Whenever I return to Buenos Aires, things are special. Yet this time around, the stakes were elevated even further, as I intentionally planned my trip to see the legendary trio (and favourite act in the world) Above & Beyond play a mammoth three-hour extended set for the notoriously passionate Argentinian crowd.
It promised to be a landmark moment in the calendar, and after a week of trying to properly process what went down, I am pleased to report that the boys stole the show once again.
The date was set for Saturday, June 6, at Mandarine Tent. True to the local nightlife culture, this was originally billed as your typical midnight-till-six journey, but nature had other ideas. With a heavy thunderstorm warning looming over the city, the promoters decided to move event six hours earlier. Of course there were a few grumbles online initially, but frankly, to me, it turned out lovely.
Warming Up The Dancefloor
The musical journey was expertly curated across three distinct acts, starting with the immense talent of Paula OS. Stepping up to open the dancefloor, she delivered a masterclass in deep, hypnotic progressive house. It was the quintessential warm-up to the warm-up, setting a sophisticated tone for the venue as the crowd began to swell. It was a spectacular performance—absolute hats off to her.
Then came Anunnakis, and they brought the absolute thunder. They treated us to a wild set composed entirely of unreleased IDs that caught me completely off guard in the best way possible. I was honestly in the mood for something a bit harder to carry us into A&B, and they delivered with full force: a hybrid of driving, aggressive progressive house—reminiscent of the Ezequiel Arias sound—infused with fierce minimalist beats and the dark, punchy aesthetics of melodic techno. Now, coming from someone who generally isn’t a fan of melodic techno at all, this hybrid was incredible.
By the time they cleared the decks, the sheer energy of the day had left me a bit spent, and Tony McGuinness and Jono Grant hadn’t even taken the booth yet. But the moment the first notes of Above & Beyond echoed through Mandarine Tent, the spark ignited.
Above & Beyond
We were gifted a majestic three-hour journey featuring the very best of the Anjuna catalogue. The timing was spot on for the two lads to lean heavily into the freshly minted Anjunabeats Volume 17 compilation, which had dropped literally the day before. The tracklist was a beautiful balance of massive new IDs, immediate compilation favorites—like the new Justine Suissa collaboration ‘When I Look In Your Eyes’—and timeless classics. When ‘Black Room Boy’ rang out, the entire arena sang their lungs out.
The set also championed their latest studio album, Bigger Than All Of Us, showcasing brilliant vocals to ‘Letting Go’, ‘Sailing Off The End Of The World’, ‘Quicksand’, and the euphoric ‘When You Believe’.
It was a front-to-back incredible party, made all the more profound by the people sharing it. Being surrounded by your ones—the people who once were your future best friends and are now, undoubtedly, current best friends—is one of the finest sensations on Earth. It perfectly illustrated the core message behind the album’s title track, “Bigger Than All Of Us”. It goes to show how the music, the label, and the community surrounding Anjuna create a singular, borderline-living organism that far exceeds the size of any one individual. We really are a ripple in the fabric that weaves our lives together.
Buenos Aires, you have my heart. I will definitely be coming back whenever I can—even more so if Above & Beyond are on the billing.
