(UEP)

aaahh the Melbourne Shuffle, performed by Melbournians and admired by a handful of Londoners, the “Shuffle” is a style of dance that sits somewhere between the charleston and a crazy robot stomp. Through a thick haze of talcum powder, this feet-centric style began to emerge on dance floors in the late eighties. Now a decade and a bit down the track we can thank the crew at Underground Epidemic Productions (UEP) for doing what so many of us only ever talked about – actually documenting this phenomenon. Introducing the ‘Melbourne Shuffler Documentary’.

Through a series of candid interviews; DJs and promoters Richie Rich, Terry Ho, Simon Sleiker and Scott Alert talk of the legendary clubs and parties from where the shuffle and Melbourne’s club culture was born. Joining them are a very passionate group of current “Rockers” who reveal what the shuffle means to them and then there are UK acts Lab 4, Leeroy Thornhill and Ed Real who give us the “international” perspective of a dance they have been witnessing from the decks of Melbourne clubs for many years.

Backed by a banging soundtrack that features local acts NFX, Brewster B, Parametrix, Ben Kakoschke, Benny Drohan, Itchy & Geezer, Rob Klasic, Harvest Brothers and Andy Maurer comes a mass of footage showing shufflers doing their thing. The footage was primarily collected over the last 2 or so years by scouring dance floors for the best movers and shakers, moving them to a suitable and less crowded area and then “lights, cameras, action” letting them loose. Admittedly there are some fantastic images here, however this documentary could have done with some heaving dance floor shots, where the camera man is left with no choice but to crop in tight on shufflers and the unplanned mayhem surrounding them.

Among the many features on this dvd comes a fantastic short film titled ‘Mel Ben Shuffle’, filmed between 1992 and ‘94, this is a rare piece of footage that truly captures the essence of Melbourne’s early rave scene. Other features include a well shot multi-angle DJ lesson from Master Kaos, an extended VJ clip that is sure to make for one great house-party backdrop, handy hints from industry stalwarts about how to run a successful party and of course more shuffling and talking from dance scene insiders.

It should be noted that ‘Melbourne Shuffler’ was produced entirely without outside sponsorship or funding and the time and effort that has gone into making it must be applauded. Although a little too long, overall, this is a very positive film that imparts a real understanding and passion for this unique style of dance. Being a shuffler from way-too-far back, I would have liked to have seen more footage from years gone by, when the Shuffle was truly in its element, namely at Madness, Teriyaki, Bass Station, Deluxe, and Hard Kandy at Billboards. To UEPs credit however, they did search high and low for footage that most likely never existed.

The Melbourne Shuffle is a crazy thing that means much to many, and like all good things it has evolved over time. Who knows how it will be done in years to come, who knows if it will even still exist, I hope that it does, but huge thanks to UEP for documenting what they could of it, just in case.