Loaded Dice once again had a treat for all of Perth’s drum n’ Bass punters by putting on Heavyweight Soundz on the first Friday of November. Held at Perth’s largest club, Metro City, Perth was in for an aural treat, as it boasts one of the best sound systems in the southern hemisphere.

DJ Hype needs no introduction for those in the now, and anyone who has seen this man live will attest for his fearsome reputation as one of the finest and most energetic performers doing the rounds. A battle DJ of renown (he represented England in the 1989 DMCs), Hype had a history of electrifying deck work before moving on from his reggae and hip-hop roots in the late 80s and latching onto house and hardcore. He was an early force on one of London’s most influential pirate stations Fantasy FM, and since then he’s consistently topped bills on the international DJ circuit, landing awards for Best Male DJ and Best Radio DJ (in 1994 and 1995, respectively) at the UK’s prestigious Hardcore Awards. He’s also one of London’s popular Kiss FM’s biggest attractions and was the force behind Suburban Base’s popular multi-volumed mixed compilation series Drum and Bass Selection.

Also on board, New Zealand’s State of Mind have amassed a discography many of their peers have come to envy with releases on some of the most recognisable labels in the business including Teebee’s Subtitles imprint, Total Science’s C.I.A. and Futurebound’s Viper Recordings to name a few. Founded in 2004, State of Mind is the drum n’ bass duo from New Zealand of Patrick Hawkins and Stu Maxwell, and everytime they have performed here in Perth; they have torn the roof off the place.

Outrage (from Metalheadz, Inneractive, Intasound, Commercial Suicide, Rufige, Horizons ) has been closely following drum n’ bass for over a decade. His first break came at the age of 15 when he gained a slot on the Bedfords (UK) pirate radio station Shock FM. The year 2000 brought Outrage his most influential alliance yet, when he united with Tronic (now known as Amit). 2006 onwards, and Outrage has forthcoming releases on some of the most distinguished labels around, collaborations with equally distinguished artists and some fusion projects alongside Bill Laswell, Herbie Hancock and crew in New York. He has showcased his talent at such festivals as the famous Berlin Loveparade and Hungary’s Sziget Festival.

Topping my line of artists that I was looking forward to seeing was Sigma – an up and coming trio from the UK comprising of production, djing and turntablism. Expected up on the decks is DJ Wooz, who is also a UK DMC champion. Masterful mixing, scratching and turntablism make Sigma a unique experience.

We got there at about 10pm, just barely missing Dub Alley who had put on a wild show. State of Mind was just starting and the place was nicely packed. Huge visuals encompassed the stage and it looked like a very well organised event. What can I say… State of Mind absolutely smashed it. Tune after tune rinsed, SOM showed why they are one of the premier DJ/producer artists out there. Two hours on and the dancefloor was packed, ready for the onslaught that Sigma was about to bring.

Sigma stepped on at about midnight, represented by DJ Wooz, and opened up with a huge new release by Pendulum. His mixing was magnificent, and tore the house down. It was simply one of the most energetic sets I’ve witnessed, especially on a large system. The only gripe is that I was expecting more scratching and turntablism from Wooz as he is known for that. A little birdie had told me that the tunes he brought did not work in the CDJs, and a backup plan had to be executed – and in that way, I was still very very impressed. MC Stylee and Assassin also tore it off on the mic during the set. Sigma will also be playing free at D-Styles at The Deen on Wednesday the 7th of November for FREE, so if you missed the show at Heavyweight Soundz, you have another chance.

By 2am the place was ridiculously packed. A sea of dancing punters filled the Metro City dancefloor and Hype stepped up. Bringing out his unique style of scratching also got the crowd going with MC Daddy Earl over the mic. At one point Daddy Earl asked for a rewind for the crowd, and Hype did not cooperate, and Earl himself stepped up to the decks and rewound the track. It was a funny sight indeed, but Hype did not seem to mind. The 1st 30 mins of his set was a class act, but it seemed to die down after and sound monotonous after that, but the last hour picked up again and Hype, one of the true ‘Don’s’ of drum n’ bass truly put on a class show once again.

Unfortunately I missed Outrage’s set, but I’ve heard nothing but good reports on it. Bigups to Loaded Dice on another class show and a great venue.