If you are a trance fan, then chances are you are familiar with the mysterious duo – Gaia. They evoke memories of a simpler time; a time when it was all about the music. No gimmicks like champagne and crowd-surfing. No manufactured, cookie cutter drops, and definitely no MC’s desperately imploring us to “MAKE SOME NOIIISE” or “RAIIISE OUR HANDS”. The festival crowds were different then too. More ‘freaks and geeks’ and less ‘bros and hos’. This was a time when Trance reigned supreme, and Gaia is a product of that glorious era.

One of the members of this mysterious duo is Armin van Buuren, the undisputed king of trance himself. But shhh… he would never really want you to know that. Gaia is Armin’s escape from the modern day EDM juggernaut. Shrouded in anonymity, he has no obligation to pander to the masses, no desire to provide instant gratification by way of ‘festival-ready anthems’, and no compulsion to engage in on-stage theatrics that his larger-than-life brand name might mandate. Gaia is who Armin van Buuren really is.

The atmosphere on the final day of UMF took a sinister turn when the hooded duo took the stage. The crowd was tense with anticipation. Who were these guys? Why weren’t they smiling and waving at us? The duo didn’t oblige. They were locked in, focused on the task at hand. Over the next hour and a half, they turned the clock back and took every unsuspecting festival patron on an enthralling and immersive journey, putting forth a performance for the ages. The tracks were mostly unfamiliar, but rest assured, that was by design. After all, this was just as much about your escape from reality, as it was about Armin’s.