- When I first heard the news that Kai Tracid was on his way down under, my heart skipped at least a couple of beats. I have been a huge fan of his production work for the last couple of years now and the chance to see this very talented German dj/producer live was too good an opportunity to miss. And so it was, with high expectations, that I made my way to the dark depths of Zen nightclub, to see if the mastermind behind successful and highly respected record label Tracid Traxxx was all he was cracked up to be. I was not disappointed.
By the time I arrived Nervous had already managed to get the place fairly hyped up. Many punters showing their appreciation on the dance floor, while others, including myself, took the seated approach, soaking up the atmosphere and collectively waiting in eager anticipation for Kai.
The crowd was a lot smaller than I expected, especially as in my opinion Kai Tracid really epitomises the Plastic sound. My hopes for an atmosphere and vibe comparing to Hennes & Cold back in April were therefore quickly dashed. The crowd was still, as ever at plastic, extremely friendly however, and I challenge anyone to find a more up for it group of punters at any other club in Sydney!
Kai Tracid was greeted with a warm reception to say the least when he stepped up behind the decks at around 1:30. I managed to stake claim to what little area of dance floor was available near the front, and prepared myself for what was to come. He opened his set with the pure hard acid trance we have grown to associate Kai Tracid with. From there he took the crowd on a flawless journey through techno, tech house, hard trance, acid trance and back again. Mixing was spot on throughout, with the possible exception of one or two mixes. It really was relentless stuff, certainly not a dj for the faint hearted. Amongst his box full of hot new releases from across Europe he made sure he dropped a few Tracid Traxxx anthems to keep the crowd pumping. Hennes & Cold - The Second Trip (a definite highlight), ASYS - Acid Headcracker, Reloop - Fucking Society, Jam X and De Leon - Can you Dig It? and his very own Trance & Acid and Too Many Times blew the place way. These in conjunction with more recent hits such as Yoda - Definitely and Arome - Hands up put any chance of taking time out to catch your breath out of the question! The plastic crowd certainly knows their music when it comes to the hard stuff and it showed.
As is often the case it was all over too quickly, and by the time he dropped his last track (the derb remix of Trance & acid) I was forced to question where the last 3 hours had gone. On top of his fantastic set Kai seemed like a great guy, taking some time before and after his set to chat to some of the punters, and really looked like he was enjoying himself up there. This sort of thing is great to see as it really makes a difference to the overall vibe of the night.
Big ups to Plastic for bringing this guy out and with any luck he will be back again before too long! They sure know how to put on a good show, and despite the lower than expected numbers the night was a complete success.