On the first Friday night of the year at Sublime at Home, Sydney-siders were treated to a visit from Dutch trance pioneer Ferry Corsten. Ferry’s affection for playing at Sublime is well known, and it’s safe to say that his fans always show him a huge amount of reciprocal affection in having him there. Last Friday was no exception, with a large turnout making the trip down to Darling Harbour, eager to catch the flying Dutchman off the back of his hugely successful recent third album Twice In A Blue Moon.

Warm up duties as advertised were handed to local favourites Scott Richardson and Sublime resident Jumping Jack, however with JJ nowhere to be seen on the night, Scott stepped up to play an impromptu 3-hour set to cover. Full credit must be given to him for doing this alone, but further still I really must commend the lad on a fantastic and measured performance. With tight mixing and arms outstretched, Scott treated punters to the latest and greatest in melodic trance bombs such as Sean Tyas & Simon Patterson Something’s Up, Oceanlab Miracle (Above & Beyond’s Club Mix), with Tiesto Lethal Industry (Richard Durand Remix) causing club destruction as per usual. The crowd were wildly receptive to the set, with a heaving moshpit jumping as one to every twist and drop that the music provided. He is a great DJ, one that Sydney trance fans are very proud of, and it’s great to see him getting his just rewards.

Before long 1am had rolled around and after thanking Scott with a big applause, the crowd erupted as Ferry appeared, kicking into some punchy progressive synths to open the set. Never one to dawdle for too long, the pace was electric from the moment go, with the ever popular Wippenberg Chakalaka doing its bit. One thing that sets Ferry apart from the other trance jocks is a real ‘go-for-it’ attitude. From start to finish he never rarely gives his audience a moments’ pause, playing big and bold but importantly, still managing to stay diverse, bringing in a variety of sounds into his repertoire. The first hour saw a good measure of tech-influenced madness thrown in to add a bit of grunt, while the middle section of the set saw ‘epic’ euphoric trance create grins (and gurns) all round. The melodies were flying, with Stoneface & Terminal Blueprint getting an airing, as well as the huge cut Simon Patterson Us. Ferry had previously commented on his recent move back towards the more melodic side of the trance spectrum, and his performance certainly confirmed that. Favourites such as Beautiful and Galaxia were received rapturously, while the last hour in typical Ferry fashion saw full-on-Ferry productions galore. Dropping many tracks off his new album Twice In A Blue Moon, it gave eager punters perhaps their first chance to hear the tunes out on a big rig. Radio Crash, one of the biggest trance tunes of recent months, knocked a few heads off while Shanti and Brainbox only added to the mayhem. Some vocals in Made of Love complemented the other instrumentals nicely, while L.E.F. reminded us all of how versatile Ferry is when striking a balance between the genres. Finishing on Punk had the crowd humming along as they do to the melody, signaling the end to what really was absolute club-set perfection. There’s no real other way around it, with mixing so tight I felt a constrictive pain in my crotch, the guy is just a freak. No matter how much I am impressed by others around, Ferry is both in the studio and in front of a crowd a bona fide legend of dance music.

To close Rossco stepped up to keep the punters going and did an admirable job by keeping the atmosphere buzzing. As is often the case, much of the crowd made their way for the door post-Ferry, but this is no reflection on the quality performance that the local was throwing down in the wee hours. Before long exhaustion got the better of me, and it was time to commit the night solely to memory.

What a night for those who attended, from the great performances by our locals, either side of a juggernaut performance once again from the Dutchman. The sound at Home is much improved on what one may have experienced there a year ago, despite the odd muffling when on the fringes of the floor. Another successful Sublime, another new year, and Sydney trance fans can be happy to such a good start for 2009.