inthemix | Event Coverage | Subservice @ The Cross, Sydney (24/04/08)

On Anzac Day Eve, I headed to The Cross to catch what was my second Subservice shindig. Arriving as Den Williams was closing his set with some sinister tech house, I was left cursing the missed cab that robbed me of hearing more. The atmosphere was superb despite the ample breathing space, and what is more, every person in the club was utterly receptive to the sounds of twisted, dirty techno banging out over the piled speakers.

Belfast’s loss is Sydney’s gain, and Defined By Rhythm stepped up, greeting us with some seriously deep minimal techy beats and hollow rumblings in what was to be a beautifully programmed progressive set. Teasing the crowd with periods of sleepy tech before breaking into ripping synths, DBR played deep and chunky, and had the place rolling for the moment when John Devecchis took over. Devecchis hit the ground running, pumping the energy to dangerous levels that stoked the dancefloor into a state of turmoil, taking us on a forward-thinking ride through the techier districts of our beloved house music.

It seemed almost cruel to demand that Andrew Wowk maintain the energy, and I expected a minimalish progressive set to bring the place back down, but instead Wowk brought the club to its knees. Throwing the rulebook out of the window, Andrew played like it was the last set at the end of the world and he had nothing left to lose, banging out mint techno track after mint techno track, owning the Xone 32 and reducing the dancefloor to a moshpit of clapping, cheering, hugging devotees. Cruelly ending all too soon, Orbital’s archetypal Chime lifted the roof off as the encore reminded us why we do all this in the first place. Tunes of the night came from Nathan Fake, Jooris Voorn and of course DJ Rolando’s epic Jaguar which I have longed to hear on a decent system for some time.

My first Subservice experience was earlier in the year with the magnificent Phil Smart, and sadly again the quality of the music was not quite matched by the density of the crowd. What was clear though is that Subservice has an seriously loyal and clued up techno following. Incredibly, there are rumours of the party closing its doors which I genuinely hope do not come to fruition. Great people, great venue, great sound system, great music and unbelievable lineups. What more can you ask for? Free entry? You got it, register before the night and you were in for nada, didn’t get your name in? $10 on the door my friend.

Come on Sydney, let’s get out to these nights and give these uber-talented crews the crowds they deserve. Support your locals – this bunch absolutely killed it on Thursday night and you weren’t even there!