After months of hype, Harbourlife – the next and possibly most revered event on the calendar of Fuzzy parties – took place at Mrs Macquaries Chair. If you were one of the lucky ones to somehow obtain a ticket to the low capacity harbourside daytime festival, then you would no doubt have some fond memories of an absolutely perfect day spent in the sunshine with quality tunes pumping, amazing views in each direction, hot bodies littered around the venue and a damn good atmosphere throughout the day and night. The event is set overlooking the Harbour, directly in front of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, and has provided some epic moments and memories over its 4 year history. This year the event featured international guests Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso of the Swedish House Mafia, Derrick Carter, Chuck Love and Elite Force. Tickets for the event sold out in record time on the day of release, with many missing out due the limited capacity and overwhelming demand.

My morning kicked off on a boat on the harbour throughout the early afternoon, which was a nice way to start a very harbour themed day of partying. We got to the actual event just before 5pm and checked out the various stages and layout of the event. We were surprised to see a significant police presence at the entrance to the event as this is unusual for Fuzzy parties. The main stage this year was parallel to the Harbour Bridge while the breaks Treetops stage was setup further up the hill towards the entrance. There were a number of food stalls and a couple of water stations and throughout the day lines for toilets were not too unbearable (although I am a guy so perhaps the ladies would not necessarily agree).

First up we settled in to the absolutely sexual sounds of Chuck Love who was playing from 4.00 till 5.30. This veteran of the house scene cranked out some amazing deep, soulful grooves which were the perfect start to the many hours of quality tunes coming up. Throughout his set he incorporated live vocals and a number of instruments, including guitar, flute, vocals and a mini keyboard, all of which made the set quite interesting. As the afternoon rocked on the vibe throughout the crowd was starting to become very characteristic of Fuzzy festivals, and by the time this set was finished smiles were abound and there was hysteria towards the front of the dance floor. At this time it would have been great to have remembered to properly apply sunscreen to my face as I got absolutely roasted throughout the day. I am sure many other did too!

Next the legendary house DJ Derrick Carter stepped up to take us through to 7pm. He continued where Chuck Love left off and kept the deep grooves flowing with some jackin Chicago house and a fair smattering of tech and acid throughout the set. His mixing throughout was absolutely flawless, and despite not recognising any tracks, this set was a definite highlight for me. At times the set got a little bit on the funky and vocal side for my tastes, however the crowd was lapping up the sexy vibes and I guess thats what it’s all about.

As the sun started to go down the event moved to it sultry/trashy vibe (also possibly when it is most memorable), and the views were looking magic in the fading light. Soon the eagerly awaited Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso stepped up to play their 2 hours. The duo opened with the (overplayed) Pink Floyd mash up Proper Education, while the deafening applause of the fired up crowd welcomed them on stage. From this point the exact details of this set are not necessarily crystal clear as it was easy to get completely lost in the music, like everyone else! However, it was a highlight of the day for me, with a good mixture of well known tunes and some cracking tech and electro house to keep the chin strokers happy. They also threw in anthems such as Sweet Dreams and Insomnia, which went down perfectly with the setting sun. Finally the customary closing set of the day was with Fuzzy front man Jonathan Wall and Ajax, and they pumped out some fun bouncy tunes for the masses, however I must say this set didn’t do much for me.

Overall, as expected, it was an absolutely amazing day out with perfect weather, views, sound and a whole lot of eye candy throughout the entire venue. Big ups to all the ladies who looked amazing at the event! The crowd was also very well behaved and the highlights for me would have to be Ingrosso and Angello at dusk and the smooth grooves of Derrick Carter. I did not get to spend too much time at the Treetop stage but it sounded quite good throughout the afternoon every time we meandered past, although I am bummed about missing Elite Force who I was told were one of the highlights of the day. See you at the next one!