To celebrate the first day of 2006, Melbourne heavy weight production crews Hardware, Loaded and Pharmacy staged the return of their New Year’s Day party Sunshine People. Set on the river amongst a slew of converted warehouse spaces, punters were guaranteed a great party whatever the weather conditions. After a sweltering 42 degree day and night on New Year’s Eve, the temperature dropped to a cool 27, before a downpour late afternoon dropped temperatures even further. It was at this time that punters really celebrated their choice of Sunshine People in the all weather South Wharf complex as opposed to the very outdoor and exposed Summadayze in the park. At Sunshine People, punters were able to stay relatively dry as they made their way between the party’s six sound stages, weaving their way under strategically placed giant umbrellas and splashing through puddles. Those who’ve spent time in Queensland or Northern New South Wales at outdoor parties over the summer wet season before felt particularly at home in the conditions. Either way, the music line up ensured a good time was had by all even if your socks did get a bit wet.

With Plastikman Richie Hawtin in town for Hardware’s New Year’s Eve event Belfast it seemed only natural he joined the line up at Sunshine People as well. With Adam Beyer’s inclusion from the line up some how going astray, Hawtin picked up a spot with his new hometown (Berlin) pal Magda who’s been making a name for herself in the techno world already for a number of years. Under the M_Nus Allstars moniker (referencing Hawtin’s long running techno label) the pair mixed up a two hour set of classic and fresh minimal and funked up techno. Keeping it hard without being abrasive; and melodic without being formulaic, the Hawtin/Magda union dosed the crowd with a thick slice of chunky techno goodness. Hawtin, renowned for his technical wizardry, perhaps best highlighted on his seminal releases DE 9: Close To The Edit and Decks, FX & 909, didn’t up stage his cohort, and neither did Magda seem to be put off by his reputation. No surprise given that the pair who utilised duelling Final Scratch machines (or equivalent), have been playing or warming up together for a number of years. Particularly amusing was a screen-printed t-shirt worn by one punter which read “Richie & Magda and Ivan & Selena”. While we didn’t get to see the pair’s reaction to the shirt, we did get to see a few flashing smiles, amongst their mostly very reserved demeanour. Curiously Hawtin was sporting a head of ice blond hair, together with ‘80s style mega fringe which dangled over half of his face, a stark contrast to his previous shiny bald techno geek look. Haircuts aside, what an awesome introduction to Australia for Berlin’s new techno madame Magda, plus a storming way to bring in the New Year, and certainly the highlight set of the party, well at least for the techno heads.

From all accounts Zombie Nation’s live set in the Hardware Room was the other musical highlight, just a shame they were on so early which means they were missed by a number of people. They warmed up for half of Parisian duo Black Strobe, who DJed before Ritchie and Magda on the Hardware stage. Although Smagghe played some solid techno, his set didn’t seem to live up to expectations and left a few people disappointed. Appropriately more upbeat than his Fabric CD release, at times it felt like his mixing could have done with some improvement. Although there were some lovely layered mixes, the general consensus seems to have been that his set this time was a bit hit and miss. One thing’s for sure, it won’t put anyone off checking him out when Smagghe returns in February with the other half of his Black Strobe duo in February for a Two Tribes live set.

Thanks to the late arrival of Magda and Richie, Smagghe played an extended set, building from slower and funkier territory into harder more driving sounds, but by the time he finished the sound system was quite piercing, perhaps driving a few revellers off the floor to explore the hard dance arenas, take their chance with a hot-dog (the only visible food option on site), the black pearl boat cruising the river or Dekonstrukt house room. No surprises that A*S*Y*S* played a storming set in the Pharmacy arena, where monster fury and fluoro pants, mind the gurner, abounded. In the Dekonstrukt house room, Nato, Jen Tutty and Sir Cosmic helped warm up the dance floor nicely with some chunky funky beats for Raoul Belmans from Belgium’s Swirl People who kept the beats in the straight up and traditional throughout. Actually, the dance floors swelled healthily on all arenas throughout the day, it’s just disappointing that the Black Pearl Boat Cruise and Outdoor Love Shack stages weren’t utilised to maximum capacity due to the less than average weather, but that’s Melbourne for you.