Writing this review is somewhat of a daunting process. Ug Beats has been a part of this town longer than I have. Indeed, this town is probably much better characterised as a city these days and Ug Beats, the longest running club night in Canberra, has been part of this transformation. Trawling through the inthemix archives in order to gain a bit of background many hazy memories came flooding back – the good, the bad and without a doubt, the ugly. This night has survived many of the clubs where it has taken place, which conjures the question – what was the club without the Ug? My first Ug was at Toast, sometime during 2004. I was young and impressionable, seedy was cool and Ug was something to get damn excited about as we prepared for a night out in our college rooms, belittling our mates who were headed off to ICBM. The crew have achieved amazing things such as bringing Amon Tobin and Kid Koala to Toast back in December of 2006. Nights such as that one inspired what has now become somewhat of a proliferation of club nights across Canberra – some of the most successful ones already dead and buried. Ug was central to a vibrant underground scene that existed within Canberra. In many ways, the night was much more than just the music. Most of the faces that were there last Friday were certainly there when I first went and were probably also there on the very first Ug. While some DJs have come and gone through UG (except for Simon Caldwell), those that played on Friday have been doing so since the night’s inception. It could be said that Ug has been central to their own personal evolution as DJs and musicians.

Ug is now in many ways a senior citizen, but that’s not to be taken as a negative assessment, just an impression. The first thing I noticed when I arrived was that the majority of the crowd were sitting throughout Transit in probably the most orderly manner I’ve ever seen. It was a little bit weird. I half expected there to be a waiter wandering through the tables taking orders and pouring wine at the table. Miss Universe and DJ DFP were on the decks. The sound emanating from the speaker is hard to describe. I always enjoy seeing what these guys are going to do. Experimental is definitely one adjective I’d use. At times it was dub-step underscored with some sensational hip-hop tracks. The mixing was tight, demonstrating their technical prowess and undoubted experience. My only issue was that it seemed to be pitched at some level that made it seem quieter. I felt like I couldn’t actually hear it properly a lot of the time – but maybe that was just me. By the time Bec Paton took to the stage, many punters were bursting to boogie. Her opening track, Nostolgia 77’s version of 7 Nation Army had everyone moving in what I would describe as the ‘sex grime stomp’. True to form, Bec mixed an eclectic range of tracks traversing a bunch of musical genres, as a whole sounding very jazz and dub inspired. Having seen Simon Caldwell before I have no doubt that he would have been incredible. By all accounts, he played a fairly chunky deep house set – which was for intensive purposes a joy to listen to and had people moving. Unfortunately the crowd did thin out fairly early though.

I love Ug Beats. It is responsible for some of the best nights out I’ve had during my time in Canberra. I really hope the crew behind the night keep it going. It’s valuable because it doesn’t succumb to music fads – no one gets distracted by minimal or two step acid prog neo-house. That said it might need a renaissance of sorts. Perhaps another big name act to put the night firmly on the radar again for the younger individuals getting about, or another change of location to enlist some new blood as residents. Regardless, Ug remains a Canberra fixture.