Those in attendance at The Kitchen on April 2nd were treated to a night of energetic driving trance of big-room proportions. From the outset, the tunes played by DJs Graham Miller, Lanithium and Jon Noonan certainly were refreshing to hear, quenching Perth’s thirst for a serious dose of uplifting progressive trance. Saturday’s debut can seriously be considered indicative of the potential these DJs have, and their ability to meet the demand for quality music on Saturday nights. I think that it is safe to say that this could fast become one of the most impressive developments for the trance genre in Perth.

Guest DJ for the evening, DJV, reportedly provided a somewhat obscure track set to open the evening at 10pm. Tracks such as Reflekt – Need to Feel Loved, and Signum – Push Through were well responded to by those in attendance. His performance got the ball rolling for an epic trance journey which did not end until 5am – a decent night’s proceedings for Phoenix’s first night. On rotation through out the night were DJs Graham Miller, Lanithium and Jon Noonan.

Lanithium took the decks next, showcasing his impeccable mixing ability whilst fusing Dutchforce – Till Midnight and Kyau vs. Albert – Falling Anywhere (rework) together. Lanithium’s set provided evidence that we were all in for a great night filled with inspiring tunes. Noonan continued to provide uplifting, powerfully emotive tracks such as Rank 1 – beats@rank1.com and Randy Katana – Future Funland 2005. He then picked the pace up a little with Young Parisians – Jump the Next Train (KvA mix) featuring the lyrics of Ben Lost. Noonan exhibited a stellar performance, his enthusiasm and ability to connect with the crowd was especially evident as he cheekily sang to those on the dance floor “We want your soul …”. After these two performances, it was obvious that we were witnessing a new generation of trance, and the crowd was certainly happy with what they were hearing! Their back to back set between 2:45am – 4:00am was flawless, with an interesting and effective mix of old and new tracks. Lanithium dropped in a crowd pleasing Tiesto – Adagio for Strings and Noonan played Armin Van Buuren – Communication, drawing on the genius of these two Dutch trance masters, I’ve got a feeling this may be where the boys may derive some of their inspiration from! It was also refreshing to see that both Jon and Lanithium (Matt) were happy to be congratulated after their sets, and mingled with everyone – incredibly down-to-earth.

Graham Miller exhibited sheer eloquence with tracks such as Andain – Beautiful Things (MS Remix), G & D – Arcadia (SF mix), Sander Van Doorn – Loaded. His set was presented with confidence, style and exuded excitement, putting his whole body into manipulating the mixer and amping up those on the dance floor. There certainly was talent on fire as these up and coming DJs showcased their ability to respond to the crowd, excellence in mixing ability and track selection, and expertise in sustaining the energy and vibe. The most outstanding aspect of the night was undeniably the music, and that is the way that it should be! Anyone who loves trance would have been in their element. Having said that, I did speak to a couple who were merely passing by and were enticed to enter the club after hearing the tunes from outside. They commented that they had almost entirely lost faith in the Perth clubbing scene until seeing what Phoenix had to offer and seriously hoped that the boys ‘got the support that they deserve’. Incidentally, a number of people also commented that it was refreshing to hear music in a Perth club that strayed from the ‘commercialised norm’.

As far as the venue goes, I think that the effort put into organising the event and transforming The Kitchen with black plastic to conceal the fluorescent paintwork upstairs, and an upgraded sound and lighting set up was a great start. Needless to say, it would be much better if something more permanent and appropriate could be arranged to give the venue more aesthetic and audio appeal. Like most things in Perth, without enough support and people getting wind of a club/event, it is difficult for things to take off. While Phoenix certainly is a breath of fresh air, it is going to take some support and word of mouth for it to be able to resuscitate the trance music scene in Perth! But with an approach, style and talent like this, I’d say the sky’s the limit!!