Remember this date, Australia Day 2008, because that is the day that God came to Oxford Street. Fresh from his success at the previous day’s Big Day Out where he closed the Boiler Room with a mega DJ performance, Carl Cox brought himself and his partner in crime Jon Rundell to the Oxford Art Factory for a once-off chance to catch him in such an intimate setting.

It had been a long time between drinks for myself and the ‘Three Deck Wizard’; seventeen years, to be exact. I hadn’t seen him play since the Inter-Dance events in the UK at the notorious Sterns nightclub. It was there that many legends of dance music were born. Carl Cox along with Fabio and Grooverider were the men who were at the forefront of that burgeoning scene. They dominated it then, and have continued to lead their respective fields well into the new millennium. It was therefore with an air of great excitement that I entered the doors of The Oxford Art Factory. I had never been to this venue before and was pleasantly surprised. It is small enough to be intimate, but and large enough to accommodate some frenetic dance moves. How lucky did I feel then that I would be up close and personal, and witnessing what I consider to be the world’s number one DJ? Very lucky indeed.

I got there early enough to catch Jon Rundell carving it up the decks. Jon is a DJ of some standing, and is good enough to not only tour with Carl Cox but also to manage his Intec record label. He kept the dancefloor moving and interacted with the crowd as the air of expectation rose with each passing track. People were massed on the dance floor and the balcony behind it to catch a glimpse of the great one, and eventually he stepped out to get behind his tools of trade. The exhilaration was palpable, and he was met with a hail of near delirium in some quarters of the club.

Carl Cox is a big man, and he just oozes charisma. And it’s obvious that he loves this sort of gig. With a broad grin he brought in his first slice of deep tech house and asked us, “Are you up for it Sydney?” We certainly were, and if the stomping of feet and clapping of hands was any indication, his audience was going to ride his trip to the very end. I’ll be the first to admit that I fall short with my trainspotting skills and hence, I won’t be able to give you a track listing. However, I can tell you that Carl Cox is the standard by which all other DJ’s should be measured. As well as being an innovator and genre-inspiring performer, he has exceptional skills and he delivered an exceptional selection of tech house and techno, as long as a few eclectic curveballs like Plump DJs Systematic Automatic and Deadmau5’s massive mix of Hybrid’s Unfinished Symphony.

OK, I’m about to get a little bit nostalgic, so bear with me. Carl Cox is still old school. In the days when the whole rave scene started in the UK, accessibility to his form of music was extremely limited. Pirate radio stations and clandestine mix tapes were the only ways to stay in touch with what was going on, and this form of education was extremely sporadic. Therefore the DJs back then had to draw the crowds in with driving beats and stunning breaks that were hitherto unknown. And the fact that the parties and events in the late 80s and early 90s were such a success and more importantly, changed the clubbing experience, it counts as a testament to the skills of those DJs. Innovation, unbridled joy and devotion to that incredible sound, were the bywords that inspired an entire generation and led the dance scene to where it is now. And it was great to see that Carl Cox has not changed. He read the crowd right, moulded them in his own image and he had his hands in the air just as much as the huddled masses. He wrapped them in a blanket of deep house beats and then broke the tracks down until we begged for him to bring the bass back in. He led us through his house with a DJing style to which all should aspire.

Many DJs use cut-out switches, twiddle with the knobs and use state-of-the-art gimmicks to cover up a myriad of mistakes, or to enhance their mediocre skills. Being so close to the master gave me the opportunity to actually see and experience what he was doing. He was cutting out beats, chopping the treble, switching the respective channels; all in the pursuit of making the sound appear different. He was painting a picture in the Carl Cox style and it was a definite masterpiece. Evidence as to how he enthralled and engaged us can be found in the following. I am a chronic smoker and normally have to leave a club every half hour for a nicotine infusion. I did not leave that room until Carl Cox had finished his set some two hours later. If they could hand him out as an alternative to nicotine patches, I would be set. And again, while most of the tracks were so fresh I couldn’t possibly tell you who they came from, all I do know is that he took me on a journey that reminded me that you don’t have to have any knowledge of the roadmap. You just have to trust your guide and let him show you the wonders on offer.

For those that were locked out of the Boiler Room or didn’t get tickets for this event, I can tell you that you really missed out. This was one of the best gigs that I have been to in some considerable time. The venue, the vibe and the delivery were second to none. It was not just a trip down memory lane, but a reminder that if the man behind the wheels is a true master, then anything is possible. Thank you Carl Cox. The best Australia Day ever!