I’ve only been to the Dendy a few times and well what can I say? It has that underground dingy atmosphere to it you gotta love. Upon entry I was greeted by smooth beats played by the lovely Emme. She played with such class and the selection of tracks allowed the crowd to prepare themselves for a get-our-ass-on the dance floor night.
I did the mission and sussed out the place. What looked like a cosy, intimate club turned out to be a crowd of Sydney’s limited yet slowly expanding Garage and 2 Step fans. Such diversity was evident. You had your trendy stylish mid 20 year olds, fun loving happy go lucky early thirty year olds and the occasional tourists seeking a bit of garage to reminisce what their homeland provide.
Some mingled and drank at the bar (as you do), others chilled out on the couches and relaxed at the up-tempo beats Emme distributed evenly to the crowd. MC Flex demonstrated his skill by rolling out the impressive lyrical content while keeping to the same pace with Emme.
Q45 played next and what a mix he generated. The pace was quickening and you could tell from the crowd they were loving it. Fat nasty beats were shooting out of the speakers and you could honestly feel the bass thumping in time with your heart. What was great about it was the sufficient dance space. People had the opportunity to show off their different dance styles without knocking into each other like you usually would at the packed clubs. (I’ve had enough of the sardine treatment dammit!) There is no uniform dance step and the people chose to move how they please. Whether it is a bop, hop, kick or flick, it was all in the name of good fun.
As a virgin garage and 2step listener, one had to ask whom the next artist was up on the throne. Rhizone was their name and comprised of 2 guys Armand and hooRay. They gave the Dendy a live performance of what garage is all about and taught me the diverse sounds of what vocals and electronic music can do in a matter of an hour set. It was an amazing consumption of unique sounds that my ears were not accustomed to, yet enjoying so deeply. The night was not over and Premium still had so much to offer.
Sheen was up next on the decks and you should have seen concentration this guy had! You could tell by his determination, he aimed to deliver an impeccable set, which he did. By now the dance floor was getting packed and the crowd were craving for more.
Sheen and Tanzi joined forces and ripped up a remix of Eminem’s ‘Forgot About Dre’ and Roger Sanchez’s ‘Another Chance.’ What a killer this did to my feet!
Whose turn was it to place their sticky fingers on the decks but none other than Fari from Garage Pressure. His knob turning (excuse the pun!) finger spinning, and needle changing kept me in awe as he displayed the dirtiest breaks and deepest beats of the night.
It was that time of the night for the cowards to throw in the towel and call it quits for the night. But not me. I came for the whole show and I planned to stay until they kicked us out.
After Farj, his partner in crime Paul Fraser continued the pace. The heroes on the dancefloor were given a harder and faster beat to keep up with and all contestants did their best. I for one needed another beer and seat to rest my sore little legs.
Last but not least, we got to see none other than Young Jase. He performed exceptionally well as per usual. His awesome set proved he could cater for all individual tastes. He wrapped up the party and by the looks on everyone’s face that night, we can’t wait for the next Premium night next month.
Personally, I’m not a garage fanatic but I’m open to try new possiblities and examine different genres of music. For all those like myself who have never had the chance to listen to garage and tried a 2step club, check out Premium. It’s a friendly cosy club with no attitude and fun is their key concept. Try out your latest dance moves down @ the Dendy cause no one cares how bad you look and the music is one of educational value.
