Just two days before this monumental event I had jumped off the train after a long trip from Perth. A big night out dancing is what I sorely needed to shake off those cobwebs accumulated after sitting on my laurels for more than 48 hours and what better way to do it than at Bass Station’s  (now named Bass Australia) “Raw, Hard, Bass?”

It was announced shortly before the event that Dutch hard trance stalwart Walt and Tracid Traxxx star Derb would join headliners Brooklyn Bounce, The Beholder, DJ Promo and John Ferris. The main room at The Palace would be the setting for what would be an ultimate hard trance and hardstyle extravaganza!

I arrived just as the almighty duo that is Derb (aka Kai Winter and Borris Hafner) was gearing up to take control of an enthusiastic Raw, Hard, Bass crowd. Derb are famed for their prowess behind both the decks and in the studio with countless worldwide tours and a string of releases behind their name such as “D.F.C.” and “Derb.” Derb’s one hour stint behind the wheels of steel was a dark, nasty and low-p.H. affair; perfect for setting the tone for the rest of the night’s proceedings.

At 1am Derb received a rapturous reception from the Raw, Hard Bass massive. Up stepped Brooklyn Bounce. I could feel the energy inside the main room of The Palace increase to explosive proportions! For the next one and a half hours there were no bums on seats as hands-in-the-air mayhem ensued. Some may say that Brooklyn Bounce’s sound is a bit cheesy however these are the people who don’t know the meaning of fun!

Highlights of Brooklyn Bounce’s set included his timeless classic “Club Bizarre,” “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Floor 2 mix) by the Warp Brothers and no Brooklyn Bounce set would be complete without “The Bass, The Beats, The Melody” One and a half hours of just that simply wasn’t enough but Brooklyn Bounce will be back for one more ballistic bout on the 24th!

2:30 saw The Beholder take over from Brooklyn Bounce. The Beholder is known for his tough and grinding hardstyle and hardcore sounds and the crowd would be treated to both over the next hour and a half. At this point I thought it’d be a great idea to check out the side rooms but being as this was my first ever experience of a Bass Station main room event; I had no idea where to find them! DJ Promo and Walt were banging out their techy sounds alongside the graduates from the ASMT DJ course.

At 4am The Beholder made way for the Hard Bass DJ Team mash-up. DJ Compound, Jewelz, John Ferris, Tonka, DJ Klasik, T2, Steve Black, Gazmatron and Karl Brown would each spin a track in what was to be a bouncy and bass-heavy trip back through time. The Fallen Angel’s “I See You in My Dreams” set the dance floor on fire as well as a fantastic remix of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.”

The Raw, Hard, Bass massive was enjoying every minute of the experience and who else but Showtek should grace the decks to ignite the floor between 5 and 6? Showtek joins DJ’s and producers like Walt, DJ Promo and DJ Isaac in a long list of Dutch hardstyle/acid pioneers. Suffice to say the mood of the music became darker and rougher once again which went down rather well with the hardcore Raw, Hard, Bass crew. A*S*Y*S’ mind-warping stormer “Acid Nightmare” kept the crowd shuffling with delight.

John Ferris and Jewelz are two DJ’s who have a stranglehold on the Australian hard trance sound and the two would go head to head from 6 til close. There were still plenty of smiling stompers out there on the floor whilst the first rays of the sun were poking up over the horizon. I for one didn’t want this event to come to an end as I was having the time of my life.

A huge thanks must go to the Bass Station/Sound of Now crew for this incredible night. Every punter left with an ear to ear smile and why not when the music and the atmosphere were both fantastic! During the night I also learned that there is a fine art to going up and down stairs with a pair of phatties on! We eagerly await the next Bass main room event!