I honestly cannot remember the last time that I set foot into Chinese Laundry, but it was well over a year ago. Regardless of this there was a familiar feeling that I received upon entry, a feeling that not much had changed, a feeling that home was still home and an awesome night with quality music was still just that – an awesome night with quality music.

I bumped into Synik whilst ordering a drink at the bar and apologised for arriving just that bit too late and missing his set. Having only once talked to they guy, like two years ago, I realised he would have to be one of the most down to earth approachable DJs that I have ever had the pleasure of coming across and have faith that he will be an asset to the Sydney scene for years to come.

While my mind was getting adjusted to the bee hive like ambiance of the Cave, my ears were attuned to the funk and raw power that was the emanating into me. It was fitting and personally symbolic that after such a long hiatus from this space in Sydney, I see Sugar Ray ripping it up in his usual poise and control. No doubt, one of Sydney’s (ex) stalwarts, he still commanded the presence and vibe he always did, an upbeat, techy, continuously rolling set which culminated with the Laurant Garnier’s The man with a red face. As this last track cascaded through the room, there was an air of nostalgia and epic-ness to the night/set/career.

Dynamix, during the craze in the Cave, had Chinese Laundry flowing energetically with tasty house numbers and a perfect entry for New Zealand based Greg Churchill to take the reigns. I must confess that I had heard little to nothing about this name until Saturday night but was impressed by his ability to maintain the floor filled until the latter hours of the night. From the first track, there were funky builds and fat, chunky baselines which had an infectious groove to them. I slithered through the floor, seeing a wide range of party people, with differing agendas but whom were nonetheless having a great time.

Although the ‘sounds’ that Rowan Blades was producing in the Cave was perhaps closer to the style that defines my (musical) person at the moment, I kept bouncing from room to room which perhaps didn’t let me nestle into either set but nonetheless kept me more than entertained for the first few hours of Sunday. I was a drowsy drive home but a night that kept me eager for more craziness next week. Same time, same place.