll never forget. I made new friends and met some of my heroes. It inspired me to really get back into DJing and putting on events. It showed me what I’ve been missing, and I won’t do that any longer. I am trance. I need it. Nietzsche said, “Without music, life would be a mistake,” and he’s so right. I’m going to do everything I can to play as many gigs as possible in 2025. Jason and Art showed me that Trance isn’t dead, and it can be successful on this side of the planet.