Australia Day Long Weekend and we know how to party! On this Saturday night, two exceptional acts were bought in especially to wish Family a happy Australia Day. The Family has a well known reputation for bringing some very big international DJs to Brisbane, and with Claude Von Stroke from San Francisco and Berlin-based Ewan Pearson on the bill, I was keen to hear their own self-produced tunes and remixes.

I crossed the threshold into the always interesting entry way of Family, surrounded by a very clean-cut looking crowd. I arrived into the thick of the Main Room just as Jason Morley had just started playing from the DJ booth. Jason’s music was very progressive, with meaty chunks of bass and driving, dominant beats. Very tribal sounding, it was well suited for the Main Room though there wasn’t too much of crowd down there to experience the full beauty of it. The lack of crowd isn’t always a bad thing, as it means plenty of room to dance and easy access to the bars. Upstairs in Uncle, Kieron C was pumping out his phat melodic tunes, and the crowd in Uncle were really loving that space. Kieron really knew how to work the crowd, as he moved through tunes over two turntables and the two CDJs. Willie Costa was also in Icebar playing some really funky tunes to an appreciative and relaxed audience.

Juggling between two artists I really love as they play the same timeslot can be difficult at the best of times. This was going to be a night to get fit as I ran between Uncle and Main Room. I started with Ewan Pearson in Uncle; enjoying his beautiful mixes and the way he really knows how to connect with people. Ewan immediately launched the crowd on an emotional music journey, and everyone responded beautifully to the tracks he was playing. With his experience in the industry for over ten years now, one of my personal mix compilation favourites is still Fabric 35. The Uncle Rroom really suited his stunning technique of blending beautiful melodies to incredible beats.

Meanwhile, Claude Von Stroke in the Main Room was really going went off. With tracks that were deep, but also featuring phat and funky basslines, his music was encouraging everyone in the vicinity to get down and a little bit dirty. Although Claude Von Srroke started playing with music at sixteen, it was only a few years ago that his tracks swept the dance nation with tunes like The Whistler, Who’s Afraid of Detriot?, with his labels Dirtybird and Mothership reaching many a dance ear off the dancefloor. Tonight, Claude was definitely connecting with his audience. The sound system was emitting its usual pristine sounds, as the bass and the top ends were clearly reaching every nook and cranny. The audio visuals and lighting were top notch as always, merging art and music wonderfully together. It certainly makes for fascinating visual stimuli no matter where you are in the club, be it in the stairwells, the members lounge, the IceBar, the bathrooms or on stage looking onto the dancefloor. This was definitely a great night with great international DJs and I certainly can’t wait until next weekend with more great music to come.