Kink 3rd Birthday feat. Danny Howells @ Arthouse, Sydney (06/05/06)
Following Saturday night, a lot has changed. Apart from loosing the usual wad of sleep before work, there seems to be a new found air of inspiration for life, a spring in the step. Last Saturday night, Danny Howells was in town. The scene was set… two tickets, the wife gave my mate the green light and a long awaited reunion with fours hours of Danny Howells at Kink’s third birthday party.
I can still remember the first few Kink fliers and posters all those years ago, and even then it seemed like something that Sydney would enjoy. And that they have. With dozens of international surprises, strong support for local talent and a place where you can dress up and dance, Kink has provided on a weekly basis another alternative to the variety of Sydney clubbing.
It is by no mean a place I visit regularly, the high heels and the ‘stylish’ people disconnect me from what I go out for (music). But it put a smile on my face to see the same people being educated with a genre jumping exhibition of experience and talent by what I now consider one of my favorite DJs on the planet.
When I entered through the door memories of James Zabiela’s first trip to Sydney came flooding back, what a night that was. Now there was anticipation. What was in store for tonight? What kind of style would we hear? Can you play techno at Kink? Nah….he won’t play techno, I surmised… By now Mr. Howells was ready to do his thing after Ben Morris delightfully set the scene.
Wearing a unique and possibly limited edition black shirt with red roses, the man on deck took instant control, starting off with a devilishly deep, sexy progressive funk that was the order for the first two or so hours of his set. I was interested to see the vinyl covers sticking up behind the DJ. It was a sight which I thought was gone for international guests. But Danny is old school.
His aura behind the decks is always a theatre show. With track programming and mixing to speak for itself, there is little need to prance, dance and pose. But he will do it anyway, and in true Howells style. Interacting with camera people, promoters and the upfront crowd via telephone messages, he has time to do it all. Then he’ll just tweak the treble and whack on the bass to send all into a frenzy of perverted fun.
I found it extremely difficult to leave the main stage but in the time that I did, the breaks in the opposing room were fantastic. Fat, loud and funky. Klaus Hill proving much of the damage earlier on in the night with MC Losty and then later a terrific back to back anthem set by the Jackal and Frenzie.
Back in the melting pot, I had yet to find my groove. Howells was probably on his third or fourth shot of Jagermeister/tequila and I had found my dance floor spot. Moving around a current of people I slithered to the front. It was around this time that it all changed like a 90 degree turn. The place had not thinned out at all but when the first calls of the techno came blaring through, it was like a sparkler was being lit and everyone rushed to see what was happening.
For the next hour and a half, strokers, posers and merry folk were treated to the best, freshest sounding noise I have heard for some time. There was no set pattern to the mixing, the breakdowns were surreal and epic, the flood of emotion that followed these huge tracks were unexpected because the music itself kept you guessing (Lewie Day – No Body Listens to Techno).
Where the fuck is he taking us? How hard can he get? Why is Kink packed and there is techno being smashed out? This was a night amongst nights that will live in the ‘best sets’ category of the clubbing CV. Musically I have not enjoyed myself so much in a long, long time. The birthday celebrations went truly off with the funk, dirty-fun and flair that is Danny Howells. And of course a birthday wouldn’t be what it is without the invitees. The straight, the dodgy, the purists and the 80s swingers all in form. Happy existence Kink!
