You can call it a rave, a break-fest, but Major Break is a more worthy title. It’s major, it’s got heavy breaks and drum & bass and it’s a rare rave in a winter timeslot, just what is needed to get a taste of the upcoming summer festival season. It is, the Major Break. The fourth one, a sell out event, gave last Saturday night a reason to party.
As a double venue event, Ambar and the much larger Gilkinsons Dance Studio, the lineup was set to fit any taste with Dopamine, Breakfastaz, Hook ‘n’ Sling, NyQuist Freqs, Marty McFly and more. The majority of the local DJ’s were based in Ambar, however the large crowds flocked to Gilkinson’s dance studio to see the big sets from Australia’s heavyweight breaks DJ, Dopamine and UK trio the Breakfastaz . Only a little more than one hundred metres up the road from Ambar, Gilkinson’s large dance arena made it a good venue for an indoor rave. With a ninety minute set from Dopamine, a two hour headlining set from the fun-making Breakfastaz and well known Ambar residents NyQuist FreQs as the closers an electro/break beat lover would have been drawn to Gilkinsons like a moth to a light.
The sets delivered from Dopamine and the Breakfastaz crew, which kicked off at twelve, were even sets in respect to the audience size and cheers and encores at extensive buildups, high rise drops and sampled tracks that any techno lover would have stored in their ‘favorites’ play-list. Dopamine, being a reputably proven surgeon of break music, easily maintained the enthusiasm of a thousand and over limber bodies. For a few, Dopamine’s performance of his very deep rhythm track Come Closer , drew gasps as they were taken away by the scenery of green lasers floating over a rough sea of ravers. It’s a joy to see disco lasers/lights work in unison with a song such as Dopamine’s heavy electro track Anyone Can Do It .
The Breakfastaz continued on producing some popular remixes as the morning passed on, sampling well known break-beat tracks such as Tell me how you feel and La La Land having audience members mouthing along to its catchy lyrics “’something bout those little pills unreal, the thrills, they yield, until they kill, a million brain cells”. With a general audience age of early to mid twenties one of the final sampled songs from the Breakfastaz was Operation Blade by Public Domain, a track known and loved by this raves demographic.
While the Breakfastaz were finishing, punters who were up to speed with their lineup times began their slow migration out of Gilkinsons into the cold rain and down into the cosy little Perth drum and bass home, Ambar, where Hook ‘n’ Sling had already gathered quite an audience. As a well known Sydney breaks/electro DJ with a steadily growing reputation Hook ‘n’ Sling’s set certainly raked the numbers in, changing Ambar from what was once quite empty earlier in the night to a bustling crowd. With his big club way of pleasing people Hook ‘n’ Sling efficiently excited his audience by selecting some much loved current Ministry of Sound hits then working his own breaks in such as He Doesn’t Love You and what sounded like a sampled version of The Bump . He closed with what audiences love to hear, FM remixes. For a late two hour set ending at half past four Hook ‘n’ Sling pulled out a slow old school reggae track before sampling his own version of Do It Again from the Chemical Brothers. More so enjoyed by a full room of weary dancers was a sampled remix of Silverchair’s Straight Lines to then have the full version played in the unaltered state was quite a treat, some observers leaning on the bar begging the lines to the song “wake me up strong in the morning”. They had their major break.
Sudz says...
Rave?? Ambar - Perths home of Drum and Base???
WoD19 says...
teehee
Megs says...
Did you review for xpress as well? Are you aware the two tracks mentioned from dopamines set were not even played but do happen to be on his myspace page?
WoD19 says...
teehee
Megs says...
Did you review for xpress as well? Are you aware the two tracks mentioned from dopamines set were not even played but do happen to be on his myspace page?
bridies says...
A few points for your consideration: 1. "Perth drum and bass home, Ambar" - since when? 2. "what audiences love to hear, FM remixes" - bad! 3. "scenery of green lasers floating over a rough sea of ravers" - ravers? 4. "Silverchair’s Straight Lines to then have the full version played in the unaltered state was quite a treat" - despeerate believer? 5. "a little more than one hundred metres up the road " - try 197 metres (lets be on the money) Keeping these points in mind... Question: were you even there?
Benson2u says...
I was a journalist put out in a field i knew nothing about at all. I had never listened to break beat nor have i ever attended such an event in my life. this comment is posted a year later and this article (for xpress as well) has been the only article with errors i have written in my career. since then i have reported everything as factual and have used your criticism of pointing out my wrongs in this article to make me a better journalist. I have now interviewed many of the future acts for both major break 5 and many of the upcoming and previous boomtick/gilks hall and ambar events. I thank you for writing in and correcting/questioning my article as i would do the same for my preferred genre's. Regards, Benjamin Strick
Megs says...
Cool Ben, is harsh to have someone so green on the genre reviewing imo but perhaps is better than no one at all. Great that you have taken the criticism on board:)