- You'd think it would be a challenge running an underground disco night slap-bang in the middle of Sydney's CBD. Judging by the sounds emanating from the other clubs as you walk up Pitt Street to the Civic Hotel, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this neck of the woods was all about grabbing asses rather than shaking them. And so it was with some trepidation that we tripped down the stairs of Civic Underground, as even with our favourite disco muscle master at the helm, there's nothing more dispiriting than a bloody great DJ going unappreciated.
One foot inside the door of the Civic's basement, however, a reassuringly packed bar and cloud of sweat gathering above the dance floor made us forget the bump n' grind up the road. The Civic Underground is a cosy little venue with a nice warm soundsystem, a staff to match and (exhibitionists take note) a stage to dance on, with the DJ happily plonked in the corner. The dance floor is large enough to swing a cat or two on, but small enough to ensure the party gets jumping quick smart. Heck, there's even a padded white wall to bang your head against, should you suddenly get seized by the urge to channel your inner Meatloaf (unlikely, but good to know all dance styles are catered for). On first impressions, it doesn't feel like a natural venue for a disco night, but maybe that's just the jaded eyes of someone's who's spent too much time in East London dives.
Anyway, enough of the wallpaper. What about the sounds? As we arrived, the talented trio of Future Classic residents—Nathan McLay, Chad Gillard and James McInnes—were finishing, leaving a busy and excitable dance floor. Todd Terje was clearly a big draw for this night, but it's always good to see homegrown goodness getting some well-deserved whoops and cheers.
Photo credit: Adult Disco
Terje only had to play a few tracks before drinks were downed, handbags were discarded and arms were in the air to the sounds of John Ozila's "Boogie Salsa" shortly followed by AAC's "Here Comes That Sound Again." Happily, Terje managed to not just walk but dance the fine line between being accessible and being exciting, never once managing to clear the dance floor (although he claims he often aims to do this), but still surprising and delighting at every turn. A Bollywood version of "Billie Jean" and high camp disco version of "Fever" were mixed in with a smattering a piano house, a hefty dose of cosmic and even a couple of acid tracks, including a banging version of Diskokaine's "Rock-a-Boogie." The crowd were lapping it up—a healthy mix of disco freaks and general party people, with the award for Stalwart of The Night going to a chap called Olly who had come on his own, donated his spare ticket to the bouncers to give to the next lucky punter with a nice smile, and was dancing harder than anyone else in the room and loving every minute of it.
Adult Disco only launched in May and so as a night, it's still wet behind the ears. The promoters Future Classic, however, are far from it, with a record label, touring agency, design agency and, who knows, perhaps even a pet shop under their belt. So what was the idea behind launching Adult Disco? "We just wanted to shake things up a bit and have a place where every Saturday you know there'll be a fun dance floor and good tunes. A lot of the other parties we go too feel really serious, this is our version of a slightly silly and just all out fun party," explains Chad Gillard.
Launching a weekly night in the middle of winter while there's a global financial crisis going on—are you mad? Erm... Well, no, actually. "We couldn't think of any good weekly parties in Sydney that we'd go to." Are there are enough house and disco lovers to support a weekly underground-but-not so-hip-it-hurts night in the centre of town? On the basis of Saturday night, it certainly seems so, as the party was still going full steam ahead when we slipped out at 4:30 AM, and according to reliable sources, Terje didn't step down until almost 6:00 AM.