A non-confectionary related treat was served up to kick off the ‘09 Easter long weekend, with Shape nightclub playing host to legendary house figure Satoshi Tomiie as well as the influential producer and DJ Spencer Parker for the Perth leg of the Renaissance Masters tour.

A late call was made to move both internationals to the top floor of the club rather than spreading them over both levels as originally planned. To me this was definitely the right move for atmosphere’s sake, as Shape’s top room and dance floor were a thriving mass of energy from midnight ‘til close due to the condensed DJ talent. The only drawback in the decision was that several local lads missed out on an opportunity to warm up for the headliners, but for the overall ambience of the event I think the promoters got it right. Given the early Good Friday finish and relatively underground status of both major DJs in attendance, props must go out in a big way to Flex and all the peeps at Habitat, as well as Unmanagable for drawing a very healthy sized crowd this one, with everyone up for good times. Adam Kytka started things off with a funky selection of American house getting bodies jacking as the club filled up.

Around 11pm UK native Spencer Parker took to the decks to a rapturous response, hitting the ground running with a an array of chunky, tribal oriented house for the first few tracks which included a workout of Kenesai from Mutant Clan – a drum laden little piece of percussive wonderment.

From these beginnings Spencer moved with skill and intelligence into a techier landscape – for the next hour and a half or so keeping the DF alive with a great mix of upbeat tech house including his own Yogoto. One possible criticism could be that he amped things up a little too high for main headliner Satoshi Tomiie to build much upon – however in and of itself the set was a fantastic excursion through Spencer’s repertoire.

Satoshi Tomiie’s sound is generally distinguished by a preference for the darker shades of deep progressive house these days, but he is nothing if not a man of considerable versatility. For his Perth showing he veered away from deep prog tip – perhaps due to the high octane set delivered by Spencer – and stuck predominantly to driving minimal tech keeping the BPM well over 140 throughout. This may have disappointed those expecting the more gradual builds and subtle delights often associated with the Renaissance sound, however the vast majority of the crowd responded with fervent enjoyment at the tunes dished up.

Elements of Satoshi’s recent production Madrugada got an airing at one stage, ableit in a more high energy edit then the original – the tunes eerie, echoing melodies blended nicely over the robust four by four beneath. Hard, rolling basslines remained the order of the evening for the majority of the set as the man in charge traipsed between minimal tech house, filtered techno and a splash of electro here and there.

Despite his veteran DJ status (and distinguished grey highlights) Satoshi appears comfortable pushing the envelope from a technological standpoint, with a laptop sporting mixing program Serato used heavily in conjunction with more traditional DJing tools throughout his performance. To be honest I’m not totally across exactly how the set up functioned – but from a listening standpoint Tomiie did not miss a beat, transitioning between tracks and layering various effects and elements with the technical sleight of hand that one would expect from such veteran and revered dance music figure.

A relaxed looking Satoshi smiled and interacted with the packed dance floor before him, and while the evening expired at an earlier than usual timeslot due to Easter liquor regulations he stayed on for an encore, with the crowed reaction definitely appreciative of the night he delivered.