A pleasing announcement on Friday the 18th of December revealed that the separate upstairs and downstairs gigs at Shape nightclub had been merged into one, all for an extremely attractive price. Thus Shape played host to one of the dubstep scene’s most interesting artists, Appleblim; as well as local drum n bass heroes Shockone and Phetsta making an already highly anticipated night that much more special.

The downstairs room at Shape played host to the first club night for Organic; a project between two of Perth’s most respected promoters in the broken beat scene, Knowledge and Someone Say Dubstep. Locals Jam Buck and Ben Taafe provided the opening sets of the night, showcasing some tight mixing skills and welcoming dub vibes to the rather unexpectedly small crowd. Next up came the nights headliner, UK’s Appleblim. Appleblim has been at the forefront of the dubstep movement for several years, pushing a more unconventional sound that mixes techno vibes with dubstep beats and a healthy dose of ambient sensibility. All these influences came through strongly throughout his set, providing an interesting experience for those gathered in attendance. While the mixing was top notch, and the track selection very well presented, at times the direction of the music seemed to invoke a setting more closely mirroring a home listening experience rather than a nightclub.

Furthermore, despite many patrons having access to downstairs, the drum n bass room upstairs seemed to keep most of the punters’ interest, leaving the downstairs room looking rather bare. This served to take away slightly from the overall vibe of the event.

Accordingly the relative quiet for the Appleblim gig was reflected in the packed crowd levels upstairs; in attendance for the launch of Shockone and Phetsta’s video clip for The Sun 2009: a reworking of the track that landed them best tune at last year’s PDMA awards. This tune is getting heavy rotation on JJJ and RTR:FM at the moment, reflecting the rising popularity of these two artists and their years of underground success. Perth dance music legend Greg Packer along with Skirmish and Sabin provided support; Packer showcasing the skill that 20+ years behind the decks can instill; and Skirmish and Sabin both providing very exhilarating sets that kept the crowd pumping for several solid hours. Yet none could take the spotlight from the headline acts. The mixing from Shockone and Phetsta was mad, with six decks and two mixers in attendance the intensity of the two hour set speaks for itself. Accompanied by the very cool clip for The Sun 2009 with brilliant cinematic shots of Sydney (should have been Perth!) the whole experience was enjoyable and almost overwhelming with the crowd’s intensity.

Overall any fan of drum n bass or dubstep would have thoroughly enjoyed the night; though the fact that the gigs had been combined seemed lost on most of the attendees upstairs. Indeed it seemed almost embarrassingly unbalanced in terms of crowd levels in regards to upstairs versus downstairs; yet this might be a reflection of the relative obscurity of Appleblim in Perth and the huge popularity of, in particular Shockone.
Yet, ultimately the night matched and exceeded my high expectations; with the only downside being the sound issues downstairs; and despite the low crowd numbers I hope Organic continues to support artists without mainstream popularity and take risks bringing over DJs pushing a more unique sound.