In the wake of the biggest Saturday night this old man has seen for some time, some things remain clearer than others: Empire is the most fun club in Brisbane; it's an injustice that fRew didn't make it onto this years inthemix50; cab lines are boring; Nike high-tops are radical; fRew divulging to me that “if you love something, you'll make time for it”; and Jagermiester and Coke tastes unbelievably fantastic at the time, but that's not a sufficient reason to attempt to drink your body weight in the stuff. Needless to point out precisely why some things should remain unclear from the evening's events.

Kicking the party into full swing was Sydney based DJ Sam Scratch with his big bag of 'Baltimore-esq' style tunes. Pushing a set slightly too commercial for my tastes, any fears I held early that the set would be boring were quickly laid to rest. Demonstrating that he takes the 'scratch' part of his name seriously, Sam proceeded to punish the CDJ 1000's as if he harboured a deep grudge against them. Playing a set uniquely his own, whilst showcasing a tight and technical combination of cutting, looping, scratching, frequent use of the effects section of the mixer and a great sense of rhythm, he was able to breath new life into the tracks Fake Blood by Mars, Bust a Move by Young MC, Let the Bass Kick by DJ Chuckie and LMFAO, Around the World by Daft Punk, Where's you're head at? by Basement Jaxx, Bonkers by Dizzee Rascal and Amand Van Helden, Star 69 by Fatboy Slim, much to the appreciation of the thriving dance floor. My inability to recognise some of the other tracks should serve as an indicator that the set wasn't solely restricted to commercial tracks. Think handclaps, cow bells, chopped up vocals, winding electro, and bouncing bass lines.

The decision to include Mr Scratch on the bill, demonstrates that the Empire management team firmly believe in the old adage "if it isn't broken, don't fix it"; with this marking the fourth consecutive occasion fRew has rocked Empire alongside a Baltimore influenced act. And why not? Despite competing with the Ministry of Sound 2010 Annual Tour (feat. John Course, Aston Shuffle and Hook n’ Sling) and Sam La More, the solid crowd attendance on the night indicates that the formula works. Most impressively too, wasn't just the solid crowd attendance but the fun loving, easygoing, social atmosphere within the club.

Demonstrating his awareness of the penchant the usual empire crowd has for banging tunes, fRew hit the ground running; maintaining the high level of energy within the club through the set change. Playing a harder style of Electro-House than usual through the opening of his set, fRew's rapid-fire style of mixing was unrelenting. It was as if he had entered into a bet with Sam Scratch to see who could flog the mixer the hardest; playing only snippets of tracks before mixing them out again. So hard was the man working throughout the first half of his set, that the only chance anyone serious about doing a little work of their own out on the d floor got to rest for a second, was provided when he accidentally cued a track into the mix at the wrong point. So he is human! Keeping the tunes four to the floor and electro throughout the duration, throughout the second half of his set fRew ensured Middle Bar would remain crowded; easing off the intensity and moving the tunes a little deeper. Resting within more familiar territory, the Vacation Records stalwart slowed the fades down and pieced together some irresistible mixes.

Operating from Serato and Macbook, the use of a Korg nanoKONTROL midi controller was a welcome addition, adding another dimension to the set through the use of pre-programmed sound bites; such as the letters of his name and the words from Benny Benassi's smashing club hit Satisfaction. What else did the damage? Show Me Love by Mobin Master had the girls moving. Heartbreaker (*Wolfgang Gartner* remix) by MSTRKRFT had the boys moving. Fight For You (*Bass Kleph* Remix) by Morgan Page had the bar staff moving. Dr Funkenstien by Deadmau5 had the lads lining up at the bathroom moving. Move That Body (fRew remix) by Kid Kenobi had the crowd on the outside balcony moving. Likely the dirtiest electro tune you have ever heard of in your life, the soon to be released fRew original Murder of the cRow had the entirety of the club moving. The melodic but techy Never Come Back, another as of yet unreleased fRew original featuring silky smooth vocals was equally impressive and will be the tune that keeps me moving this summer. Have you ever heard a track for the first time and vibed it so much that you prayed it was from your favourite producer? I did when I heard this track. Thankfully, my prayers were answered. Hold On by Jimmy Valance and fRew stopped me moving, but only because it was the last track of the set, and by that time I was utterly stuffed and could move no more.

Despite having seen him play on more than a few occasions, fRew never fails to get me excited about his music, both in and out of the club. He's sets are so exciting, so fun, and his love for the music so infectious, that it's all I can do between catching his shows to try and recreate the magic myself. If this isn't the mark of a truly great DJ, I don't know what is.