Sydney Xmas Spirit, 7 Yachts are Sailing town hall projections photo by spidey78
Nearly a year has passed and with so many events and artists coming through Sydney, it definitely has been a great year in 'techno land'! Watch out for our first ever Blog Awards 09 where, we bloggers, recognise some of the artists, events and clubs that made this year so great.
As for today, MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and have a great new year. Gig Guide for NYE events here in Sydney will be up Monday next week for the undecided.
For those that follow my blog I have lots of changes and new articles on the way. Please do help by spreading the word or if would like to contribute in any way (reviews, new music, photos, whatever!) please email the blog at the address below. Thanks!
Shortino
Friday ITS CHRISTMAS! Go open the presents...but Im sure theres something on, somewhere Sat Pulse Yacht Club ft. Damian Lazarus & Emerson Todd - Starship Sydney
Ladylux Afterpart ft. Damian Lazarus - Ladylux, Kings Cross
Mad Racket ft. Caldwell, Ken Clound - Dragonfly, Kings Cross
Beached On Boxing Day - Cream Tangerine, Bondi Wham - World Bar, Kings X - Top floor techno mayhem in this famous town-house
(Sun this week)Musik Matters - Favela - Dedicated to the true house sounds of Sydney
Club Club - Chinese Laundry Sun Spice - Kings Cross Hotel (4am)
The Bunker afterhours - From 4:30am Bunker Bar
bSide - Beresford Hotel - The new night hosted by fbi presenter Lorna Clarkson with an eclectic mix of local DJs
Aquatic Boat Party ft. Dimitri From Paris - Syd Harbour
Sunday Sessions ft. Ben Morris, Robbie Lowe, Culbert, and Tim Jirgenson - The Deck, Luna Park - From 3pm an afternoon by the harbour
Final Gig Guide up Thursdays. Send your event info to
That's right I have discounted tickets for all the blog readers our there! This will be a cruise to remember with pioneer Damian Lazarus on board the famous glass ship aka Starship Sydney. Also on the bill are Emerson Todd, Little Fritter, Acid Mondays and Better Days all on the one boat. Techno main floor, Disco on the open deck...
Starship Sydney, Boxing Day, Sydney Harbour in the summer with some of the best music right now. Get your tickets quick!
Say no to Stephen Conroy. The idiot behind Australia's proposed internet censorship plans. Internet censorship does not work, can be easily subverted and is an absolute waste of tax payers money. If you want to protect your children, buy an internet filter. It will work better than any proposed national system.
"It was through public complaints mechanisms like the one Mr Conroy is proposing that classic literature such as The Catcher in the Rye, Ulysses, and The Story of the Kelly Gang were once banned in Australia..."
Sydney Festival is one of Australia's premier cultural festivals with so many different events across the spectrum its pretty much impossible to see it all.
I'm going to be picking out some of the highlights of the festival over the next few weeks that I think music heads and blog readers a like would find more interesting but by all means do have a flip through the free brochures that are around the city.
Perhaps one of the more interesting performances on the music side of things is the collaboration with Modular records, a company that has been establishing themselves as one of the leading record labels for promoting Aussie talent on global scale, while pushing music that still retains some originality and creativity (although I wont say that applies to all their artist roster...). The talks will explore the early days of Sydney's music scene and early experimental music labels.
From 1979 to 1985, parish halls, abandoned warehouses and run down apartments rumbled and screeched with new sounds during one of the most creative periods in Australia’s music history.
Avant garde, post-punk, new wave and early electronic styles of music cultivated a thriving underground scene, heard on Sydney-based labels M Squared and Volition. It was a period when ‘little bands’, such as Pel Mel, SPK, Voigt/465 and Laughing Clowns were more concerned with artistic expression and experimentation than commercial success.
Circa 1979: Signal to Noise is a celebration of this unique and influential period.
PS: If anyone has any digital copies or recordings of some of the early experimental electronica acts please do drop a line, sydneylovestechno AT gmail DOT com
The last couple of weekends the techno and house scene of Sydney have been an absolute hive of activity. With International guests dropping in, it seems, every day there has be countless parties, encore performances and secret afterhours. Here is a selection of some of videos and photos of the artists I took, feel free to use them for personal use but you must email the blog for any commercial uses (ie posters/promo material).
Henrik Schwarz live highlights video. The future classic birthday bash was a great success with a packed civic floor keenly waiting upon Henrik. Once he started, the energy never let up with pounding re-edit, remix and original one after another in a style akin to Henrik live. Saving some of his more well known material too last, it definitely was one set that will stay in the minds of many for a while. Housey, funky, with that techno drive, it really did strike a chord with everyone in the room and theres no better proof then when the artist opts to play for an extra HOUR! Of course no one complained...
Reboot and Emerson, visiting our sunny shores after relocating to Europe, headlined the Top Notch Rooftop parties. Suuny, steamy Sydney afternoon on top of the famous Home night club next to Darling Harbour really set the scene for a afternoon well spent. Luckily this blog has the sets so stay tuned for streaming sets from the artists soon.
Motor City Drum Ensemble played an intimate gig, 2 if you count his afterhours appearance, to only a couple of hundred punters down in the Vault. Apart from some vinyl issues (apparently got locked in a hotel room!) he played a great 4 hour set that had the room heaving in and out. Granted he could only play off his CDs it was still a great set the featured some serious deepness.
Gig guide for this weekend exhibits the signs of summer down under. Great local parties and international guests everywhere you look! ha.
So Friday? Shrug with Jay Shepheard and Robbie Lowe or for those wanting more underground talent check out the Fresh Meat series in the cave, while Deepchild will be playing at the tiny velvet underground.
Matias Aguayo hits town playing on a sold out cruise before hitting the warehouse for a Kompackt Records bash. Sunday sees the new Sunday Sessions continue near Luna Park while club 202 on Broadway will be having a record fair and bbq for those vinyl hunters.
Friday Shrug ft. Jay Shepheard - Civic Underground - Shrug welcomes its first International and definitely not its last...
Fresh Meat ft. Dance Austin (live) & Selen Parman - Chinese Laundry - Fresh meat brings in some fresh talent from the underground
Chemisty ft. Deepchild - Velvet Underground
System - Club 77 - The Weekly fri techno night continues at Club 77
Sat Pirates of the Underground Cruise ft. Matias Aguayo & Solead - Cruise Boat Kompakt Warehouse Bash - Warehouse Kompact stars gather at an inner city ware house...did I hear woot!
Void vs Index ft. Appleblim - Civic Hotel
Wham - World Bar, Kings X - Top floor techno mayhem in this famous town-house
Off the Beat ft. Simon Caldwell and guests - Melt Bar - Every Sat for deep disco, house and funk
Musik Matters - Favela - Dedicated to the true house sounds of Sydney
Club Club ft. Nathan Fake- Chinese Laundry Sun Spice - Kings Cross Hotel (4am)
The Bunker afterhours - From 4:30am Bunker Bar
bSide - Beresford Hotel - The new night hosted by fbi presenter Lorna Clarkson with an eclectic mix of local DJs
Apres @ Tilbury Hotel - Sydney Record Label Future Classic arfternoon sessions
Sunday Sessions ft. Ben Morris, Robbie Lowe, Culbert, and Tim Jirgenson - The Deck, Luna Park - From 3pm an afternoon by the harbour
Final Gig Guide up Thursdays. Send your event info to
Every Monday from 6-8pm well respected local DJ Simon Caldwell does the rounds on fbi radio here in Sydney. Presenting some of the freshest and most original material in dance and electronic music its considered to be one of the best radio shows of its type.
Also, it seems, Mr Caldwells reputation has been spreading further and wider recently mixing a RA podcast which you can stream below. Starting of slow and funky the mix progresses through house styles, then to more up beat tech and techno before capping off with the new-disco closer to the end. A great mix for any time of the day. accurately representing the many influences the man himself and this big city. Check out the interview with him on RA here
Tracklisting: Who You Are (Junior Boys Remix) - Zwicker Voodoo Ray (Greg Wilson Edit) - A Guy Called Gerald Forever In Their Debt - The Revenge Death Panel My Ass Ms Palin - Deepchild Raw Cuts #6 - Motor City Drum Ensemble Deeper -Sasse A Short History Of… - Missing Linkx Let Yourself Go - Barrio Debajo Passion - Markus Nikolai Distant Places - Sobentein Backroom - Deepchild Compass - Marek Hemmann Fantasie Maddchen (Mayer Mix) - Bodo Elsel Summer Breeze - Sluts'n'Strings & 909 Metamat - Leon De Winter Machismo - Let's Go Outside Rectify - Moodyman
SHRUG returns for December with an early Christmas treat, Jay Shepheard will be touching down to show us why many consider him to be one of the best deep house and disco DJs around. Following on the success of the last Shrug, which featured the Deep House Project DJs, Shrug continues its 'deeper' and warmer vibes with its first international guest and definitely not its last!
Shrug happens this Friday 18th at the Civic Underground, Sydney $10 before 11pm, $15 after
Set times 10pm-11pm – Robbie Cordukes 11pm-12am – Dave Stuart (Shrug) 12am-1.30am – Robbie Lowe (Colour/Beatcode) 1.30am-3am – Jay Shepheard(Compost black / Buzzin Fly / Diynamic) 3am-close – Matt Aubusson (Glitch)
Tracklist 1. Moxie – “Bloddy Cheaky” – Moxie 2. The System – “You Are In My System” (Tee’s Freeze mix) – Atlantic 3. Talking Heads – “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)” (12″ Mix) – White 4. Sugardaddy – “Love Honey” – Tirk 5. Unknown – “Pull Up To The Bumper” (Compass 12″ Dub mix) – Ballroom 6. ESG – “Pary Music” (Party mix) – Tigersishi 7. Gerogio Moroda “I Wanna Rock You” Disco Rotic 8. Lindbeak & Lindstrom “Alien In My Pocket” (Prins Thomas mix) – Modal 9. Morgan Geist “Probs” Environ 10. Popular Peoples Front – “?” – Popular Peoples Front 11. Blackjoy – “La Stache” – Art Of Disco 12. Black Leotard Front – “Casual Friday” (instrumental) – DFA 13. Todd Terje “Eurodans” Full Pup 14. Richie Havens “Going Back To My Roots” Electra 15. Bumper “Detroit” MDEX 16. Moxie “MX006 B” Moxie 17. Casco “Cybernetic Love” Radius 18. Soft House Company “A Little Piano” Irma 19. Serge Santiago “Atto D’Amore” (dub version) Arcobalino
This weekend is an absolute killer with many lining up the events as the warm weather takes hold forcing everyone to go out and have a good time...
If your looking for that non-stop party bus, Friday sees Future Classics Party (see previous post) which will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the year. More local or smaller? The Box and Picnic will provide.
Next hit up the sun shine with a roof party of Top Notch (again, check prev. posts). Emerson Todd, and other great locals provide the tunes with Reboot playing an afternoon set before heading off the Lady Lux for another performance. Also on the Agenda DJ T will be heading the Cave in Chinese Laundry while Bug In THe Bass hosts Deepchild.
For those who cant stop, Tom Clark and Daniel Dreier will be hosting Bunker afterhours party while Jay Shepeard will be playing at Spice. Also watch out for Sun afternoon Apres session as just maybe someone big will drop in (although thats unconfirmed!).
Friday Future Classic 5thyr Birthday ft. Heinrik Schwarz & Chateau Flight - Civic Hotel - Across 3 levels with an amazing local line up this is geared to be one of the parties of the year
The Box ft Tomas Hedberg - Bunker Bar
Picnic ft. Darshan Jersani - Small Club -Disco and house treats from the Picnic crew
System - Club 77 - The Weekly fri techno night continues at Club 77
Sat Top Notch ft. Reboot and Emerson Todd - Home Terrace - Afternoon vibes from 12pm Reboot @ Lady Lux, Kings X - Catch the man of the moment in one of Syds craziest little clubs
Bug In The Bass ft Deepchild - Copperlily Nightclub
Technique ft. Simon Flower - Civic Underground
Wham ft. Ben Korbel, Ben Morris, James Taylor - World Bar, Kings X - Top floor techno mayhem in this famous town-house
Off the Beat ft. Simon Caldwell and guests - Melt Bar - Every Sat for deep disco, house and funk
Musik Matters - Favela - Dedicated to the true house sounds of Sydney
Club Club ft. DJ T- Chinese Laundry - This will be epic... Sun Spice ft. Jay Shepeard - Kings Cross Hotel (4am)
The Bunker ft. Tom Clark, Daniel Dreier, Emerson Todd - From 4:30am Bunker Bar
bSide - Beresford Hotel - The new night hosted by fbi presenter Lorna Clarkson with an eclectic mix of local DJs
Apres @ Tilbury Hotel - Sydney Record Label Future Classic arfternoon sessions
Sunday Sessions ft. Ben Morris, Robbie Lowe, Culbert, and Tim Jirgenson - The Deck, Luna Park - From 3pm an afternoon by the harbour
Final Gig Guide up Thursdays. Send your event info to
Future Classic are one of the leading electronic focused music labels in Sydney and Australia, also a blog favourite, but tomorrow night they will be celebrating 5 years of music, parties, design and the local and internationals artists that have catapulted the label which is now recognised all around the world.
Joining the celebration will be Inversions man Henrik Schwarz who's live sets are stuff of legends. Although I personally have never seen him live, I have been told numerous times by friends and press that it is always something special! Using his laptop he creates organic and complex live sets often combing new and old material. Musically, he is one of the most creative artist in dance music today having a wealth of original material and remixes for artists like Carl Craig, Underworld, Bookashade and DJ hell among many others. An highly rated artist that will be performing live. Definitely one not to miss.
Also on the bill is Chateau Flight from Paris which consists of Parisian DJ/producers Gilb'r and Nicholas Chaix (I:Cube). With careers spanning back to the nineties both are synonymous with the Paris underground scene having set up the Versatile record label in 1996 which featured one of Daft Punks very first remixes as well as producing advant-pop with members of French group Air and Depeche Mode. There appearance tomorrow have a lot of people excited.
Also on the local side we have some of Australias' and Sydneys best, a line up thats actually deserving in its self! Jamie Loyd recently released an excellent album after an Australian tour which has many people talking. Deepchild who is back from a recent tour all around the world and has a wealth of new songs out now, will be gracing the decks and no doubt both will be playing some of their latest material. Also joining them will be Nathan Mclay, Jimi Polar, Peret Mako, Loin Brothers, Simon Caldwell, Bryan O'Callagan, Mike Redfern and The Scientist.
To celebrate, Future Classic have been releasing a song a day from one of the headliners on their soundcloud page.
Top Notch Rooftop party series continues with its second instalment, this time featuring ex Sydney man Emerson Todd visiting from Europa as well as one massive international who I can not name but will definitely surprise and delight many! Locals will include Robbie Lowe, Matt and Tomas, Trinity, Dave Stuart and more . As for the international I will say he is bit of the techno man-of-the-moment....
Q:For those who haven't heard of the Top Notch rooftop parties, explain a little about what inspired you to put them on and the location of the party.
The Sydney clubbing scene is very much all similar with its dark and dingy little clubs pumping out heavy tech house and techno, so we looked to create something a little different to spice up the Sydney clubbing culture. We wanted to put the focus on daytime entertainment with the main draw card being the sun. In essence we wanted to create a bit of the Ibiza daytime parties right here in Sydney. We have created a party like no one else's, having some of the best in Local and International Dj's in some of Sydney's hottest sun filled venue's.
Q:I hear there is a rather large international headlining alongside Emerson Todd, can we get the first scoop?
The International head liner with be released to the public on Monday 7th of December!
UPDATE: Reboot will be playing this Saturday for an afternoon set under the Sydney sun.
Q: Will there be more Top Notch parties in the future? And any hints as to who may be playing?
TOP NOTCH will be running once a month and will be having its residency at Home Rooftop for the foreseeable future. All monthly parties will feature massive international head liners alongside some of Australia's best local talent!
Its the Summer! This weekend sees another rather large and new festival hit town, or should I say the hills! Subsonic festival offers something a little different, carrying on from the last earth dance (watch out for my mini-review of that soon), with some great techno berliners Tom Clark and Daniel Dreier off High Grade Records as well as Jamie Jones for his second performance after last week as well as others. Spread over two days its a festival that comes highly recommended!
Also another gem this weekend will be young gun Danilo aka Motor City Drum Ensemble play and epic 5 hour set at an inner city warehouse on Pit street. Also Likes Of You hits town again with a great line up of tech and techno artists.
Sunday is definitely all about the aferparties, watch out for Jamie Jones at Spice and MCDE at Bunker!
Friday Subsonic Festival Day 1 - Riverwood Downs Mountains - ft. Jamie Jones, Format B, Tom Clark, Alex Smoke, Daniel Dreier and more
Index ft. Clark UK - Civic Hotel
Thank Techno Its Friday ft. Claire Morgan - Copperlily Nightclub
System - Club 77 - The Weekly fri techno night continues at Club 77
Sat Subsonic Festival Day 2 - Riverwood Downs Mountains - ft. Jamie Jones, Format B, Tom Clark, Alex Smoke, Daniel Dreier and more
Co-Op ft. Motor City Drum Ensemble - Inner city warehouse - MCDE to play an epic 5hour set
Likes Of You ft. Format B, Alex Smoke, Arnaud Le Texier - Civic Underground
Off the Beat ft. Simon Caldwell and guests - Melt Bar - Every Sat for deep disco, house and funk
Musik Matters - Favela - Dedicated to the true house sounds of Sydney
Club Club ft. Umek & Kidda - Chinese Laundry
Sun Spice ft. Tom Clark & Ben Korbel - Kings Cross Hotel (4am)
The Bunker/CO-OP after party - From 4:30am Bunker Bar
bSide - Beresford Hotel - The new night hosted by fbi presenter Lorna Clarkson with an eclectic mix of local DJs
Apres @ Tilbury Hotel - Sydney Record Label Future Classic arfternoon sessions
Sunday Sessions ft. Ben Morris, Robbie Lowe, Culbert, and Tim Jirgenson - The Deck, Luna Park - From 3pm an afternoon by the harbour
Weekend is at close here in Sydney with the relatively new festival, Stereosonic, kicking off its nation wide tour.
While many opinions of the festival have already been thrown around(mostly through facebook comments it seems) it was an interesting mix of fairly 'big-sounding/big-name' DJs, think Deadmau5, Fedde Le Grand, as well as big electro DJs, Crookes, with a dash of techno heavy weights thrown in for good measure.
Sneakerpeeps stage, what perhaps was 'techno-central', headlined Umek, alter-ego, Marco Carola and Laurent Garnier's live band gracing the stage along side respected Sydney locals Ben Korbel, Simon Caldwell (check the recent RA podcast) and young guns Mattt and Tomas. While the stage worked well for most of the day with stand-out set from Mr Korbel, near to the end, when Marco Carola and Laurent Gariner started to play, the pull of the more advertised headliners definitely took away quite a few punters from the stage which, was a pity for two acts like these. However in my opinion this was always going happen in a festival that seemed to try and dip its fingers into too many pots at once, and in doing so 'scaring' away perhaps some of the core fans of the two latter artists.
That said, there were still a large amount of fans that came and witnessed the awesomeness that is Laurent Garnier and his live band.
Honestly it is easily one of the most impressive live acts I have ever seen. Effortlessly switching between pulsating industrial techno, to dubstep, jazz-styled drum and bass as well as blues, it was more a true jazz improvisation session mixed in with the stylings and sounds of Laurent Garnier.
His band set-up consists of a Saxophone player, apparently one of the best in the world, Trumpet player, synth keyboardist and a main keyboard and guitar player of which Garnier can be seen as the 'conductor' often coming in and out from behind his mixing desk to direct each member. For example at one pinnacle point in the performance his keyboardist was told to drop some blues after a rather heavy techno song from before. Taking on a blues riff and improvising Laurent comes in after a little bit and tells him to repeat once specific chord, then going over to the saxophone player he brings him in with a similar style directing what he wants with some vocal cues and hand gestures, along with the trumpet and secondary keyboard player. As I said before Garnier is quite like the conductor guiding each member in a way he sees fit. After letting the improvised melody sit for a little while with all members Garnier, out of no where, drops this Jazz-infused drum and bass styled bass and beats to which the watching crowd erupts into a frenzy of hands-in-the-air and dancing action.
I think perhaps the most astounding element is seeing how well true instrumental improvisation goes with live 'techno' or electronic styles and the raw energy that flows from it. And for that matter how well true instruments, or real instruments go with techno. An element that is still seriously lacking. One only has to look at his famous Man with the Red Face in which the lead sax takes the song and perfectly complements the pulsating techno drums, synths and bass.
When Man with the Red Face was finally dropped closer to the end of their performance you could really feel the energy that each band member seems to contribute to the overall product, which for techno and dance music often being a one man affair, is a rare thing. Laurent Garnier and his live band are truly an innovative and original performance that is executed exceptionally well. It has, without a doubt, progressed the definitions of live electronic music performance and set the bar to a completely new level. If you are lucky enough to have the chance to witness it you would be nuts not too!
I'm putting the call out there, Laurent Garnier and his live band should perform in the concert hall of the Sydney Opera House, a world renowned artists for an equally world renowned venue. Please add a comment if you think so too!
Update: I'm trying to secure an interview with the man himself so stay tuned for upcoming article. If you have something you would like to ask him please also forward it to the email.
Laurent Garnier with live band at Matter in London, exact same set up and band members as in Sydney
Gig guide is upon us with this weekends massive Stereosonic hitting town.
Friday sees a raft of local night Sidways with DJ Schwa touching in from Europe as well as House Inspection at the refurbished LadyLux. Saturday sees Nick Curly slam it out in the cave for what will be undoubtedly and great gig as well as Jamie Jones at the civic underground and then again at Spice after...
Remember to send your event info to the address below. Its free and its great promo for local nights.
Friday House Inspection ft. Garry Todd, Alex Caminer, Nic Scali - Lady Lux
HAHA ft. Tim Sweeny - Civic Underground
Sideways ft. Schwa - Bunker Bar - Sideways return with label boss Schwa and locals, Dave Stuart, Combe and Jorden Deck
Void ft. Truth - Phoenix Bar - Syds premier Dubstep night feat. Truth from NZ
System - Club 77 - The Weekly fri techno night continues at Club 77
Sat Stereosonic with Laurent Garnier live with band, Marco Carola, Umek, Alter Ego & many more - Moore Park
Reckless Republic ft. Jamie Jones, Shades of Grey, Murat Kilic & Robbie Lowe - Civic Underground - Big line-up for what will undoubtedly be a big night!
Off the Beat ft. Simon Caldwell and guests - Melt Bar - Every Sat for deep disco, house and funk
Musik Matters - Favela - Dedicated to the true house sounds of Sydney
Club Club ft. Nick Curly- Chinese Laundry Sun Spice - Kings Cross Hotel (4am)
The Bunker - From 4:30am Bunker Bar
bSide - Beresford Hotel - The new night hosted by fbi presenter Lorna Clarkson with an eclectic mix of local DJs
Apres @ Tilbury Hotel - Sydney Record Label Future Classic arfternoon sessions
Sunday Sessions ft. Ben Morris, Robbie Lowe, Culbert, and Tim Jirgenson - The Deck, Luna Park - From 3pm an afternoon by the harbour
Final Gig Guide up Thursdays. Send your event info to
So, with a slight blog hiatus over the past few weeks and with work out of the way I have returned with many a article and interview trailing behind...
To kick things off Future Classic have been running their Sunday Afternoon sessions, Apres, here in Sydney for close to 3 years often with internationals guests, and often completely unannounced.
Will Saul is one such example who recently toured Aus launching his latest Balance15 Compilation. After playing in the Cave at Chinese Laundry the night before Will popped in to play an encore set of chilled deep house, deep-disco and Balearic sounds. A great accompaniment to the Sydney Summer and a set I thought in need of spreading!
Every week for close to 3 years Future Classic has been hosting a laidback Sunday afternoon event at the Tilbury Hotel in Woolloomooloo, Sydney. A BBQ, friendly bar staff & balcony in the sunshine have set the scene for these under-the-radar sessions with that give our local and international guests the chance to play more diverse sets than they would in the club.
Gemma has exhibited in curated and solo exhibitions in Australia and overseas. She was in this years Primavera at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney as well as Contemporary Australia: Optimism, at the Gallery of Modern Art, Queensland Art Gallery, in Brisbane. She is currently doing a residency in Paris.
Its the Gig Guide and this weekend its FULL of stuff. No surprise Steve Bug headlines another Pulse Radio yacht party to usher in the start of summer but if your searching for something more local, then the Shipfaced Boat ft. Matt Rowan and the HoppedScotch DJs party will definitely entice. Both are on Saturday. Both are on the Harbour.
Friday sees the Deep House Project take over the Civic Underground while Sunday sees a new sunday arvo party kick off, Sunday Sessions on the Deck right on Sydney harbour with some of the best DJs in Syd/Aus on offer.
Till next time.
(PS: yes there ARE more articles coming your way. Exam time for us Uni students atm!)
Friday Deep House Project ft. Mike acetate, Telefunken, Trinity & Venuto @ Shurg - Civic Underground - DHP of Tokyo, San Fran and Sydney will be the feature for this Shrug Instalment. Deeeepness
Symmetry ft. Bruno, Drew Waterhouse - Cave (Chinese Laundry)
System ft. Mark Craven - Club 77 - The Weekly fri techno night continues at Club 77
Sat Agwa/Pulse Radio Yacht Club ft. Steve Bug - Starship Sydney - The famous harbour cruise hits town again! This time with Mr Bug at the helm.
Steve Bug (Pulse Radio Afterparty) - LadyLux
Shipfaced ft. Matt Rowan - Harbour Cruise - New blog Hoppedscotch presents their first party with some great locals aboard.
Midi In The City - 202 Broadway - One of the few nights dedicated to live electronica in all forms. Always a treat.
Club Club ft. Boy8 Bit - Chinese Laundry Sun Spice - Kings Cross Hotel (4am)
The Bunker - From 4:30am Bunker Bar
Bedlam- 202 - From 2pm, a chilled session of new music from a range of established and new locals - FREE
bSide - Beresford Hotel - The new night hosted by fbi presenter Lorna Clarkson
Apres @ Tilbury Hotel - Syd Record Label Future Classic arfternoon sessions
Sunday Sessions ft. Ben Morris, Robbie Lowe, Culbert, and Tim Jirgenson - The Deck, Luna Park - From 3pm an afternoon by the harbour
Final Gig Guide up Thursday. Send your event info to
Its been a year of good times and amazing tunes from some of Sydney's best up and coming underground talent and we want you to come join us in celebrating a year (round about) of Thursday night madness with the last Space Cadets of 09.
Guest DJs will be Zushy Woolstone and Chris Leffers both of whom always deliver with quality music as well as being space cadets regulars. While residents Nic Scali, Alex Caminer and Jamie tek will take it home to some time in the early hours of friday. Our resident VJ LayerOne will also be providing the visuals that have added that bit extra too the night.
From 9pm, Bunker Bar in Kings X.
Free entry if you RSVP on facebook otherwise stay tuned for a recap of the thursdays and the songs that made it as well as sets, recorded from the night.
If, at the end of this year, you are to look back on some of the landmark events of 09 Sydney record label, future classic's Berlin Sessions, would definitely be 'up there' as some of the best. Combing some of the best German and Aussie talent under one roof they are parties inspired by good music and aimed at exposing some of the artists pushing this music forward.
This November is no different with AME, Benji Frohlich and Move D headlining for a special party dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the falling of the Berlin wall and the creativity that spurred thereafter. Sydney locals playing will be Simon Caldwell, Nathan McLay, Murat Killic, Ben Korbel, Jad Lee and the Co-Op DJs.
Its the Weekend again and you know Summer is around the corner when roof-top parties starting hitting town (not that they ever left!). The Top Notch Rooftop party is the start of a series of parties raising funds for local charities (Vision Australia) as well as showing off some of Sydney's local tech-house and techno talent.
Also on the agenda, Colour crew, namely Robbie Lowe, Culbert and Matt Rowan hit the Bunker for their monthly instalments. The latest Colour mix has been released and it is quality! Definitely download a copy.
Mad Racket, responsible for touring some of the greatest artists to come through Sydney in electronic music as well as featuring some of the best locals DJs and producers celebrates its 11th Birthday. I hear their Guest, Chris Duckenfield, will also be playing somewhere on Sun for the super keen.
Plus a heap more other nights on, check below. More articles coming your way so sit tight!
Friday System ft. Claire Morgan - 77 - The underground club that is 77 continues its fri night exlporation into the Sydney techno scene. Too bad the name is horrible.
Loefah, Coki & more - Glasshouse UTS
Sat Mad Racket 11th Birthday ft. Chris Duckenfield - Marrickville Bowlo - Mad Racket celebrate 11years of epic music and artists.
Colour - Bunker Bar - The Colour crew hit up the Bunker for another night of insanely good house and prog-house. Matt Rowan just released the latest Colour CD, check it now!
Top Notch Summer Rooftop Party - Blacket Hotel - Ft. great locals in the tech/techno scene. The start of summer and the start of rooftop parties! Bring it on.
John Devecchis - LadyLux - the refurbuished lux continues to relieved the goods!
Club Club ft. Will Saul - Chinese Laundry - The launch party of the new Balance CD mix! Sun Spice - Kings Cross Hotel (4am)
The Bunker - From 4:30am Bunker Bar
Bedlam- 202 - From 2pm, a chilled session of new music from a range of established and new locals - FREE
bSide - Beresford Hotel - The new night hosted by fbi presenter Lorna Clarkson
Apres @ Tilbury Hotel - Syd Record Label Future Classic arfternoon sessions
Final Gig Guide up Thursday. Send your event info to
Hey guys, been a little quiet around here recently however hold tight as there is a whole heap of articles coming your way!
For this weekend Gig-Guide is up with a great range of events on.
If you were lucky enough to witness Johnny D live versus Butch last Monday morning you will know how much of an epic night it was! I will be posting up on that special party later on...
Its long weekend madness here in Sydney! Johnny D, Micheil Cleis, Inland Knights are just some of the internationals floating around.
Friday sees Shrug take over the civic with highly regarded Aussie producer Jaytech. Saturday sees Lady Lux re-open with new decor, Funktion One Sound system and an amazing line-up of international artists and residencies coming.
Sunday is the nights of nights! Two massive shows on with numerous afterparties. Apparently Johnny D will be playing at Spice on Monday too...tasty
Sorry for the lateness however as usual check the side bar for the final gig guide up now!
It seems Fri and Sun are the nights with a sleuth of local nights dedicated to great locals! House Inspection, Sideways, Fresh Meat and/or newbie Club 77 (with not so newbie locals!). Sat sees Earthdance bring in the goods (check prev post) while Sunday sees the new night bSide take over with an awesome lineup. Deepchild (possibly first gig back from europe!!!?), Loin Brothers and more!
Newly found underground night, House Inspection, will be taking over the Civic Underground to show case some of the latest and greatest in house and techno from Garry Todd and upncomer DJs Alex Caminer, Nic Scali, Chris Leffers and Harris James.
This month Garry Todd is the guest, fresh of the boat (or plane rather) from Europe he will no doubt be showing off his latest tunes and funky house style. Keep a look out for his new release on 20:20 Vision under his new alias, Acid Mondays. I have mentioned Mr todd before in previous post as he is definitely a Sydney artists to watch over the coming year.
$5 entry which is cheap and chips for a night like this. Anyone who has being to Space Cadets will know that the residents are quality.
Friday night 25th Sept $5 Entry, Civic Underground from 10pm
Oh, you heard right. Apparently these two techno heavy weights from the renowned Soma label, Slam and Silicone Soul, will be hitting up the Aussie country side along some awesome local talent for an Earthdance members party this weekend!
Starting this Friday and going till some time Sunday, the campout will be an intimate 3-day event encompassing music, art and lifestyle held 2 hours away from Sydney near Newcastle on private property. The venue features rivers and plenty of grass, shade and includes basic camping facilities.
You'd be forgiven if you only just heard about this, as it has been kept quite hush hush with the idea behind it being the famous Earthdance party returning to its bush roots with a crew and members camp-out for everyone who has contributed over the years and made the event possible.
Local talent includes the likes of Jamie Lloyd, Jimi Polar, Robbie Lowe and Tim Culbert, Diatribe, Marco, Aubusson, Logan Baker and more!
Rumour has it that Slam will be playing sunset and Silicone Soul will be playing sunrise...check out Slam's recent Monopod Podcast. Starting slow with some deep, chilled out dub before progressing into housier and techier territory. A perfect accompaniment to the Sydney Summer.
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending and playing at one hell of a warehouse party here in Syd. Aptly named, Pigeon Soup, this was a real warehouse party. Think 20 meter high ceilings, dusty floors(and air!), calendars on the wall dating back 4 years, manually cut power cables and abandoned water cooler units in the corner that made it feel like the originally owners left in a bit of rush... This was an actual abandoned warehouse with multiple areas just waiting to be invaded by inner-city music crews. And so it was!
I arrived expecting something small but instead was presented with three different music 'stages' or areas if you will each with its own set-ups and artists/DJs. One for the sounds of prog, minimal, and techno, another around the corner for the sounds Drum n Bass and dubstep as well as a live mc/improv area outside.
'Bass Directive' Stage, the one myself and others played at, started packing out around 10 with a constant mass of open-minded people all night right until some time in the early morning. Although this can be said for every other area too. If I have a modest estimate I would say somewhere around 1500-2000 people rocked up to this free warehouse party and the vibe was awesome. Friendly, up-for-it party people. Jamie Tek and Ian D dropped some minimal-tech, deep-techno and house tunes which everyone lapped up. Think the sounds of Radio SlaveKoma Koma to Precious System's The Voice From Planet Love (which went downs very nicely!).
Element and enimateK were pumping out the prog-house and slamming techno which really got the place in a frenzy. Solid tunes, great mixing and Elements driving style really kept the punters on edge. At one point a small group of people formed on a (precarious) landing behind and above the DJ area. They were just rocking out so hard I though they would all tumble down on us. Luckily that didn't happen. A definite highlight was seeing Element dropping Dubfire's remix of Radio Slave Grindhouse to a mass of warehouse ravers. Really, the only way to play that dark number. Definitely on the list of best-techno-warehouse-tracks!
Element @ Pigeon Soup
2Flies was the name of the other area/organisers where I saw some awesome live Drum and Bass played out. Fast paced, great break downs, I'm not too sure if the guy was playing his own tunes or just mixing through software. Either way there were some insane moments in that area as well as some insane tunes. Check the video below;
The other area outside was like a live mc/rap and/or Improvisation area. Basically, put up a live drummer, an MC, and someone bashing out wonky bass lines on a classic Moog Sythesizer and you have a recipe for WIN! Epic win in fact. People were loving it with everyone around the area just bouncing to the beats. Check the grainy video below...
Live synths, live drums, live vocals. Abandoned warehouse...
This weekend sees a come back of locals nights with Technique providing its dose of local techno and visuals this Saturday as well as Simon Caldwell mixing it up at melt.
Also on offer Sunday will see future classic DJs Loyld and Polar hammer it out from 5 or so while Ableton Anonymous will be showing off some of Sydney's producers across different genres live. Sat Technique - Sly Fox Hotel - Local techno for your ears and feet
Off The Beat ft. Simon Caldwell - Melt Bar
Musik Matters - Favela - Quality house music from Syd locals
Club Club - Chinese Laundry Sun Spice ft. Jimi Polar & Jamie Loyd- Kings Cross Hotel (4am)
The Bunker - From 4:30am Bunker Bar Bedlam- 202 - From 2pm, a chilled session of new music from a range of established and new locals - FREE
Ableton Anonymous - Lewisham Hotel - many styles of dance from midday till 9pm
Apres @ Tilbury Hotel - Syd Record Label Future Classic arvo sessions Final Gig Guide up Thursday. Send your event info to sydneylovestechno@gmail.com!
There has been a wealth of podcasts cropping up from Sydney peeps recently, Reckless Republic, Beef Records, Space Cadets to name but a few. However these are all in a 'DJ-Mix only' format.
In comes SUP!The Sydney Underground Podcast, arguably in true podcast style. That is, embedded linked artwork and selection of tracks with commentary usually followed by a guest mix. I spoke with Walka the man and DJ behind SUP and someone, if you reside in Sydney, you've probably already heard play in the infamous Cave of Chinese Laundry.
Q: What would you say is the idea behind your podcast, Sydney Underground Podcast (S.U.P.)?
The idea behind the podcast is to play a short mix each week of my favourite new tunes that I’m rocking at the time, and to also feature short mixes of other Sydney DJs doing the same.
Q: Anything inspired you to make a 'Sydney Underground Podcast'? Or has it been something you always wanted to do.
I got the inspiration a couple of months ago. I love making mixes and getting them out for people to listen to so podcasting seemed like a great way to do it. It’s a great medium and doesn’t require much effort on the listeners part because all they really have to do is subscribe and then they just come automatically. The idea to feature other Sydney DJs came about because after having clubbed for the past few years I’ve found that Sydney has some genuinely great DJs who I really dig. There hadn’t been much done in the way yet of a localised specific outlet for Sydney underground DJs to feature their mixes, so I thought I’d give it a go. I’ve met quite a few DJs in my time out and about so already had some good contacts to hit up for mixes. I’m hoping that it’ll get to a stage where Sydney DJs will approach me with mixes to put on the show! And yeah, as soon as the idea came into my head I got onto making it happen. So I learnt how to podcast, which when you’re first learning is pretty complicated! But I got the hang of it now and am enjoying it. Have reached a couple of hundred subscribers and there’s listeners from America and England so Sydney sounds will be reaching far places!
(it has) reached a couple of hundred subscribers and there’s listeners from America and England so Sydney sounds will be reaching far places!
Q: What can we expect from a typical Sydney Underground Podcast?
Musically, it will mainly be a blend between deep and tech house sounds from myself, what the other DJs play is entirely up to them! I guess a lot of it comes down to what tunes are coming out that week. My mixes will usually be like what I play in a warm-up set, so good for home listening and to chill to. Labels like Viva, Plastic City, Cadenza, Cocoon, Highgrade, Kina Music, Pokerflat, Soma Recordings, Night Drive. I like deep music, and dance floor stuff which is very rhythmically focused. So tribal elements, groove, catchy vocal hooks, hypnosis, depth and soul to sum up!
Q: You've held a residency at Chinese Laundry. Has that influenced your style of DJing and any particular highlights from playing there?
I’ve been lucky enough to play in the Cave at the Chinese Laundry on a fairly regular basis over the past almost year and a half. It’s influenced my style tremendously and in such a profound way and I really owe a lot to Paul for showing the faith in me to get me on (I had only just turned 20 when I first played so I was pretty young). When I first began my style was a lot more peak time and hard, but I’ve found the more and more I’ve played I’ve really learnt so much about the facets of playing a club set at all different times. Since I got a lot of opening sets, my sound has gradually moved that way and I am very happy it has. I now really enjoy opening and playing nice deep tunes to get the night warmed up and into the groove and ready to roll for the next guy.
Having said that, I’m at Laundry almost every other week so a lot of my style has been influenced by the other DJs playing in the club when I’m there, whether they be international or local. Guys like Matttt, Wowk, Club Junque and Mark Dynamix all really know their shit behind the decks and it’s given the place a really solid flow of music year round. I’m stoked to have been part of that, it’s the best club in Sydney in my opinion, and I will die a happy man because of it.
I’ve had a few standout highlights. First, was my first time playing there (of course!), I built a good crowd and was so relieved I didn’t clear the room. Playing on the night of Hybrid with a huge crew of my friends there and things getting pretty loose. Playing the Good Vibrations afterparty where in about 10 minutes from opening the room was full and I got to smash it to punters who had just been partying all day. And warming up for Satoshi aswell at the Renaissance gig, that was wicked and I got to meet him too :D
Q: There has been quite a few new podcasts of late. Any particular quality podcasts you would like to mention or personally listen too?
There used to be one I was a big fan of called Beatport Burners but it seems to have stopped. I found out a lot of great tunes because of it. I am subscribed to the RA podcast, which can be a bit hit and miss, but that’s because they feature such a wide selection of genres which itself is a great thing. I’ve discovered a lot of cool new dudes through it. Apart from that, nothing else really unfortunately.
Q: Finally, name one track you've been diggi'n over the last couple of months (cruel I know).
Tough question. There’s so much music these days, most tracks are out of my mind in a few weeks. I guess one that’s done me pretty well is Desmond by Yosa. I first heard it on Steve Lawler’s essential mix. It appeals to me a lot and is a perfect example of the type of music I’m really into at the moment. It’s a tech-house tribal dancefloor bomb, which has a really classic vocal hook in it that comes in about halfway through the track which always captures the crowds attention and puts the dancefloor in a good space. And the chicks dig it too which is a big plus. Mladen Tomic and Joris Voorn tunes have also done me well. One that I’ve just come across which I’m really into is Vehemence Of Silence (Motor City Drum Ensemble Perspective) by Andre Lodemann, I expect it to be warping a few minds in the months ahead. [and so do this blog!]
Q: What was the name of Oxia's debut solo album released in 2004? A: Oxia's debut solo album was 24 Heuers released in 2004 on his label Goodlife.
Congratulations to Sam, who has scored a free double pass for tomorrow night! Thanks to all those that emailed answers and thanks to Likes Of You/Future Entertainment for the tickets. The event will kick off from 10pm, if you missed out getting a ticket get their early as road blocks are expected! More info here & set times here
This will hopefully be just the start of free tickets/entry give-aways for the blog with more planned for later in the year.
If you've just c0me across the blog make sure to subscribe for all updates on local scene news, promo releases, free sets and general electronic music banter!
As usual if you would like to get in contact with myself please email the blog at sydneylovestechno (at) gmail (dot) com
Q: Matthew Dear was originally from which American state?
A: Matthew Dear was originally from Texas. As a teenager he moved to Michigan where he was exposed to Detroit Techno for the first time and eventually founded Spectral Sound. Later, he relocated to New York.
CONGRATULATIONS to James (aka CloudTwo) who has won the first double pass.
To give readers who cant access the blog during the day a chance, the next Question will be posted tomorrow afternoon, Friday 11th, between 3-8pm.
Remember first correct answer received wins the double pass.
Spread the word by clicking the share button below, the more people watching the better the chance
Prolific, visionary, revered and innovator are words so often bantered around by the music industry today, that they seem to be of little worth. However, mention the name Audion or Matthew Dear and these words start to paint a picture of an internationally recognised pop music and techno artist who easily fits within these grand descriptions.
Matthew Dear is widely considered to be one of the great innovators of electronic music during the last 8 years and a look back on his releases under his many alias and one can see why. False (for M_NUS), Jabberjaw (Perlon) and, of course, his most famous of all techno alias, AUDION, has seen Dear effortlessly balance pop and techno while still receive accolades from both the rock and electronic music media.
Matthew Dear's darker alter ego, Audion, releases on the acclaimed dance-music label, Spectral Sound, which he founded in 2000. Arguably, Matthew Dear burst into true music industry spot-light with his release of his debut album, ASA-Breed, on Spectral Sound's sister imprint, Ghostly International in 2007. That release received wide acclaim from all corners of the globe and I have heard it described as electronica-pop, acid techno, minimal-folk however I personally believe low-fi pop as the best descriptor here.
Dark, quirky, minor and tonic sounds describe not only his releases under Dear but also his releases under Audion. Dear has a natural affiliation with rhythm and sound scapes with every release layered with detailed synthetic sounds. As any techno DJ can tell you dropping an Audion track mid-set can devastate dance-floors.
His track Mouth-To-Mouth released in 2006 was a club-anthem that infected DJ boxes the world over and is a perfect representation of his sound. Stripped back, gritty, insanely rhythmic with huge stabs of masterfully created synths that push the track on and on. In fact only last week I found my self going crazy to this club classic. Again. And loving every moment of it.
I beleive every respectable techno/house DJ will have their 'Dear' moment. Personally thinking back, Saturday night here in Sydney in this small little club with a massive sound-system, I dropped a rather subdued Audion track. Or so it seemed. Starting off with a pulsating drum, beating on the off beat, it layers and layers with pulsating synths that pan from left to right, until mayhem ensues. The dance floor loved it. Have a listen below as this probably one of Audions slightly over-looked tracks however I beg, dont skip through the track but listen all the way to the end.
In his live show Audion will be harnessing these elements of his productions to create new-interpretations on the fly. His techno tracks are naturally 'infectious' so, as you can imagine, this combined with his custom live set-up form quite the aural-visual experience.
Audion live in Berlin
Hecatomb is the name he has given to his live show. In ancient Greek the word means 'large-scale sacrifice' or 'slaughter'. In this context I believe one can assume we, the audience, will be the ones up for sacrifice. Dear ushers us into his 'world' with minimalist visuals that rotate, warp and transform. Dear always maintains a constant theme in his shows whether its in his dark minimalist techno or in his contrasting and defined visuals which were specially made for the show by his long-time album cover designer, Will Calcut, and renowned German visual artist Eno Henze.
The Audion live experience has always been thrilling, with Dear creating new interpretations of his material on the fly. In his new live show, Dear goes even deeper into the Audion world, further differentiating it from his more song-oriented Matthew Dear material as well as from the herd of live-laptop performers cluttering the electronic-music scene. By fusing man and machine into an indistinguishable unit, Audion controls his audiences’ collective consciousness in new, never-before-seen ways. At the center of the show is a custom video setup...
Will Calcut is the lead designer behind the Ghostly International label and his warm minimalist style perfectly suit the sound scapes of Matthew Dear. Eno Henze has created psychedelic visuals for the famous Cocoon club in Frankfurt as well as many gallery installations around the world.
ASA Breed Cover Art by Will Calcut
Eno Henze, Tscherenkows Traum, Live visual installation
Having already toured with his live show, Hecatomb, in select European clubs and festivals we our now lucky enough to experience it this Saturday in the refined intimacy of the The Civic Hotel.
Also on the line-up his revered French techno producer, Oxia, who will be performing a DJ set in the Civic Underground. Organisers of this event are combine efforts of Future Entertainment, Likes Of You and Reckless Republic.
Sydney Xmas Spirit, 7 Yachts are Sailing town hall projections
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