Force Majeure returned to Ambar last Friday night, stepping it up a few notches with a second installment that saw the tougher sounds of breaks and drum ‘n bass reign supreme. And how could the night not be a kick-asser? With a line-up consisting of Shockone, Dart, Mono Lisa, Philly, Fine China and Tha Nightcrawlaz, a cranking night from start to finish was an inevitability.

Getting the night underway was the liquid drum ‘n bass stylings of local legend Dart, who introduced a melodic vibe to the evening’s sounds. His fluid mixes transitioned every track into the next very smoothly. By the end, Dart had worked the sound to an edgier and slightly heavier drum ‘n bass sound. In terms of the programming of line up times for the night, having this smooth and melodic intro set by Dart made for the perfect opener. Those in the club from an early point in the night appeared to be enjoying it.

Playing his last set before heading overseas was Fine China. His versatile skills were on display as he moved through a few genres whilst managing to keep a good direction and overall sense of flow. Following on from Dart, Fine China dropped some lighter dubstep tracks, before working it to a straight-up breaks tip. By this stage, the club was filling at a constant rate and the dancefloor was quickly becoming packed. Fine China’s track selections were going down a treat and by the time his set had come to an end, he had the dancefloor packed and clearly loving it.

Taking the crowd on a peaktime excursion into all things hard and heavy, Mono Lisa and Philly proceeded to smash out a truly epic set. As the club had filled at an early point, the dancefloor was more than ready for the pair to smash it – and smash it they did with a relentless set of tough breaks. Working together, Mono Lisa and Philly dropped awesome tune after awesome tune and it appeared as though every punter on the dancefloor was hanging on to their every selection. Ending up with their own rework of The Presets’ Talk Like That, the entire club erupted into a frenzy of dancing, whistles and shouts. Their dancefloor-focused, broken beat take on the huge tune went down perfectly and made for a classic final tune.

Next to step up to the decks was Tha Nightcrawlaz, who kept the tempo fast and heavy with their selections of breaks and drum ‘n bass. They are renowned for playing dark and dirty breaks and they proceeded to play a lot of this towards the heavier end of the spectrum for their set’s entirety.

Taking it to close was local drum ‘n bass DJ and producer Shockone. He has recently returned from a two month tour around Europe as well as being voted Best Producer and Best Drum n Bass DJ at the 2008 Perth Dance Music Awards. From the first track dropped, Shockone’s ability to fluently layer and draw out each mix was in full effect. His selections consisted of one solid drum n bass bomb after the other. The diehard drum ‘n bass fans were clearly in their element. Towards the end of his set, Shockone dropped one of his latest tracks Cyclones, which received a massive reaction from the crowd.

So it can be said then that Force Majeure well and truly delivered yet again. The crowd was up for it, the club was rocking all night long and the music was cranking from start to finish. Force Majeure’s new take on a night out is a winning combination indeed. Roll on the next installment.