Techno, although much loved in Perth by a passionate minority, has become a rarity in terms of ‘out of lounge room’ availability. It was with much pleasure that I headed off to Heat on Saturday night to the 2Eternity gig to have a listen and a boogie to my beloved techno.

2Eternity was the showcase for one of the Melbourne music scenes favourite sons – Dave Pham as well as another Melbournite, Lani G and some of our local boys – Kriece, Flex, Flaunt, G Money and Brad Raven.

First up on the decks was Kriece – which surprised me as he is always a crowd puller and is usually found at the business end of the line up. Chatting to Kriece I discovered that he is now a new daddy and had to get home to take over from Mummy! Another new addition to Kriece’s evening was the use of his old friend – vinyl! Kriece has been very involved in the production and digital side of the music business in recent years and said he hadn’t had a chance to play vinyl out in almost two years! His set may have been earlier than usual but it was still stamped with the Kriece quality control that we have come to expect. Kriece was still able to mix after an extended hiatus and the tracks were impressive too. His current favourite label is Systematic and he also played some Hot Chip and Robert Babicz.

Taking over from Kriece was Flex who upped the tempo with a a track that sounded suspiciously cowboy-like. His set progressed with some easy, stomping beats while Lani G showed she is just as comfortable on the dance floor as she is behind the decks!

Brad Raven was next on the line up. Usually known for playing harder styles, Brad showed he can be versatile and managed to whet the crowd’s techno tastebuds in anticipation of the main event! In culinary terms…if you like, Brad was the entree before the Melbournian main course of Mister Dave Pham! As those in the know, know…good techno in a club is a rare event here in Perth so those that attended 2Eternity were soaking it up while they had the chance.

At last it was time for Mister Pham. Perth got a taste of his special brand of magic last year when he played at Eternity (also at Heat)This time around, he had a prime time, two hour spot with which to do as he liked! He played a harder set than usual – in fact a couple of people commented it was one of the best techno sets they had ever seen. A big call, I know but Pham delivers the goods time and again. Anyone lucky enough to have been at the Castle NYE party in Victoria would know what Pham is capable of. His style is individual and inspired. His 2Eternity set kicked off with some minimal tunes to mellow out the room after Brad Raven’s fever pitch finish. Gradually Pham dropped in some harder stuff and seeing the reaction it got, decided to run with it. Amongst the many winning tracks dropped during Pham’s set was Brain Senhaji’s new ep on Enable as well as quite a few of the more popular tracks on the Audio Assault label.

The graphics ‘scenery’ for the evening tied in brilliantly with the flow of Pham’s set. These were produced by Pixel Juice. From my vantage point, the Pixel Juice boys looked like kids let loose in Santa’s workshop, all with great big grins as they played with their toys and created some impressive backdrop entertainment.

Sadly, two hours came to an end but all was not lost, Lani G took over the reins with some acid techno to continue the night. A veteran on the dance scene of twelve years, Lani certainly showed why she is both successful and in demand.

As the night drew to a close, there was just enough time for two more of our locals. G Money and Flaunt. G Money rocked heat with some funky tribal techno and some impressive face pulling, photos to follow!

Flaunt on the other hand kept it minimal on the faces and minimal on the decks too but still entertaining.

From what I hear, there are plans to make techno gigs a more regular event here in Perth. The DNA crew obviously have a passion for what they are doing and have already expressed their intentions to make these parties bi-annual events. For all those that say nothing ever happens in Perth, it is happening, get out there amongst it!