Becks Fusions pres. The Berlin Sessions @ Civic Hotel, Sydney (21/06/08)
It feels good to be in the middle of this. You look left and there’s smiles. Look right and you get the same. All of us rammed in, just smiling our arses off. World class DJs, good, good music and a well up-for-it crowd. Honestly, it was good to just be in the Civic Underground room on Saturday night. There was energy.
So I feel for those stranded in the line outside the room, repeatedly being told about a 40 minute wait to enter. The energy out there was vastly different. Some had just ducked out to hit the toilet and then told they couldn’t re-enter, the room was too full. Others had been checking acts upstairs and outside, descending to hit the intimate main room for headliners Jazzanova. Sure there were other rooms, but all the acts advertised were playing down here . This is what people had come for.
In theory this shouldn’t have been too bad. The organisers had made clever use of the space. The main bar, the seldom used upstairs room, and even the side laneway outside the building (which I’m sure is used regularly but never, ever booked) were all used for performance at some point of the night. Alongside Jazzanova, deep house vet Heiko Laux and blazing newcomer Quarion had been booked in a Berlin showcase of sorts. It was a great lineup, and like we had hoped, they really delivered.
Still, some will remember this night for what should have been. Arriving at 11, we were clearly not alone in anticipation of the bill. A pretty serious line stretched around the block. Fair mix too – sneakers and tees evenly sprinkled amongst your more respectably dressed, late 20s, early 30s aged crowd. No doubt they were expecting a good evening. For a 20 minute wait, $35 entry and the steeper end of Sydney drink prices, you’d want something too. Once inside it seemed that the further underground one got, the more manic it became. Upstairs was relaxed and mostly acoustic. The main bar worked well as a transition it seemed. It’s difficult to comment on these two floors because we headed Underground to begin with, and once down there it was wise to remain.
The Underground was messy. We were greeted by a punter walking straight into the clear glass doors of the bathroom with his beer, resulting in the bottle coming back with some force to smack him in the face. Classic. Dark and intimate, it was already packed down here. Visuals were going off on one of the walls, people were rammed in, there was general craziness. Simon Caldwell was playing some deeper house; funky yet dark and it was going down well. He definitely held his own with the international acts that were to follow and most people I’ve spoken to felt the same way.
In a space like this it was clear all of Jazzanova were not going to be present. In fact, we were treated to a DJ set from just one member, Jurgen. It blew me away. Rarely have I heard such a diverse mix of tunes being dropped in Sydney, in a venue that suited them perfectly. Throw in some disco, jazz, funk, broken beat, house, and Latin, and here we were, in the middle of it, all smiles. This is what I imagine the legendary Raw Fusion parties are all about, so props to Jurgen for bringing that taste of Europe all the way to Sydney.
Quarion stuck to the deep house and tech with which he has made his name. People loved it. For many the night was reaching its peak, with Heiko Laux to follow, and I’ve rarely seen so many in a room all on the same level. The rest of the venue was much quieter. Upstairs was closed by now and the main bar was pretty empty. Meanwhile, there was still a line, at 3am, to enter the Underground room.
This is how I left it. Completely satisfied. Word was that Heiko played a blinding set. It would only have been in the spirit of the night. Brilliant music and a great venue made for a memorable night, letdown only by poor crowd management. Who knows? Improve the organisation next time and the event could indeed be a future classic.
domega says...
Truly an amazing and memorable night. Spot on re everyone being on the same level. Good review!
robthebank says...
It was a top night, music was great
Johan says...
Best crowd I've experienced thus far in Sydney. And the music was pure gold. Looking forward to the next FC night.
jskaif says...
absolutely destroyed my love and devotion for the label and it's people - the music i have been buying and playing for years was served up to me as a shit house set for munted moles. shame on you...great venue though.