Al de Leon

Up-and-coming dance-music artists are often judged not just by the tracks they produce, but by the DJ superstars who play their recordings. When someone like trance hero Paul Van Dyk regularly drops your records into his set at the world's biggest dance festivals or his latest mix CD, it's safe to say you've arrived. That's exactly the type of respect that Vision's headliners on Saturday, Above & Beyond and Second Sun, have commanded since jumping onto the scene several years ago. DJ and production team Above & Beyond (Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Paavo Siljamaki) is responsible for some of the most bangin' trance anthems to recently hit the dancefloor, including "No One on Earth" and "Satellite." Releases from the group's highly revered label, Anjunabeats, are on regular rotation with PVD and other members of the trance elite, and even the Material Girl got the Above & Beyond treatment with a stellar remix of "What It Feels Like for a Girl." Expect to hear epic grooves and uplifting melodies when Above & Beyond takes the stage. Second Sun's rise to the top came the old-fashioned way. During PVD's set at New York's Twilo a few years ago, Second Sun's Antoine Toupin and Adam Cavaluzi handed over a copy of their first production, "Empire." Just a week later, the duo was signed to PVD's Vandit record label. What sets Second Sun apart is a rock-star mentality that's sure to get the crowd bumpin' during what can only be described as one of dance music's most entertaining live acts. This isn't your typical "geek-behind-a-laptop" live PA--Second Sun knows how to put on a show, something the industry witnessed at Winter Music Conference in March. To close out its set there, the duo played "He Said She Said" with featured singer Tiffany--yes, that Tiffany--and garnered rave reviews. Second Sun or Above & Beyond would each be worth the price of admission on their own, so consider yourself lucky for getting two quality live dance acts for the price of one.

Above & Beyond and Second Sun perform in the Dome at Vision, 632 North Dearborn, (312)266-1944, on September 17. (2005-09-13)

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