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THE BIG MAG FOR CLUB CULTURE
3.
Chasers: Celebrating 34 Wild Years FOR MORE UP TO DATE NEWS GO TO BEAT.COM.AU
UPCOMING
NOVEMBER
OCTOBER
ONTOUR PAUL OAKENFOLD [UK] Friday October 5, Festival Hall FELIX DICKINSON [UK] Friday October 5, Mercat Basement ANDRE LODEMANN [GER] Friday October 5, Onesixone PARKLIFE: JUSTICE [FRA], PASSION PIT [USA], PLAN B [UK] + MORE Saturday October 6, Sidney Myer Music Bowl PUNKS JUMP UP [UK] Saturday October 6, Prince Bandroom MARK HENNING [GER] Sunday October 7, Revolver TOMMY FOUR SEVEN [GER] Friday October 12, Brown Alley RUDIMENTAL [UK], SLUGABED [UK], EMALKAY [UK], IKONIKA [UK] Friday October 12, Brown Alley AME [GER] Saturday October 13, Brown Alley MONKEY SAFARI [GER] Saturday October 13, Prince Bandroom STEVE AOKI [USA] Saturday October 13, Shed 4 DOWNLINK [CAN] Sunday October 14, Royal Melbourne Hotel BIG FREEDIA [USA] Wednesday October 17, The Tote BIG FREEDIA [USA], THEE SATISFACTION [USA] Thursday October 18, The Hi-Fi JIMMY EDGAR [USA] Thursday October 18, The B.East FUNK D’VOID [UK] Friday October 19, Brown Alley JAHDAWN BLAKKAMOORE [USA] Saturday October 20, Laundry Bar PARK STREET PARTY: DIRTY SOUTH JOE [USA], LOW BUDGET [USA], MAJOR TAYLOR [USA] + MORE Saturday October 20, Park Street STEVE RACHMAD [NED] Friday October 26, Brown Alley LIKNUTS [USA] Thursday November 1, Prince Bandroom JAMIE JONES [UK], DJ W!LD [FRA], MARGARET DYGAS [UK] Sunday November 4, Brown Alley NICK CURLY [GER] Sunday November 4, Revolver Upstairs DELANO SMITH [USA] Monday November 5, New Guernica LONDON ELEKTRICITY [UK] Monday November 5 at The Espy YOUSEF [UK] Friday November 9, Brown Alley. ROBERT HOOD [USA] Friday November 9, TBA MOULLINEX [POR] Saturday November 10, New Guernica ECLIPSE: PERFECT STRANGER [ISR], OLIVER LIEB [GER], ADAM FREELAND [UK] + MORE Saturday November 12 – Friday November 16, TBA HOUSSE DE RACKET [FRA], PILLOWTALK [USA] + MORE Friday November 16, Where?House SMOKE DZA [USA] Saturday November 17, Laundry Bar MIKE HUCKABY [USA], BEN SIMS [UK] + MORE Sunday November 18, Where?House SUBB-AN [UK], MIGUEL CAMPBELL [UK] Sunday November 18, Revolver BOYZ II MEN [USA] Sunday November 18, Billboard ESMKO [USA], TIPPER [UK] + MORE Thursday November 22, Where?House GERD JANSON [GER] Friday November 23, Mercat Basement STRAWBERRY FIELDS: JAMES HOLDEN [UK], TYCHO [USA], PREFUSE 73 [USA] + MORE Friday November 23 – Sunday November 25, TBA STEREOSONIC: TIESTO [NED], AVICII [SWE], CALVIN HARRIS [UK] + MORE Saturday December 1, Melbourne Showgrounds FOUR TET [UK] Thursday December 6, Prince Bandroom NICK WARREN [UK] Friday December 7, Billboard TODD TERJE [NOR] Friday December 7, The Liberty Social MEREDITH MUSIC FESTIVAL: FOUR TET [UK], DJ YAMANTAKA EYE [JAP] + MORE Friday December 7 - Sunday December 9, Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre TERRENCE PARKER [USA] Friday December 21, TBA FALLS FESTIVAL: SBTRKT [UK], COOLIO [USA] + MORE Saturday December 28 – Tuesday January 1, Lorne LET THEM EAT CAKE: KERRI CHANDLER [USA], THE GASLAMP KILLER [USA] + MORE Tuesday January 1, Werribee Park SUMMERDAYZE: THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS [UK], M.I.A [UK], MARK RONSON [UK] + MORE Tuesday January 1, Sidney Myer Music Bowl SBTRKT [UK] Wednesday January 2, Billboard CRYSTAL CASTLES [CAN] Tuesday January 22, Billboard THE BLOODY BEETROOTS [ITA] Thursday January 24, The Palace RAINBOW SERPENT: GUY J [ISR], CHRISTIAN SMITH [SWE], PETER VAN HOESEN [BEL] Friday January 25 - Monday January 28, Lexton BIG DAY OUT: THE BLOODY BEETROOTS [ITA], KASKADE [USA], CRYSTAL CASTLES [CAN] + MORE Saturday January 26, Flemington Racecourse ABOVE & BEYOND [UK] Saturday February 2, Hisense Arena
4.
REAL TALK Pro-tip: Booking a haircut at 3pm on Grand Final day is genius. Long live the evergrowing fringe. Tyson Wray
Rainbow Serpent Festival: Ride The Serpent
Let Them Eat Cake: Sweetening The Deal
Let Them Eat Cake have announced their final international artist lineup for this year’s inaugural festival, and it doesn’t get much better than this: LA’s beatmaster Flying Lotus, a year since his last visit and hot off the release of his new album Until The Quiet Comes, will be joined by Theo Parrish, Tiger & Woods, Om Unit, H.O.S.H. and Pearson Sound for what looks like one helluva party, cake or no cake (but who gets to blow out the candles?). They join the likes of the already announced Kerri Chandler, The Gaslamp Killer and heaps more Let Them Eat Cake is on at Werribee Park on New Year’s Day. Tickets on sale via letthemeatcakenyd.com.au
The Office of Public Works: Jimmy Edgar Get pink in the face getting down with Jimmy Edgar, when he stops over in Melbourne this October on his worldwide tour. With releases out on Hotflush, Warp and !K7, Jimmy Edgar has performed everywhere, from Detroit’s prestigious Movement Festival to Berlin’s legendary Watergate. He will be bringing live music and LED lights when hits Australia on the back of his latest album Majenta. The B.East will host the evening, which will be fueled by Edgar’s unique brand of Detroit-infused future funk. Catch him on Thursday October 18 at the B.East, Brunswick East.
London Elektricity: Rebels Without A Horse
Head honcho of Hospital Records, London Elektricity aka Tony Colman is showing no signs of an early retirement as we prepare for the next chapter in 2012. This time around he is accompanied by world renowned Dynamite MC! London Elektricity and Dynamite MC hit our shores on Melbourne Cup Eve to roll out funky, soulful drum and bass in the Gershwin Room at The Espy. Joining them will be Xilent alongside BBA residents Finna, Beatski and Tobias. Get ready for a night of the freshest beats and bass lines. It’s happening on Monday November 5 at The Espy.
One of summer’s most eclectic gatherings, Rainbow Serpent Festival, have just released their major international act announcements for 2013 and wow have they delivered up a mouth-watering palter of fresh musical treats for your consumption. At the top of the list is Israeli Guy J, who has received rave reviews for his sensual, deeply hypnotic and textured productions. Also proving popular is Sweden’s Christian Smith whose trademark blend of high-impact tech house and musical techno will be a fantastic addition to the Rainbow lineup alongside the incredibly distinctive and talented Peter Van Hoesen. Label manager, producer, DJ and bandleader Oliver Koletzki will also join the likes of Mathew Dekay and Eelke Kleijn on the crisply fresh 2013 line-up. Psytrance fans also get a dose of fresh names with South African psylegend Shift making his first appearance together with The Commercial Hippies, Deedrah, Ecliptic, Neuroplasm and Absolum. For those who prefer the old fashioned instruments to a laptop, the likes of 8Foot Felix, Combat Wombat, Gang of Brothers, Kingfisha, Rivertribe and Spyndrift have been announced as headliners for the band stage. Tickets are now on sale. For more info and the full list of released 2013 artists check out rainbowserpent.net
Big Daddy Kane: There Was No Cane
Big Daddy Kane’s upcoming visit to Australia has been postponed, with new dates currently being explored. Big Daddy Kane himself will reveal the new dates via video as soon as possible. Refunds for his show at The Espy are available via Oztix. Wait a minute...there was no cane in Citizen Kane!
SBTRKT: Sideshow ADDTN
Alongside an appearance at the upcoming Falls Music and Arts Festival, groundbreaking UK artist SBTRKT has announced his only headline Australian appearance. Australian audiences have fallen in love with the live SBTRKT experience, with two sold-out tours having taken place in the past year and a half. If you’re yet to be acquainted, make sure you head down to witness one of the dance’s most exciting producers in action. SBTRKT performs at Billboard on Wednesday January 2.
The ‘80s were strange times, Chapel St, South Yarra had already emerged as the hub of Melbourne’s fashion industry, boasting a range of boutiques, salons and cafes, all run by young, energetic go-getters. And yet despite all its daytime activity, Chapel Street remained without an attraction at night. Thus, Chasers was born, and its legacy etched into Melbourne nightclub folklore forever. Chasers, located on one of the world’s most fashionable shopping strips, first opened its doors in 1978, and is the country’s longest running and possibly most notorious club. Recognised as the Australian equivalent of Studio 54, Chasers has played host to legendary discos, live shows, after parties and launches. The venue has featured in countless video clips, television series and magazines. To celebrate its birthday, the club is throwing a party on Friday October 5 at Moser Room, 386 Chapel St, South Yarra.
DJ Profile: Harris Robotis
Where’s the strangest place you’ve woken up? In a hotel wardrobe. Didn’t quite make it to the bed. Describe yourself using the title of a song. No Sleep Til Brooklyn. What was the weirdest thing you believed as a child? That our eyes continuously blinked, but they blinked that fast you couldn’t see it happening. The most awkward moment you’ve had as a DJ? I was the support act for The Rapture and a punter reached up to me during my set and yelled “Are there any support acts tonight?”. I guess they didn’t think a DJ qualified as a support act. What would be the worst dance track in the world to be tortured with on repeat? Don’t know the names but any track by LMFAO, David Guetta or a R&B turned dance artist that involves Gatecrasher style synths mashed with Pon De Floor synths and that horrible robotic ‘Cher’ autotune effect. Want to make a cheese bag hit? There you go, I just manifested the formula. What’s the most played record in your bag? Spastik Plastikman. Been playing this for years and in any style set, whether it’s housier or more techno. It just never gets old for me. What question would you like to ask an omniscient, all-knowing being before you die? How to make a real life working hover board like in Back To The Future 2. If you hadn’t made it as a DJ, what job would you choose to work in instead? I obviously haven’t made it as a DJ then, as it’s my other job that helps pay the bills - which is graphic design. When and where is your next gig? This one will be definitely be note worthy! Melbourne Music Week Opening Night at Where?House on Friday November 16 at a secret location within the Melbourne CBD.
60 Seconds with ... New War
Dome 2012: The Reunion
Hiatus Kaiyote: The Real Deal
After a brief hiatus (there wasn’t one, I just wanted to write that), Niche Productions and Wax Poetics are presenting the latest tour from Hiatus Kaiyote, who will be heading up the East Coast this November. Working nonstop and accumulating accolades since their conception in 2011, the Melbourne based four piece are touring in the wake of their impressive debut album, Tawk Takeout. Taking three new backup singers on board (hasty mental arithmetic) see the seven piece (when they get down with special guests Sex on Toast, Ngairre, Kirkis, Silent Jay & DJ Edd Fisher) at the Hi Fi Bar in Melbourne. Check them out on Friday November 9 at the Hi Fi Bar
Spanning over eight ground-breaking years, Dome became the original ‘super club’, the place to be every Saturday night in Melbourne. The energy, music and the people were unsurpassed and they set a standard in clubbing that Melbourne had yet to see again, until now, Dome 2012 will have the unrivalled energy, people and more importantly the music that has made Dome synonymous with fun, glamour and excitement. Dome 2012 returns for one huge night at Chasers Night Club to blow the roof and take you on a mind blowing journey. Featuring Shaun Reed, Zac Curran, Billy Solos, DJ Kat, Murray Van Zaff, Nigel Murray, Jason D’costa, Mark Santa and special guest Vas One, it’s sure to be one wild musical orgy. It’s on at Chasers on Saturday October 13.
RESPONSIBLE: Managing Editor: Ronnit Sternfein ronnit@beat.com.au Editor: Tyson Wray tyson@beat.com.au Listings: club/promoter submissions clubguide@beat.com.au - now online at beat.com.au - it’s free! Production: Pat O’Neill art@beat.com.au Typesetting: Gill Tucker Cover Design: Pat O’Neill Advertising Senior Sales: ronnit@beat.com.au (03) 8414 9710 Taryn Stenvei taryn@beat.com.au Fashion and Beverages: Tamara Perenic tamara@furstmedia.com.au Ph: 03 8414 9732 Deadlines: Editorial Friday 2PM – absolutely NO exceptions. Club photos Monday 9AM (email only clubpics@beat.com.au). Advertising artwork Monday 12PM. Photographers: Callum Linsell Contributors: Rezo Kezerashvili, Miki McLay, Shane Scott, Simon Traspier, Brian Rotide, The Knowledge, Ellen Devenney, Dan Watt, Aaron Ralston, Birdie, Liam Pieper, Simon Hampson, Chad-Michael Michaelson, Mikolai, Reuben Adams, David Edgley. Publisher: Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond 3121 Ph 03 9428 3600 www.beat.com.au
EDITORIALDEADLINE - 2PM FRIDAYS NO EXCEPTIONS UP TO DATE
Define your genre in five words or less Don’t ask, don’t tell. What do you HATE about the music industry? The takeover of music, particularly on an ‘underground’ or ‘independent’ level, by servile upper middle class puddles with marketing degrees with nothing to say and everything to sell, whose idea of challenging is appearing fuckable to as many dead subcultures as possible and that’s just the bands. If you could assassinate one person or band from popular music who would it be and why? Wouldn’t want him killed, too easy, but Chris Brown should be scrubbing toilets with toothbrushes at womens’ shelters for the rest of his life. What do you think a band has to do these days to succeed? Have as few ideas and be compliant as possible. Be good looking. And fake. And have a marketing degree. What makes you happiest about what you’re doing? The fact that there’s still space for weirdos to make music and have people hear it. That the squares and accountants and marketing people haven’t totally won. And that I completely believe in what we’re doing. What’ve you got to sell CD-wise? CD on Sensory Projects, Vinyl on Polyester Records. When can we see you play? Melbourne Music Week Opening Night at Where?House on Friday November 16 at a secret location within the Melbourne CBD.
RUDIMENTAL
“You’re just this kid from Hackney, or whatever, and for the longest time that’s what you’re used to – how would you even consider the possibility that you’d get to do what we’re doing now?”
FEELING THE LOVE: RUDE AND MENTAL Imagine being able to stick it to your boss and wave goodbye to your boring, yawn-worthy day-job. Imagine replacing the said day-job with a brand new career that sees you travelling across Europe, partying every night, meeting loads of cool people and making the kind of music you’ve always dreamed you’d get a chance to. Then picture tastemakers like Pete Tong, Annie Mac, Zane Lowe and Laurent Garnier championing your tunes and declaring you ‘the next big thing’, and you pretty much coming through with a smash single that debuts at number one not only in the UK but as far away as Australia. Sound like a dream? It’s a reality for Brit drum and bass outfit Rudimental, and according to Leon (DJ Locksmith), the best part is getting to do it all with your childhood mates. “For me, the best part is just the fact that we could quit our everyday jobs and concentrate on the music fulltime,” Locksmith states. “Trying to bring out an album at this stage is pretty amazing too. You’d never think you’d get to travel so much and get the chance to see so many countries. Actually, you never think that, I’m still amazed that we’ve even been able to leave the UK to be honest. You just sort of don’t allow yourself to even consider it because it seems unattainable for such a long time. You’re just this kid from Hackney, or whatever, and for the longest time that’s what you’re used to – how would you even consider the possibility that you’d get to do what we’re doing now?” Understandably then, DJing on the other side of planet Earth seemed even more impossible to Locksmith who claims Rudimental are still pinching themselves that they’ll be visiting Australia this month. While familiar with all the clichés that foreigners often tend to associate with our country – there is mention of snakes and sharks, and Locksmith adds he is particular wary of “crazy spiders” – the DJ admits that the band is coming into our territory pretty much blind-folded.
6.
“No idea, mate,” Locksmith laughs. “Nah, to be fair, I think we are coming in at it blind, but we do know that it’s a scene that is pretty similar to the UK from what we’ve been told. But, yeah, mostly we’re coming in with our eyes closed. It looks beautiful, though, it looks like an amazing country. Sorry, but crazy spiders come to mind straight away. But, we’re still coming in with an open mind! Because we haven’t been outside of Europe yet. The most interesting place for us so far has been Croatia. We never realised it has such a vibrant rave music scene out there and it’s such a beautiful countries too. The people are beautiful and lovely and there are always festivals going on over there. It was such a crazy vibe. I was really surprised to realise that so many people from the UK go up there just to let their hair down and just dance and party.” In Australia, Rudimental’s fan-base is growing fast. In fact, while in the UK their smash hit single Feel The Love hit the single and dance charts at number one upon its release, over in Australia, they continued to smash it by hitting number one on the iTunes singles and dance charts, as well as peaking at number three on the ARIA singles and national airplay charts. Apparently, this is the first Locksmith has heard of it. “What?” he shrieks. “Is that right? There you go. What do I say to that? No idea. I knew the song did well but I didn’t know the details. I think it’s just the energy of a track that is really important at the core. It’s definitely one of the essential bits of a track, it’s what actually attracts people to it. The lyrics are also really uplifting and positive and then you’ve got the trumpet coming in solo. There are just so many different elements in that song that come together and work together. I’ll tell you a secret – even now when we hear the track on the radio, we still find ourselves singing it a couple of hours later, it just sticks in our heads. There’s definitely something addictive about the song, you just start singing it without
COVER STORY
even realising you’re doing it.” As Locksmith says, Feel The Love kicked in the doors and placed Rudimental firmly on the world’s electronic music map. However it’s also been a bit of a doubleedged sword. While the success it brought to the group has been quite astonishing, it’s also raised the stakes in many ways, especially when it comes to the band’s forthcoming debut album. “You’ve got to live up to that the next time around,” Locksmith points out. “Not only that, but you’ve got to continue to live up to your next move, and so on. It was such a cool thing to have people like Zane Lowe and Pete Tong really get behind you, they really loved this track...But it was also really scary because these are some really big names and they were wanting to take us under their wing. When people like that put their trust into your track, man, you don’t want to let them down. At the same time, you do feel that you deserve it because you’ve been working so hard for so long. Kesi [Dryden], Piers [Agget] and myself grew up with each other and we’ve always shared the same interests since we were kids, whether it was music, sport – we love football! – and even girls. I remember us waiting outside clubs at 4am, giving out CDs in the pouring rain to whoever walked past.” Clearly Rudimental’s recent success has been longtime coming, according to Locksmith. That hard work is finally paying off but the challenge still remains – proving to the world that Feel The Love was anything but a one-hit wonder. “We’ve got a lot more in the bag,” he insists. “All the things that have happened up until this day have been so new and fresh to us, it’s very exciting and we just want more of it! But we don’t plan on just sitting on the success of this one track, we’re not just a flash in the pan. We’ve got an album coming up soon, it’s coming along really smoothly and it’s one of those records that hasn’t
really been done before. I can’t say too much about it yet but I can tell you that it’s so many different genres mashed in. It kind of starts off slow with a hip hop feel, then moves into house and then Drum & Bass... It’ll be really interesting to see how the fans take to it because we’ve only so far had success with one song which was at the Drum &Bass tip.” Although Rudimental are bringing us a set with a difference – the upcoming Australian tour will see them perform a DJ set as opposed to a full-blown show – we will have the privilege of being among the first to get an indication of the album’s direction. “Right now we’re still looking at our live show to see how we can show the world what we do in the best way possible,” he says We’ve got quite a lot of live tours coming up before the end of the year but we’ve decided that next year we will definitely be in the full-swing of the live performance. We’re right into playing instruments as well, as we’ve all got instrumental backgrounds, so we’re definitely going to incorporate that into the live show. Kesi and Piers have been making music together for a few years now, and I was DJing on my own for a while, then Amir [Amor] came into the picture after we collaborated on some tracks together. So, basically, we ended up with a group that was four producers combining their skills, but all with a different musical background. We’re so across the board. I’m more into old school garage and house and the boys come from hip hop and R&B. We all like everything in between too, from The Fugees and Dr Dre to Sly And The Family Stone, James Blake and Mumford And Sons. It sounds really random but when it comes together it just clicks.” Birdie Rudimental [UK] plays alongside Slugabed [UK] and more at Brown Alley on Friday October 12.
L ST IVA E F E L FESTY I L D N RTS A ARY 25-28 A , C I U S L MU RIA -- JAN A N O I T TO TERNA FORT, VIC N I Y 4 DA BEAU
MASSIVE INTERNATIONAL LINEUP INCLUDING:
AES DANA HARDFLOOR HALTYA FM RADIO GODS LISH TIM HEALEY YOTOPIA DEEDRAH SHIFT NERUOPLASM THE COMMERCIAL HIPPIES TRANSWAVE ECLIPTIC GUY J PETER VAN HOESEN CHRISTIAN SMITH EELKE KLEIJN OLIVER KOLETZKI MATTHEW DEKAY LOVE AND LIGHT KALDEN BESS QUANTA TRIPSWITCH AKASHA STEREO TALK LUNAR SOUND RULS & NAVARRO DAYAN & JOHN CHRISTOF ABSOLUM D-SENS BAKKE HYPNOTECH
(HARDFLOOR, GERMANY)
(ULTIMAE, FRANCE)
(IBOGA, ISRAEL)
(SURFER ROSA, UK)
(PLANETARIA, FINLAND)
(IBOGA, ISRAEL)
(HOMMEGA, FRANCE)
(NANO, SOUTH AFRICA)
(ALL DAY I DREAM, INNERVSIONS, NETHERLANDS)
(GROUND FACTORY RECORDS BOSS, CANADA)
(ENIG’MATIK RECORDS, UK)
(24/7, UK)
(LOST & FOUND / BEDROCK, ISRAEL) (OUTSIDE THE BOX MUSIC)
(SIMPLIFY, MUTI, FRESH BAKIN’, US)
(SECTION RECORDS, DRAGONFLY, IBOGA, UK)
(UNDERGROOVE MUSIC, MEXICO)
(3D VISION RECORDINGS, SPAIN)
(UNDERGROOVE MUSIC, MEXICO)
(TRONIC MUSIC, MOBILEE, SPAIN)
(STILL VOR TALENT, GERMANY)
(IBOGA, ISRAEL)
(RSA, NEXUS MEDIA, SA)
(3D VISION, FRANCE)
(TIME TO EXPRESS, GERMANY)
(BAROQUE, CANADA)
(FREE SPIRIT RECORDS, UK)
(UNDERGROOVE MUSIC, MEXICO)
(BUS RECORDS / AQUA-VEDA, FRANCE)
(ECHOES RECORDS/ SPIRAL TRAX, SWEDEN)
(IBOGA, ISRAEL)
(ADDICTECH, US)
TICKETS ON SALE NOW www.rainbowserpent.net MUSIC / ART / LIFESTYLE / PERFORMANCE / RELAXAT ION / HEALING / CAMPING
HOT STEP
WEDNESDAY3RD COQ ROQ Rocking Wednesdays at Lucky Coq are rotating DJs Lady Noir, Agent 86, Kiti, Mr Thom, Joybot and guests giving you nothing but the best new wave, punk, brit pop, bong rap and hair metal. Coq Roq takes place every Wednesday from 8pm with free pool downstairs from 9pm as well as drink specials. Roq out! Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor
HUMPDAY ANIMALS Enter the middle of the week; for some it’s the beginning of the weekend, for others it’s a break from study, for those of us who are travelling, it probably has no real significance (unless you’re wanting to party with the hot European girls from the hostel, because any day is simply another day when you’re travelling). Your midweek stomping ground, featuring DJs Danny Silver, Manchild & Mu-Gen. Free entry. From 10pm. Lounge, 243 Swanston Street, Melbourne
SOUL ARMY With more flavour than a chocolate pizza, the Wednesday Soul Army throws down raw, uncut funk next to smooth soul grooves and rare blue jams. Bring that special lady because when the boys lay down the love it could be the difference between ‘we’re just friends’ to ‘let’s get it on’. PBS stalwarts Vince Peach and Miss Goldie accompany Prequel and Black Diamond Kicks weekly. Free. Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy
WEDNESDAYS AT CO. Don’t have lectures tomorrow? Need a break from writing that last-minute assignment? Or simply just celebrating the end of hump day? Don’t miss Melbourne’s biggest mid-week party night – Wednesdays @ Co.! With free entry and discounted drinks for students all night long! Co., Crown Entertainment Complex, Lvl 3, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank
LAUNDRY WEDNESDAYS Deep, dark, minimal dubstep and drum and bass. Laundry Bar, 50 Johnston Street, Fitzroy
WONDERLUST Fate, karma, the yin and the yang, the balance between chaos and order or divine intervention? A new spiritual high has emerged from the cosmic energies of the universe and it’s called Wonderlust! As luck would have it you can come and experience the effects of this strange new phenomena every Thursday night at The Carlton! Carlton Club, 193 Bourke Street, Melbourne
BUHLOONE MINDSTATE “It might blow up but it won’t go pop” is the philosophy at Buhloone Mindstate and features Melbourne’s finest bands and DJs playing every Friday night, late. That’s just how we roll. We’re all about the late night boogie. Expect all things funk, hip-hop, soul, reggae, disco, boogie and house. Lounge, 243 Swanston Street, Melbourne
CQ FRIDAYS The weekend starts here! Get on down for after work drinks from 5pm with DJs Marcus Knight, Mark Pellegrini, Nick Van Wilder & DJ Anferny getting your weekend started right. 5pm til 3am. CQ, 113 Queen St, Melbourne
FIRST FLOOR FRIDAYS A journey of international music from all over the world; past, present and future rhythms incorporating afro, soul, funk, world and deep house elements! First Floor, 393 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
FORBIDDEN Forbidden’s venue is going to wow all those that attend through its state of the art sound and lighting system, an amazing balcony overlooking Russell and Bourke Streets and is located in the heart of the city. Forbidden will feature some of the hottest DJs in Melbourne including Anyo, Rufio, Stefan C, Alex Da Kid, Galo, Timmy Edgell and Azza-M. Forbidden is the hottest place to be on a Friday night – the location has just changed. Free entry applies to everyone between 8pm – 9pm and happy hour will run for 3 hours! Eden, 163 Russell St, Melbourne
SATURDAYS AT ONE TWENTY BAR DJ CKass will take you on a musical journey to the retro sounds of the ‘70s and ‘80s, followed by Top 40. One Twenty Bar, 120 Johnston St, Fitzroy Co. At Crown’s Saturday night party Sound Empire this week features mega sounds from resident DJs Tate Strauss, Miss Sarah, Nova, Johnny M, Matty G, Dean T, Joe Sofo, Marcus Knight, Dinesh, Chris Ostrom, B-Boogie and Sarah Roberts. Co., Crown Entertainment Complex, Lvl 3, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank
STAR SATURDAYS Star Saturdays - smashing it every Saturday! Phil Ross, Scotty Erdos, DJ Ontime, LC, Nick James, Dane Gains, Ryan Hamill, Deja, Phil Isa, Nixon, Azza M, Scotty Nix, DJ Ryza, C Dubb, Alex-J, G-Funk, Dylisco, Achos, Az, Shaggz and guests. Star Bar, 160 Clarendon St, South Melbourne
TEMPERANCE SATURDAYS DJ Marcus Knight & DJ Xander James drop sexy house, dance and drum and bass all night from 8pm. Free entry. Temperance Hotel, 426 Chapel St, South Yarra
TEXTILE Saturdays at Lucky Coq tick all the boxes so start your night early and stay til close! Famous $4 pizzas from 7-9pm (that’s dinner sorted) then from 9pm spread over two levels with DJs playing hip hop, funk, disco, house and electro. Rotating guests on both levels keep the tunes fresh. Free entry. Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor
WAH WAH SATURDAYS Just when you thought Wah Saturdays couldn’t get any better, this week Rob Pix (Beng) kicks off a new rotating residency down Waratah place. Get down early to avoid the queue or alternatively you could come down very late for the infamous recovery kicking off at 4AM! Wah Wah Lounge, 185 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
WEEKEND
Friday’s at Freedom with 2 premier clubs, 5 huge rooms, 10+ local and international DJs blending their unique sets across countless styles of tunes – vocal house, smooth R&B, electro and commercial top 40. Throw in a few sexy podium dancers, a world-class lights show and drink specials, the Freedom Pass is your personal ticket to a night you won’t soon forget! Fusion, Crown Entertainment Complex, Lvl 3, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank
FRIDAY NIGHT LOFT PARTY
The brain child of the creative kids at 360 Agency and Seven Nightclub. The Weekend is here to put a smile on your dial every Saturday night. We want you to join the family. Dancing from 10pm weekly. Seven, 52 Albert Rd, South Melbourne
SUNDAY7TH
Kitty Schmidt couldn’t find quality dance music in Fitzroy so she’s decided to open up her bedroom doors. Living above Melbourne’s stalwart lesbian/gay Libation Bar, she’s now throwing a monthly party in her boudoir. Come into her renovated upstairs loft, cocktail bar, dance floor and smoking terrace. With quirky house, deep disco and erotic electronica being spun by Marvin Roland, Mr. Pyz and Kitty Schmidt DJs. Libation, 302 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
BIMBO THURSDAYS Tigerfunk brings with him his full band of travelling gypsies, hipsters and middle class executives, all of whom are prepared to deliver the most excitement you can have this side of the weekend. Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy
DUBSTEP THURSDAYS It’s Dubstep, it’s Eurotrash, it’s new, it’s the vibe, it’s Thursdays, it’s weekly and it’s free. So get down to Eurotrash and get your wobble on. Eurotrash Bar, 18 Corrs Lane, Off Chinatown, Melbourne CBD
Start your weekend on a good note with Panorama Fridays at Lucky Coq. DJs Matt Rad, Mr George, Tom Meagher and Phato A Mano transform the upstairs area into one hell of a house party with Hip Hop, Funk, R&B, Disco and House. Meanwhile, downstairs gives you a secluded wind down atmosphere with cult films as background visuals and quality cocktails to sip on. Let the new coqtail list wash away a crappy week! Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor
RETRO SEXUAL FRIDAY DJ Grandmaster Vicious spins Fitzroy’s finest mix of ‘80s and ‘90s pop, rock, new wave, hip hop, disco classics and cheese to please plus dance floor anthems from then to now. One Twenty Bar, 120 Johnston St, Fitzroy
EUROTRASH HOUSE PARTY
Celebrate Thursday night at Co. with club classics and dance floor anthems. Co., Crown Entertainment Complex, Lvl 3, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank
SLOW HOUSE THURSDAYS Slow House Thursdays is just what Brunswick has been missing. Get down to the latest Thursday spot at Noise Bar, find a space with your bros and get into the as DJs Same O, David Bass and James Hurt spin bass laced tunes ‘til the early hours of the morning. Noise Bar, 291 Albert Street, Brunswick
THE BLACK PANCAKE CLUB The Black Pancake Club is where disc-jockeys bring in their treasured record collections to share with yaw’ll. Expect undiscovered nuggets, lost gems, far out there covers, moog inspired themes, and a host of other eclectic delicacies and toppings for your black pancakes! Taste makers on rotation include Shags and Richie 1250.Free entry. From 10pm. Lounge, 243 Swanston Street, Melbourne
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What was the weirdest thing you believed as a child? That Harrison Ford lived in the Lego Millenium Falcon I built. The most awkward moment you’ve had as a DJ? Using a very old pair of headphones which I had to hold against my head to hear and getting so lost in a mix that the last track had run out and looked up to a completely motionless, silent club. What would be the worst dance track in the world to be tortured with on repeat? Call Me Maybe. Never request it from me when I am playing as response is likely to offend. What’s the most played record in your bag? At the moment Superflu’s Reeves. What question would you like to ask an omniscient, all-knowing being before you die? What’s the best way to tackle a 7-10 split? If you hadn’t made it as a DJ, what job would you choose to work in instead? Sound tech for the Peking Duck boys. When and where is your next gig? Thursday October 4 at Club 23, Friday October 5 at Hoo Haa and The Disco at 161, Saturday October 6 at Touche Hombre and 161, and Sunday October 7 at Circus.
DJ Profile: Rowie SOUTH SIDE HUSTLE The perfect Sunday soundtrack with DJs Askew, Peter Baker, Booshank, Paz, Miss Butt, Junji, Disco Harry and guests. They will be laying down disco, afro beat and deep house til 3am. For lovers of good music - South Side Hustle. Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor
STAR BAR SUNDAYS SUNDAE SHAKE
Smashing it every week at Melbourne’s hottest looking venue! Top 40 dance, house and R&B 9-3am, then electro from 3am - 5am. DJ Ontime, DJ Ryza, Scotty Erdos and Azza M. $15/$20, free entry after 4am. Eden, 163 Russell St, Melbourne
FUN HOUSE
Describe yourself using the title of a song. Saturday Night Fever
The original and still the best Sunday in Melbourne. Star Bar, 160 Clarendon St, South Melbourne
EDEN SATURDAYS
Funk up your Thursday nights with Free Range Funk at the Windsor favourite Lucky Coq. Grab a couch early and enjoy one (or more) of their famous $4 pizzas from 7-11pm. Meanwhile DJs Who, Agent 86, Lewis CanCut and special guests tempt you into the night with their eclectic bag of treats. Setting the mood early is delightful jazz, deep soul, and funk. Later it’s fruity disco, choice house, and hipster dance drops. Free entry every Thursday. Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor
Where’s the strangest place you’ve woken up? On a beach in Seminyak spooning a stray dog, that was wearing my headphones.
PANORAMA
SATURDAY6TH
FREE RANGE FUNK
DJ Profile: Greg Sara
SOUND EMPIRE
FRIDAY5TH
FREEDOM PASS
THURSDAY4TH
Google Hot Step and you’ll get a bunch of Vietnamese game reviews and Balkanese dances on YouTube. But that’s nothing like what you can expect to find within the confines of Bimbo on a Saturday night. Developing thick and heavy but altogether groovy, enjoy an eclectic mix of fairy floss funk, doom disco and monk movement minimal every week. Free. Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy
Put your hands in the air with some of Melbourne’s best party DJs, including including Mu-Gen, Lace em’ Tight and more. Eurotrash Bar, 18 Corrs Lane, Off Chinatown, Melbourne CBD
EY:EM EY:EM at Lounge features residents Boogs & Who, who will host Melbourne’s top purveyors of club music, showcasing both local and international DJs playing the most upfront club music. With rotating DJs Dave Pham, Sleep D, Bryce Lawrence, Louis McCoy, Caine Sinclair, Glyn Hill & Toby Mackisack. Expect nothing but excellent house music all night long. And remember, clubbing happens in the EY:EM. $10 from 11pm. Lounge, 243 Swanston Street, Melbourne
FIRST FLOOR SATURDAYS It’s house, electro, dub, anthems, disco and funk with guest DJs Genetix, B-Two and Oohee rocking til the break of day. Doors open 10pm with $5 basics til midnight! First Floor, 393 Brunswick St, Fitzroy
HOMECOMING In the grand tradition of past Saturday nights at the Prince of Wales, it will regain it’s rightful place on the pantheon of Australian dance music playing host to the best and most exciting EDM locally, nationally and internationally. Local residents include Generik, Oskar, Swick, Tranter, M.A.F.I.A., Streetparty DJs and Clip Art, and scheduled guests The Aston Shuffle, Tonite Only, The Swiss, Luke Million, Parachute Youth, Louis La Roche, Alvin Risk and more. In addition, Homecoming has prepared a veritable roster of exciting drinks and cocktails to fuel the fun, including Fresh coconut cocktails, Dr. Pepper, Electric Lemonade, Tecate, Thai-style Buckets and Bubble Cup cocktails. Prince Bandroom, 29 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
ESSENTIALS
Our Signature serve. Each and every Sunday we play host to a self professed vinyl junkie caught between the golden years and boogie wonderland. A mouthful? Perhaps. Phato Amano perfectly sets the mood for an audio-adventure that redefines the dance floor weekly. Our Sunday aficionados Agent 86 and Tigerfunk stir up a full cream shake to the flavour of your liking. Forget everything you thought you knew about losing yourself to the grooves. Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy
MONDAY8TH IBIMBO Have you always wanted to be a DJ but been cruelly cursed with tone deafness and a general inability to version excursion? Well Bimbo Deluxe saves the day once again.. All you need is an iPhone and you’re set. Just download the free ‘remote’ application from the app store, log into the Bimbo DJ wireless network and you choose which song plays next. Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy
TUESDAY9TH BIMBO TUESDAYS
Where’s the strangest place you’ve woken up? I woke up in my neighbour’s house once. Try explaining that one! Describe yourself using the title of a song. If Your Girl Only Knew - Finnebassen What was the weirdest thing you believed as a child? That if you pulled out your belly button your butt would fall off. The most awkward moment you’ve had as a DJ? About two years ago I was playing at a Melbourne club and a guy asked me to DJ at his uncle’s funeral. I did it, the room was dead. What would be the worst dance track in the world to be tortured with on repeat? Recent dance mix of Mmm Bop or Call Me Maybe.
Bimbo Tuesday’s have long been the discerning DJs midweek breath of fresh air. An opportunity to indulge in, and to each parade their individual takes on music. A night where by the weird and wonderful is not frowned upon but rather celebrated. Resident selectors Matt Radovich, Andras Fox and Henry Who draw from a colorful array of sounds that warm your midweek blues. From 8pm, free. Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy
What’s the most played record in your bag? You don’t know? Don’t you come to my gigs?! Asshole!
COSMIC PIZZA
If you hadn’t made it as a DJ, what job would you choose to work in instead? Stunt man. True story.
NHJ and friends host every Tuesday night upstairs at Lucky Coq. Playing uneasy listening, freaked out bass jams, romantic comedy disco, tropi-jazz, soundtracks and shit you won’t hear on the other nights. Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor
What question would you like to ask an omniscient, all-knowing being before you die? What are KFC’s 11 secret herbs and spices?
When and where is your next gig? Hoo Haa Fridays, Onesixone Saturdays and Big Mouth Sundays.
DJ RASHIDA MIX, RASH AND MASH: VERSATILE PRINCESS Her name is Rashida, and she is funky. There was a supernatural phenomenon that tore through Australia earlier in the year like a dazzling purple cyclone, taking over everything from our biggest stadiums to our most intimate jazz clubs. Prince’s Welcome 2 Australia Tour was a month-long party, and what’s a party without a bangin’ DJ? DJ Rashida not only proficiently rocked the house with hours-long sets, but also acted as a conduit by being the sole source of information on the fabled afterparty events through her Twitter account. Now Australian audiences get to witness Rashida showcase the skills which landed her the dream gig once more in 2012 with an appearance on this year’s stellar Melbourne Festival lineup. Before touching down, Rashida leads us through a storied career that has resulted in her becoming one of the world’s most sought after DJ talents. “Technically it was 1998, I was in my first year of art school in Atlanta,” Rashida looks back on her beginnings. “I was going out to clubs – dancehall clubs, pop clubs, raves – and I guess through the rave, house, drum and bass, jungle scenes I really got into seeing the DJs mix, it was a miraculous thing. So I got turntables, then I was pretty much a bedroom DJ. Eventually my friends started forcing me to play their parties. Just playing for artists, skaters – the first ever party I DJed was for the really dope magazine called Frank151. After that it was a hobby, then I started seeing that other people liked it, and I liked it, and I started playing more frequently. Then when I moved back to LA I saw that it could be a career. That’s when I got serious about it, the business side of it. Even a little bit before all that I met Prince for the first time and started working with him, and that took things to another level. Up until that point I had just been doing underground clubs. Fast-forward to today and it’s been a really amazing career and I still can’t believe it. I love music, my mother was a Spanish radio DJ and my father collected records. For me, it just makes sense. But I would have never thought it could have taken me to all
the places that it has,” she humbly states. One of Rashida’s greatest strengths is her ability to rock an eclectic range of environments – whether it be a bash for NBA stars or a eleventh birthday party for Stevie Wonder’s son. Maintaining both that adaptability and esteemed reputation is a balancing act that Rashida is more than capable of pulling off. “It’s interesting because on one hand I consider myself very versatile, but I also consider myself a selector, tastemaker. I think it’s really important to break new music. I’m in this community with all these amazing people making amazing music, and a lot of it isn’t on the radio and may never be on the radio. But it’s still so frickin’ dope. Breaking music and also selecting really good music. On the flipside, I was on this show on MTV here called America’s Best Dance Crew. It’s an MTV show, so clearly you’re playing what comes on MTV – the top 40 stuff. That’s not how I came into the DJ game, playing that particular music, but that’s what the gig was and I got into it and had fun. So I’m versatile in that way. But as far as being versatile musically, as in being able to play for a Prince crowd – or last night I played a GQ party for Chris Paul with all the LA Clippers, which was a very male-centric party. So for that I did like a hardcore hip hop set with a little sprinkling of newer shit. I guess what makes me versatile is that I know a lot of music. But getting more into the business and career side of it made me more versatile in other ways too.” As for landing the dream gig with one of pop music’s all-time great entertainers, it was a case of fortuitous timing. “I had a residency at the House Of Blues, and [Prince] was finishing up the Musicology tour. Like you saw in Australia, he always does the afterparty after the show and after-jams. So beyond the after-jam, he had the private party for just him and the band members. So the room I played in was next door to where the band was playing. I still don’t know exactly how it happened, but not too long after I got a
call requesting me to play a party. So I played the party and hit it off, and that was it,” she recalls. “It was on after that.” For us Prince fans, the May tour seemed like a nonstop party. But as Rashida reveals, there was a whole lot more partying going on than what we saw on the surface. “Just know that when we weren’t having public parties for the fans, there were still parties happening,” she laughs with glee. “He likes putting on parties just for the fun of it and to get the band together to just kick it. It
literally was a nonstop party, more so than what it probably seemed.” Lachlan Kanoniuk DJ Rashida [USA] plays the Foxtel Melbourne Festival Hub under Princes Bridge on the banks of the Yarra on Thursday October 11 as part of Melbourne Festival and the Key Club on Saturday October 13.
HOT DUB TIME MACHINE DUBSIDE: OF THE MOON Traversing the artistic chasm between clubbing and cabaret, Hot Dub Time Machine is the world’s first time travelling dance party. Those who board are taken on a musical journey, which begins in 1953 and travels through the years to arrive back in the modern era. The chronologically ordered sound track is composed by Hot Dub creator and time machine navigator DJ Tom Loud, and consists of the biggest and best party tunes from throughout the ages. Obviously, such a remarkable vessel isn’t going to find the kind of fuel it needs at your local Shell servo. Instead, it relies on the revelers themselves for power in the form of ‘hot dub’. “Hot dub is a top secret carbon neutral energy source generated by dance floor energy,” explains Loud. “So in order for the time machine to keep moving through time it needs ‘hot dub’ which is produced by people dancing, yelling ‘wooo’ and chatting up the people next to you.” It sounds nuts, but rather than getting him sectioned by the men in white coats, Loud’s unique creation has in fact earned him and his Hot Dub Time Machine a huge amount of success and a growing fan base. It’s gone down a treat with crowds both at home and over in the UK since he took his maiden time travelling voyage just over a year ago. “I came up with the idea a few years ago,” explains Loud. “I’ve always been a hyperactive DJ. I’ve never really liked just playing one style of music or the songs from a certain era, so I wanted to find a framework that we could have a party where you could get The Beatles, you can hear some dubstep, some Led Zeppelin and say Coolio, you know.” A sound designer for TV shows including Underbelly, although now fully committed to his new venture, Loud has been involved in various festivals for the past five or six years and would often DJ at the after parties of both the Melbourne comedy and fringe festivals. This connection led to the first performance of Hot Dub Time Machine at last year’s Sydney Festival. However, it wasn’t
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until a run at this year’s Adelaide Fringe that the project really took off. “We smashed Adelaide so hard,” laughs Loud. “The first show we did we broke the floor of the venue (the hundred-yearold Spiegeltent) and the police ended up being called. From that point on we sold out every single show. We ended up doing extra shows and selling 120 per cent of the tickets.” Good news travels fast and it wasn’t long before somebody from the Gilded Balloon – one of the largest fringe production companies at the Edinburgh Festival – invited Hot Dub over for to Scotland for a run of 15 nights in August. “Edinburgh was fantastic,” enthuses Loud. “There’s so much competition over there, so it wasn’t an immediate success but once the word got around that there was a proper party on, people got into it.” Those heading along to the Hot Dub parties here can expect to dance hard to old favourites, forgotten gems and era-defining anthems spanning everything from rock to hip hop, dubstep to grunge. “1954 is where we start because that’s when Rock Around the Clock was released,” says Loud. “That seemed like a good place to start. It’s a great song but was also kind of a turning point for that early rock‘n’roll. From that point onwards you’ve got your great iconic songs that everyone knows like Great Balls of Fire and Tooty Fruity and you start getting into this rock music that people know and love and it’s awesome. I tell people it’s a song a year but it’s not. Some years we might play five songs, some years we completely skip over. Like 1983 for some reason – there’s like five or six songs from that year that are just absolutely fucking killer. But 1981? Not so much!” However the tracks are selected, the music policy is very much based around having fun and dancing hard but Loud is certainly aware of the possible pitfalls of playing retrospective tracks for near on three hours. “There’s a fine line between kitsch and cheese,” he admits. “So the real fun for me is finding these songs that may have been cheesy when they came out, but are now just
FEATURES
fucking awesome. Like Eminem’s Lose Yourself, which at the time did kind of have cheesy tang to it, but now I just realise that’s a classic, awesome song.” As well as finding tracks that can be played in order of their release, Loud also has to find ones that go together well in the mix. One example he gives is Coldplay’s Clocks, which apparently works particularly well with the thumping electro bass line of Benny Benassy’s Satisfaction laid underneath. However, despite doing a few of his own edits to merge selected elements of one track with another, Loud doesn’t consider himself
to be a mash-up DJ in the same vein as Girl Talk or Too Many DJs. “I think the mash up and remix culture has kind of reached a point now where it’s like ‘just play the fucking song’, you know what I mean? So I actually try to play the original version as much as I can and let people dance and have a good time.” Amen to that. Richie Meldrum Hot Dub Time Machine hits the Prince of Wales on Friday October 19.
MAJOR TAYLOR GENRE-LESS: KING OF ANTARCTICA Some DJs prefer to let their skills do the talking, while others choose to perpetuate a wacky public persona. Then you’ve got Ralph ’Major Taylor’ Darden. The Chicago native, by way of Philadelphia, is one of those larger-than-life personalities who has lived the life of a working DJ and musician for almost two decades. He is just as happy to wax lyrical about music for hours on end as he is to present an engaging and energetic set of diverse tunes to punters. When we caught up with the enigmatic Darden, he was enjoying his first time on our shores, having spent the past two weeks soaking up Melbourne. An important part of the club scenes in Philly and Chi-Town for years, Darden has witnessed and assisted in the rise of both the Hollertronix and Mad Decent crews, working alongside Low Budget aka Low B and Diplo. A musician first and foremost, Darden navigated through a number of local bands in the late ‘80s and ‘90s, primarily post-punk and hardcore, before becoming a fully fledged DJ. “I was always into hip hop but I kind of accidentally became a DJ because of my love of reggae and I just wanted to play roots and dub reggae” he says. Becoming friendly with local DJs and learning the tricks of the trade, the next thing he knew he was overseeing his own club
nights, playing hip hop, reggae and whatever he saw fit. “I can’t claim credit for it but I was definitely one of the first DJs in Chicago to do a night that was just a genre-less night and to kind of take the hip hop turntablist element and apply it to other sorts of music. It was kind of one of the many building blocks that contributed to the Hollertronix movement and Low Budget meeting Diplo. The whole thing worked really nicely.” Now, Major Taylor, Low Budget and Dirty South Joe of Mad Decent fame will be bringing the wickedness direct to Melbourne for the Park St Party in Abbotsford on Saturday October 20. “I’m so excited to DJ with Low Budget at the block party” enthuses Darden. “He’s a really, really good friend of mine and when he decided he was done with the whole ‘backpacker hip hop’ thing, he and I connected, and I was the one who kind of brought him into this world. It was like, ‘Fuck, just playing hip hop? You can play whatever you want. You have the skills to do it’, which eventually led him to doing the whole Hollertronix thing.” The dynamic DJ trio will be taking over the second annual Park St Party presented by The Vic Bar. A free block party, the all day event will feature an outdoor stage with two sound systems, a BBQ and live graffiti
THE PRESETS OLDER AND WISER: PACIFICA Creating a follow-up to a breakthrough album can be a daunting process – in the case of The Presets, it was even more so. Their second full-length, Apocalypso, was a great big festival-bestriding behemoth of a record, which went 3x platinum and inspired a generation of youngsters to take their shirts off, sling mud at one another and indulge in all types of risk-taking behaviour to the sound of its various singles. Rather than launch into a follow-up right away, Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes instead chose to put the band on hiatus, focusing on their family lives and on various other musical interests. It’s been a long four years, but their third record, Pacifica, is finally here. It comes with the weight of a lot of expectations, but Hamilton tells me that, when recording it, there was no choice but to put all of that out of their minds. “You have to put all your ARIA awards in boxes and put them in the roof,” he tells me, “take your Gold records off the wall and put them in storage. You certainly need a clean slate to make the most honest music you can.” Looking back on the success of Apocalypso, Hamilton thinks it’s the honesty of the music that struck so many listeners. “All I can really say about that record is that we were making the kind of music we wanted to listen to. People can smell a rat, they can tell from a mile off whether something’s honest or not, so our main rule with this album was
just to avoid following any trends, avoid just copying what we’d done in the past, and to make music that felt good to us. Our fans trusted us last time, and hopefully they’ll move along with us this time.” The Presets are no longer the young upstarts they once were. It may be hard to believe, but they’ve been making music together for nearly a decade. With age has come perspective, and many of the songs on Pacifica examine the idea of youth and recklessness from a detached observer’s viewpoint. Take the lead single, Youth In Trouble. “I guess essentially, that song’s about the ways that the youth are portrayed in the media,” Hamilton tells me. “We’re encouraged to be scared of youth because they’re going to steal our jackets and scratch our cars. At the same time, we’re also encouraged to be scared for youth because they’re taking all sorts of drugs and they’re sexting, you know what I mean?” The antics of young fans at Presets shows also played into the song’s lyrics. “When we play at festivals and we see all the kids with their shirts off jumping around and having a great time, you can’t help but feel a little bit responsible,” Hamilton says. “It’s a lot of fun to see people going off and having a great time and letting loose. I don’t think people, in day-to-day life, generally get much of a chance to throw mud at each other and get semi-naked and jump around and scream and dance, you know? So it’s nice to be able
PAUL OAKENFOLD THE FUTURE IS FLUORO: SUPERSTAR DJ In terms of superstar DJs, they don’t come much bigger than Paul Oakenfold. He’s been there, done that, and he did it all first. Not far off his 50th birthday, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. This year’s seen him on tour with Madonna, as well as embarking on his own extensive DJ tour. During a rare break in his schedule, he’s in London catching some of the Olympics before heading our way for an Australian tour. “I’ve been touring my Four Seasons release and concentrating on Las Vegas, which has been my residency for a few years now, and working on my artist album, which is coming out next year. So yeah, I’ve been very busy.” I suggest that it seems he’s been “very busy” for about 30 years, which invokes a hearty chuckle. “Yeah you could say that, but that’s what’s wonderful about the electronic world, you progress, you develop. I mean, years ago I never thought I’d be scoring movies and from there having a residency in Las Vegas.” Despite spending many of his formative years in the UK, he’s currently based in LA, where he relocated around ten years ago to try and crack the US market and focus on producing movie soundtracks. Since then he’s worked on the soundtracks for Swordfish, Matrix Reloaded, The Bourne Identity and Collateral, and he also gives us a scoop that he is starring as himself in an upcoming Christian Bale film.
Oakenfold was instrumental in breaking dance music in America, starting a wave that has now built to epic proportions. As well as having an extensive knowledge of music, he works hard and is an astute businessman. ‘Oakey’, as he’s affectionately known, has always been in the right place at the right time. Since his early years, his story is tightly woven into the fabric and evolution of dance music, taking DJs out of the underground clubs and onto the worldwide stage. Travelling to NYC in the ‘80s, young Paul witnessed the birth of hip hop, which profoundly affected him, consolidating his passion for music and inspiring him to dive headlong into the music industry. Very soon he was back in London working as an A&R rep for Champion Records and was in fact responsible for signing Salt-n-Pepa, as well as a little known hip hop act by the name of DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, AKA Will Smith – who went on to do alright for himself. Later on he travelled to Ibiza and was responsible for bringing the balearic house style to the UK, a genre pivotal to the rise of the Manchester scene which gave birth to The Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses amongst others. He’s toured with U2 and Madonna, was nominated for a Grammy and became the first DJ to ever play the main stage at Glastonbury. But enough about his past. As Oakey
installations from some of Melbourne’s finest. After wrapping up his commitments in Oz, the intrepid DJ and global musical ambassador is also hoping to head to New Zealand before he hits up Japan to perform at a Halloween party. “I left the States with the intention of writing an album and writing a bunch of songs. I’m always writing but this time around I was looking for a new inspiration, I guess.” DJs and producers have many common dreams and ambitions but as you may have picked already, Ralph Darden is not your average DJ or producer. He has fallen in love with surfing during his stay so far and wants to keep learning, although he is admittedly “terrible.” Already a student of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, he is also keen to learn judo in Japan and muay thai in Bangkok. “I’m a man of many interests,” he says in a major understatement. Ultimately all of these experiences feed back into the music, as he wants to channel everything into his songwriting. “I’m just on this travelling, music, martial arts guy trip right now and I want to write about the whole experience.” All of his above goals however, pale in comparison to his ultimate dream. “I really want to DJ in Antarctica, so if any of you out there have any connections to Antarctica holler at Major Taylor.” If this dream becomes a reality, Taylor will be following in the footsteps of fellow globetrotter DJ Spooky, who trekked to the uninhabited continent in 2009. “There goes my chance to be the first but at least I can be one of the few. It’d be nice to stand in a place and be like ‘I’m the greatest DJ on this continent right now’.” As a DJ you know that you have made it to the pinnacle when you are playing to a crowd of penguins and research scientists. to provide an opportunity to do that,” he says with a laugh. “There are certainly moments in the show where it looks a bit scary. You look down and think, ‘Okay, I’m sure they’re having a great time, but I’m really glad I’m not down there, that would be a bit much for me.’” Ghosts is another intriguing track on Pacifica, with lyrics that centre around the idea of old men sitting around recalling their lost youth. Lines like “shiniest stars won’t shine forever” suggest that The Presets were considering their own mortality when they wrote it – but Hamilton tells me it’s a bit more abstract than that. “To be honest, the thing that came first with that song was the melody,” he says. “It was this rollicking, sea shanty-style thing, and I really tried hard to find lyrics to fit.” It felt like a drinking song, he explains, so lyrics about old men drinking and reflecting together seemed an obvious fit. “I mean, there’s a little bit of a loosely autobiographical element to it, with talk of travelling with bands and wild parties, being a musician and having a band that’s successful… I guess those things are loosely taken from mine and Kim’s life, so yeah – that was the inspiration for it.” At present, Hamilton and Moyes are hard at work rehearsing their new live show; the songs from Pacifica will get their first official live airing at Parklife. “A lot of bands play and then record their songs, but we don’t do that – we record and then play them – so it’s always really interesting getting them onto that different plane and trying to get all the elements to fit. It’s really interesting now that we have so many years of music behind us. You put it on a computer and look at it all, and you think, ‘…Wow. I remember that guy singing Down Down Down and Are You The One [from 2005 debut Beams].’ It’s like looking at old photos of yourself or something.” It’s a weird feeling, he says, but a good one. “Every album we’ve made has been a picture of us at a certain
himself says, he’s always focussed on the future, and right now he’s focussed on his residency in Las Vegas, which he calls the Ibiza of America. “My residency was at The Palms, but now I’ve moved to playing pool parties at The Hard Rock. Three years ago I started playing Vegas, they weren’t even into electronic music then. But I really worked at it and now it’s become what Ibiza is to Europe, it’s the focus point for electronic music now. Especially in the last year, it’s become really big. America has finally caught up with the rest of the world,” he wryly comments. His current Full On Fluoro club tour is on the back of his mix series Four Seasons. Each of the four mixes included in the series is based on the seasons in terms of tone and sound. “The whole idea of this tour is to go back to the roots of what electronic music is all about and play some familiar songs with a different touch, as well as cutting edge new music, and it’s accompanied by a minimal, but very compelling visual show.” While he may be going back to his roots for this tour, one thing that will be different to 20 years ago is he won’t be playing vinyl – though having this as a foundation for his mixing skills, like many of veteran DJs, gives him an intangible edge lacking in many of the new generation. While technology has definitely done amazing things for dance music, DJs don’t have to practice for hours on end on their Technics 1200s to develop vinyl mixing skills. “It’s a lot easier now,” Oakenfold says matter-of-factly. “Technology has made it much easier for people to DJ and make music. The production levels - the sounds that you use need to be original and a lot of people are copying everyone else at the moment, which is a shame ‘cos it’s getting very repetitive out there – everyone just seems to be playing the same music.” His new artist album, tentatively titled Pop Killer,
FEATURES
A purveyor of music without genre limitations or boundaries he is proud to spread the vibes wherever he can. “For me genre was never a thing. For me it was always good music and bad music. When you’re a kid and you want to identify with things, you’re like ‘I’m a punk rocker, I’m a hip hop kid’, but as I got older I just let that shit go and now I just love music. I don’t care whether it’s some Indian club music or some reggae, as long as it’s good, that’s all I care about. You put songs together because they feel like they belong together regardless of what the genre is and that was always my approach to DJing.” Andrew Hazard Hickey Major Taylor [USA] plays Park Street Party on Saturday October 20.
time of our lives. Apocalypso sounds exciting, and we were so young and hungry… You can hear that hunger coming through in the songs, and it’s really great to go back and inhabit that again.” Alasdair Duncan The Presets [AUS] will be playing at Parklife with Plan B [UK], Justice [FRA] and many more at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday October 6. Pacifica is out now on Modular, through EMI.
is coming out next year and features some big name collaborations, including the likes of Infected Mushroom and Red Hot Chili Peppers, as well as a range of international vocalists singing in different languages. But for now he’s back doing what he loves most, with a total of 200 gigs scheduled in 2012. “I wanted to focus on playing more underground music this year. I’ve really gotten back into DJing of late and am really enjoying it!” Alfred Gorman Paul Oakenfold [UK] plays Festival Hall on Friday October 5.
11.
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Kick start your weekend with Melbourne’s newest Thursday night! Motown Thursdays caters to all true music lovers. Join us on an eclectic musical journey of soul, funk and disco through to early R&B. A live Soul Band features some of Melbourne’s most talented musicians; Carmen Hendricks, Laurent Soupe, Duncan Kinell and Aaron Mendoza just to name a few. DJs keep the records spinning into the early hours; residents are Reg-e, Lee Davies, Kalepe, Dinesh, Suga, Rubz and Alwin Rafferty. Join us around a big, shiny disco ball or two, for free entry, soulful tunes, drink specials all night and a dance floor full of friends! Fashion Lounge, 121 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
This is it. Faktory Fridays are open for business at Melbourne’s home of R&B, Khokolat Bar. Where else? Damion De Silva, Ken Walker, Durmy, K Dee, Simon Sez, Yaths and Jacqui Dusk spinning all night long. Khokolat Bar, Basement, 43 Hardware La, Melbourne
LIKE FRIDAYS Like Fridays at La Di Da serves up R&B and electro house across two rooms giving you a fun filled end to your week. DJs Dinesh, Dir-X, Sef, NYD, Shaun D, Shaggz, Broz and more. La Di Da, 577 Little Bourke St, Melbourne
RHYTHM-AL-ISM
LIGHT
Start the weekend early with Fusion’s Resident DJs. Music for your funkin’ soul. Special guests every week! Fusion, Crown Entertainment Complex, Lvl 3, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank
The buzz is Light at RedLove every Friday. Hitting out that R&B flavour of old, new and everything in between! RedLove Resident DJs Stel, Harvey Yeah, TMC and Ripz on the wheels of steel from 6.30pm. If you don’t know,
now you know! Check it! Red Love, Level 1, 401 Swanston Street, Melbourne
THE LOOSE GOOSE The Loose Goose is focused on providing a wonderful array of cocktails and offers a great CBD location to lounge and relax in while overlooking busy Flinders Lane. A small plates menu is available to graze on whilst trying our delicious cocktails from the classics to contemporary, beer on tap and a wide range of beers, wines and spirits. Every Friday evening DJ Jumps of The Cat Empire will take to the decks at the bar spinning his rare afro Latin funk vinyl collected from around the world from 6.30pm until late. Papa Goose Cocktail Bar, 91-93 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
The newest R&B Superclub Shaka Saturdays grand opening is set to hit Melbourne over two massive weeks. The northern suburbs newest, freshest club playing all of your favourite R&B, hip hop, old skool and reggae. Shaka Saturdays is showcasing Australias newest and favourite R&B DJs, including DJ C-RAM bringing video mixing to Melbourne and special guest hip hop band Yellow Cake. Set at one of the most amazing venues Melbourne has to offer with two levels, good music, great ‘Shaka’ atmosphere and cheap drinks, we are hoping to pack it out and create a night for people to remember. Level 2 The Club, 2 Arthurton Rd, Northcote
UPCOMING
SWEET NOTHING FRIDAYS DJ Marcus Knight and DJ Xander James spin hip hop, R&B and house tunes all night from 8pm. Free entry and early drink specials. Temperance Hotel, 426 Chapel St, South Yarra
THE NICE UP Tom Showtime presents The Nice Up. All flavours of hip hop, ghetto funk and reggae niceness provided. Sailor Jerry nice up the cocktails, Dos Blockos nice up the $5 beers. Fridays done proper. George Lane Bar, 1 George Lane, St Kilda
SATURDAY6TH KHOKOLAT KOATED All new experience, same great location with a fresh koat of Khokolat. Restless Entertainment reloads your favourite Saturday night party. Damion De Silva, K Dee, Jay Sin and weekly guests playing R&B & ol’ skool sounds strictly for the urban elite. Khokolat Bar, Basement, 43 Hardware La, Melbourne
REDLOVE SATURDAYS RedLove Saturdays is all about solid classics from the ‘80s, ‘90s and into the ‘00s! Dropping beats of retro pop, disco classics, old school funk, and certainly some of that old school r&b and house to kick! RedLove Resident DJs Phil, HB Bear and Da Gato bringing down the house every Saturday night. If you’re looking for quality service, music to rock, sumptuous drinks and just a cold hard good time; look no further! Red Love, Level 1, 401 Swanston Street, Melbourne
LUPE FIASCO
BIG FREEDIA Bounce-rap Queen Big Freedia will bring her orgiastic troupe of rear-wriggling Divas to Australia this October with a club show alongside her Melbourne Festival performance. The towering transvestite announced New Orleans sissy-bounce to the world, where it’s been part of the city’s cultural fabric since the ‘80s. Responsible for its acceptance into the mainstream she’s now been received all over as an ambassador for the ‘sissy bounce’ genre. The provider of dance floor anthems Azz Everywhere and Excuse will have you infected with motion. Saturday October 20, The Tote, 67-71 Johnston Street, Collingwood
EVERYMAN RHYMES: GREAT AMERICAN RAP ALBUM Lupe Fiasco is wearing flip-up sunglasses on the 20th floor of the Four Seasons. If not for the gold Rolex and the two burly security guys who muscled their way out the door to provide some interview privacy, you’d hardly guess he was the superstar hip hop force he is. Peering at his iPhone, Lupe is devoid of many of the hallmarks of rap opulence. There is no serious bling dripping from his hands or neck, the entourage might be here but is tucked away in surrounding suites for now and the thick-rimmed glasses subvert the paradigm further still. The glasses are important: they speak subtly to the strange dichotomy in which Lupe Fiasco exists. Alternating between shades and specs, Lupe is a rap star in the heady days of capitalism with a serious social conscience. The ‘backpack rap’ tag is one that Lupe has welcomed since he recorded the seminal American Terrorist for debut LP Food And Liquor. While probably best-known for feel-good tracks like 2007’s Superstar and the Modest Mouse-sampling Show Goes On, a powerful undercurrent of social commentary flows through his four-album discography. Even on last year’s Auto-tunedto the-hilt and incredibly commercial Lasers, All Black Everything pondered an alternative reality in which civil rights activists wrote The Constitution and Bill O’Reilly read from The Quran. With the newly released Food And Liquor II, that anti-establishment rhetoric continues across Audubon Ballroom and the Pete Rock T.R.O.Y.sampling Freedom Ain’t Free. Reflecting on a role he’s assumed unintentionally, Lupe chuckles at the suggestion that he is the one of the game’s chief critical voices, dipping into the first of many lucid analogies. “I have to tell a story,” he offers, “and unfortunately to tell a story you need characters, and those characters are those characters. You can’t tell a story about nuns using prostitutes. You have to use nuns. And you can be Shakespearean about it and allude to nuns as being prostitutes but I don’t want to do that – I want to talk about nuns.” Lupe’s nuns, the targets of his activist streak, are a diverse bunch, but he doesn’t come across as uncomfortably hostile. Rather, he seems sage, wise beyond his 30 years. Although associated with the ‘occupy movement’ late last year, his criticisms are more directed and considered than that often frantic organisation, and his objectives more obviously utilitarian. “I just want to be around smart, educated people and not fucking jackals and wolverines and wild motherfuckers.” That firebrand characterisation is ostensibly what delayed the release and influenced the distinct pop sensibilities of Lasers. Incisive social analysis doesn’t sell records. Whether worn down by years of label skirmishes or just resigned to commercial realities, Lupe is hyper-aware of the precarious duality he promotes – half mainstream hip hop, half lyrical and vocal critic – and he knows when to temper the latter. As immersed in the art world as
he is, referencing Monet, Banksy and Jeff Koons, Lupe realises that “[his albums] are gallery shows. I have to sell paintings. The gallery has 50 paintings and they want to sell them all.” Unhurried in his deliberations, he obviously has a sincere appreciation for the realities of what he ultimately terms a ‘commercial pursuit’. Lupe hides nothing when it comes to acknowledging the industry powers that be. “I’m unapologetic about it as much as the label is unapologetic about it as much as the consumers are unapologetic about it,” he says. Even while bending to accommodate label pressure, Lupe, in line with more artists he counts off (Miles Davis, Picasso, James Baldwin), remains steadfast in his artistic ambition. Food And Liquor II boasts pitch black cover art: no artist, no title, no lyrics. “That’s a ballsy, artistically fucking weird thing to do,” its creator claims. Besides joking he’ll never have to sign the thing (unless someone produces a white-out pen), Lupe tells me that the last artist to do it was Metallica in 1991 and even they had a coiled cobra in the bottom corner. The album evokes the sort of statement Nas made with controversial 2008 album, Untitled. Lupe corrects me: “His album wasn’t called Untitled. It was called Nigger. I would have probably left it as Nigger. You know like, ‘Nah, I ain’t changing shit.’” And yet change is one of the only constants for Lupe in a career now spanning six years, a career kick-started by a guest appearance on Kanye West’s Touch The Sky. 2006’s Food And Liquor was a pastiche of contemporary hip hop. The next year’s The Cool was a concept executed to haunting effect. Lasers was ‘Top 40’ jams for the most part. And Part II? Taking in strings, Martin Luther King, a treatise on the word ‘bitch’ and conventional love songs, it’s just as schizoid as its counterparts. “If one boat starts leaking, I’m jumping on another boat,” Lupe explains. “And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s not selling out or whatever people want to call it, because I can always come back. My boats haven’t sunk.” Intensely culturally literate, Lupe holds out that, ultimately, he doesn’t talk cars, clothes and cash on his tracks because he believes them to be irrelevant. Making music for the everyman –“because I used to be that guy” – is what consumes him now. That and leaving a legacy rich enough that Fiasco will be mentioned in the years to come alongside the greats. “The same way Picasso painted a bunch of naked women – drunk and naked prostitutes who looked like fucking spaceships – but he also painted Massacre In Korea and Guernica,” he says, staring earnestly behind his specs. “There are no limitations; it’s all progression.” David Seidler Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album is out now through Warner.
URBAN
15.
WHERE TO NEXT?
Highlander 11a Highlander Lane, Melb, 9620 2227
The Retreat Hotel 280 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, 9380 4090
Hoo Haa 105 Chapel St, Windsor, 9529 6900
Revolt Elizabeth St, Kensington, 03 9376 2115
Horse Bazaar 397 Little Lonsdale St, Melb, 9670 2329
Revolver Upstairs 229 Chapel St, Prahran, 9521 5985
Iddy Biddy 47 Blessington St, St Kilda, 9534 4484 Jett Black 177 Greville St, Prahran
Rochester Castle Hotel 202 Johnston St, Fitzroy, 9415 7555 Rooftop Cider Bar, Cnr Swanston & Flinders St, Melbourne, 9650 3884
John Curtin Hotel 29 Lygon St, Melb, 9663 6350
Room 680 Level 1, 680 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, 9818 0680
Khokolat Bar 43 Hardware Lane, Melbourne, 039642 1142
Roxanne Parlour Lvl 3, 2 Coverlid Pl, Melb
La Di Da 577 Lt Bourke St, Melb, 9670 7680
Royal Derby 446 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, 9417 2321
Labour In Vain 197A Brunswick St, Fitzroy, 9417 5955
Roal Melbourne Hotel 629 Bourke St, 9629 2400
Level 2 The Club 2 Arthurton Rd, Northcote, 9482 3241
Ruby’s Lounge 1648 Burwood Hwy, Belgrave, 9754 7445
Lomond Hotel 225 Nicholson St, East Brunswick
Saint Hotel 54 Fitzroy St, St Kilda, 9593 8333
Longroom 162 Collins St, Melbourne, 9663 9226
Sandbelt Live Cnr South & Bignell Rd, Moorabbin, 9555 6899
Loop 23 Meyers Pl, Melb, 9654 0500
Scarlett Lounge 174 Burnley St, Richmond, 9428 0230
Lounge 243 Swanston St, Melb, 9663 2916
Seven Nightclub 52 Albert Rd, South Melb, 9690 7877
29th Apartment 29 Fitzroy St, St Kilda, 9078 8922
Corner Hotel 57 Swan St, Richmond, 9427 9198
The Lounge Pit 386-388 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 9415 6142
Some Velvet Morning 123 Queen’s Parade, Clifton Hill, 9486 5192
303 303 High Street, Northcote
Cornish Arms 163 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Love Machine Cnr Lt Chapel & Malvern Rd, Prahran, 9533 8837
Spensers Live 419 Spencer St, West Melb, 03 9329 8821
Abode 374 St.Kilda Rd, St.Kilda
CQ 113 Queen St, Melb, 8601 2738
Lucky Coq 179 Chapel St, Windsor, 9525 1288
Spot 133 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, 9388 0222
Albert Park Hotel Cnr Montague & Dundas Pl, Albert Park, 9690 5459
Croft Institute 21 Croft Alley, Melb, 9671 4399
The LuWOW 62-70 Johnston St, Fitzroy, 9417 5447
Standard Hotel 293 Fitzroy St, Fitzroy, 9419 4793
Alia Lvl 1, 83-87 Smith St, Fitzroy, 9486 0999
Cruzao Arepa Bar 365 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, 9417 7871
Mercat Cross Lvl 1, 456 Queen St, Melb, 9348 9998
Star Bar 160 Clarendon St, South Melb, 9810 0054
Alumbra Shed 9, Central Pier, 161 Harbour Espl, Docklands, 8623 9666
Cushion 99 Fitzroy St, St.Kilda, 9534 7575
Mink 2 Acland St, St Kilda, 9536 1199
Station 59 59 Church St, Richmond, 9427 8797
Back Bar 67 Green St, Windsor, 9529 7899
Damask 1/347 Burnswick St, Fitzroy, 9417 4578
Miss Libertine 34 Franklin St, Melb, 9663 6855
Stolberg Beer Café 197 Plenty Rd, Preston, 9495 1444
Bar Oussou 653 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, 9384 3040
The Drunken Poet 65 Peel Street, West Melbourne, 9348 9797
Misty 3-5 Hosier Ln, Melb, 9663 9202
Sub Lounge & Restaurant 168 Elizabeth St Melb, 0411 800 198
Bar Open 317 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, 9415 9601
Der Raum 438 Church St, Richmond, 9428 0055
Mockingbird Bar 129 Fitzroy St, St Kilda, 9534 0000
Sugar Bar (Hotel Urban) 35 Fitztroy St, St Kilda, 8530 8888
Baroq House 9-13 Drewery Ln, Melb, 8080 5680
Ding Dong Lounge Lvl 1, 18 Market Ln, Melb, 9662 1020
Musicland 1359A Sydney Rd, Fawkner, 9359 0006
Temperance Hotel 426 Chapel St, South Yarra, 9827 7401
Bendigo Hotel 125 Johnston St, Collingwood 9417 3415
Dizzy’s Jazz Club 381 Burnley St, Richmond, 9428 1233
Neverland 32-48 Johnson St, South Melb, 9646 5544
Thornbury Theatre 859 High St, Thornbury, 9484 9813
Bennetts Jazz Club 25 Bennetts Ln, Melb, 9663 2856
Double Happiness 21 Liverpool St, Melb, 9650 4488
New Guernica Lvl 2, Hub Arcade, 318-322 Lt Collins St, Melb, 9650 4464
Tiki Lounge 327 Swan St, Richmond, 9428 4336
Bertha Brown 562 Flinders Street, 9629 1207
E:55 55 Elizabeth St, Melb, 9620 3899
Night Cat 141 Johnston St, Fitzroy, 9417 0090
Toff In Town Lvl 2, 252 Swanston St, Melb, 9639 8770
Big Mouth 168 Acland St, St.Kilda, 9534 4611
East Brunswick Club 280 Lygon St, East Brunswick, 9388 2777
Night Cat 279 Flinders Ln, Melb, 9654 0444
Tony Starr’s Kitten Club 267 Lt Collins St, Melb, 9650 2448
Billboard 170 Russell St, Melb, 9639 4000
Edinburgh Castle 681 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Noise Bar 291 Albert St, Brunswick, 9380 1493
The Tote Hotel 67 Johnson St, Collingwood, 9419 5320
Bimbo Deluxe 376 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, 9419 8600
Electric Ladyland Lvl 1, 265 Chapel St, Prahran, 9521 5757
Northcote Social Club 301 High St, Northcote, 9489 3917
Town Hall Hotel 33 Errol St, North Melbourne, 9328 1983
Birmingham Hotel Cnr Smith & Johnston St, Fitzroy
Elwood Lounge 49-51 Glenhuntly Rd, Elwood, 9525 6788
Old Bar 74 Johnston St, Fitzroy, 9417 4155
Trak Lounge 445 Toorak Rd, Toorak, 9826 9000
Black Cat 252 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, 9419 6230
Empress 714 Nicholson St, Nth Fitzroy, 9489 8605
One Twenty Bar 120 Johnston St, Fitzroy
Tramp 20 King St, Melb
Blue Bar 330 Chapel St, Prahran, 9529 6499
Espy 11 The Esplanade, St Kilda, 9534 0211
Onesixone 161 High St, Prahran, 9533 8433
Transport Hotel Federation Square, Melb, 9654 8808
Blue Tile Lounge 95 Smith St, Fitzroy
Eurotrash 18 Corrs Ln, Melb, 9654 4411
Order Of Melbourne level 2, 401 Swanston St, Melb, 9663 6707
Trunk 275 Exhibition St, Melbourne, 9663 7994
Boutique 134 Greville St, Prahran, 9525 2322
Eve 334 City Rd, Southbank, 9696 7388
Palace Hotel 893 Burke Rd, Camberwell
Tyranny Of Distance 147 Union St, Windsor, 9525 1005
Brown Alley King Street, Melb,9670 8599
Evelyn 351 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, 9419 5500
Palace Theatre 20-30 Bourke St, Melb, 9650 0180
Two of Hearts 149 Commercial Road, Prahran
Brunswick Hotel 140 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, 9387 6637
Ferntree Gully Hotel 1130 Burwood Hwy, Ferntree Gully, 9758 6544
Palais 111 Main Rd, Hepburn Springs, 5348 4849
Union Hotel Brunswick 109 Union St, Brunswick, 9388 2235
Builders Arms 211 Gertrude St, Fitzroy
Festival Hall 300 Dudley St, West Melbourne, 9329 9699
Palais Theatre Lower Esplanade, St Kilda, 9525 3240
Veludo 175 Acland St, St Kilda, 9534 4456
Cabinet Bar 11 Rainbow Alley, Melbourne, 9654 0915
First Floor 393 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, 9419 6380
Papa Goose 91 Flinders Ln, Melbourne, 9663 2800
Victoria Hotel 380 Victoria St, Brunswick, 9388 0830
Caravan Music Club 95 Drummond St, Oakleigh
Forum Theatre 154 Flinders St, Melb, 9299 9800
Penny Black 420 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, 9380 8667
Wah Wah Lounge Lvl 1, 185 Lonsdale St, Melb
Caseys Nightclub 660A Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, 9810 0030
The Fox Hotel 351 Wellington Street, Collingwood, 9416 4957
Pier Live Hotel 508 Nepean Hwy, Frankston, 9783 9800
Wesley Anne 250 High St, Northcote, 9482 1333
Caz Reitops Dirty Secrets 80 Smith St, Collingwood, 9415 8876
Fusion Lvl 3, Crown Complex, Southbank, 9292 5750
Pony 68-70 Lt Collins St, Melb, 9662 1026
Westernport Hotel 161 Marine Pde, San Remo, 5678 5205
CBD Club 12-14 McKillop St, Melb, 9670 3638
The Gallery Room 1/510 Flinders St, Melbourne, 9629 1350
Portland Hotel Cnr Lt Collins & Russell St, Melb, 9810 0064
Willow Bar 222 High Street, Northcote, 9481 1222
Chaise Lounge Basement, 105 Queen St, Melb, 9670 6120
Gem Bar & Dining 289 Wellingston St, Collingwood, 9419 5170
The Prague Hotel, 911 High St, Northcote, 9495 0000
Windsor Castle 89 Albert St, Windsor, 9525 0239
Chandelier Room 91 Cochranes Rd, Moorabbin, 9532 2288
George Basement, 127 Fitzroy St, 9534 8822
Pretty Please 61c Fitzroy St, St Kilda, 9534 4484
Workers Club 51 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, 9415 8889
Chelsea Heights Hotel Cnr Springvale & Wells Rd,
Gertrude’s Brown Couch 30 Gertrude St, Fitzroy, 9417 6420
Prince Bandroom 29 Fitztory St, St Kilda, 9536 1168
Workshop Lvl 1, 413 Elizabeth St, Melb, 9326 4365
Chelsea Heights, 9773 4453
Grace Darling Hotel 114 Smith St, Collingwood, 9416 0055
Prince Of Wales 29 Fitzroy St, St Kilda, 9536 1168
Yah Yah’s 99 Smith St, Fitzroy, 9419 4920
Cherry Bar AC/DC Ln, Melb, 9639 8122
Grandview Hotel Cnr Heidelberg Rd & Station St, Fairfield, 9489 8061
Public Bar 238 Victoria St, North Melb, 9329 6522
The Vine 59 Wellington St, Collingwood, 9417 2434
Chi Lounge 195 Lt Bourke St, Melbourne, 9662 2688
Great Britain Hotel 447 Church St, Richmond, 9429 5066
Purple Emerald Lounge Bar 349 High St, Northcote, 9482 7007
Co. Lvl 3, Crown Complex, 9292 5750 Colonial Hotel (Brown Alley) Cnr King & Lonsdale St, Melb, 9670 8599
Grind N Groove 274 Maroondah Hwy, Healesville
Railway Hotel 280 Ferrars St, South Melb, 9690 5092
Grumpy’s Green 125 Smith St, Collingwood, 9416 1944
Red Bennies 371 Chapel St, South Yarra, 9826 2689
Commercial Club Hotel 344 Nicholson St, Fitzroy, 9419 1522
Gypsy Bar 334 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, 9419 0548
RedLove Lvl 1, 401 Swanston St, Melb, 9639 3722
Cookie Lvl 1, 252 Swanston St, Melb, 9663 7660
HiFi 125 Swanston St, Melb, 1300 843 4434
Retreat Hotel 226 Nicholson St, Abbotsford, 9417 2693
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