I found myself adorned with a puzzled look for the entirety of Friday afternoon. Was I really going to Plantation Bar at the Empire sober, and of my own accord? For me, the Empire evokes seedy imagery of drunken backpackers, narky doormen, smelly bathrooms, and even drunker Australians cracking onto the aforementioned backpackers. It is the kind of place one goes when there is nowhere else: and when you do find yourself there, you realise what the night has degenerated into, and leave immediately.

However, when presented with an opportunity to see genuine Australian talent such as Rephrase, Regal, N8 and Elation at the Evolutionary Vibes Vol. 6 launch, I was forced to swallow my pride. I had also never been to Plantation, and was thinking anything would be an improvement on the main part of the Empire.

I arrived at 8.30, and was relieved that I was not required to go through the front entrance. There is a stairwell on the side of the building which takes you to Plantation which is located on what appeared to be the 4th floor (even though it felt like level 10 after the trek). Without a doubt, the décor is more engaging than the main bar. The lighting is sufficiently dim, and there is an abundance of bamboo. I am still undecided about the water buffalo mounted on the wall whose eyes appear to follow you. I think it would work better in the main bar as it would be an adjunct to the men there.

The crowd was relaxed, aesthetically pleasing and appreciative of what was going on around them. I was acutely aware that this would change at 11pm when the doors opened to the public. Until then, I was content to immerse myself in the fine music. And what fine music it was.

First up was a live set by Rephrase who humbly describes his music as, “mid-tempo, sample based beats ranging anywhere from hip hop to housy breaks”. I cannot do justice when describing the mood he created. To put it into context though the seamless, eclectic, spicy, melodic and unique tunes he has created had me listening so intently that I forgot about the free beer. The next day, I obtained a copy of his CD “Beatcoaster” and I have been listening to it since.

Next was Regal. It was a smooth changeover, and he maintained the mood that had been set by Rephrase. He did his signature set of old school funk, breaks and disco. He played the regal featuring fretless “Rock the Funky Beat” – which is on the album.

Following Regal was a sensational live set by N8 & Betoo from the DJ booth. N8 drew in the crowd and had them dancing enthusiastically while they listened to his lyrics. The whole crowd was concentrated around the DJ booth. It was very intimate, inviting, and very very cool. I felt privelaged to be there, and I didn’t want it to stop.

Unfortunately, the private function was nearly over, and to say that the crowd changed after N8’s a Betoos set would be an understatement. A whole gaggle of very young people festooned in tennis gear arrived. I briefly though that they were on their way to monkey tennis, but then realized that it was Friday. I found out that it was a 21st. No longer was I having moderately intelligent conversations with interesting people: the bar was now inhabited by slurring 21 year olds getting as rancid as possible.

Such a shame, as the next set was Elation live. This 5 piece combo travelled from Brisbane to grace us with their presence. It was groovy music, and their mixed beats were clearly influenced by the likes of Morcheeba and Moloko. The vocals were sensual, and the members possessed charisma. My only complaint is that they were not on earlier when they would have been sufficiently appreciated.

By this time, I was getting a bit prickly. It was getting loud, and skanky. Fretless played the final set, which was full of crowd pleasers. He had all those tennis kids dancing and dry rooting on the dance floor. I simply decided at that point that my time there was done. It was nothing to do with the music: the music was solid all night. I am delighted that I was able to experience some authentic talent. The crew at Creative Vibes clearly have an eye for it.