As I entered the near-empty Dendy Bar just after 11pm, I soaked in the almost seedy atmosphere that many of us have grown to love along with the underground UK music which Premium provides every month. My friends and I took a seat on some of the comfy couches as we looked around to see if we could spot James Ash. This was the man who we had come to see. Bringing UK Garage/2-Step to Australia and mixing the Ministry of Sound 2-Step The Album, the reputation of James Ash was enough to get me excited.

The club slowly filled with early punters who were all greeted with some nice garage tunes played by Q45. As the Dendy and the dance floor slowly filled Q45 whipped out his many dirty 2-step tunes which would be followed through for the rest of the night. Q45’s breakbeat roots were shown as he pushed the border of 2-Step and breaks with some very bass-heavy tunes which had many of the punters, who liked the extra space on the dance floor, sweating it out early in the night. As usual many different people took to the dance floor busting out their different styles and moves to the bangin’ 2-step.

By the time Sheen took to the decks the floor was full of 2-Steppers who were loving the bass-driven tunes he was spinning on the decks. As always Sheen’s skill as a DJ was shown as he played great songs with tight mixing which were all delivered as you’d expect from a master of the turntables. Although his set was fantastic, nothing prepared us for what was on next.

The moment James Ash jumped on the stage and started playing some tracks his skill as a DJ and a performer shone through. His mixing was tighter than tight, smoother than smooth and over all just brilliant. His enthusiasm and energy radiated from the stage as he moved to the music, getting as into it as much as the crowd on the floor. The regular MC’s Tanzi and hooRay, plus some other guest MC’s, chanted along while James Ash delivered his power-packed set. Not that he needed anyone to help him get the people going, as his music and energy were enough to excite any crowd. He cranked out some new songs, as well as some old favorites, which kept the long-term garage fans happy. Apart from his spot-on mixing, one thing which put James Ash a cut above the Sydney 2-Step DJs is his ability to interact with the crowd which seems to be a quality rarely found in most of Sydney’s underground DJs. The level of excitement this builds in the crowd is immense, as there is nothing better than a DJ who looks like he/she is really enjoying the music they play.

Playing everything from the dirtiest 2-Step to the funkiest 4/4, James Ash ripped it up and played a fantastic set that will stay the memories of many for a long time to come.

I kind of felt sorry for the Garage Pressure boys as playing after James Ash’s set was a hard act to follow, but with most people stuffed during or after his set, the dance floor slowly emptied to a size that was normal for that time of night at Premium. Farj and Paul Fraser kept the few faithful dancers happy with their good selection of tunes which is always welcome at the end of the night.

It was an excellent Premium as usual and the special guest James Ash was above expectation. If you are in Melbourne I would recommend you go hear him play, and hopefully he will come back up for a Premium in the not to distant future!

The good music, friendly door people and a crowd who care about having a good time more than anything else makes Premium a monthly event worth going to, and if your curious about 2-Step it is a fantastic way to be introduced to this emerging sound. So grab a copy of Ministry of Sound 2-Step The Album and head down to the next Premium to get a taste of the UK sound.