Venue: Nike Pavillion - Atlanta, GA
Presented by: Liquid Groove

We arrived at the much-anticipated Liquified Planet party early. Is it just me, or is it crazy how early people in Atlanta are starting to go out to parties? Well, when we arrived around 10pm, there was already a pretty respectable line forming that wrapped around the right side of the Nike Pavilion. The people in line were friendly, and there was an excited buzz in the air. Everyone was eager to see Dubtribe and John Digweed, and there were no complaints heard about the new membership policy, although Liquid Groove announced the plan to some protests a few weeks prior to the event.

We did encounter a freak in line...a man who was having a ball sharing his view — with the crowd: "This is the preparation for the march of Armageddon!"

Uh, yeah.

Once the doors opened (count 'em — two!), the crowd quickly filed inside. The door staff announced that you had to have a membership card or be on the guest list to get in, and there were no sounds of frustration. Liquid Groove did a great job informing people about the new policy.

The anxious partiers were greeted inside by a lush landscape in the main room. The stage in front was covered with tropical greenery, and a huge disco ball hung low over the turntables. Dubtribe's instruments and banner were in plain sight, creating even more anticipation.

Pawn Lasers brought out some of the best and brightest lasers I've ever seen for the evening. Incredible 3D effects, from a rotating car to a launching space shuttle, were projected onto a nearly invisible thin mesh. Many people were mesmerized by the lasers at various points through the night, sometimes completely turning their backs to the dj booth to watch the amazing visual effects.

Cosmic Jason, Sunshine and Moonbeam were slated to start off the evening, and groovy, house-y beats set the tone as people filtered in.

We set off to the parking deck to check out the second room of music, and we were pleasantly surprised to learn that the previous bone-crushing bottleneck at the top of the stairs had been replaced with an open set of doors that led outside. This gave everyone a chance to get a breath of fresh air — and it relieved my previous fears of complications in exiting if there ever was an emergency.

DJ J-Luv said, "Getting upstairs is a lot easier — a lot easier flow. Very quick line up front. Props out to LG for workin' that out."

The parking deck was happening all night. The sound was amazing, especially considering it was, well, a parking deck. Dj's such as Matt B., Focus and Jeffee tore it up all night, and this area was a much-welcomed break from the stifling heat of the main room.

As the crowd grew and the fashionably late partiers arrived, one drawback to the new flow of traffic surfaced. Because the smaller sideroom is no longer in use, the people entering from the right side of the building had to be herded through the bathroom hallway to get into the party. The usual crowd of people waiting to use the bathroom and just hanging out combined with the line of people just arriving to create a traffic jam reminiscent of the way the stairs leading to the second room used to be. Hopefully this can be worked out in the future.

Dubtribe was a hit, playing old favorites and new songs to the Atlanta crowd. Amazing vocal talents and an earthy tribal drum beat are Dubtribe's trademark, and they performed an amazing set.

Progressive maestro John Digweed followed. For more on his set and Kazell, who finished off the evening, read our guest reviewer dj.inc.'s account of the night.

By the time we left the Nike Pavilion, our legs were sore! The music was wonderful all night, both upstairs and downstairs, and the vibe was great. The security seemed a bit power hungry, searching people at random without cause, but everyone had a fabulous time.

Once again, Liquid Groove graces Atlanta with an incredible lineup in a one of a kind atmosphere. Did you ever doubt for a second that they would?