- Techno has taken a back seat in Melbourne for the last few years while the harder sounds of trance have all but taken over, but trends continually change, and it seems techno is making it's way back to the fore at last.
It's been a long time between parties for Hardware lately, and even longer since the last Transatlantic, but they have a reputation for uncompromising, fully-blown techno extravaganza's, and this was no exception. Adam Beyer and Joel Mull headlining, Melbourne's finest supporting, quality superclub venue, what more could you possibly ask for?
The MTC's Matt Radovich and Craig McWhinney warmed up the crowd until 2am with solid beats, and the atmosphere was about as charged as it gets in a club this size. Adam Beyer had no trouble opening proceedings with his trademark tech-phunk assault. Hard as you like, his well structured set encompassed a wide variety of sounds, but remained focused on intense, oscillating buildups and heavy, heavy grooves. Closing his set with Phil Kieran's 2003 anthem 'I Love You' and the classic Hardfloor mix of New Order's 'Blue Monday' was about as good as I could ask for. A massive set from start to finish!
Joel Mull followed up with a slightly deeper, more rhythmic brand of techno, hard, pounding beats and subtle soundscapes. It's the kind of music I enjoy more at a slower pace, but for this kind of party, I was quite willing to skip a gear and just party on. A solid set, possibly even better than Beyer's, but I won't try and decide, they were both excellent.
Unfortunately I had to miss the closing sets, I was getting very tired by this stage, but by all accounts, Ben Cromack showed us, and the visiting DJs, just how good he really is. Certainly a world-class DJ, and he always seems to know just what kind of beats to play at any given time.
QBH may not be the best place in which to witness hammering techno warfare, I do like a dingy warehouse for this kind of thing, but it is a great club, it's big, comfortable and looks great, so while I wouldn't give them full points on venue, my complaints were trivial, and in no way affected the quality of the event, which was fantastic!
All in all, another successful Hardware adventure, gladly taken by the Melbourne faithful and thoroughly enjoyed by all. With plenty more where that came from, Jeff Mills, Oliver Lieb, it looks like techno might be enjoying somewhat of a renaissance in the coming months. Bring it on I say!