The 6th installment of the essential mid-year rave, Major Break, was held at Boomtick’s newest venue Villa. Traditionally showcasing top shelf internationals side by side with Australia’s best talent, and ably supported by Perth’s best, this year was no exception. The mighty Drumattic Twins were back in Oz for the first time since their banging Breakfest workout some five years ago, and currently promoting their new LP, Hammer and Tongs.

Rocking up at around 11PM to a surprising small crowd, Marty vs. Tee EL were warming the room with some Groovy Moves from Break the Box. The boys were having a great time and it wasn’t long before the venue filled out and the floor was packed. The mad hatted Funktrust DJs from Sydney hit the skybox at midnight and proceeded to build on the excellent vibe already created with some soul-soaked tune-age heavy on the remixes & booty’s. The ever present Doom’s Night was thrown in and a club fired version of Aretha Franklin’s Respect hit the spot. Krafty Kuts & A Skillz’ Happiness tested the bassbins and the Plumps’ Shifting Gears always gets a good reaction. Disappointingly, the set also served up a large chunk of 4/4 club bangers which did no justice to an event labeled Major Break. A dubstep remix of a Kid Cudi tune near the end satisfactorily broke up proceedings, though peaking with a single slamming dnb track just before the Drumattics came on felt very out of place.

The large spectacled heads of UK’s Drumattic Twins were really what everyone was there for, and they treated the crowd to a range of dancefloor beats that had Villa jumping. The first half hour was filled with mad broken beat rhythms with recognisable riffs here and there. They threw in Music Sounds Better With You, a cheeky slice of Michael Jackson, some fresh Fingerlickin, and some heavy tracks off their new LP, like Don’t Be So Drumattic. Another fresh cut, Back to the Old School, was a highlight, although dipping into the ubiquitous King of Leon’s Use Somebody booty left many asking, “why?”. The reaction to the tune was muted and in some corners, quite hostile. Again, a section of the set felt very 4/4 although all was redeemed when Feelin’ Kinda Strange tore the club apart as a festival sized celebration erupted at the familiar refrain. The seminal track was milked for all its worth as the Drumattics chopped and changed it with skillful usage of effects pad and midi keyboard.

Boogie Army’s Marten Horger, all the way from Germany, had the job of following on from the headliners. Recent Villa visitor Deekline’s Handz Up was the opening track, and many versions of breaks anthems followed, interspersed with lesser known bangers. Prodigy’s Outer Space and the Beat Assassins’ We Run Tings gave as good as they got. The vocals from La Roux’s In for the Kill added some extra class as well. It was an impressive closing set and when the famous bars from 2001: A Space Odyssey hit the system, along with the blinding strobe, the night peaked, and it was time for this astronaut to return to Earth.

A decent crowd hung around and it was a quality night without being a total standout in comparison with some past Major Break events that took place at Ambar and Gilkisons. Villa sounds great and holds a comfortable crowd with ease though I can’t help thinking the artists do feel the need to bang it out a bit more because of the distant proximity of the DJ skybox from the bouncing crowd. A highlight of the winter calender and a toasty night of mostly broken beats.