The sun was still shining when Warung opened its doors for what they were claiming to be their biggest party of the decade. The lineup was testament to that statement, despite the list of artists best representing Warung's sound of 2012, rather than the names who have made history in the 10 years of the club. Although November had also held two other anniversary parties—part one with the likes of Marco Carola and Guy Gerber, part two with Sven Väth and Sascha Dive—the evening felt like the birthday celebration's centerpiece. With many events taking place the same day—including a massively marketed festival debuting just 10 kilometers away from Itajai—it was impressive to see the staggering crowd that attended, and that the party had sold out easily in advance.
I arrived around 7PM as rising Brazilian talents Ricardo Albuquerque and Dudu Petrelli were pushing deep and tech house in the main room via a back-to-back set. Downstairs, D-Edge resident Davis gave a more housey touch to the club's open air area, the Warung Garden. Known throughout the years for its lower BPMs, with increasing frequency headliners have extended their performances under the sunlight after the main room is closed. Warung's beloved Leozinho was next in the Garden, playing back-to-back with one of the club's owners, who is not usually known for being a DJ. Bringing the progressive sounds that drove the club to its peak back in the day, the duo made their entrance with minimal fuss, pushing the energy to a deeper place as the set progressed.
D-Edge owner Renato Ratier then worked up the crowd with his characteristic house and techno as two of the most anticipated performances of the night were about to begin. Seth Troxler's set was laced with plenty of hands-in-the-air moments, although bearing in mind his history with the club, the techno sounds of Dubfire seemed to be of the most interest to the expectant crowd. The Iranian-born DJ is identified with the club's "golden era," when Deep Dish, his famed duo alongside Sharam, garnered widespread acclaim from warungers.
At the same time upstairs, Art Department's Kenny Glasgow and Jonny White were making themselves the highlights of the night. Having initially coaxed the crowd slowly into each record, the Canadians reached epic moments, whether through Glasgow's own turns on the mic or the subtle yet powerful tribal rhythms they infused their set with. The energy continued to swell, and at around 2 AM Jamie Jones brought his signature Hot Creations sound to the main room. Solomun then kept things moving with a clever, and moreover modern, take on deep house.
After experiencing some trouble with the authorities in 2011, Warung is now forced to shut by 6 AM, although that was extended to 8:30 AM for this occasion. All of the evening's artists came together to see Dubfire in the Garden for the party's finale—including Sharam who wasn't on the bill—making for one of the most frenzied atmospheres I've witnessed at the club. Despite some issues with the sushi bar running out of food, the huge lines for the toilets and a poor mobility due to the high number of people, the party undoubtedly felt like a fitting tribute to ten years of Warung.
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