It seems as though the Destination of Perth’s dance music scene is headed down the Freeway of Breakbeat. At the forefront of the scene is the Destination? promotion which has over the past couple of years brought together Perth’s best breaks DJ’s along with live musicians to create a night out like no other. I was lucky enough to witness Destination? go to the next level on Friday the 25th August as Dopamine (an Aussie DJ/producer who has made it big on the international stage) headlined the event. The build-up for the night was enormous and nothing could have prepared me for experiencing how Ambar (the cruise ship to our Destination) exploded into life.

Due to circumstances beyond our control my crew and I didn’t hit Ambar until after Distortion & Sofleur’s set. I’m sure the combination of funky breaks with a flortist would have made for an interestingly smooth combination. Prizzy feat 109 (bass guitar) and Redskin (drums) were banging out the tunes between 10:30 and 11:30. As has occurred during previous visits to Ambar and especially Destination, I watched as Ambar went from hosting a handful of punters dancing or sitting here or there to being almost completely packed. Something special was unfolding as the steady stream of clubbers headed straight for the floor making Ambar the most jam packed that I have ever seen it.

The bass duo of Hey Hey and Bones complimented up & coming Perth breakbeat don DJ Philly. Whilst I couldn’t recognise many of the tracks being played by most DJ’s it didn’t matter as my crew and I had heaps of fun bumping and grinding on the dance floor. The atmosphere at Ambar is always quite friendly, testiment to this is the fact that I was on both the giving and receiving end of drink spillages. That being said Ambar really ought to do something about those dubious round tables which sit right on the edge of the dance floor. I have lost count of the number of times that I have bumped them.

With an ever growing resume that now includes an appearance on the tracklisting of Elite Force’s “Strongarm Sessions” radio show with his tune “Hang One,” Karlsav is definitely one of Perth’s men of the breakbeat moment. Complete with vocal support from CJ, Karlsav took to the decks at 12:30 to deliver a one-hour set which chartered the crwod to a Destination where the beats were tougher and the basslines bigger. The energy of the crowd was unstoppable. Karlsav provided one of the highlights of the entire night when he dropped a cheeky breakbeat version of “Move It,” which suffice to say sent the Destination crowd into hysteria. Watch this space, the Karlsav name can only continue to get bigger and brighter.

At 1:30 Dopamine stepped up to the one’s and two’s for his headline performance. Having known the name for a while but not too much about him it came as a bit of a surprise to learn that Dopamine is from Australia (Sydney to be exact.) Real name Matt Goddard, Dopamine shot to fame with his debut single “Hold You” (which was tracklisted by the Plump DJ’s on their recent Mixmag cover CD) and has since not looked back. “From start to finish Dopamine delivered tune after tune of funky, smooth and groovy breaks which made for a set that stayed at a constant peak rather than going up and down in intensity. It seems as though Dopamine knows how to work any crowd as his set seemed ideal for the intimate atmosphere of Ambar. Percussionist Rhythm Sticks was on hand to provide the perfect beat to compliment Dopamine’s set, the two worked in twain perfectly to create a truly unique vibe.

Another of Perth’s most colourful breakbeat acts The Signal Drivers were up next to carry on the Destination show from 3:30. The Ambar crowd was still well and truly up for it as there weren’t too many people heading for the exit. I took a break from the floor and whilst sipping a drink I watched as a couple of dancers tore up the floor with their extra special moves. Even as Taxman took to the decks to deliver the last set of the night at 4:30 there were still plenty of people left. I quite enjoy Taxman’s breaks sets as he seemlessly combines drum & bass influences into his breaks sets. It was a shame then that my posse dragged me kicking and screaming from Destination before I got to hear as much of Taxman’s set as I would have liked. I look forward to the next Destination? as it is fair to say that this promotion is fast becoming the flagship for Perth’s breakbeat scene.