There’s been a heap of controversy surrounding the current Calyx & TeeBee tour – we’re talking promoter wars, petitions from angry punters, threats of a Rage Against the Machine street-style protest and of course, the alleged refusal from the legendary UK drum n’ bass producers themselves to play at a prominent Sydney club. Naturally, I felt it was my journalistic duty to investigate what the fuckin’ fuss was all about. And so, I found myself at Hermanns Bar on Friday Night.

As I lined up at the obscure bar, which I now know is located near Sydney University, with both attitude and entourage in tow, I mused to myself: why would an incredibly small and close-knit segment of the dance music community wish to segregate itself further by holding the event at such a secluded location? But before I could answer, I was faced with an enormous wall of sound, courtesy of the Hijack sound system that had been set up for the show. Inside, I was little disappointed to find not one, but four or so musicians on stage, belting out the jams on guitars, drums and such, and although the wicked feedback loop from which they exited the stage to was cool, it just wasn’t the drum n’ bass that I was there to see.

I was busy at the bar ‘investigating’ the ridiculously cheap drink prices so I didn’t notice the first electronic track being dropped, and as I couldn’t find any set times pinned up anywhere or online, I couldn’t tell you who it was that dropped it, but I remember it being reminiscent of Pendullum – an easy crowd pleaser to open proceedings with. And after spending some time in the ‘beer garden’ enjoying the outdoor heaters provided by the promoters, I noticed it was time to get my brock on – Calyx & TeeBee were on stage.

Ordinarily, a club would consist of perhaps one or two large bass bins, but Hermanns was decked out with eight, stacked on top of each other, on either side of the stage! I mean Jesus, I felt like I was in a Shihad film clip. But that’s not to say that it was unnecessary or overkill in any sense. I’ve been to many a club where they’ve featured a large sound system, only to have it distort and clip – or worse, where the speakers have actually blown. But this Hijack rig was audio sex baby, pure eargasm. The clarity in which the low octave wobbly bass lines were drifting out was astounding; Hijack truly lives up to his reputation.

Calyx & TeeBee stepped up to the stage with the arrogant swagger of gangsta rappers, complete with oversized clothing and baseball caps with unbent beaks. It was easy to visualise them bouncin’ down the ghetto streets in black caddies, heads bobbing in time to polished beats and low-octave bass lines – only double the tempo and without lyrics boasting about bitches.

To compliment their psuedo-crunk image, the duo were right into their turntablist influences: braking, doubling and fader manipulation, though that soon became tedious when they would stop to a halt mid-song and cut to the new one, disturbing the hustle and flow of the dance floor.

Throughout the two hours or so the duo was playing they bounced around almost as much as the punters, who seemed genuinely blown away by the track selection from the duo. I was too, but for me it was like showing a blind man boobs for the first time – it was all good! But seriously, they played some heavy-ass tunes and matched them with seamless mixing, along with the odd scratching spot from TeeBee who would nimbly etch out complementary rhythms, making clever use of both faders, dropping the track and leading with a scratch, cutting back in with a snare or two then dropping the track. Leet turntable skills ahoy!

As much as the boys looked like dance-music-meets-hip-hop, they sounded more like dance-music-meets-death metal: just like the afore mentioned genre, their music was very dark, very fast and not unlike most metal fans, very heavy. Their fast paced and repetitive drum patterns, coupled with the crushingly heavy rhythms, growled from the depths of the speakers and taunted listeners like Cradle of Filth lyrics, which was ironic because I think I spotted a couple of ‘Filth shirts among the crowd. More to the point, in true metal style the punters hoisted their fists in the air and pumped them in appreciation more than once, and just when I thought I had the duo pegged, they got all up in my face and dropped some nasty hardcore tracks, after which they launched into the final leg of their set – which I took as my cue to leave.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love drum n’ bass, but I don’t think I could listen to it everyday. I just don’t have the dedication, or the eardrum capacity. But when I saw Calyx & TeeBee behind the decks, it was all on – arms, legs, fists and many other limbs were thrown in every direction, and I can clearly see why the drum n’ bass community would want to keep such a valuable commodity to themselves – even if it is to their own detriment.