The lead up to last Saturday’s gig was rife with anticipation among forums, friends and fans across Sydney. Those who were lucky enough to catch LTJ Bukem at the Metro last time around in 2003 were keen as mustard to re-live the memories of an apparently groundbreaking show, and with the buzz surrounding Freq Nasty and his ‘Video Nasty Experience’ invoking far-spread curiosity; the night was definitely in a severely hyped up state.

Personally holding no per-established notions of either Bukem or Nasty, I was excitedly awaiting my inauguration into the world of drum and bass (in the case of one), and expectantly looking to open my mind and ears; and broaden my political standpoint (in the case of the other). Party goers were also treated to a cavalcade of local talent, with the likes of John Wall and Nick Thayer warming up the crowd before Freq and LTJ were to take the stage, and Eli, Shuey, Ritual, and Q45 playing in the foyer over the course of the evening.

Making my way into the main room just as Freq Nasty began his set, I was amazed and impressed by the ‘Video Nasty’ set up. Using massive screens behind and to the sides of the main stage, the visual montage complimented the music beautifully. Contrasting urban settings with a pastiche of socio-political propaganda, fifties advertisements, textual pleas of “think” and “feel”, and oral sex; the artistic elements of ‘Video Nasty’ entertained and provoked thought but the quasi-political messages thankfully stayed at a tolerable level and blended with Nasty’s mixing effortlessly without taking away the a focus on the music. And the abstract images that were worked in alongside the obviously “meaningful” visuals really added some extra oomph to the tracks when working in rhythm with the bass.

Playing an sturdy, crowd pleasing set, slightly lacking in surprise according to a few die-hard fans, there were some sure fire favourites such as the infamous Beastie Boys/Daft Punk mix of ‘Intergalactic’ and ‘Da Funk’, and the bass heavy ‘Boomin’ Back Atcha’. The tail end of the set sort of wavered off into a jungle-y, almost drum and bass-ish direction and then it on for young and old when the hard-hitting Freestylers track ‘Boomblast’ came into play. The raw energy brought about by this solid track almost made up for the absolute blunder earlier on that was the ‘Milkshake’ incident – talk about a mood-killer. Other favourites included ‘Sil Num Tao’ played in conjunction with old school kung fu movie graphics. I think that Freq Nasty really deserves some credit for his bold work with the ‘Video Nasty Experience’; you could see that he’s enthusiastic about the project and it’s always good to see the DJ jumping around as much as the punters are!

The crowd was definitely ready for LTJ Bukem once Nasty left the stage near 1am, with short lived chants of “Bukem! Bukem!” arising here and there.  As soon as he took his post he was off to a roaring start and MC Conrad flowed over each track with smooth perfection, demonstrating a synergy between DJ and MC that is seldom carried off at this level. The mood built up in the first half of the set was electric with fans relishing the long-awaited beats but I think people would have liked to see a bit more variation between tracks as the initial excitement wore off, just to keep things interesting.

The audio visual aspect was kept in the mix, but this time it was a more relaxed approach with non-figurative artwork and close-ups of LTJ being the main focus. The set progressed at a comfortable pace and the dedicated folk on the dance floor seemed more than content with what they were being served up. But as the show ambled on it admittedly lost some of its verve, although as it was nearing 3am I think it down to sheer exhaustion of the crowd more than anything else.

Q45 graced the decks in the foyer during LTJ Bukem, I stole away to check it out but was a bit disappointed to find him playing an average set of played-out tracks that can be found in virtually any club of a weekend. It was enjoyable enough but I was expecting something more as an alternative to the goings-on in the main room.

As Bukem wrapped things up on the main stage some were uprising in demands of “more!” but others were happily satisfied with the evening’s musical repertoire and looking forward to resting those weary dancing legs. It sort of seemed as if the set ended kind of abruptly but the LTJ Bukem & MC Conrad experience is definitely one I will remember with the utmost fondness.