Recently ranked no.5 in the 2004 Technics top 50 DJ poll, it is no wonder that Melbourne DJ Phil K is currently one of Australia’s biggest exports. With various releases under his belt, including the recently released Renaissance Therapy Sessions compilation with Dave Seaman, it is no wonder the Moon Bar welcomed this superstar back with open arms.

With Phil K headlining the Empire’s Moon bar it was only fair that the Middle Bar should have its own interstate headliner as well and so Australia’s other infamous Phil – Phil Smart was also ready to grace the decks.

Upon entering the Empire around 11pm I was expecting to see the normal room filling crowd that is known for gracing the venue every time a headliner is in town. To my surprise though, attendance at the venue was a lot smaller then usual and although the crowd did grow gradually over the next couple of hours, it kept to a rather medium size. Don’t get me wrong though, this was not bad thing, as it meant that there was a lot more dancing space to enjoy, once Phil K hit the decks. It may have been cold out side, but it didn’t take long for most people to warm up on the dance floor.

Phil K is no stranger to the Moon bar and has graced the decks there on numerous occasions over the past five years. His last visit though had left punters with mixed reviews, so his performance tonight needed to be strong.

Starting off his set with some rather progressive tracks, it was quite obvious that he had decided to take the Brisbane crowd on a different journey to his previous couple of visits. Though his track selection was quite smooth most of the time, his use of effects on the other hand was not. For those that had forgotten to bring ear plugs on the night, the extremes of the main volume at times may have also been a little bit daunting. The addition of the track Comfortably Numb (paperfaces remix) by Scissor Sisters to his set also left a few surprised faces in the crowd, including mine. Phil has been none for experimenting with his sound, but that particular track was a rather testing point with the crowd.

By the later half of his set, the crowd had begun to thin a little. For those that had left, this probably wasn’t the best of moves, as it was at this stage that Phil began to throw in some more breaks tracks. For a set that had started off a little rough at first, Phil managed to recover it quite remarkably towards the end, leaving the remainder of the crowd with nothing but smiling faces.

Punters that left the night early may have left reconsidering ever attending a Phil K set again, but those who did stay for the entire set were reminded why this man is one of Australia’s top DJ. Saturday night was certainly not one of his best performances, but definitely not his worse. One thing for sure is that Phil K is a man with a bag full of tricks and what he pulls out next is anyone’s guess.