It was one of those strange evenings where the wind was cool, the sky was clear and the city was silent. A strangely friendly vibe seemed to emanate from the heart of Sydney city, undoubtedly springing from the sunshine that had warmed our skin throughout most of the afternoon. It was on this night that Method was to enter the fold at Club 77.

Our fair city is one of those places that has recently only catered for the rather mainstream tastes of Sydney clubbers.  Contrary to this there are many people out there who like to fly on the underbelly of the unknown, to occasionally try something we haven’t done before – to eat the chickens feet at yum cha, and pass on the dim sims. But until very recently, this dark side of mine has been unable to surface very much – stifled by what to many is a clubbing scene that has become too mainstream, too dependent on the almighty dollar.

Now, whether we believe that or not isn’t really the point. The point is that if there was a Sydney clubbing mould, then Method at Club 77 on Friday night broke it. Club 77 is one of my favourite party places at the moment, with its underground feel (literally and figuratively speaking), its intimate layout, and a great crowd. It’s a place where I feel comfortable being me. No posing, no prancing, just dancing, and chilling out with a great bunch of people.  Entering from Williams St we were met by a guy who is most probably Sydney’s nicest, friendliest and most gentlemanly bouncer.  Having been assured that we were to have a great night, we all headed downstairs to be met by more friendly people, the door girls (and one guy I think).

Unfortunately, the place was empty at 11 when we arrived, and I’d say that my group made up about half the population.  It was to fill up a little more, but was far from filled. This said, though, the music being pumped out by Will Styles was, well, pumping. A mash up of teched-out house music, and his trademark breaks, Will was able to bring a happy vibe to the place, with some storming beats and some great new sounds being spun. Ben Korbel was next up to the plate, and continued to dish out the tunes. There were the odd “hits” that we knew, but apart from these, which were few and far between, with Korbel, Styles, and the whole music crew of the night were able to keep the sounds fresh, in-your-face, and most importantly, dance worthy.

The DJs were simply playing what they wanted to. They weren’t playing “Call on Me” to get a reaction, and nor were they sticking to Plump DJs party breaks. Swboy continued with this mindset when he took over from Korbel at about 1. He played a fantastic set, maintaining pace and feel of the music, but perhaps taking us a little higher, getting a few more into their dancing shoes to wiggle their hips. Unfortunately (and I’m really sorry about this one) I was unable to see and hear what Drebin had in stall for us (from all accounts it was fantastic though, and I got laughed at for missing “the best bit” by most of my friends), but returned at 3 to the sounds of Sydney institution – Mark Dynamix.

We all know him, he’s probably one of Australia’s best known DJs, having done numerous mixes for the dance music conglomerate Ministry of Sound, and played at about a thousand and one club nights. I’ve heard his stuff before, but something was different this time. We were hearing stuff I’ve not heard him play before. It was deeper and more driving, but also contained elements of breakbeat. Whatever or however we choose to describe it isn’t the point as we were loving it. The music at Method was new and fresh. It was danceable, in that funky sort of way, but also squeaky and bleepy, in that techy sort of way. Having an early start the next morning, I was also unable to catch Jimmy Savage, but am sure the flow of the night continued with the closing set.

It’s a rare thing to have a night like this. Music that the DJs wanted to play for us, and what we wanted to hear. It wasn’t exactly packed out, but it wasn’t full of mullet adorned stripy t-shirt clad pretty boys – it was just full of great music. I hope that Method thrives and continues to bring us more great nights. Still feeling the previous day’s sunshine running through me, I headed home thinking to myself Sydney’s club scene is in for a shock if this type of night shakes up the mainstream pop electronica that proliferates most places at the moment.