Break Inn has fast become a fixture on the Sydney breaks scene, delivering the goods week after week to a dedicated band of regulars (and ring-ins from upstairs). There have been some problems with overcrowding, well covered by my colleague a couple of weeks back, but these issues aside, Jam have done what noone else in this town seemed capable of – establishing a quality breaks night which has stood the test of time. So around the corner and down those perilous stairs we go…

The Impossibles were already ripping the place to shreds when I walked in – it was clear immediately that the sound in the Laundry is better than ever, no longer the sonic poor cousin to the much-vaunted Cave. Speaking of the Cave, it was different place entirely to the sardine tin we all experienced for Meat Katie a couple of weeks ago. It’s easily my favourite room in Sydney in which to enjoy music, as long as there are no more than a hundred people sharing it with me. Thankfully on this occasion there wasn’t, so my fellow breaks nerds and I had all the room in the world for silly dancing and jumping around spilling vodka on ourselves. The sound system is still devastatingly good, punchy and powerful but crystal clear. Combined with a bouncy wooden floor, relative darkness, and the general ambience of a wine cellar turned den of iniquity, it makes for a very special little space.

It was clear from the moment Ils hit the decks that this was to be one for the fans – casual listeners gradually migrated to the more palatable sounds of Bass Kleph in The Laundry, but those who remained were in for a treat. There seemed to be a fair bit of new material being road tested, and I can report from this sample the new album looks to be a bit darker and deeper than the ethereal Bohemia, but still firmly imprinted with the Ils signature. Razor Blade was the first of the Ils back catalogue to get a spin, while No Soul, Feed My Addiction and Lovin’ U all appeared in various remix guises. For a man whose production style is one of refined and restrained beauty, Ils isn’t afraid of a big tune, throwing down Aquasky’s dancefloor behemoth Good Sound, and rewarding the stayers later on with Tomcraft’s almost classic Loneliness. And just in case we were in any doubt as to his dancefloor chops, why not throw in a monstrous remix of Smack My Bitch Up? It was a set that was more about unabashed dancefloor action than artfully programmed subtlety and progression, but I for one didn’t mind a bit.

It seems the mainstream “so hot right now” hysteria that has suffocated the breaks scene in recent years may finally be on the decline, with smaller scale, higher quality events like Break Inn leading the charge back to normality. Week after week we are being treated to exceptional line-ups of locals and deftly chosen internationals, playing fresh, quality breaks – something that has been sadly lacking from larger events in recent years. With an impressive array of guests on the horizon, the quality looks set to continue. Sydney breaks fans are in good hands.