Kink feat. Kid Kenobi & MC Shureshock @ Arthouse, Sydney (23/10/04)
After the huge success of Ministry of Sound’s Breaks 03 CD and tour, it was with much anticipation that I patiently awaited the release of Breaks 04. And I can honestly say that the wait was well worth it! This double CD boasts over 2 hours of funky electro breaks and after listening to every track relentlessly I could barely wait to see Kid Kenobi along with his right hand man MC Shureshock let loose in the main room of the Arthouse – one of my favourite venues.
Whilst breaks are now a permanent feature of Kink, the flavour of hip hop combined with broken beats can usually be found in the Gallery Bar, leaving the main room free for the straight up house fanatics. So I knew that Saturday night was likely to draw in huge numbers of breakbeat fans from near and abroad which, combined with the usual Kink crowd, was likely create an interesting mix of dance music extremists.
Well my predictions were completely accurate. Upon my arrival at about 10.30pm there was already a huge line up of eager party goers dressed in everything from the more glamorous skirts and heels to the more funky and casual breaks look. Even those who were lucky enough to have their name on the guest list had to wait in line.
When finally moving inside somewhere near 11pm, the venue was already nearing capacity. I immediately moved to the main room where I could grab myself a drink and listen to the tunes of Mean Jean vs Agent 42 warming the crowd up. It wasn’t long before the venue filled up completely and the crowd started to rock. By the time Elroy jumped up to the decks at 11.30pm there was pretty much no way of moving through the sea of pumping bodies in the main room without the use of a few gentle elbow prods. Reports suggest a total sell out sometime before midnight, which makes it week number 14 for Kink in the sell out stakes!
Elroy commenced his set with a bit of nostalgia as I was reminded of my high school Nintendo 64 days as the familiar jingle of Mario Bros filled the room. And from the response of the crowd, I was clearly not the only one to find this funky tune incredibly familiar. The breaksmaster Elroy continued to keep the crowd happy with an awesome array of tracks, including a remix of Eminem’s Just Lose It, until it was time for Kid Kenobi and his MC step up to the plate.
Just before 1.30am I heard the familiar voice of MC Shureshock resonate through the room, introducing the man that requires no introduction, Kid Kenobi! Well as you would expect the crowd immediately responded with a huge cheer and the dancing continued as Kid Kenobi got to work. I can honestly say, I don’t ever remember the main room of the Arthouse being so hot! Within 10 minutes I felt like I had just stepped under a shower fully clothed, and looking around I was not the only one!
The heat definitely did not work to discourage the crowd, whilst Kid Kenobi and MC Shureshock demonstrated why they are such a great team! Shureshock’s talent never ceases to amaze me as I watched the crowd become readily involved in the music and cheer along to his funky raps. Kenobi, of course, kept the crowd pumping to various electric beats, including the always popular tracks such as He’s Not In, 3 In The Morning and Drop the Pressure, along with some more funky hip hop style breaks, including remixes of the Beastie Boys.
After spending several hours in the breaks room, I thought I had better duck into the House room for a bit to ensure that my review was complete. Not surprisingly, this room was also full, although boasting a slightly different crowd looking more like a regular Saturday night at Kink. With Ben Morris at the reigns, there were smiles all around and I found myself quickly caught up in the atmosphere bopping along to some smooth house, which interestingly seemed to have a bit of a breaks flavour – perhaps trying to keep in line with the theme of the night!
All in all I am sure that a great night was had by all, aided by the always friendly, smiling Arthouse staff, who seem to always be having as much fun as the patrons! I would like give a special tribute to the Arthouse cloak room, who are always happy to help you out free of charge (and with a smile) if you need to return to your bag (however many times) throughout the night to retrieve belongings – a simple service which has become a rarity in Sydney’s club scene!
