Well I certainly can pick ‘em. Deciding to dedicate myself fully to only one event this season, Summadayze seemed like the only logical choice (if there is such a thing), and the day certainly didn’t fail to deliver. Set in the amazing location of the Supreme Court gardens it was refreshing to be stomping on grass, not the barrels of dust and dirt associated with other venues, not to mention the ample space and fantastic views of the city and river.

Arriving just before 1pm I managed to catch the tail end of Matt Bern’s set. As usual this Nova 19’s boy began the journey, setting the crowd up nicely. After seeing him at events like Two Tribes and Digital I’m always impressed with how he manages to gather a crowd as soon as they walk in the doors. Even the heat couldn’t stop punters rocking in and getting down!

At around 1pm Micah took over the controls without even so much as a ‘your exits are here and here’ picking up the pace and having everyone tapping their toes. From the man that bought us the unbelievable underground raves in the middle of the Gnangara pine forest what else could you expect but a set pushing the boundaries of genre and style. Music is in this mans blood, he not only connects with the crowd but shows their enthusiasm, bopping along with them, keeping them cruising for the entire set. Mixing up his styles to prevent boredom makes this DJ so enjoyable to watch.

But before long the middle of the day was with us, so Phil Fuldner (Germany) decided to turn up the heat to compete with the Australian sun. This experienced DJ showed that over 12 years of producing and playing house has its benefits. This fully trained singer took no time in showing us why he is recognised as a truly international house act. Keeping the theme of flowing with the crowd in action he mixed it up with much of the crowds approval. With the extra half an hour he continued to increase the size of fans surrounding the outdoor arena, pulling them away from the alternative tents. Sadly his set ended before I knew it and left us all wanting more!

The afternoon was settling in as Miguel Migs (aka Petalpusher) and Lisa Shaw (live) from the U.S of A. graced us with their presence. After his amazing career spanning over many years and including work with everyone (yes even Britney) this DJ has accepted his love of alternating genres and general crowd pleasing tracks. Mixing his tempos to incorporate a dub influence he seemed to become more intricate and experimental as the set progressed. Avoiding the usual big room, club hit-types he seemed to have an atmospheric, melodic groove taking us on a musical journey. I couldn’t recognise many tracks (not surprising since he tends to use his own unreleased tunes), but certainly recognised the cool voice as smooth as chocolate emanating from his partner in crime. Lisa is really the cream on the cake adding real soul and complete groove-factor to an already exceedingly good set. They work together so well and keep the crowd all funked up and raring to go.

Then the boys were back in town, De La Soul (USA) rocked on in and started to pump it up. Since their first release in 1989 this group has stood out from the crowd maintaining finesse and a raw quality that seems to be the essence of their success. Clever rhythms and a sense of humour saw all those taking cover under the trees get their groove on and join the masses. As they did at Gatecrasher (ok I know I’m going back a bit) kept the mid-tempo, rather lighthearted tunes spreading over an eager crowd. These true entertainers know they have the ‘wow’ factor and know how to use it.

As the boys left behind the appreciation of the crowds around 6:30pm 2 Many DJs appeared as the next batters up. This Belgium duo was all set to party and played (what I think) the best set of the day. So many tunes, so little time = ‘bootleg’ mixes or ‘mash ups’. Known for this bouncing from track to track the brothers’ work together effortlessly to comprise a unique sound with so many recognisable and enjoyable musical delights. The cheese mix that actually works. Dropping names like ACDC, The Dandy Warhols and Blur they had the crowd smiling, enjoying every minute of the unstoppable beats. As the sun came down and the lights came on, we were all too well reminded of the closing time of the event – sadly kind of ruining my concentration of the group that continuously gets rave reviews, especially from Australian and Japanese fans.

Now most stories have a happy ending – but in this case this was unlikely. Any ending is not a good ending for an event like this especially when it happens at 10pm! Darren Emerson (UK) took the floor for the last stint at 8:30pm and with someone who appreciates the crowd, realising their importance, at the wheel it was going to be the grand finale. Starting on the decks at the age of 14 this man has been influenced by the progressive developments in the Chicago scene, creating a sense of diversity and true ‘mixing it up’. This adopted Aussie (in recognition of the number of times he has honoured us with visitation) kept moving to the beats with the ever-faithful crowd with steady bass beats and melodic tunes over the top. This ‘veteran’ of the music scene certainly added to his already extensive fan club with the well thought out set. Unfortunately the weather turned quite chilly which had some retreating back to the tents but none of this has a reflection on this DJ. Well done to him and the rest of the Housedayze stage – thanks for an amazing day!