The Oyster Bar’s big top canopy overlooking North Fremantle’s Leighton Beach was an idyllic setting for what surely was a summer event to remember. One of England’s foremost DJs; legendary Good Times mastermind Norman Jay MBE presented a mix of disco-fuelled funky house which proved to the crowd of happy punters exactly why he is “the who’s who” of the UK and global dance scene.
        
The ambience of the venue, with its windowed-lined walls exposing the surf and sand, island style DJ box/hut, picnic tables and grass was perfectly complimented by a selection of funky and uplifting tunes. Truly indicative of the season, this event had an ocean-side, summer time appeal – with babes, bubbles and the beach to cap it all off! This event drew a reasonably well-sized crowd, with fresh friendly faces, fashion sense galore, and a vibrancy which was only further emphasised by the truly tasteful performance this dance music icon provided.
        
Internationally recognised for his contribution to the world’s popular club culture, it was not difficult to see where Jay’s extensive fan-base have derived their appreciation from. His rankings in Mixmag’s top 100 DJs in the world, 30 years of DJ-ing experience and involvement in many major dance music revolutions in the UK speak for themselves. Not to mention the accolade of ‘Sir’ Norman Jay bestowed upon him by none other than the Queen of England for his contribution to the UK music scene, and dance culture.
        
Star ting his set with a more relaxed, almost Latin-type feel, he picked up the pace around 9pm, delivering tunes such as Michael Gray’s : The Weekend, and De La Soul’s : Roller Skating Jam Named “Saturdays”, much to the crowd’s delight. These tunes were particularly indicative of the feel of the place, and being very popular this season, were well recognised by those in attendance. A funky remix of Kelis : Milkshake and Junior Jack : Stupidisco (Make Your Move) also featured, creating a very positive reaction from the crowd with smiles all ‘round. Jay’s ability to pick the crowd up and keep them moving was impressive, concentrating on equipping the crowd with tracks featuring catchy vocal samples, keeping the pace up-tempo and providing variety – the perfect recipe!
        
Even the people standing around enjoying a cold beer or a delicious cocktail couldn’t help but tap their feet, or spontaneously join those on the dance-floor to the tunes that Jay was pumping out. Conversations with people in attendance from Melbourne and Adelaide pointed towards a real respect for the Perth dance music scene, vibe and atmosphere, and an appreciation towards the way we in the west like to celebrate our favourite music and way of life.
        
Jay’s set was followed by Luke Neville who kept everyone moving with a selection of familiar, fun and fast tracks, and maintained the party attitude. The looks of disappointment on the most appreciative crowd’s face when the announcement that the bar and venue were closing “in ten minutes” spoke a thousand words – such a great time was had, no-one wanted it to end! Overall, this event was incredibly enjoyable to attend, and I am sure that the Good Times had by the Perth crew will be greatly anticipated for a repeat performance for a third time running in 2006 … we can only hope!