With the draw cards not playing till after 2, it was great to see the crowd already pumping by 11:30pm. It was hard to get away from the main room, throwing out some serious basslines and just the right amount of breakdowns, Shamus pulled dance moves out of me that I can only try to forget, my apologies to anyone injured in the crossfire.

That upbeat intensity seemed to be maintained over the course of the evening, perhaps it had something to do with the crowd being barely 20, but for me, the music was enough to keep me out way past my bedtime (and I’m sticking to that story).

With nothing to prove, the household names Kid Kenobi and Mark Dynamix showed the crowd how and why they won the peoples choice awards, raising the bar yet again. Getting a bit serious, it really needs to be said that the Australian dance scene has come along way baby, and Saturday night served only to crystallise in my mind how much things have changed in the last ten years, all for the better. With four rooms to bounce between, time had its way with me and before I knew it, it was 5am.

That being said, around this time of the morning, and I have observed this phenomenon with increasing regularity, music of a lyrically challenged nature tends to pervade my fragile mind. I have conducted some anecdotal research and the conclusion I have drawn is that we, the people, like vocals. The cheer that goes through the crowd when a familiar vocal is heard is a good thing, it should be something to work towards even, and all I can say, with my soapbox in tow, is give the people what they want.

For the most part though, the music rocked, the DJs lived up to both reputation and expectation, and I think it’s very safe to say that a good night was had by all.

It needs to be mentioned that the staff at the Arthouse, from the bouncers to the bartenders, were amazing. The words polite, helpful and attentive all sprung to mind over the course of the evening, that, and “did you say $8?” You get over the high-roller prices for drinks pretty quickly though, because the service and venue are just so good. The next time inthemix puts on a party I’ll be taking pre-emptive sleep because I don’t want to miss a beat.