It had to happen eventually but I was hoping it would be later rather than sooner. My Bass Station days are coming to an end. Not because I don’t like it but because it really is meant for young people. I have tried to adjust and fit in but despite the phat pants, bracelets and yes, even the fluffy toy attached to a belt loop, I still feel like a fish out of water. I refuse to wear a baseball cap and a white Bass Station singlet, again not because I don’t like the look but because it would be like mutton dressed up as lamb. Don’t get me wrong. I am not overly obsessed with my age and I am not jealous of the 18 – 20 year olds who make up the majority of the Bass Station punter. It is just that I still enjoy the music and the atmosphere of Bass Station but my body is way past shuffling and midriffs and I will miss it when I am playing Bingo at the local RSL!

The draw card for me last Friday was beXta as she was one of the first DJs I saw years ago in Sydney. I wanted to see if she had mellowed at all over the last few years. LCK was nearing the end of his set when we arrived and he started my night off well by playing a remix of Born Slippy. He also impressed me with his short stint of scratching which trance DJs appear to be experimenting with more and more lately. DJ Compound, who was up next, is one such DJ but he didn’t demonstrate much scratching on this occasion. He did however, play some tracks, which had a definite “Rock and Roll” sound with guitar riffs. This is another new trend I have been noticing over the last few months, possibly inspired by the success of the remix of Nirvana’s “Teen Spirit”.

The King himself, Jason Midro, played the third set of the night. As usual, he twiddled the mixer knobs as no one else I have ever seen do and presented a diverse, if not occasionally disjointed, set which included one of his own tracks. The dance floor was full and the punters were loving it so all the Jason knockers out there can eat dirt. So, his often repeated “Make some f***ing noise Bass Station” cry can sometimes be a little irritating, but you have to hand it to him – he has been around for a long time and he can still get hands in the air so let’s get rid of the tall poppy syndrome and show a bit of respect.

Side rooms are so neglected. It was a bit lonely dancing there all on my own but Julian Reynolds was playing so I had no choice. His uplifting melodic tracks combined with remixes of classic 80’s hits and funky beats result in wonderful sets, which I wish more people, had experienced. “Owner of a Lonely Heart” brought back fond memories from my younger days and the massive new anthem “No-one on Earth” brought tears to my eyes. Unfortunately the side room closed early as competition for punters was fierce on Friday so it was back to the main room.

And then there she was, looking pretty as a picture and like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. She started off hard and just got harder for the first third of her set. Can’t remember track names but they were mainly unfamiliar to me. I don’t know what happened in the middle because she appeared to lose focus and was away from the decks more than she was in front of them. I actually find it quite disconcerting when DJs wander off for lengthy periods and let the records play themselves. The lead guitarist in Metallica couldn’t get away with that. A lot of people left at this time, which was a shame because she came back and finished off well. There were some Midro vs beXta moments and I think, overall, the Melbournites were satisfied but I believe that we are way ahead of Sydney clubbers, musically speaking, so need something pretty exceptional in order to be blown away.

Jewelz followed on from beXta and continued to demonstrate that ‘sugar and spice and everything nice’ are not what little girls are made of. She puts a capital B in bass and only the fittest were able to see out her set. Gazmatron finished off the night with what was, for me, the best set of the evening. It was more melodic and less hard than anything I have previously heard him play and due to my encroaching old age, this suited me down to the ground. But it wasn’t only me who appreciated his sound. When I left, not long before the end, the dance floor was far from empty, the shufflers were doing their darndest and the young ones in their baseball caps and white singlets were showing that they could enjoy a variety of trance and not just the 150bpm kind.