It had all the makings of a techno lover’s wet dream. Four internationals, three stages, three levels, eight hours and what was rumoured to be the most impressive level of production at a Likes of You party to date. Judging from the scale of former parties, it was a lot to live up to.

As I approached the Colonial Hotel around 1am, it became clear that the majority of punters had also waited until later in the night to arrive at the venue. Both entrance gates were suitably hectic, and with door staff on edge it only took half an hour to get in – having expected as much from a gig this size I took the opportunity to speak to people in line about their expectations of the evening. Many spoke favorably of their local heroes Mike Callander and Gavin Keitel, while mixed views were detected as to whether Fake was the preferable choice over Format:B. However, across the comments of all those shivering in the line there was a driving and irrepressible anticipation for the genius that is Alex Smoke. Many had caught or heard enviable reviews of Smoke’s mind-blowing performance the previous year, and were eager for a repeat.

Once inside I braved the throng through to the upstairs room, where Mike Callander was doing his thing and doing it well. After warming up to his grapefruit flavor I took the chance to grab some white lightning before the hordes descended upon the upstairs room for the arrival of Border Community wonderboy, Nathan Fake. Both minimal and unconventional, his set reflected the tenets of Border Community, but tended too much toward the dissonance of his new album for the tastes of many in attendance. It is a difficult set to describe. While it may have been enjoyable for some, awkward thumping breakbeat and a heavy slapping kick dominated the set, with only ethereal hints of the eerie melodies which made him famous.

While the chaos wasn’t really for me, I could appreciate what he was doing and what he has always done – pushing the genre without concern for anything but his own style. Castle Rising was a high point, the blippy bounce of the track a momentary lapse in the relentless breakbeat. After an hour of minimal melody and some questionable minimal headbanging, Fake executed his finale by ripping a cord from the onstage rig, killing the sound as abruptly. Interested to gain insight into his motivations and perspectives, I asked Nathan briefly why he does what he does. In true minimal fashion he replied, “because it’s all I’ve ever done I guess”.

During the long wait for Smoke to begin I caught the last half of Format:B and was pleasantly surprised. It was great party music, but it wasn’t forgettable club techno. It had style, it caught the crowd and kept its attention. The hooks were great, the use of effects were intelligent. It really felt like the German duo was working for it and not taking the easy way out – relying on their ability to create something new out of mixing tracks rather than relying on the hooks and bass drops written by another producer. Loved the hint at Steve Bug’s I Swallowed Too Much Bass. The downstairs room was the perfect setting for their vibe, and the massive, scoreboard-like lighting rig atop the stage programmed to blast patterns reminiscent of a space invaders video game was like nothing I’ve ever seen in a Melbourne club before.

Finally, 4:30am and Alex Smoke. It being nearly 24 hours since I woke up I was struggling to stay awake but from the first note of his set I found my second wind. For those unfamiliar with Smoke’s style, the main characteristic is often said to be melancholy. But don’t be dissuaded. It isn’t sad music – it’s powerfully emotive, challenging and progressive. Under riding each ethereal melody is a carefully chosen beat, with glitchy percussion of perfect timbre, never overstepping the line diving catchy from cluttered. After the level of quality he delivered last year, my highest hope was to simply be re-elevated to that same place of audio ecstasy, yet I found myself taken further, much further. It is nearly impossible to accurately describe the places Smoke to us that night, but I’d emphasise the main qualities as depth and innovation.

Bass lines were deeper, the BPM was kept lower and the percussion more minimal. I stood on the side of the floor in pure awe as he took up a microphone singing a haunting melody into the mic and channeling it through a vocoder, making its origin unrecognisable but keeping the soulful quality and warmth of a human voice. It is ridiculous to realise the capacity of an individual to continue to innovate sound – redefining popular music without hesitating or succumbing to tradition- and if anything it has only wetted my appetite for what Alex will continue to do in future.

Hats off to The Likes of You.

If you missed out on this event you can look forward to the next installment, the Likes of You 3rd Birthday featuring none other than Theo Parrish and Claude Von Stroke. Keep your ears to the ground kids.