You know the DJ has played a good set when any of the following happen; the atmosphere is so charged it feels like electricity is running through the air; the dancefloor is so packed that you’re swapping essential body fluids with fifteen strangers; somebody spills a vodka something in (not on) your brand new kicks and you don’t care, the DJ is swigging champagne straight out of the bottle mid-set; despite 10 mins of searching, you can’t find two of your crew whom are somewhere in the same room of the club as you; the place looks like a bomb went off inside; or, people are acting like a bomb went off inside. You know the DJ has killed it when ALL of the above get crossed of the list. That being said, I can officially report that the beast known as Hey! Hey! Feat. Act Yo Age & fRew was slain in heroic fashion.

Strolling into the energetic yet comfortable confines of Empire a few ticks shy of midnight, the writing was on the wall; with the line outside spaning around the corner and my entry to Middle Bar pleasantly affronted by the sight of a suitably packed club well and truly involving themselves in the business of ‘merry making’. Mingling with the punters it was pleasing to discover that many had come specifically for either their first Act Yo Age or fRew experience. If crowd attendance at 3AM was anything to go by, the majority will be back for round two.

Kicking the party into full swing, Sydney based duo Act Yo Age, hit the ground running and in no time at all had a youngish crowd approaching boiling point. Assaulting all present with a combination of house, bass, fidget, Baltimore and anything else that carried their beloved warped bass lines, these self proclaimed ‘Bastions of Bounce’ had all and sundry, errrr…..bouncing! But it was more than that. Also on showcase were a variety of previously unseen moves that are best described with the words funk and grind. Being my maiden Act Yo Age experience (and an experience it truly was), I’m unable to report on the tunes that did the damage. Regardless, the style of music the boys’ play is certainly at home amongst Ajax’s debaucherous record label Sweat it Out.

If Act Yo Age got the party started, fRew was its V.I.P. Over the past 18 months I’ve come to expect a lofty standard from Mr James Frew and I wasn’t to leave disappointed. From the moment he took to the decks it was obvious that fRew was keen to build upon his recent string of Empire performances. Operating from Serato, the Sydney based prodigy produced a fast moving, dynamic and fun set featuring tight and technical mixing, a cameo appearance behind the decks from Vacation Records stable mate and chief Bass Kleph, Empire regular Danny T getting vocal with a megaphone, and the usual big bag of tricks to ensure maximum crowd involvement.

Keeping proceedings electro and four-to-the-floor, a diverse selection of tracks provided a solid foundation for fRew to work from. Commercial bombs kept the ministry faithful happy; whilst Sia’s Buttons (Chris Lake Remix), Boys Noize’s Don’t Go, and Bass Kleph’s new club banger $pend My Money kept the more dedicated fans amongst the thick of it. It’s no secret that I’m utterly addicted to fRew’s original tracks. Accordingly, it probably comes as no surprise that my favourite track spun was an fRew original. The recently released My Heart Stops (Felix Baugartner Remix), featuring a Chris Arnott guitar riff more contagious than the Ebola virus and vocals that you will be humming for days, get’s edged out by the as of yet unreleased fRew original Wooly Mammoth to take top honours. I could bang on and on about why, but words can’t do it justice; all I’m going to say is do yourself a favour and check it out ASAP.

The only real downer of the night was the poor attitude I witnessed from several of the patrons to bar staff. Folks, I’m going to let you in on a secret; it’s not the fault of bar staff that you’ve got to wait a couple of minutes for a drink. Just because you’re in a nightclub doesn’t mean that you don’t need your manners. I know it’s loud, I know you’ve been drinking, I know your trying to impress all of your mates, but Act Yo Age (haha, see what I did there?) and deal with it. Please and Thank You should be considered the bare minimum. Better yet, you could actually smile. Leave the ‘tude at home.

Anyone that has been following my reviews will know that I think fRew’s the man. Following this, I don’t have anything left to say. From now on I’ll let his music do the talking on it’s own, it speaks volumes more than I could ever.