Fuzzy have traditionally been known for putting on breaks, as well as house, events. So, the line-up for 360 was somewhat of a surprise: both for me (who welcomed the inclusion of the style of music I prefer), plus presumably for the punters (who weren’t so welcoming, given the event didn’t sell out). There had previously been hints at events including more diverse genres, such as the staging of a Killer electro event last year, but for me it was still unexpected.

As stated in the media releases, 360 was an event to “break down the barriers and pigeonholes”, for people “who love music in all its forms.”  It was a risk for Fuzzy, but I feel it upped the credibility of the team in the long run, decreasing the perception that they take the safe option of sticking to the same acts and genres. It also attracted the attendance of many people who previously hadn’t attended Fuzzy events. 

I arrived at 360 around 10:00pm to find a short line to get in and most people gathered outside, where the second stage was set up under a marquee.  Checking out the inside the Hordern, where the main stage was situated, my attention was immediately grabbed by the 20 TV screens that filled up the stage.  Together with the large screen behind the stage, they were all simultaneously broadcasting the distinctive eye visual which had appeared on the 360 advertising.  It was a very creative solution to filling up a stage that completely dwarves a DJ set-up!

While meeting up with some friends outside, I overheard bits of Freeform Five main man Anu Pillai (who was dropping tracks like his remix of Mylo’s Muscle Car) before heading inside to catch the start of DJ Craze.  I’ll admit I’ve never been someone who’s that much into hip-hop, but watching his scratching from our vantage point in front of one of the screens was very impressive.  As the visuals said, he “speaks with his hands.”

I headed back outside for some more socialising and to catch Damien Lazarus.  Damien played a proggy set of electro and techno, building up in intensity towards the end.  Unfortunately, the sound outside was now turned down rather low (due to noise complaints), which was good when I was trying to chat, but not so ideal for dancing to.

Just before 1:00am, it was time to head inside.  I caught the end of the Scratch Perverts’s set, where they’d gone more dnb, and then it was time for Derrick May, the main DJ I’d come to see at 360 (having seen him the last three times he played in Sydney).  Starting off with Lil Louis’s French Kiss, a couple of tracks in he dropped Nathan Fake’s The Sky Was Pink, the first time I’d heard the track out, which guaranteed plenty of overexcited dancing on my part.

May’s set was more solidly techno than I was expecting, particularly the middle third.  He didn’t play that much house music, apart from at the start and end, when he mixed in some afro and latin house with more tech based tracks.  However, I guess this was to expected given he was only playing for 1.5 hours, compared to the 4 hours he played last time I saw him.

Next up on the main stage were Super Discount.  After resting my feet outside for awhile (on the very comfy lounges in the ITM VIP area – thank you!), I went back inside.  Super Discount played an awesome, energetic set of funky acid house, peppered with crisp beats.  I’d heard of the act before, but wasn’t familiar with their music, so partially because they were such a surprise, they just managed to come out on top as the highlight of 360 for me.  It’s great to be able to go to nights like this not knowing some of the acts, and come away loving them so much.  It’s just a pity that we only got to experience them for an hour. 

Benny Benassi was another act that I wasn’t familiar with, other than his track Satisfaction, which I will admit to liking.  I’d heard some reports of him playing mainly dirty electrotech.  He did end up playing in this style, but he also included some cheesier tracks in there, such as the trancey I Need Your Loving, which meant I didn’t get into his set, and ended up spending most of it relaxing outside.  It was a pity I missed him dropping Vitalic’s La Rock 01 towards the end of his set.

Well, all good nights have to come to an end sometime, and Slam were a great way to end 360.  No pussy footing around, but a good dose of solid techno to the diminishing but still up for it crowd.  For the first half of their set, Stuart McMillan was mainly on the decks, spinning some minimalist, but melodic, techno beats.  About halfway through, Orde Meikle took over on a laptop, and proceeded to move into more electro grounds. 

Meanwhile, my feet were getting tired again.  I sat down in the stands for awhile, watching the cool visuals (particularly enjoying the blue version of the eye, especially when it and the original eye were flashing back and forth).  However, despite wanting to stay to the end, I was just feeling too sleepy, and ended up leaving about 6:10am: tired but still smiling.

Overall, the event was excellent on the musical front, and had great sound for the main stage.  By all reports the production wasn’t as good as last year’s (particularly the lightning), but this was possibly due to the low crowd figures.  At least the size of the crowd meant that there was room to dance, and I didn’t have to queue for the toilets once.  I definitely hope that Fuzzy continues to bring out such diverse acts, despite the not so good response this time, as it’s fantastic to see names of this calibre in Sydney at a quality big event.