StarGarden feat. Ronski Speed, Bexta & Sophie Sugar @ Viper Room, Melbourne (22/08/08)
Before Infinity there was StarGarden, probably the only weekly trance night in Melbourne of late. Every Friday they serve up the latest big room trance to whoever wants to give it a try at the Viper Room on Chapel Street. They do some mean drink specials before 1am, and definitely provide a relaxed atmosphere to lose it to some trance at the end of a hard week. This particular Friday they had a huge international in town, Ronski Speed, alongside two serious ladies of trance, Australia’s own Bexta and the UK’s Sophie Sugar, who were promoting their Mixology 11 CD. A big fan of Ronski Speed’s own production work, and an even bigger fan of Mixology 11, there was no way I was going to miss this night. No way!
Arriving just after 1am, we made it in time to catch Germany’s Ronski Speed’s set getting interesting. He was playing to a full house, and there were lots of faces who probably had never been to StarGarden before pushed up to the front. Rushing inside from the freezing cold, we arrived to the sounds of Cream’s Carte Blanche, a wicked blast of the past that’s had a recent rework, a serious hands in the air moment. I looked around and noticed this was definitely a male dominated crowd, but hell it didn’t matter as the crowd were loving the quality. The tracks kept coming, with Super8 & Tab’s Elektra, Paul Van Dyk’s New York City, and a storming remix of Armin Van Buuren’s In and Out of Love. The place was alive as everyone smiled at each other as they danced their hearts out. Naturally, he dropped in his own track All the Way – which was a wicked moment! Uplifting trance kept coming, with a very tidy remix of Energy 52’s classic Café del Mar, but next then the magic really started to happen. Building us up to the massive Rex Mundi track Perspective vs Ronski Speed’s The Space We Are, it was truly epic! The whole place simply lost it. After this explosion he finished up with some nice Anjunabeats tracks, Satellite and Above & Beyond’s Can’t Sleep. What a set!
Unfortunately the place thinned out a little after Ronski finished, but hell the night was far from over. Next up was Bexta, and she kept it going moving into her own style, dishing out the sound straight from her set on the Mixology 11 CD. A new direction, yet banging, Bexta played Bedrock’s Heaven Scent (Greg Downey remix) and the wicked Richard Durand remix of Way Out West’s beautiful track The Fall. From here the set moved from old and new, with Tiesto’s Break My Fall, It’s Fine Day, Cream’s Carte Blanche (again!) and the new rework of her old track One For the Road. It is great to hear that track remixed for today’s dancefloors. The crowd that remained seemed to enjoy it, dancing it out in the shadows and lights on the main floor. Before finishing up, she dropped in Luminary’s Amsterdam, a moving track that also features on Mixology 11.
Sophie Sugar then graced the decks, and I was keen to hear how her set compared to her Mixology 11 CD. It’s something I’ve been playing continuously lately. Exhausted from a massive week at work, I began to tire so only picked some of the tracks, including Paul Van Dyk’s New York City (again!) and Haunted, as well as Delerium’s Silence and Above & Beyond’s Good For You. She definitely slipped in some tracks from her part on Mixology 11 and kept the trance uplifting. Despite the double-ups with Bexta, I enjoyed Sophie’s set as well. Local trancer Mike Nichol was next up, but by this stage I was pooped and had to head off. What a night!
StarGarden is a party that, when it’s on the money is totally awesome. However it can be up and down at times, but if they keep having more nights like this (and guests like Anjunabeat’s Mark Pledger, who visited they week prior), they are sure to do well. Ones to watch!
krys_65 says...
Kyau