Most avid clubbers will agree that the right venue is the key for a successful party. With this in mind, and having previously only known The Arthouse as a post-work watering hole, I must admit to having some reservations about last Saturday’s instalment of Hed Kandi. On the positive side, I arrived at the Pitt St venue armed first with an urgent desire to hear some quality party-house prior to my planned honeymoon in Ibiza later this year, and secondly, the need to subdue the rants of my crazy friends from Leeds and Cardiff who are nothing less than Hed Kandi addicts.

Several Hed Kandi residents were onboard to provide the tunes, our own Jack McCord and the Balearic-based house goliath Steve Devine. First task upon entry for the reviewer, survey the venue; initially, the beautifully appointed cocktail lounge where I spied a smattering of couples enjoying the intimate surrounds amidst some ‘not unpleasant’ tunes from an anonymous local. Next up was a short stroll down The Arthouse’s shadowy golden hallway (a part of the hotel that always reminds me of something straight out of a Charlotte Bronte novel), past the eerie bustier set amongst Galliano bottles, and then back to reality via a gaming room, which incredibly enough was populated by dance music lovers trying their luck. Soon enough I’d made my through a packed smoker’s courtyard, up three flights of stairs and into the attic, a trip that was well worth the effort. Once again, just like the cocktail lounge (minus the DJ this time), the attic is yet another superbly decorated corner of the venue.

After a quick lager with one of the posse, it was time to head back downstairs to the main room, where we found an eclectic mix of Sydney metrosexual and fluoro loving males, European tourists and a bevy of Eastern Suburbs subscribers to www.imasydneyprincess.com; all enjoying the sublime mixing of Steve Devine. As for the tunes themselves, Devine delivered two hour of what could best be described as ‘modern disco’. I did at one stage discern a remix of Elton John’s Tiny Dancer, and the riff from an old favourite David; whatever the case, Devine was showcasing the best of the Hed Kandi brand, and Sydney’s party house aficionados loved it.

Jack McCord took over around 1am, and whilst not as technically sound as Devine, continued in the same disco-based vein. For the next hour, McCord, with able support from both Peyton on the live PA (and a heaving throng of booth whores), reduced the formerly pristine crowd to a feverish and chaotic throng of sweaty gurners. Sensing the opportunity to finish the punters off, McCord then delivered an indefensible series of Sanchez-esque bombs, amongst which was the musical highlight of the night, Fragma’s anthemic Toca Me, which even had this manic trance fan jumping for joy.

Promoter Paul Strange has openly admitted setting a goal of providing Sydney’s house community with a constant stream of quality events at the Arthouse. If last Saturday’s chapter is anything to go by, Sydney’s house lovers are going to have a myriad of great nights at the classy venue in the coming months.