The king of drum n bass – Andy C – was once again back in Adelaide for an encore performance following on from his smashing set at Groove in the Park on New Years Day. Joining him was the legend behind the mic, MC GQ, as well as trance superstar 4-Strings. Yes, drum n bass and trance on the same bill, in the same venue, in the same room, on the same night! Strange I hear you say, indeed it was. Not that I’m complaining, as both genres are way up there on my list of favourites.

Leading up to the party it was shrouded in secrecy, with only the main act and a few locals announced and no set times published. However promoter – Playtime, aka John Doe – needn’t have worried, as he knew that the Adelaide massive would come out to party. And that they did. Entering the newly refurbished main room of HQ only 30 minutes after the doors opened, there was already a steady stream of fans making their way in for what was to be a night of epic partying. The setup on the main stage looked amazing, with large screens creating the illusion of a huge control station. Whoever stood behind the decks had all eyes on them, however I noticed that there were no lights around the DJ, so from the cascading floors of the main room it was difficult to actually see the person laying down the tunes, just the shape of a silhouette.

The first DJ up was local boy Weez, and he pumped out the drum n bass tunes, including Brookes Brothers – Tear You Down – a dance floor favourite. Local trance favourite Andrew Howlett was up next. I was expecting some sort of a mix from the drum n bass tune to the trance tune, but there was none with the music stopping abruptly and the next track starting. Trance pumped out of the speakers including a favourite of mine Andain’s – Beautiful Things. Most of the drum n bass crew headed out to the Soho bar area where tunes such as Chase and Status – Hurt You, and the Pendulum classic Spiral were cranking with. D n Bassador behind the decks. His set was one of the best I have ever seen from one of our local boys. Before long the outdoor garden area of Soho was absolutely rammed and going off! With it being so early in the night it was easy to see we were going to have one colossal party on our hands. Adelaide drum n bass veterans Fiction and MPK followed on, pumping some classic old skool tunes to the bursting crowd including the Pendulum Remix of Voodoo People – Prodigy.

Dr Damage had his turn in the main room next, showing the ever growing trance crowd why he is a well-known name when it comes to trance in Adelaide. Laying down tunes such as Crash and Burn – Nadia Ali, he always seems to play exactly the right mix of songs to get a party warmed up. Before long the first international – Jan De Vos from 4-Strings was due to dish out his well-known blend of popular tracks, along with a series of old skool anthems. Filling the room with the 4-Strings classic Take Me Away, his set offered a mix of tunes such as Robert Miles – Children, the mesmerising In and Out of Love – Armin Van Burren feat. Sharon den Adel, as well as classics like Guru Josh Project – Infinity and a banging version of Lethal Industry – Tiesto. The trance crowd had all gathered in the main room, clutching glow sticks with their hands in the air, reaching for the impressive lasers that cast their way across the dancefloor. The room was absolutely pumping with fans singing along to the popular tracks, myself included.

The majority of Andy C devotees waited patiently in the outside smoking area and Soho room, letting the trance fans have their time with 4-Strings. Watches were checked regularly, and as it ticked on closer and closer all in attendance made their way to the main room to secure their spot. The lasers were turned off and the trance went silent; the roar of the crowd filled the room and with that came the energised vibe. Andy C was here and we all knew it was going to be large! Introducing his first track to the masses, the room exploded and went hyper and that’s how it stayed for the next two and half hours. With the faithful MC GQ belting out the rhymes, with an essential ’Andy, Andy, Andy!’ this duo showed the crowd once again why they are the best in the game.

The mixing was flawless mixing, often with several tracks at the one time, including Total Science – Nosher (Baron Remix), Chase and Status – Music Club, Hazard – Mr Happy_. It just doesn’t get any better than this! Trance and drum n bass fans alike were bonding together to witness this truly extraordinary display of the finest drum n bass known to man. The room became quite hot and stuffy, so reluctantly I peeled myself away from the action to chill in Soho to catch some fresh air. The bar was relatively quiet, with a handful of trance fans enjoying the trance beats. Motion and Statik were behind the decks smashing out some quality tunes, including The Last Time – Thrillseekers.These local boys certainly have my vote when it comes to playing the trance that I like. Back in the mainroom, the action seemed to go on forever, with Andy C and MC GQ absolutely tearing the place apart. I’m sure they lifted the foundations of the HQ Complex!

Everyone was well and truly nourished with drum n bass goodness as their set reluctantly came to close, with MC GQ adding that this was the BEST crowd he had ever seen. Patch along with MC Griff took to the stage as the last act, continuing the cranking beats as this popular local duo are renowned for. What a night! With a substantial line-up, both international and local, I did find it hard to swap between the two genres, especially in the main room. But the balance of genres and crowd made for a very interesting mix, and everyone was behaving themselves and showing respect. That being said, I jjust couldn’t get my head around glow sticks being waved in the drum n bass room; it’s just odd! At the end of the day it didn’t matter, everyone had a sensational time, and I’m most impressed once again with our fantastic locals absolutely smashing it.

Undeniably it’s the internationals that pull the massive crowds, but I believe that we have enough quality local talent right here to show we’re up there with the best. Well done to all involved with this massive night, if the precedent set is anything to go by I predict that 2009 will be an enormous year! Be sure to checkout Playtime’s next event with drum n bass superstar Roni Size and Dynamite MC, 12th February at HQ.