As seems to be the tradition of my reviewer ‘relationship’ with John Glover, I arrived just in time to catch the second half of his set. It was totally awesome. He had very different, distinctive sounds throughout his hour ranging from a bumpy electro sound to a deeper, almost jungle-like sound (I’m talking the setting, not the genre of dance music!). These ‘jungle’ beats were enough to bring out the animal in one particular girl, who kept the attention of the crowd in the courtyard for a good 10 minutes with her amateur pole dancing skills before I decided I’d seen way too much skin and went inside to grab a drink.

The White Dorks were playing in the Twisted Youth room, so I stayed to listen for a few minutes. I can’t really describe their music style so I called in some help and found this description on their MySpace: dorkinbuzzfunkinpopelectrstuffinstuff. Whatever that means! Basically, they play everything you can think of, mixed to club beats. It’s a strange sound, but I quite liked it, which surprised me. I went back to the courtyard to meet my friends, and found everyone their still dancing away. John was still delivering a spectacular set and I wondered if Tim Sea would be able to keep the vibe as high. He soon took over and went straight into a mix of Timberlands The Way I Are. It was fantastic, honestly the ONLY remix of this track I have heard and liked. I felt bad that I had even worried about his ability to deliver. I danced my sunburned body solidly for the next half hour before the heat got too much and I went out the back to enjoy a sausage sandwich in the shade.

Kato’s set began at 5.30pm and I headed back to the Courtyard via the Chop Shop to have a quick peek at Anna Lunoe as I have listened to her show a few times on FBi radio. She is awesome. I planned on only staying in the Chop Shop for a few minutes but stayed much longer as her sound is infectious. She sounds what I would describe as a high energy dance/pop crossover, and it even had the bartenders moving. I was soon ambushed by my overexcited friend who was incoherently babbling about how Kato was totally awesome and I had to come see immediately. I have to agree. Kato’s a big guy, totally understated in his appearance but his music is outstanding. The whole feel of the courtyard was different now than it was when I had left. Everyone was in a different world where it seemed all that mattered was flat out dancing. It wasn’t the sort of music that only got some dedicated fans up, Kato mixed beats that everyone seemed to love, and I heard at least 3 people yell to their friends, “Oh my god this guy is the best”…

As 6.45pm crept closer, my excitement levels went through the roof. Muscles was going to be here… Playing only a measly 5 metres from where I was dancing. I had been listening to his CD all week and I admit I was probably a little over excited. Muscles played all his hits and I personally loved every minute of his performance. I felt though, that I might have been only one of a minority that did as the crowd seemed to disperse, and most people went back to sitting down and talking. As to remain objective, I asked some other people what they thought. The replies were along the lines of, “He’s not too bad I suppose?”, and “He’s ok if you like songs about ice cream.” Ah well, I danced, and I had fun. That’s all that matters right!

At 7.30pm, Ajax took over the decks but I was ready for another sit down. I’ve heard Ajax plenty of times so I thought conserving energy for Ben Morris verses Shamus was the best idea. It definitely turned out to be the best idea… And at 8.30pm Ben and Shamus stepped up. Immediately upon their doing so, everyone seemed to cram back into the courtyard. The place went nuts. Ben and Shamus are my favorite DJs of all time, and it seemed as if most people there shared my enthusiasm. Shamus is outstanding at winding crowds up (as I always say) and Ben has the dirty beats that everyone loves. Together, they created such intoxicating mixes and I personally, would LOVE to see them perform together again. This set was definitely in my top 2 of the night. It was an hour and a half of dirty house music in its most perfect, wonderful form.

As 10pm arrived, Felix Da Housecat took over the decks and he looks exactly like you would imagine a big Chicago DJ to look. It’s impossible not to stop and pay attention to someone who carries himself like such a superstar. Felix has had over 20 years experience and he is only 35. If you went to a club or a rave during the 90s, as well as showing your age then you’d be familiar with some of his classic house tracks, well before he drove the whole ‘electro-clash’ movement a few years ago. His style is very different from that now!

And his experience shone through in the set, with everything flowing perfectly into what came next. I didn’t personally love his new sound, and even though he’s evolved, I would have loved to hear a little bit of his older stuff too. But I have to admit, his perfect delivery was something to be admired and you couldn’t deny that it was a spectacular set. All in all, Sounds pulled off one of the best days I have ever been fortunate enough to enjoy. . All of this too while competing with all the thousands of people over at Field Day. A definite 10/10 day.