In the words of the Seekers, “The carnival is over” for Frantic in Melbourne, six years after it began. But it certainly didn’t go out with a whimper. From the pre-party drinks at 8pm until close at 7am, Room 680 was packed to the rafters and the most common question posed to me and others was: “Why is this, the last one when there is such a big crowd here tonight?” Good question.

I asked myself on a number of occasions: “Where were all these people when the last few Frantics were on?” The answer isn’t simple and I may have it all wrong, but I would say the following points are contributing factors to the demise of, what I and many others consider, one of the best parties ever to be held in Melbourne:

a) Globally, UK Hard Dance/Trance has taken a downturn in popularity,
b) Melbournites are spoilt for choice when it comes to clubs and genres,
c) Young clubbers are more attracted to the weekly clubs and to the harder style genres of dance music,
d) Many of the Frantic DJ’s and punters who have been there from the beginning, have moved on in their lives as most clubbers do, and have other priorities now.
So, why did everyone come out of the woodwork for the last one? The answer to this one is obvious:

Once you have been to a Frantic party, you are hooked for life. They will always hold a special place in your memory and heart. I have friends who only go out every few months, but they were all at Frantic last Friday. I met people there, who now have young families, but the baby-sitters were called in, and they were there.
Don’t get me wrong. This wasn’t a gathering of oldies, reliving the good ol’ days and chin-stroking… Far from it.
Sure, the average age was more than it is at Bass Station, but there wasn’t a lot of standing around chatting going on.

I have said this in a previous article: It is virtually impossible to stand still at Frantic. The music is infectious and the signs and symptoms include foot tapping, hands in the air and full on shuffling. Smiles are glued to faces, group hugs are prolific and if a newbie just wandered in, he/she would assume that everyone knew everyone.

Speaking of newbies. There were quite a few of them there on Friday. They too, had a blast and were very disappointed that they hadn’t been before and now, couldn’t go again.

To quote some ITMers:

“I posted about a month ago about flying solo to a club and last night I finally did it! attended the last frantic alone and had the best time..danced like hell and met some amazing people…”
and:

“Impossible to have a bad time @ Frantic, we’ve had a great friendly crowd from the start, and last night was no exception. I’ve met many ppl who head in solo and meet pals there or make new ones on the night.”

“How farken good was it? I got in 1030 and the atmosphere was electric, stayed till the end 7. Top night indeed”

With regards to the music, I guess I expected the format to be like a Timeless – an annual Frantic event which is devoted to playing anthems. Sure there were some anthems like, “Your My Angel”, “Ascension” and OD404’s “9Bar”, but there were also a lot of newer tracks. The DJs played in pairs in the main room. They consisted of many of the DJs who have played at Frantic over the years, some recently, and some who were before my time such as Conan. There were a couple of noticeable absentees – Griff and Eggers who many of us remember fondly. Pablo made his return to Frantic with an awesome set. Last time I saw him, he had long hair tied back in a pigtail. Now he sports a No. 1. The hairstyle may have changed, but his expertise on the decks hasn’t.

Nadene was a favourite for the night, judging by the amount of people who asked me who she was and told me how good she was. Johnny W started off the night with Teia, and despite giving me the impression at the pre-party that he was going to start off pretty trancy, he omitted the word “hard”. He had the room jumping from his first track until his last, and showed a tremendous amount of energy for a father of 16 month old twins! Guess he is used to existing on minimal sleep.
Ben Kakoshke played vs Ryza and Craig Jon teamed up with Fez. The tempo never wavered from one set to the next.

Meanwhile, in the side-room, another big crowd was entertained by the funky electro beats of Elektra, Pixleton, Kane and Shodan. For those of us needing a break from the mayhem and madness happening in the front room, this room was perfect to rest weary legs and to catch up with old and new friends. The music was less frenetic but still tempting enough for a decent boogie.
The final set of the night was reserved for the people who have made Frantic what it is over the last 6 years – Kane and Nevin. These guys have put their heart and soul into Frantic and they do the same when they take to the decks.

Nevin prefers the harder style of UK Dance whereas Kane, who is more at home in the side-room or at Revolver, tends to be more funky in his choice of music. However, I think he surprised everyone with his superb compilation of hard house, hard trance and even a little bit of psy towards the end. Even more surprising, was to see his normally serious expression break into the occasional smile. Nevin, on the other hand, didn’t stop grinning from start to finish, and why shouldn’t he? He has been instrumental in establishing and maintaining (IMHO) the best parties that Melbourne has ever had the good fortune to host.

So, is the carnival really over? Rumour has it, that an annual Timeless is on the cards. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up but I truly believe that we have not heard the last of Frantic. In closing, I will use the words of another ITMer who sums the night up perfectly:
“... Overall a classic night and I mean classic in everything that is good about clubbing sense, the kind of night that you wish was a blueprint for many other club nights. As someone mentioned earlier, it really was like the good old days.”

Thanks to everyone involved in creating last Friday night. Special thanks to Nevin, Kane and the Frantic crew who have brought so much joy to so many people for so many years. Best wishes in your future ventures.

Love from all of us.

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