- Buenos Aires has to be thanked for producing my favourite DJ ever. I’ve been hooked on Hernan Cattaneo ever since I heard ‘Perfecto – South America’, and his Renaissance set at Tank in 2006 rates as the best event I’ve been to. Needless to say, I was excited that Hernan was back in Australia and playing to the festival crowd at We Love Sounds, and even more excited when I found out he was headlining the official #1 Afterparty.
I rocked up to The Cross just in time to catch the end of Audiofly, who were banging out a very eclectic and unique set, as well as Robbie Lowe, who has supported many great DJs including Sasha and Digweed, Dave Seaman and Anthony Pappa. More recently he’s come into his own, headlining nights at SweetChilli and Kink. Robbie played before Hernan Cattaneo, and he managed to build things perfectly for what was to come. You could almost see the anticipation in the air.
When Hernan got behind the decks, the crowd surged with excitement. The prime position – front and centre – was rammed with people vying to see him in action. His set was uplifting, melodic, dark and driving all in one, with long, rhythmic beats controlling the pace – rejuvenating all those muscles tired from dancing at the We Love Sounds festival. This was the fist pumping, stomp worthy set that I had been waiting to hear all year. Time flew by.
Next up was Nic Fanciulli and James Zabiela, whose new collaboration has been hailed the best dance duo since Sasha & Digweed. Unfortunately Fanciulli didn’t get in on the action at all; instead he stood with his back against the wall and a drink in his hand and listened to his partner. Alone, Zabiela played what he is most loved for – mind-alteringly fun glitchy house and remixes that built you up and released you when you were least expecting it.
The Cross has three levels – something for every music taste. Downstairs in the Bourbon Ben Watt was spinning, and the crowd were loving every moment. Watt has moved on from Everything But the Girl to become an exciting house DJ, and tonight was no exception. He has a knack for playing great house music that steers clear of the electro that seems to be everywhere these days. The crowd were lapping it up.
Tiredness from making it through both We Love Sounds and the afterparty finally caught up with me at about 5 a.m., so with amazing sounds ringing in my ears from Zabiela and Ben Watt, I took myself home to attempt to sleep. Overall, the afterparty was a smash hit – it’s so good to have something like this to go to in Sydney for a change. The lineup was impressive and the DJs performed fantastically. The venue suited the sound and everyone there was in fantastic spirits, including all the staff. Lets hope that there’s another night like this really soon.