Phil K: his name alone inspires happy memories. His contribution to the Renaissance series ‘Therapy Sessions’ was a very good one to say the least. It’s a CD I sat listening to on many occasions, so this inspired me to want to visit Moon Bar at The Empire, and see this guy in action. This night at Moon Bar was for his launch of the new album Y4K (distinctive).

I’d not been to the Moon Bar before, however it immediately seemed this was an ideal location for a night of breaks ‘n’ heavy beats. The bar’s dark and moody atmosphere wasn’t going to stop the crowd from having a good night. The low lighting impressed on me initially that this was going to be a quiet night, however I should learn not to jump to conclusions so soon. The crowd was in the groove early, having opened with Lectre and followed with a nice set by Scott Walker. Progressively up until Phil K, who was to start at 1am, the crowd built to a nice level. Everyone seemed to be up for a good night, smiles all around so far as I could see, with no sign of unease or contempt like you might expect in a dark club.

The very low lighting in Moon Bar did create some difficulties – for me anyway! Trying to wander around and find people who I could take photos of was troublesome. I did get the shots I wanted eventually and these can be found here.

The crowd welcomed Phil K to the decks with shouting and applause, lifting up the mood above that already achieved by Scott Walker. Phil K’s track selection was perfect I thought, matching the crowd energy, with the music thumping along and taking the vibe with it. Many people had been on that dance floor for a few hours already, and were unrelenting as the night went on. Some of course chose to cling to the walls and seating around the bar and dance floor, not detracting from the atmosphere in the least.

Downstairs in Middle Bar the scene was much the same as up. The crowd seemed to flow between both bars through the night, as there was also a good 2 hour set to be heard from MANDY downstairs (that is if you could tear yourself away from Phil K).

Phil looked to enjoy this evening, and the crowd looked to be enjoying his performance just as much. He showed his mastery of the crowd and atmosphere with some great tracks. At the conclusion of his set at 3am the crowd size had only dwindled a little and applause came up from the crowd above the music.

I can’t wait for Phil K’s next visit to Queensland, this night at Moon Bar surely cemented him into my fav’s list of DJ’s. Overall this was a great night, and if you weren’t fortunate enough to attend, then lets hope you’re lucky enough to see a performance like this again in the future.