You learn something new everyday, and last weekend I was enlightened with the knowledge that SHE stands for ‘Soulful House Experience’. This doscivery was made after I decided to embark on a 5-hour boat cruise hosted by the people who claim to be bring soul to Sydney’s house scene. Personally though, I couldn’t herlp but feel let down after the excitement that was brought on by these lofty claims.
If soul is what you mean by mixing Justin Timberlake into some otherwise above average house sets, then I guess SHE is doing what it claimed. Maybe I’ve been spoilt and now I’m just jaded, but I couldn’t help but wonder last Saturday afternoon, as I cruised around the harbor, where the adventure and daring sounds of Sydney house had disappeared to…
And what an afternoon to cruise. We turned up to King St Wharf on a day that threatened to be nasty in nature with party revelers decked out in theme all round us. Taking the nautical theme to heart there were a group of pirates yielding hooks and sailors in tight whites, another group was decked out in red which I was to learn was to celebrate a special lady’s birthday. Our transport for the afternoon was a retro three level ‘luxury’ cruiser that made a stunning entrance gliding into the wharf with the Hues Corporation’s 1974 hit, Rock the Boat pumping.
For most of the day the top sun deck was packed with people beyond recognition. With the weather taking a turn for the better, the sun deck proved a hot and very sweaty place to be. When Silky from Seminal Grooves hit the decks it was mayhem… When his track Cuban Blues hit, the sun deck was blinding. Hips shaking everywhere and arms all about, you couldn’t tell whose limbs belonged to whom. It was hectic!
Taking refuge in the lower deck proved to be one of the better decisions of the day as it was here that we stumbled upon one of the lesser hyped acts of the day. In the bowls of the boat, surrounded by plush velvet décor, reminiscent of the love boat, we found a percussion act made up of Olsen and Vincente Sebastian on percussion, Scotty on sax and funky local singer/songwriter Merenia on vocals. We then spent a good chunk of the afternoon indoors grooving around to Merenia’s soulful lyrics. Typical… The real soul is to be found in the bowls of the boat.
SHE attracts a loyal following of kids, all of which were probably on the sun deck of the SHE Summer Boat Cruise last weekend. If you’re looking for old school house, it probably isn’t the place for you (or me), but if you’re a fan… well you already know and were probably already on that boat getting down to the trademark SHE sounds.
