The build up to Drop vs Sunny at Empire’s Moon Bar had been huge. I was eager, anticipating it more than a ten year old walking through the doors of the show-bag pavilion at Ekka. Firstly, I was tickled pink with the prospect of beginning the school holidays in a self-indulgent fashion (one of the perks being a school teacher). Secondly, the banter on the ITM forums in the weeks leading up was that of huge excitement and fervor (or bitter disappointment at the inability to attend!)
We arrived fairly early – possibly the first people through the doors at Moon Bar – and we were warmly welcomed by the friendly Empire staff. As I slowly sipped my muddled vodka, lime and soda, a feeling of contentment moved through me. A few more drinks under my belt and a quick visit to the ATM later, I could feel the bass moving through the steps in the staircase as I headed back to Moonbar. My body and mind were both lucid and limber enough to ignite dancing. As I worked my way up the second staircase and into Moonbar, the first thing I noticed was how busy it had become.
Rikki Newton and Mike Redfern were on the decks at this point, the light was dimmed and the dancefloor had become a sea of cruisy people. Redfern has passion for the deeper genres, ranging from tech, minimal and house, all the way through to twisted breaks. This diversity of influences shone through, and he had the room nodding their heads in agreement. This was a great sign for the pair, who seemed to really enjoy playing back2back, having a lot of fun together.
Tracks such as Hosh – ‘White Elephant’, Ben Westbeach’s ‘Hanging Around’ (Wahoo Remix), Tiger Stripes & Jerome Sydenham’s ‘Elevation’ (Incan Needle Remix) and Akabu – ‘Not Afraid of the Future’ (Jimsta Remix) had the crowd whipped into a dancing frenzy. When both boys finished their set I realised that, by now, my ears were ringing, the alcohol had hit me, my temperature had risen from the crazy dancing, and when combined with the delicious music, it seemed to have instructed my brain to release a dose of serotonin! At this point I felt absolutely convinced to stick my hands in the air and yell “whooooo!” It seemed all the other happy punters agreed, giving the boys feedback.
After a rest I went back to the dance floor, and my eyes now saw several punters engaging in the ‘robot dance’ – a very hot looking robot dance that is. Mag00 was on the decks and his sound was choppy, invoking sudden head rocking and jerky mechanical hand movements. The sound went hard with a distinct underlying synth hum, and it built up to several repetitions of dead pauses which froze many dancers in their spots. At one point there was a hollow echo throughout the Moonbar, and when the bass kicked in it echoed a wave of sound through our bodies.
At this point it really struck me how electric the vibe was as I had a quick peek out on the veranda. On my way back to the dancefloor it appeared that, probably, all occupants of Empire had suddenly been magnetically drawn to the Moonbar. Yep, the luscious and enticing sounds of Dave Basek’s live set were drawing a crowd fast. To say that the beginning of his set put you in the mood would be an understatement. The blend of husky and deep lyrics with a foot stomping bassline struck a chord with everyone. To me, the music spoke the language of dance; every note commanding where to move your feet and hands.
Dave’s impressive Ableton manipulation and rapid hand-coordination had us going hard with a great remix of ‘Net Party Exit’ by Junkbeats and ‘The Matter’ by East Point Sounds. Seeing Dave mix-it-up as he went had several people mesmerized, all the while the rest of us soaked up the minimal/tech house he fed us. “I used to improvise a lot, but now I have improved my technique by using parts of Junkbeats releases. I have all tracks on hand and can drop in parts as I see the response from the crowd – I rely completely on feedback,” Dave explained. It seemed I wasn’t the only one impressed, as Dave received many pats on the back as we spoke. The down-to earth Byron resident is clearly a man that we should be looking out for in the future.
The dancefloor was still packed when the Darkbeat DJs from Melbourne took over. I knew the Brisbane audience was ready for something darker, and I was hoping for something strange and completely unexpected as well. Our reward for patiently waiting for Rollin Connection to return to Brisbane was an amazing set, with many unheard-of tracks unified by unique and dirty basslines. Recovered after their recent 24 Hour Easter Party event, where they hosted Layo & Bushwacka!, Nic Fanciulli, Chris Fortier and Dave Seaman, the Darkbeat boys promised they would step up to the challenge of taking on what Brisbane had to offer, putting in their best effort to represent Melbourne institution Sunny. They would have been proud, as Rollin Connection played together and then tag-teamed to perfection, with track after track of minimal tunes meshing with driving tech and house as the night progressed.
Not to be outdone, Drop promoter Scott Walker would have surely put in a good show for Brisbane once again, but this little black duck will never know as she was all danced out. Well done to Drop and Empire for an extravagant event. I’m sold on Drop and will no doubt be first in line to buy my ticket to the huge day/night Moonbar re-launch, which brings together Drop, Colours and Bump n Funk this April, featuring Supermayer and Pig & Dan.
