This month saw the Destination? crew extend an open invitation to come down to Ambar and help them celebrate the launch of the Destination? record label, with hints on the ITM forum of “special celebrations” for those arriving early. I’ve recently picked up a bad habit of falling asleep before gigs and either getting there late and missing all the surprises, or worse, not getting there at all. I was determined that this wasn’t going to happen to me this time around. I hadn’t actually planned on arriving at Ambar bang on 9pm but for once in my life a taxi rocked up within 5 minutes of me calling for one and so the party was, literally, just starting when I got there.

A notable absence for me was the regular door bitch with her friendly welcoming smile and the lolly bowl that I love so much! I’m going to have to insist that you don’t let her take a holiday again, OK guys?

I may have been ridiculously early but Double One Seven, making his Destination? debut, was already playing some funky tunes for the handful of people in the room. I grabbed myself a glass of champagne from the bar and then I noticed all the old vinyl records decorating the wall. I was a bit intrigued as to why they were up there, until the penny dropped. Of course, this was the record label launch. Sometimes I’m so quick on the uptake I scare myself! I spent the first hour or so chatting to familiar faces as they drifted in. Having a celebratory glass of champagne was mandatory and everybody seemed to be clutching a glass.

One of my favourite local DJs, Karlsav, took over behind the decks at 10.30pm. Now when Karlsav plays in a later timeslot he really cranks out some heavy beats, but when he is on early in the evening we get to see his softer, more melodic style. I’m undecided as to which I like best. A highlight of the set for me was his remix of The Falls’ “Never” which was recently was released on Unstable label. I’ve been a big fan of that track for a while now and it was great to hear it in a club setting.

When the Signal Drivers came on at midnight, the Destination? label launch celebrations were well underway and I was feeling the effects of the champagne. I hadn’t seen the Signal Drivers play for a couple of months and I thought their set was a little more electro (for want of a better word) than the breaks dominated sets I’ve heard from them in the past. But hey, I’m no genre snob. As far as I’m concerned if it gets me dancing, it must be good and the Signal Drivers certainly had me glued to the dance floor.

The Sound Advice DJs from Sydney were the interstate act at tonight’s Destination?. A couple of my friends had been raving to me about the last time they were in Perth, something to the effect of “hot sound, hot DJs”, so I didn’t want to miss that! I did get to meet Moxx before their set and he told me how much they enjoyed playing at Ambar, but in fairly colourful language that won’t get passed ITM’s potty mouth filter. Nice one!

Well now it’s my turn to rave about the Sound Advice DJs because I really enjoyed their set. I took up my favourite position, front and centre of the dance floor and stayed there. I think I had to be restrained because I started jumping around so much when they played Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence.” My drunkenly scrawled review notes indicate that I thought this was “definitely cool.” Depeche Mode is one of my all-time favourite acts and I don’t hear their stuff very often in clubs these days, so the Sound Advice DJs essentially made my evening by playing that song. It was still stuck in my head the next day.

Towards the end of the Sound Advice DJ’s set, I was dragged outside to join some of the Destination? crew for a cigar in honour of the new record label. Here’s a free tip: If you’re on some kind of nicotine replacement therapy, smoking cigars is not a good idea. Oh, it may seem like a good idea after quite a few drinks, but it’s not. Trust me on this one.

I remained outside for the rest of the evening, smoking and chatting to people so I really didn’t get to hear any of Heretik’s set. Unusually, Destination? closed early because of the small crowd numbers that remained so late in the evening, and Serial ATA didn’t get to play. Another fun Destination? party came to a close and I staggered home to try and sleep off the effects of champagne and cigars. I can’t wait for the 4th Birthday Party celebrations in November. Save my spot on the dance floor please!