Let the festivities begin; this was the night we had both waited for. Ben would take us down the tech road again only to pull us all out with huge deep house tracks. Right when we thought we understood the journey he was taking us on he would flip it on us with tracks like the Lazy Dog remix of Earth or classic Dennis Ferrer. When we thought again that we had bearings he would tease us with “Sad Piano” and other Buzzin’ Fly samples mixed in with a healthy taste of Latin and jazz influenced beats. He just wouldn’t stop and the dance floor wasn’t willing to give an inch either. Before we knew it he was done and dusted and the half room left at 4:15 am still wanted one more. He obliged us and after a quick dig in the crates he came up with the most unexpected yet beautiful set ending track, a light re-rub he had done of Fleetwood Mac’s 1979 track “Brown Eyes”. A truly unmistakable finish from the maestro of all things deep and moody.
We spoke in the booth while he packed about how the two days had been. Ben seemed much more alive than last night. He was about to leave when a girl in her early 30’s was escorted into the booth with her mother. She was there to thank Ben and explain that her mother had flown in from San Francisco to see him with her as a tag team. She had been a huge fan of his for many years and now she had finally gotten to see him live. Are you kidding? It was nearly 5 am and this lady had been out for the whole night when most people her age were just waking up and reaching for a pillbox. Words will never describe the cemented feeling that came over the booth at that point, the feeling that music transcends age and that despite what life may throw at you, you just have to keep at it as Ben had done. That is the only way to live, 5 am or not.
Great photos!