Any self-respecting progressive and tech fan would have had a field day at the show presented by Subsonic Music and Deep as Fu#k at The Cross nightclub in late January. Covering three rooms, a multitude of performers and music styles, the party showcased some of the best in performing global talent going round, with the heavy support of some of Sydney’s finest.

After making my way up the stairs above the Bourbon, I ducked out to the Terrace to open my night up slowly to the funky grooves that Robbie Lowe was laying down. Always appropriate and on-point, Robbie knew just how relaxed everyone needed to be out there and played a deep and warm array of sounds. In the main room, Sweetchilli resident Daniel Crocetti was throwing down some more upfront tracks, setting the scene for much of the progressive damage that was to follow throughout the evening. I’m pretty sure I heard Jean Elan Shake Me on the way out, which gives an idea of the largeness that was being dished out. In the side Carpet Room, Gil Paradox was keeping things quick and frantic with some fantastic psytrance, being lapped up by a relatively large crowd early on. I think the policy of having psytrance with progressive works really well and the roaring, dancing crowd testified to the success of the diversified music policy.

Getting a good round of well-deserved applause, Gil handed over to Flow Records/Vinyl boss Dj Pena, direct from Portugal. Taking the energy way back down, he started groovy and deep, signaling we were due for a real ‘progressive’ performance. Bit by bit the energy came up, then down, then up and up and up! By the end it was a full on progressive assault, with a variety of sounds featured throughout the performance, from the growling Haske & Johnson Teletappert (Duca Remix) out on his own Flow Vinyl, to larger cuts Daniel Marques Steam and the massive Fergie Ireland, for some peak-time madness. A nice guy to boot, he played for mine the set of the night, full of absolute class, and is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Meanwhile Chris Martin, one half of The Martin Brothers and of Dirtybird label fame, was dishing out some booty-shaking bouncy tech-house that the label is so renowned for producing. While not personally being a big fan of the sound, no doubt the smallish crowd that bit by bit was now starting to fill out the main room were enjoying what was on offer. By the time Jamie Stevens, founding member of Infusion, had stepped up, there was a sizeable crowd there to appreciate some of the tougher sounds that progressive house can deliver. The chugging Jose Vizcaino La Del Groove proved a highlight, and Jamie was warmly received as he stepped down and handed over to the two Germans that had stepped up to set-up their gear.

D-nox & Beckers should be familiar to every progressive and tech fan out there. Consistently at the top of Beatport charts, everyone from Hernan Cattaneo, John Digweed, Satoshi Tomie and anyone else who is worth a toss drops their bombs time after time again. Whether it be sneaking in-between progressive, tech or any other of the myriad of sub-genres out today, there is always one particularly striking feature to their unique sound: GROOVE. I call bullshit to anyone who says they can sit still while listening to the music that these guys make. Playing live through twin Ableton setups for the first half of their performance, naturally the hour featured their own productions and remixes, and as a result this was always going to be a fantastic slew of tunes. Their collaboration with Gabe No Chaos, No Pain was a highlight, as well as the old-favourite reworking of Visionary Inside Out; the rolling chimes within the tracks are so characteristic of their sound. Also there were a few unreleased goodies in there that we all have to look forward to. In what seemed like five minutes the time had rolled over to 4am, signaling the switch to a traditional DJ performance. With a few new elements introduced into their signature sound, the performance kept on impressing, but always retained that uncontrollable rolling energy. The gnarly groove of DJ Zombi & Astronivo Anything You Want (Ida Ophir & Miki Litvak) out on D-Nox’s own Sprout label kept things manic. At bottom, the guys are a class act, know their technology and are accomplished performers behind the decks – it was a deeply impressive showing. Grinning and bouncing, they seemed to enjoy it just as much as the heaving punters. By this time it was getting quite late and on the way out I thought I’d pop my head into the Carpet room to see what was happening, and after hearing Guru Josh Project Infinity 2008 (Klaas Remix) it was CERTAINLY time to go.

All in all a fabulous night with a top-notch international and local lineup. A consistency of fabulous progressive (whatever that means today) music featured throughout the night. A decent crowd made it out, while I’m sure had it not been for Big Day Out we would have seen a few extras. Nevertheless, the only semi-gripe I could have raised is that in the end, many had left before D-Nox & Beckers were nearing the finish line. Having your headliners open at 3am isn’t easy for a crowd. I’m torn: I strongly believe in supporting the local scene, and by putting on international acts late in the evening, the crowd is along the way treated to the homebred talent that this city has to offer. On the other hand, many just can’t keep it up until 5 or 6am, or instead may have been discouraged from attending knowing this in advance. It’s a tough one to figure out.

Regardless, the night couldn’t be called anything other than a success, and I’m definitely hanging for the next offering from the guys behind Subsonic and Deep as Fu*k.