Sounds on Sunday feat. Malente @ The Greenwood, Sydney (20/01/08)
It had been a little while since my last trip out to the Greenwood on a lazy Sunday afternoon, so as the weekend approached, I was increasingly keen to find out whether things were, well, as I had once left them to be. Several hours later, and with young German DJ Malente putting on a performance that left no stone unturned, I decided: as much as things change, they largely stay the same.
Having made a conscious effort to get there early to sneak in a few drinks, and after navigating some of the fine roads of North Sydney, we managed to similarly sneak the end of what appeared to be a typically solid set from Miss Gabby. The crowd was a little thin, and I had begun to wonder whether the Greenwood had lost its groove. Either that, or the youngish looking crowd was concerned that the weather might drain the colour from some of their fluoro outfits. Even well into a typical straight up set from Ember – loaded with crowd favourites, the crowd was a touch on the small side, but little did it matter; if anything Ember kept em pumping and appreciated the intimacy of the smaller entourage at his feet.
As the sun moved behind some slightly ominous looking clouds, Shamus stepped up and kept things pumping, and slowly but surely the numbers trickled in. Some witnessed a what was apparently a thoroughly impressive tech-electro set from Danny Lang in the Chop Shop – while out in the Courtyard the punter wearing the Mr Happy, Mr Green t-shirt (he knows who he is), who was obviously happy with life, began doing bouncing laps of the Courtyard. Yes. Bouncing. Repeatedly. And bouncing was the vibe. And as we transitioned seamlessly into Malente, the crowd well and truly got amongst it. A gentle touch of drizzle from above did not dampen the spirits, but if anything, got people pressed up against one another just little bit more. Far from the worst thing that can happen to you on a Sunday evening.
For Malente though, it was all about the music, and he absolutely belted them out. Only a few moments into what would be a 90 minute set, I remember thinking how energetic he appeared, arms flailing, head rocking, fists punching, and I pondered whether all that spramp could last the entirety of his set. Needless to say, I know now why his latest mix album is called Whow! – put simply, the normal spelling would do him no justice. There was serious energy on show, and the crowd was absolutely loving it. He threw in his own version of the crowd favourite Dont Hold Back from the Potbelleez, the crowd as one said I Like To Move It and the electro beats kept coming in thick and fast. He kept the tempo rising, and it was vintage Malente (if someone this young can be in fact vintage!), and loaded with bleeps, tweaks and scratches, he continued to be animated behind the decks.
The energy from the German named after his hometown, (maybe it should be the other way around), was palpable, and as he got Intergalactic, the frenetic pace did not end. As he wrapped up his set, the crowd roared as one, and applauded a bloody solid performance. The German had come to entertain, and he did exactly that. While it was probably not the biggest crowd the North Sydney surrounds had seen, what they lacked in numbers, they made up for with enthusiasm and gusto. And then some.
