After having to work on New Years Eve and not really having any fun, I decided to make New Years day my time of fun. I kicked it off with a visit to the Hi-Fi Bar in Swanston Street, where there hard dance lovers of Melbourne flocked to see the best the city has to offer, plus a couple of added Sydney spices in the form of Pee Wee Ferris and Steve Hill.

X-Static vs Chubbs Deluxe was the first battle to take place in the main stage. They got the crowd in the mood for the day with some bouncy hi-nrg. The small but up-for-it crowd were taking their place on the dance floor in front of the DJ. The venue did not have many seats, which gave the clubbers more room to strut there stuff. After New Years Eve it looked as like a lot of people were still feeling the effects of a big night of partying, as many were sitting down in groups on the floor and conserving their energy for the latter acts.

The theme for the party was ‘Beautiful Days’ of course, and the main room was littered with fluorescent coloured flowers and plants as well as a couple of round orange and yellow shaped moons with stars scattered around them. The laser lights were in beaming around the room, adding to the atmosphere. Chubbs Deluxe mixed in a version of Cocaine, and the two DJs began to speed things up a little and the mixing and track selection was professionally worked.

I ventured into the second of the room to witness Boswell vs Lonski battling it to a very small crowd: but this meant the people dancing in the room had ample space to jump around to the hardstlye being played by both the two DJs, particularly when they dropped the track Wal Halla by Tommy Pulse. Back in the main room Soul T, a master DJ in the Melbourne club scene, got the party moving in the right direction and he mixed up a tasty range of hardstlye and hard trance which included some of his own sample cuts.

Jumping from room to room to get a feel for the night throughout the duration of the party, I eventually decided to go back to the 2nd room, and by the time I arrived back the room was now full and the crowd had arrived to have a warm up dance for the main ingredients from Sydney Pee Wee Ferris and Steve Hill, whose sets were fast approaching. The 2nd room was full of up and comers from Melbourne who were showing their stuff, so that the organisers might one day give them a set in the main room… They didn’t disappoint with their skills and enthusiasm behind the decks, matching that of the more high-profile DJs playing in the main room.

The atmosphere back in the main room was now electric, and the party was in full swing with St Luke and Gazmatron making the crowd thirst for more on the over-populated dancefloor. They played a version of Adalante which was pure euphoria for the many in attendance. They led into Pee Wee Ferris’s set which was a mix of hard trance and hard dance which included many anthems which had the crowd singing the songs note by note as he was bopping away behind the decks. Great energy provided by one of the more experience DJs still playing in the club scene.

Following Pee Wee Ferris, a crowd favourite in the form of Steve Hill graced the decks in his usual manner and the crowd voiced there approval of the king of hard dance anthems. Song after song the crowd were calling for more of the same and his journey through his selection of Masif hard dance anthems had the crowd in awe. His skills behind the decks with his sampling, professionalism, mixing as well as a bit of scratching on the vinyl showed us what a maestro he is. All in all, a great New Years Day was had by all in attendance. Many thanks must go to the PHD and GOD crew for setting up the party in such a high-profile venue.