“Traveling somewhere. Could be anywhere. There’s a coldness in the air, but I don’t care. We drift deeper into the sound and life goes on. We drift deeper into the sound, feeling strong… so bring it on.” – Motorcycle, “As the Rush Comes.”
It’s Friday night, July 21st, 2023. Thousands of smiling faces are pouring into the grounds of the incomparable Gorge Amphitheater in Washington State. We are all welcomed “home” by a sign that hangs above the walkway leading into the festival grounds. This is the Above & Beyond Group Therapy Weekender. The sounds of some of the most iconic trance and progressive house songs of the last 20-plus years fill the air. On the Meadow stage stand three friends: Josh Gabriel and Dave Dresden of Gabriel & Dresden, and Tony McGuiness of Above & Beyond.
Club Quarantine Is Going On Tour, Techno Style: Watch For Tickets Here
This is more than a celebration of music. It’s a celebration of LIFE! For many in attendance, the Weekender represents an almost unspeakable joy, a reconnection with friends and family, and a chance to be themselves. For Josh Gabriel, this is the first time in over a year that he has taken to the stage with his musical partner and friend of more than two decades, Dave Dresden since a heart attack caused Josh to step away entirely from live performances and focus on healing. Tony of Above & Beyond wanted to share the stage with his friends and take us on a beautiful journey.
I had the chance to catch up with Josh on Saturday and Dave on Sunday to discuss separately what they have been through this past year and their excitement for the future.
The scene on Saturday evening was absolute awe as Andrew Bayer welcomed Josh, Dave, and Brittany (Subteal) to the stage. The crowd could feel the immense love and appreciation these four incredible artists share for each other as they all danced and sang along on stage to “Other Eye.”
“Open your other eye; there’s so much left to heal. Now is the right time to live how you feel.”
It’s an absolute carpe diem anthem. As I delved into my discussion with Dave, I learned about the amount of work that went into creating this masterpiece. It had been an ongoing discussion with Andrew Bayer, but it was all about finding the right song. Dave explained how Josh and Brittany would be at home focusing on Josh’s recovery, writing and recording sketches, and sending things back and forth to him and Andrew until everyone felt like the whole song was falling into place. I think listeners will agree that this collaboration is well worth the wait.
‘Other Eye’ Is Out Now Via Anjunabeats: Support It Here
The road to where we all get to enjoy this release was long and filled with a lot of doubt. Dave, in particular, felt this uncertainty of where Gabriel & Dresden’s place is in the current dance music culture. This stems from the fact that their most popular releases of the last five years have been remixes of Gabriel & Dresden songs done by other artists. That led them to discuss throwing out the rule book concerning the constraints of genres and the need to satisfy streaming algorithms. We expect to hear higher tempos and more experimentation as they focus on their new music.
Nobody’s afraid of 138! Or 108 for that matter!
In addition to the creation of new music, one of the things that has occupied a large amount of time for Dave for over 3 years is Twitch streaming. He’s currently on a short hiatus and enjoying the summertime, but follow at www.Twitch.tv/gabrielanddresden and interact with the incredible community. Shout out to all the wonderful souls who make up the excellent Pinecone Gang at Club Quarantine!
“My main goal was for [josh] to survive, i had no expectations for josh working on music or doing anything. I didn’t even want him thinking about music, I wanted him focusing on his recovery because he had a lot of things to take care of… That weekend I played a show at Edmonton and it had a stage that had Mat Zo, Olen, and Andrew Bayer and myself on the lineup and we were all hanging out in the back and I said you know what would be funny and awesome if we just formed a super group? Minds would be blown… Andrew called me on that Monday and said ‘Hey, about that music thing you mentioned, we should make music together. I want to make it happen.’ I told him, ‘I have something to tell you that nobody else knows but Josh had a heart attack the other day and I don’t know what the future holds for us…” Dave Dresden
I truly appreciate Josh and Dave’s time to sit down with me. While the guys have no plan for a new album, we can all be excited as we look back on more than 20 years of Gabriel & Dresden and the new music in the works. The future is a bright one, indeed.
Special thanks to Anjunabeats, Live Nation, and the excellent staff at the Gorge for making us all feel as safe as possible during the Weekender. Our thoughts are with the friends and families of Brandy Escamilla and Josilyn Ruiz, whose lives were tragically taken during another festival at the Gorge earlier this year.
Nick Wax is a producer, singer/songwriter based in Seattle, WA. He has more than 2 decades networking in the music business. He’s passionate about connecting people through their shared love of electronic music. Most people know him as the guy who makes that one mashup they like. When he’s not nerding out in the studio, you can usually catch him hanging out with his wife and cats.
