I was excited when I was chosen to do the review for this event because the Sydney Rave scene has been part of my life for 9 years now. Seeing flyers, and hearing the buzz from people attending Renegade rewind- 10 years of rave classics – only psyched me up for what was looking to be an excellent night. It was also the one year anniversary of Logic, so there were celebrations all round.



When we arrived at Castles we were greeted by the sounds of “Next is the E” by Moby, with legendary rave DJs Budds n Stoo (aka Bardia & Stuart) in the mix. Having not seen either of these guys in well over two years (due to them having other commitments theses days, so they aren’t able to play out much anymore) I was transported back to 1995 as they played such other classic rave anthems as “Six Days” and “Feeling so real” the only way they know how- smooth mixing, beaming smiles and hyping the crowd up for a huge night. The crowd was mesmerized by the tunes that were being spun, and no-one could have done a better job of warming up the crowd for what was gearing up to be an amazing night.



Next up was Matrix, whom I had only seen twice before but who has made a name for himself within the scene and its easy to understand why. His seamless mixing and great track selection had the whole club on the dance floor, and even the 40 year old bar tenders were shakin their groove thangs to trance anthems that Matrix was churning out. Tracks such as “Pistol whip”, “Sensations of the mind”, “Tomorrow”, “Binary Finary” & “Noom 13” definitely had this old bird dancin & I think my boyfriend was sick of me saying “oh my god I LOVE this song” by the end of Matrixs’ set. Matrix is an extrodinary DJ with the ability to read the crowd like no other. If you haven’t seen him mixing before, it is definetly worth your while!



Matrix was definitely a hard act to follow, but rave favorites Fenix and Phase One took a good shot at it. Fenix, who can easily be described as one of the fore founders of the Sydney rave scene may be getting on, but this guy knows how to party! Like a fine wine he only gets better with age and having Phase One to back him up only made it better. Pumping out old skool english breaks with chunky bass lines, funky broken piano riffs and the ever melodic lyrics sent the crowd ballistic. Playing tracks such as “Voodoo People” and “Out of Space” by the prodigy, and “Six days” by Jimmy J & Cru-L-T. Fenix and Phase One definitely have a chemistry together and could do no wrong judging by the crowd.



DJ Marcos definitely had his work cut out for him, following Fenix and Phase One and just as I thought things could get no better he dropped the theme song to the night-and my personal favorite- “Renegade Rewind” by EKO (aka Cru-L-T-)then anthems such as “Do what ya like”, “Live in London” and “Celebration Generation” the Westbam classic. The highlight of Marcos set for me though was seeing the tiring crowd suddenly re-energize when the first bars of Scooters’ “Back in the UK” were played. He had the whole club dancing and one raver in particular had me (and a few others) in stitches as he commenced dancing in the passageway- and almost took out a few people as he kicked his legs higher than any cheerleader I’ve ever seen.



The eye of the dancing storm was yet to pass, with Team Rocket up next. Now these guys work fantastically together whether mixing or promoting their Muzikal Klouds party series, and with Dave PSI, QT & Destiny, there is three times the mixing, three times the music and three times the crowd going ballistic. I’ve seen these guys in action before and have to say they are a personal favorite of mine, always keeping the crowd pumped with their happy hard & hardcore delights. I definitely think that their set was the highlight of the night, and you have to admire three DJs being able to work in a space that’s about a meter by a meter wide, without so much as stepping on a toe or losing their smiles. Team Rocket definitely play for their crowds and the crowd are always responsive to Team Rocket dancing up a frenzy to Pengo Tunes like “Dancin Together”, “Raver’s Groove” and “Pump that stupid bass” by DJ Sim & Weirdo. Their Pumpin Happy style is like no other and the added bonus of Dave PSI and Destiny MCing is always a treat! It’s always good to be behind local talent, and these guys certainly deserve a big pat on the back for not only playing consistently wikked sets, but also for the parties that they put which are always excellent quality. For information on Team Rocket go to www.mksydney.com.



Next up was Shade who, like Fenix, has been an integral part of the rave scene for over 10 years. Shade is an amazingly talented guy not only having the longest running set of Mix Tapes (the Rave back in time series which spawned the infamous RBIT events) but for providing mornings with his unique mix of Italian Anthems and Scratching & Beat Juggling unique to himself. It’s easy to see why Shade is billed at just about every rave event – he plays what people want to hear, when they want to hear it. He has the largest collection of rave anthems, and is constantly bringing out new tunes as well as faithful classics such as “Buggin”, “In the name of love”, “There is no other” and “Love is the answer”. He definitely left a smile on many faces at Renegade Rewind.



To top the night off was Chester, who’s Morning glory 7 CD was a bonus giveaway to everyone on the night (Nice track selection BTW). Chester’s style has changed somewhat over the years, and although now may be described as cheesy is always welcomed by tired legs wanting to dance to just one more. Chester’s happy morning music was an absolute delight and left everyone refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to face the day that lay ahead!



All in all, it was a memorable night. Good Job guys!