Something special was brewing. Sasha is certainly no stranger to our shores visiting on an almost yearly basis. But this was different – no massive nightclub, no gratuitous lasers, just a Sydney afternoon, sunshine and a Chinese Laundry courtyard full of die-hards anticipating his first truly intimate gig in Sydney for…well, ever? Something special indeed.

Early weather reports suggested 35 sweltering degrees were on their way but as the day arrived, only about 28 showed-up (still enough to get a decent sweat going). Sasha was scheduled for a 6PM start, so a few warm up beverages were in order to soak up the heat and the early vibe. Entry was swift, bar lines were short (for now) and Jeff Drake was trading shots with Club Junque to a clearly pumped Sydney crowd with noticeably older heads, some receding hairlines and refreshingly generic fashion. The stage was positioned in the back-right corner of the courtyard, the first time (as far as this humble reviewer is aware) that it had been there. This was both good and bad – yes the capacity was probably larger (i.e. great atmosphere) but it made for a slightly awkward layout as it was tricky to get a decent view from many spots. As the night progressed, it was clear this layout was also not ideal for the sound. However, for now the beats were flowing effortlessly from the two Laundry favourites on stage who again showed they know how to handle warm up duties with aplomb.

6PM came…and went. Sasha was floating around the decks but it was not until about 6.15PM when the sound became noticeably louder and the pulsating bass indicated that Sasha had taken control. And take control he did. For the first time in years, Sasha was on the decks – actual decks. Without his legendary Maven device controlling Ableton, Sasha was utilising the new CDJ-2000s with a couple of USB sticks storing all his tunes. And it was perhaps that Sasha was mixing again that there was a touch more immediacy to his music – it was fresh, fun and by the second hour, sounding very much like house. Playing to the crowd, and the weather, his opening session was laced with groove and got people moving, hands aloft and plenty of chin strokers nodding heads in approval.

Given the heat, friends went to get drinks…and did not return for 30 minutes. It seemed the bars were being stretched to the limit, and not coping. As the sun began to set, the music shifted its tone and some of those classic warm, progressive sounds started oozing from the speakers. But at the same time that speaker ooze seemed to slow to a trickle as the sound levels dropped and made for some audio dead spots in the courtyard. Regardless, there was some gold being thrown at the crowd – Sander Kleinenberg’s My Lexicon melting into Rumblefish being a classic double-header that really got people moving. But that glorious release never seemed to arrive. Perhaps it was the timeslot, the weather, or the fact that at times the music was not loud enough but Sasha never really hit the dizzy heights that some (me included) anticipated. Still, he showed that he has lost none of his skill on mixing duties and his programming and track selection were, as expected, absolutely world class.

After his finish, the festivities moved downstairs and the quality music continued. Given an early start at just after 10PM, Matt Rowan was first up in the Cave and wasted no time in bringing the goodness. Maybe the extra hour helped but he dished out the perfect sounds to follow on from the journey that Sasha had started upstairs. Focusing on delicious, warm progressive, with plenty of intelligent breakdowns and a relentless energy, Rowan provided those moments of tension and release that somehow seemed to be lacking from the man upstairs (i.e. God). His own epic remix of Asphalt Lines by Mango was an early highlight. Basically, he smashed it and delivered the perfect set to a crowd of hungry prog-monsters who gobbled up his delicious melodic nuggets. Gobble, gobble. Yum.

Meanwhile in the Laundry, Stanton Warriors were tearing it up, laying down some fresh sounds to a faithful breakbeat crowd. There was plenty of new material on show and some of the beats bristling from the Laundry speakers were crisper than your Mum’s pork crackling, and just as tasty. A stonking remix of Von Stroke’s The Whistler got feet shuffling and for most of their set, the place was electric. It is always refreshing to hear a set of proper breakbeat, but the lure of the Cave was too strong and the prog won on the day.

Was this a great gig? Absolutely! Was it a classic? Not quite. Sasha showed his class with a cracking set that was only sometimes let down by the lack of volume in parts of the courtyard, an obstructed view and Sasha’s set just falling short of full marks. If the Laundry could reposition the stage so that punters got a better view and some of the sound issues addressed, this new format from the Laundry will be an unbeatable addition to the Sydney summer clubbing landscape.