Antix came to be back in the late ‘90s when two Kiwi brothers, Barton and Hayden Strom, decided to join forces; the result was a duo that would soon become a hit on the internationally electronic dance music scene. Iboga Records quickly picked the pair up in 2002, culminating in a plethora of releases over the last eight years, including four albums, the most recent of these being the highly anticipated Cavalier. Not satisfied with just Antix, the boys have also come up with a number of originals and a string of remixes under the alias Fiord. It was this aforementioned studio work that had me absorbed with the predisposition of wanting scrutinise their live show.

Although I had seen Antix at Subsonic Music Festival merely weeks before, Shrug’s second birthday was the one to really look forward to; a night that seldom, if ever, disappoints the punters. The opening set of the night was again allocated to an up and comer competition winner, DJ C-Rain, and although unable to make it in time for the set (due to unforeseen circumstances), all reports were of a positive nature, praising the appropriateness of the music for the time-slot. I guess that just goes to show the quality of DJing ability that Sydney has.

For all the praise I have lapped on Trinity in past reviews, I’d like to be able to give a bad report, just once. The problem is, I just don’t see it ever happening. Consistently she is able to produce an array of deep sounds that, to put simply, work – this time was no different. After jumping behind the decks she entertained the small but growing crowd with deep warm sounding synths and simple melodies, all the while keeping the tempo at a trot in preparation for Dave Stuart and Robbie Lowe.

By the time midnight had come around Dave had taken control, and to my surprise, didn’t bring his snorkel (cue laughter), reeling off a number of upbeat tunes including Anja Schneider & Sebo K’s Rancho Relaxo. Working in tandem with Robbie, they worked on a journey that had its ups and downs, and finished on a couple of big progressive house numbers in preparation for Antix, including an acid house tune that really got the dancefloor rocking.

As we moved into the wee hours of the morning, the time had arrived for Antix, and although the crowd was not as big as a few might have hoped, it was still a good stage for the duo to do their thing. The boys didn’t muck around as they launched straight into their darker, driving progressive house. Weaving their way through tune after tune, each one more enjoyable than the last, people started to realise just how talented these two really were. It was relentless progressive house, and with arms raised the crowd grooved away to tracks like Cavalier, Lost & Found and Manta. This isn’t to mention my favourite track of the night, Under The Shade, a long uplifting build-up with a solid drop, an amazing progressive house track that had the dancefloor losing a bit of its sanity. It was quite a moment. As the set drew to a close, the accolades started to roll in – “that was awesome” was one such quote; “John Digweed who?” was another. It truly was a set that brought smiles to the crowd.

The tough job of closing after Antix was given to Marcotix & MSG. They conducted their set well with some interesting tunes, but it just couldn’t live up to the energy level that was Antix, who stole the show. The boys from over the Tasman, really know how to rock a party and it’s surprising that Australia hasn’t claimed them as our own, ala Russell Crowe or Crowded House. Here’s to hoping they continue to produce and perform some excellent productions in future. Shrug’s second birthday was complete, and what an excellent way to celebrate.