We Love Sydney at Luna Park – 4/12/04

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  • We Love … Sydney was collaboration between Sounds and the people that organised Homelands. With those fairly solid credentials it would be fair to expect something special. With the thought of cavorting around Luna Park, the spectacular view, theme park rides coupled with a stellar, eclectic and diverse line up, We Love looked like it was going to be something out of the ordinary. Walking into Luna Park provided to be a bit of a reality check and had a slightly surreal feel to it. The majority of the park was open to the general public so the sight of mums, dads and their little darlings having a fun day out was a stark contract to the promise of some banging electro in the big top. The actual set up was a little disappointing I have to say. The best thing about a daytime party in my opinion is that it can be held outside. The only part of We Love that was outside was the courtyard and come 5pm it was so packed there was not enough room to swing a cat. There was no live music feed, which meant that there was no real feeling of anticipation or atmosphere. It was however amusing to sit and watch people come off the ride that looked like a tumble dryer – never a good idea after a few power shandies. The main room was like a smaller version of the Horden Pavilion. A large balcony with stools and sofas and multiple tiered seating meant that there was plenty of room to sit or dance. There was also some fantastic lighting, which I believe was put in especially and the decks were on a clear stand in the middle of the stage. The sound system was pretty good, I was able to stand on the dance floor and have a conversation with a friend yet the volume was still loud enough to be able to really get into the music. As for the music - well it was certainly varied. Personally I really enjoyed Felix's set but many others bagged it. I am pretty sure that he played the exact same set as he did last week at Parklife. I didn’t care, as it sounded so much better in a darkened room with flashing lights. Felix certainly didn't do anything remarkable in terms of mixing, in fact even to someone who is not technically knowledgeable, his mixing was fairly average. Using the whole fade in / fade out technique meant that there were pockets of silence which left the dance floor at a stand still. It was a pity because if he had mixed properly he could have had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Regardless of his mixing his track selection was good, if a little banal and we heard remixes of 'Cars', 'Boys and Girls', 'Silver screen, shower screen' and 'What you waiting for'. From pretty much start to finish the dance floor was packed. After Felix had finished I decided to have a wander around outside and was greeted with Operation Moondance - 10 policemen and a sniffer dog. In they marched and they soon had the courtyard scattered and a few people looking very nervous. Interesting timing to say the least and for me the party changed after the cops had come in. Everyone seemed a little edgier and not as relaxed. There never was much of an atmosphere and after that it certainly crushed what little vibe there was After a walk around Luna Park to see some of the sights I went back into the main room to see the Youngsters. I started off enjoying their set but after a while they really lost me. From what I could see they were using vinyl which these days is a bit of a novelty. It got a bit too much for me and in all honesty the last track they played made my ears bleed. However the rest of the crowd seemed to enjoy it and I have heard many people say how impressed they were. I enjoyed what I saw of Damian Lazarus and at least he could be bothered to mix. He also seemed to be very much into his set and he indulged in some serious head banging. I was intrigued to hear Adam Freeland as it was the first time that I had seen him. I quite enjoyed his set although considering the kudos he receives I didn’t think he was spectacular. I certainly wasn't impressed by his mixing and his set was nothing short of predictable including the very tired remix of 'Smells like teen spirit' and 'Are you going to go my way'. The stand out track from his set was ‘Smack my bitch up’ I haven't heard that out in a long time. I didn’t stay for much longer after Adam but from what I did hear of DAMN vs Ewan Pearson was pretty good. If We Love had been at an ordinary club I think I would have been disappointed. The venue made up for a lot but I can't help but feel disappointed by the music. I guess great producers don’t necessarily make great crowd pleasing DJs. Massive props to the We Love crew for taking a punt and actually providing Sydney with something a little bit different.
RA