Bart Clessen @ Rise (14 Aug 2009)

Rise Nightclub’s fine form shows no sign of stopping as Perth shivers through the last weeks of winter. The Netherlands’ Bart Clessen is the latest big gun DJ/producer to have his name added to the roll of honour and, as ever, I was delighted to partake in another fantastic night at Perth’s spiritual home of trance music. The night was made all the more special as Rise staged Heat 4 of its flagship DJ competition; From Bedroom to Big Room, now in its tenth series!
I must admit that Friday night’s wild weather almost put a downer on the night as I made my way from Perth’s (far) Southern suburbs into Northbridge. I felt slightly comforted after the thought occurred that I have been caught out in far worse! Fortunately, upon arrival, the line moved swiftly and it wasn’t long before I found myself in the warm surrounds of the Rise dance floor. Heat 4 of From Bedroom to Big Room was just beginning as I settled in with a beer. Contestents included CiD, Travis (a.k.a. Travman) and Swilky, with each DJ performing for 20 minutes over the space of one hour. Some serious talent was on show during the course of this hour and in the end it was Travis who took out the honours. He is thus far trance’s sole representitive in the finals as he joins what was an all hardcore contingent that consisted of G-Force, Ravix and Robbie C. Kudos to Rise for providing a genuine avenue for up & coming DJs to expose themselves and increase their chances of one day securing gigs on a regular basis!
Seasoned regular DJ GeRmAn took control of the decks at bang-on midnight to deliver another perfect warm-up set. DJ GeRmAn is of course the head of Amon Vision, a label whose output has received playback from all the scene’s big guns, including none other than Armin van Buuren. By this stage a solid crowd had amassed, not too big, not too small, but perfect for such an intimate gig.
A huge kudos is owed to Rise. Every trance DJ who headlines is given an extended three hour set – no mean feat especially considering the tremendously low cost of admission. Similar nights in Sydney or Melbourne have a cover charge that is three times greater than that charged by Rise. You don’t get much better value than that! Bart Clessen’s headline performance would be no exception, and his stint behind the decks commenced at the usual time of 1am.
It was at this point that a good friend, who has not seen me in quite some time, spotted me. As a consequence, I missed the first hour of Clessen’s set as we caught up on recent happenings. The dance floor eventually beckoned, however, and shortly thereafter our hands were held aloft as Clessen dropped highlight tracks including Cold Front and Super 8 & DJ Tab’s uplifting dance floor favourite; Elektra. It became abundantly clear that Bart Clessen is as brilliant behind the decks as he is in the recording studio.
I must confess that I am not entirely familiar with Bart Clessen’s productions, despite hour upon hour of trance listening, therefore I am unsure as to whether or not he dropped any of his previous productions both past and present, however the Dutchman’s set as a whole did not disappoint. A good balance of techy grooves and euphoric crecendos ensured a more than positive response from both myself and the crowd. The minutes, as ever, simply zipped by and it looked as though Bart Clessen was having as much fun as his audience.
Bart Clessen’s set came to an end at 4am, and unfortunately owing to a very long week, my night did likewise. Clessen left the Rise decks takng with him the usual rapturous applause from the Rise massive. I would love to have stayed on for Steve Tranzor and Heat1’s closing sets however fatigue had gotten the better of me. A huge thanks must go to Rise and the DJs on the night and here’s to more fantastic headline performances to come.