Once upon a time, there were three words that could excite and unite. Those three words brought hope and happiness, released the shackles of the rat race and kicked off the weekend like a mutha. Those almighty three words were Ministry of Sound.

However, slowly over the years, like all religions do, the label became somewhat muddied. Nevertheless, I kept the faith and journeyed like a good devout to Ministry LP launches, Ministry raves, Ministry after parties – even to the Ministry club itself in London. I watched disturbed, as the label bounced from house to techno, NRG to trance, and even drum and bass to 80s grooves, then mashing it all up to capture the untapped market in between. I can say from experience that this strategy become “all things” to “all people” left me feeling disenchanted and cold. So it was with complete ambivalence that I attended the recent Ministry of Sound Trance Nation Tour at Rise. But featuring Australia’s #1 DJ. producer and trance wonder boy tyDi and Dutch-born Melbourne-based DJ/ producer MaRLo: holy cow! These boys rocked it – and made me a believer again. Having attended events at Rise a few weeks in row now, the first thing I noticed was how much fuller the club was than normal. The Ministry name could still draw the crowds in. There were clubbers in gators and phatties and a little sprinkling of kandy kids but the patrons were still predominately young, urban drinkers. However, raver or not, the reaction to tyDi as he took the stage was unanimous – thunderous, rapturous and unanimous.

The thing about tyDi is that he’s not the most exciting DJ to watch on the decks while he’s mixing. He doesn’t trick out his sets like Rodi Style or even our own Dr Willis. But he’s a technical DJ with a finely tuned ear so what you’ll get is a classy mix that’s always on point. He can definitely work those CDJs and has a lot going for him. Easy on the eye (in that he’s hot), he possesses that X-factor and – perhaps most importantly of all – knows how to manipulate a crowd. Jumping up and down, raising his hands in the air, climbing on the speakers to hype the crowd up, he had everyone in the club eating out of the palm of his hand by the time he dropped his own track Vanilla. Talk about a master magician! tyDi pulled track after track from his bag of tricks, each one a floor-filler. At his set climaxed, he dropped in a sample from the Yello classic Oh Yeah, sending the whole club into a demented frenzy. Who would’ve guessed that a song released before he was even born would be the making of tyDi’s set a quarter of a century on?

As a result, poor MaRLo’s appearance on the scene was barely acknowledged. The cheering that took place when the changeover occurred was really down to tyDi jumping back onto the stage for encores. After two solid hours of vibing with the club, tyDi owned the crowd and there was nothing left for another DJ. Despite a spent crowd, MaRLo played a decent set that kept the dance floor buzzing respectably for the remainder of the night – though the highs of tyDi’s set were never reached again.

The names that have headlined Rise in recent times have been quite impressive, but these gigs are let down by the club’s lighting and effects. Rise has a decent sound system but the lack of lasers significantly affects the atmosphere and euphoria levels of the night. tyDi and lasers – now that would’ve been a dangerous combination to put this Ministry gig on the map and fully convert me again.