In the Adelaide drum and bass scene, there’s always something good to do on a long weekend, and this event was a great example. Not only were two of the Dons of DnB touching down in the ‘laide, but this was also a great opportunity for me to check out HQ since the changeover from the popular ‘Heaven’ superclub. For old Heaven goers, you’ll still easily find your way around- though the new management have made major improvements to the sound, lighting and visual effects throughout the venue.

It was around 10:30pm and local boy Stryke was on the turntables keeping the punters entertained while the place filled up quickly. This was good to hear, as Stryke usually MC’s at the regular DnB gigs. The opportunity to check his skills on the decks just added to the special feeling that was building in HQ already. We had just heard Chris Su’s Solaris Theme when it dawned on me that D-Bridge would be on soon.

Before I knew it D-Bridge made his way to the stage and the two local MC’s Pase and G-Swift stepped up and began the process of hyping the massive into a frenzied state.

D- Bridge has a fantastic reputation in Adelaide as an awesome producer and master DJ set programmer, so it would be safe to say at least a thirty percent of the people in the room regarded this as the main show. This was the first time I had the pleasure of experiencing a D-Bridge set so I was quite happy with the next two plus hours.

D-Bridge started out with some nice soft liquid goodness and was technically on the money, right from the get- go. Although he was tight on the decks, the programming of his set was where it was at. He took the massive on a journey and the dance floor responded to every twist and turn… he even took time out to sing along with the lyrics of some of the songs (not over a mic- just to himself).

Towards the end of his set, just after he played his DnB anthem True Romance, D-Bridge changed gears and started bringing up the tempo with some nice dark and twisted tunes prompting the MC’s and the crowd to hype up immensely as the call went out for the ‘reload’ on several fresh dubs.

By this time, Andy C and GQ made their way to the stage. The place erupted with nearly a thousand people primed and ready for the dance floor mayhem that was about to ensue.

As D-Bridge’s final track wound down, MC GQ addressed the floor just moments before Andy C’s Screamer VIP dropped to an explosive reaction. This definitely set the tone for the master deck-nition’s performance and anyone with sore legs at this point didn’t stand a chance. We heard teases, drops and double drops. Anyone not dancing stood in awe as the DJ cyborg machine reminded the sceptics why he is the number one DnB DJ in the UK (as he’s been for the last six years). Something that makes Andy C so appealing to everyone is the fact that he plays for the dance floor and mashes to the DJ’s. With so many classics tunes in one set, it truly was a spectacular show and reminded me not to give up on some of the classics from past years. In true Andy C style, he made them sound as fresh as the day they were made.

After four hours of dancing my legs finally failed, so at the end of Andy C I limped away exhausted, content and thirsty to get back to my own decks. From all reports, Adelaide stalwarts Patch and Fiction closed out the night in fine form, making it one of the best line ups we’ve seen in Adelaide… ever.