Seeing that a Renaissance night was going to be held at the Chinese Laundry certainly got my attention. I know the club more for its breaks and tech house than for its progressive, but on Saturday night they were presenting one of Japan’s most successful DJ/producer exports Satoshi Tomiie. It was something I definitely had to check out, especially after being so inspired by his set at last year’s Good Vibrations festival. So it was on like Donkey Kong, and I was keen to see how things would pan out…

Heading in a few hours before the start of Satoshi’s performance, we managed to catch PQM’s surprise set in the Laundry that was followed by Sydney DJ legend Mark Dynamix. Both played very tasty sets full of driving tunes, setting the scene perfectly for the main man. The energy was high in both cases, and the crowd was bustling, friendly, trashy and ready to take in whatever Satoshi had on offer.

While waiting for proceedings to kick off we headed upstairs to the Sandbar and caught some of Ben Henderson’s set: the man probably better known for his involvement with Bustin’ in Wollongong and now at The Eastern. Happy breaks and old-school party hits were being blasted out the speakers and people were jumping around with crazy enthusiasm, displaying the typical boozer’s glow.

When Satoshi finally stepped up to the decks in the Laundry, he was using the Serato technology like a true master. Focusing in on the minimal/prog side of the musical spectrum for the night, the club was heaving with anticipation with each and every punter wanting to relish every blip and beat. This is why I love Satoshi! Technically perfect mixing and immaculate track selection. Some said he was like a robot: minimal interaction with the crowd but in my opinion, if he plays such an incredible set then who cares if he has cyborg tendencies!

He teased, built it up, let it back down before building it up again in the perfect progressive fashion, keeping you glued to the floor; waiting, wishing and wanting more. The crowd was absolutely jam-packed into the Laundry making it a little claustrophobic at times, with some of the crowd taking to aggressively shoving their way into an already filled-to-capacity room. But what does one expect when a ‘Renaissance Master’ comes to Sydney? Security was called upon to limit the number of people being allowed into the Laundry, and props should go to them for this. In all honestly, it might not have been the best room to feature the main act: with the space split in two with the bar and entrance creating thoroughfare halfway across the room, this probably caused some frustration for some.

All in all, it was a very fun and inspiring night. Satoshi proved why he is a ‘Master’ on the decks and he revived my appreciation for his music. Can’t wait for the next installment of the Renaissance gigs in Sydney, as they really do deserve all the accolades they receive.