As summer draws nearer the sudden rush of must-see events, all packed ever so densely into each month seems to be getting out of control. The question is were you able to resist the temptation to see one of the worlds best DJs, Anthony Pappa return to Sydney to play at Sweetchilli? Opting to explore yet another venue this month the event was held at The Basement which is located near Circular Quay. Often used as a venue for hosting bands and predominantly jazz and blues performances it was going to be interesting to see how the venue held up for a night of progressive madness. DJs supporting Pappa on the night include Sweetchilli residents Crispin & Robbie Lowe.

Considering his achievements throughout his career Anthony Pappa is perhaps not as well known as he should be amongst punters in general, however his fans hold him in such high regard that excitement for this event was building for weeks leading up to the event. Having been in the forefront of the international dance music scene for over 10 years Pappa has accumulated many impressive accolades. Starting off with DJing from the age of 13, winning the DMC champion title at age of 15 and by 19 he won a life changing competition in Mixmag, earning him his first trip to the UK for a gig at the prestigious Ministry of Sound super-club. He has also been responsible for numerous productions under several monikers including Freefall with the massive trance tune Skydive and countless progressive remixes over the years. On the compilation front Pappa is second to none mixing albums for Global Undergrounds Nubreed, EQs Balance series.

On the night our crew kicked off the evening enjoying a few drinks at the Cruise Bar on Circular Quay before heading down to the Basement just before midnight to catch the last half of Robbie Lowe’s set. Once we got to the venue it was immediately apparent we should have got there earlier with Robbie slamming out some of the funkiest driving progressive to the eager crowd already building on the dance floor. We took a chance to wander around the venue and check out all the various booths and little rooms tucked off to the side. For those who have never been to the venue there is a bar located centrally with a dance floor in front of the stage and booths with seating around the outside of the venue.

The time simply flew by as we listened to Robbie Lowe warm up the crowd with all the smooth bouncy prog whilst Pappa was a tad late to start but no one seemed to mind. As Pappa stepped up to the decks with a cheeky grin and ready to start the crowd went absolutely wild as he kicked off the three hour set. Throughout the set every single mix was super tight and seemed to be programmed perfectly to create the feel of an almost continuous flow of energy that built up and then occasionally calmed a little, giving the people on the dance floor a short lived break. He certainly lived up to his reputation as an absolute weapon at the decks working the CDJs hard and creating some amazing rhythmic effects by tapping the cue button which all fit into the mix seamlessly.

The track selection was amazing including a lot of variety but all pure driving progressive with some tech, tribal and a heap of melodic building tunes which created an atmosphere of absolute euphoria. This vibe made it extremely difficult to leave the dance floor and even with my recent dancing drought of 2006 I was at the front for the entire set. A couple of tracks that I actually did recognise is one of my current favourites Oxia track Domino with its relentless synths and as final track of his set he dropped the amazing Underworld track Rez which topped off the night nicely. As Pappa wrapped up his set much to the resounding applause throughout the venue Crispin stepped up to take over for the remainder of the night. Unfortunately by this time of night details became rather hazy and it was not long before our crew decided to head home, however I am sure Crispin kept the quality tunes flowing for the many punters left rocking it up on the dance floor.

Overall, the event ROCKED and it is definitely up there in my floating top five events of the year. Great vibe with all the familiar faces of regular Sweetchilli attendees and ITMers scattered throughout the venue. The event is building such a strong reputation for community vibe that it really is the most comfortable club night around at the moment. No attitude and people there to enjoy the music and have a good time! The only negative I come up with is the sound could have been better. Unfortunately due to a late finishing concert on prior to the event the crew did not have any time to setup properly and tune the room. However this was only noticeable to the audiophiles in the room and the majority of the crowd was blown away by the good tunes and atmosphere. Anyway I could go on all day (but really should not), so I will finish with saying props to the Sweetchilli crew yet again for another successful event from all angles, I can not wait for the upcoming events over the course of the summer including the legendary Lexicon Avenue. For more details of upcoming events check out www.sweetchilli.com.au. See you at the next one!