Thrillseeka @ Portuguese Club Marrickville, Sydney (15/03/03)
Thrillseeka, being one of those “underground” raves (in the broadest sense of the word) was situated in such a place that would warrant use of the “underground” label: the Marrickville Portuguese Club. There was a strange kind of humour involved when dialling the number for the venue and getting one of those overdone “really excited” guys tell you that the “ultimate hardcore event” (or something along those lines, don’t quote me) was in Marrickville. Well, humorous also in the broadest sense of the word. Brushing the hyperbole of the telephone guy aside, the night itself was quite impressive, with a solid foundation of talent, and a warehouse full of eyecandy. Oh, and of course there was DJ Neophyte’s seemingly mystical ability to make you dance and not stop.
But, before we delve into the music, the visuals certainly must have a mention. The outside “chill room” (which was still playing hardcore, just a bit softer) was lacking anything at all in the decoration side of things. This was certainly offset in the warehouse, the place packed with enough lights and lasers for even the most burnt out hippy to get 60’s flashbacks. It was incredibly impressive how such a “small” event was still able to have a lightshow on par with the eyepopping quality of Powerhouse. Amongst all the lights was an interesting little addition, the bastard child of Gas Nightclubs’ geometric disco ball floating randomly above the dancers heads. The dancers themselves were the average attendants of these events, young, usually dressed up in the usual candy raver’s regalia (give or take the candy, pacifier or other paraphernalia) and very friendly. Their unlimited energy and exuberance was very catching.
The night started at 7pm, and when it finished well past sunrise, over 25 DJs in one way or another had played to the crowd. There was a large mix in the quality of the hardcore being played, ranging from average to “get up and dance, now!” The promoters made the right decision to have many “VS” sets during the night, which made for some excellent sets, the DJs definitely playing off each other. Team Rocket were up to their usual standard and the Jim Jams vs Aladdin team also deserve a thumbs up. It was a night of quality DJing, but some special mentions go to DJ Statik and Crystal for making the night just the more special. Last, but definitely not least was Holland’s own DJ Neophyte.
The atmosphere in the warehouse when Neophyte took to the decks was so charged, if you could bottle it, there wouldn’t be an energy crisis. The whole crowd chanted “Neophyte”, even the short breaks during tracks. And what tracks they were. If you’ve ever been in an event with a room full of people going as hard as their little legs can drive them, you’ll understand the power of an exceptional DJ. This was hardcore as it should always be played. Every silence of music was filled with shouts of adulation from the crowd. And it was justified. Neophyte deserves the praise.
If hardcore is your thing, there’s no doubt that you probably were there as well, and there is no use preaching to the converted and if you haven’t been, Neophyte is reason enough to be.
