Arq spinning around with talent
While Rhys and my personal favourite Graeme haven’t confirmed their places on the podiums yet, Sydney’s future superstar DJs will be out in force this Friday night for Arq’s So You Think You Can DJ grand finale.
After three months of out-of-the-blue talent and the odd record which stopped out-of-the-blue, the competition has finally come to its natural climax and promoter Jimmy Dee says the quality has been so good that other talent scouts have been checking it out.
From an initial 25 entrants, the seven finalists who have made it through and will be performing a 35-minute set on Friday are DJ Scotty, DJ Dom, Matt Effect, Mark Loasby, Kent Wuest, Natasha Chamberlain and Ed Hall.
The judges are Arq’s resident DJs Jake Kilby, Justin Scott and Sandi Hotrod, as well as Jimmy Dee, who says that all of the final seven DJs fit well within Arq’s favoured vocal, progressive and uplifting house music boundaries.
The winner will score an opening set at Arq on the Sleaze Ball long weekend and at the Aqua party at Arq in November, along with some prizes from local businesses and $100 cash. Watch out for a summer DJ competition, Jimmy Dee says. Entry $10.
Also on Friday, Bandits vs Spank is a back-to-back DJ battle at the Phoenix, and on Saturday the sound of Toca’s Miracle, Fragma, will be performing across the road at Slide.
It’s all about the boy at Handle Bar on Saturday night with Seymour Butz, Mark Murphy, Lovertits, Ben Drayton and John Pants from the Blow Waves (a must-see Melbourne band). And just up the road a smidge, the straight club that it’s okay to like, the Oxford Art Factory, is having its first birthday on Saturday.
Is that testosterone I can smell? I certainly hope so. Next Saturday night is the night Hunk brings sexy back to the Shift. Its promoter Rod Lay has returned to Australia after 23 years in London where he promoted Trade, Crash and Area, and he’s ready to fill the lulls between Sydney’s long weekends with a regular monthly party.
The Perth-born partygoer has a swag of international DJ talent chomping at the bits ready to fly to Sydney, including London’s Paul Heron, Steve Pitron and Mikey D and some others from Paris and Madrid. The launch will feature DJ Ariel, an Argentinian hunk of a DJ who plays at London’s DTPM, joined by Sydney’s Jason Barry and Kate Monroe. All are set to play the dirtiest, sexiest, underground house -鈥� with no cheese and even less trance. With six go-go boys, one of whom starred in a reality TV show, it’s best you dress less to impress.
Manacle at the Clarence Hotel is having its official opening next Friday night, and Fag Tag is taking over a bastion of heterosexuality, Club Swans in Darlinghurst Rd, Kings Cross, next Sunday.
Then ahead to spring, and Non-Scene makes its return to The Loft at the UTS on Saturday 6 September with DJs Tobin, Ben Drayton, Steve Allkins and pole-dancer Suzy Q. Ben Drayton is also making an appearance at Alibi at new home the Flinders on 13 September, which bills itself as a night of disco, house, techno and soul (how do you program those last two together anyway?).
The first announcements have been made for the Global Gathering Festival line-up and it’s freakin’ mind-blowing: Kraftwerk, Fischerspooner, Sasha, Above & Beyond, Mark Ronson, Felix Da Housecat, LA Riots, The Orb and Larry Tee are all heading south.
