- Located in a disused bus depot, Ministry of Sound is not pleasing to the eye. Essentially the club looks like a large concrete block ready to be razed by some greedy real estate developer. Lucky for them, then, that people don't judge a book by its cover: The club is firmly entrenched as one of the most famous in the world and, on this night, was hosting two DJs that befit the surroundings: Dubfire and Nic Fanciulli.
Once we got in Ministry, we headed straight for the aptly named "Box," which is where all the action happens. I'm a big fan of this perfectly sized room, which is not too big, very dark and has little décor. It has a sound system as clear as the night matched with towering speakers, which were a perfect platform for creative dancing throughout the night.
Dubfire began his four-hour set at 1 AM and, refreshingly, we were able to make our way to the front and move freely due to the relatively early start time. There was a loyal crowd already gathered and—before I knew it—we were dancing in a big circle with new friends. There's no question Dubfire has put his mark on some of the heaviest tunes this year, but the word on everyone's lips this night was "Grindhouse" and it seemed like most there had woken up that day in anticipation of hearing it.
Halfway through his set, we were rewarded as the remix blasted out. My friend and I did the only sensible thing, going straight for the speaker to dance on it as others had done from the start of the night. Sensible compared to the boy next to me who was busy putting his whole head inside the speaker, that is. "Grindhouse" was followed appropriately by "Spastik," which pounded through the dance floor creating a mechanical, gritty atmosphere that continued for the length of Dubfire's set.
Around 5 AM, Nic Fanciulli took over the decks to deliver a slightly more soulful tech-house vibe. By this point we had moved up to the DJ booth where there a relaxed atmosphere pervaded: You could even give your feet a small break. Much to my disappointment, I had to leave before 9 AM, but I'm sure whoever stayed had a fulfilling "techy brekky" that would keep them smiling for the rest of the day.