Transmission Red Alert @ UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney (12/02/05)
Transmission Red Alert was set to be the finst hard dance event of the summer, showcasing the best international and local talent over a broad range of electronic music genres. Whether it be breaks, hip hop, house or trance, there was something for everyone, even if it was only the $3.50 beer of the day (which happened to be Corona).
It seems that with every Transmission event it manages to outdo the one before it, and Red Alert was no exception to the rule. The atmosphere was intense as everyone knew the tracks and was ready to stomp the day and night away. There was an eclectic array of fashion statements that all seemed to blend into the theme, covering the Roundhouse like a giant red blanket. The choice of venue and its set up did the event many favours; the main trance arena accommodated the headline DJs and the many fans, while the outdoor area provided fat tunes and funked up bass lines and a place to chill out. Upstairs was a smaller space for the hardcore ravers.
Early in the day A*S*Y*S set fire to the main arena hitting out with a harder, darker style of trance. Bring the best of German trance to the more than pleased crowd, proving that there really is ‘No More F**king Rock and Roll’. Meanwhile in the breaks garden the crowd was wowed by Rev Dr Grooveshoes and the Sound Hussler who pumped out some classic hip-hop, mixing together tracks from the Beastie Boys, Chemical Brothers and nu skool Snoop Dogg in a flawless manner. Not only did their ghetto get up impress the crowd, but they kicked out some nasty old skool beats with a funky modern twist that took everyone back to the days when Snoop Dogg hadn’t made a porn flick yet.
At 1900 hours it all became clear who everyone was there to see. When German duo Cosmic Gate took to the stage in the main area the roundhouse became a sea of red – it felt like it was one fire. They blew the crowd away with their techier progressive style of trance. They worked the crowd with infinite ease and pumped new and classic anthems out to the waiting sea of hands all in the air. A breathtaking light show accompanied their set, with multicoloured lasers and vigorous strobe lighting, complimenting both the dreamier, uplifting and ground shaking styled parts of the set. By half seven it was fast becoming hard to choose where I should be, as Ajax hit the breaks garden wearing a very classy shirt and playing a stack of new release tracks as the sun started to set.
The evening saw Dutchman DJ Walt pump out a magnificent mix of the Transmission theme, proving that the guys from the Netherlands really are the leaders in the trance movement. The local talent however did stand to the challenge in the form of Nervous and Steve Hill who battled it out on the desks in what seemed to be a set way too short to showcase their talent. Trance anthem favourite “Painted Black” was put to the test and left everyone stunned and singing . Nervous has always been a crowd pleaser and his ability to entertain through music is astounding. Not only can he spin a mean record but his love of music seems to flow into the crowd. When a DJ enjoys his music and gets into it like Nervous does, the passion and energy is transferred to the crowd creating an experience that is far more intense – it’s the feeling that trance fans live for!
DJ Wag took us into the early hours of the morning. Famous for his hit Cocaine, the crowd was ready to be blown away. The German didn’t disappoint, knocking out his signature style of hard trance, thumping bass lines and catchy melodies. He bought the night to an end, with a series of thrilling moments, leaving every clubber with a feeling of elation, as the Roundhouse exploded and the mass of red clad ravers into the streets of Sydney.
