The Adelaide Breaks Collective came into existence when a group of local DJs thought they would do better to join forces and work together, rather than promoting themselves individually and competing against one another. Regular ABC nights have been growing in both size and popularity over the past few years, as word has travelled through the local scene. On Saturday ABC celebrated their second birthday, with a huge night of beats and breaks at Mojo West.

Mr S warmed things up with a funky blend of beats that picked up in tempo towards midnight. He managed to get some toes tapping, although the dance floor was conspicuously empty at this stage of the evening. One of the real downers about the new smoking laws is that a large number of punters sit outside for most of the night where they are able to puff away without ridcule. This leaves more and more empty dancefloors, and, unfortunately, a whole heap of support acts who are not getting heard. This could become a huge problem for new and upcoming talent, not given a chance to grow.

Next up was Noodle, who spun some rolling, bouncy breaks and crowd pleasing track featuring The Knife and De La Soul. The toe tapping evolved into dance move busting as the floor was, by now, dotted with a few keen groovers. Noodle knew how to excite the audience and threw in a good mix of popular and classic tracks, all of decent quality. At one stage he even had everyone singing along to The Hot Stepper.

Melbourne’s Nick Thayer was the draw card tonight. When he took to the decks numbers on the floor did seem a bit skint, but the packed tables outside were able to hear his set and were showing their appreciation by screaming along to INXS New Sensation. I just hope Thayer was aware of what was going on out there! Technically, Thayer is impressive, but what sets him apart is his ability to gravitate between the new electro-breaks sound and old-school funky tunes. A memorable mix of the classic track Mr. Postman stands out and was appreciated by many.

As everyone was keen to continue the party, DJs Spark and Lauchy Pender wrapped up the evening with cranking, rolling breakbeats. Another successful mile stone for the Adelaide Breaks Collective as they continue to bring a specific blend of music to our local clubs. There is a lot going on in Adelaide at this time of the year, so numbers were a bit lower than I had expected. Maybe for their next big event the ABC could bring out a few more big names and possibly an international to increase the crowds and awareness? Either way, the future is still looking bright for the breaks scene in Adelaide.