- Progress @ Gas had another offering for the clubbers of Sydney this week, that of the hard trance tag team Cosmic gate. It was a mixed bag in most accounts, lower aspects being offset by the little shining examples of what makes a good night. There was not enough to propel it into the “you had to be there” category, but there was an adequate amount of events to definitely put it in “a good night was had by all.”
The club was not decked out in the usual sumptuous style reminiscent of the other big names that have graced Gas, with the only eyecandy (along with the always lovely lights and lasers) being the staple of the club’s dancefloor, that big trippy shiny new age disco ball. One part of the lights that did hint at being a bit out of place was the old school “red light special” mirrored lights that seemed to scream “K-Mart bluelight special.”
The crowd, on the other hand was of a much higher calibur than usual, with few negative incidences to note, and more punctuated with a friendly smile and nod than a glare and sneer, and was smaller than usual until Cosmic Gate took the stage. Nervous, the first up on stage, did bring enough people into the groove to set the style of the night: a nice mix of hard trance. Nervous decided to eschew constant deckwork to allow his apt track selection to speak through his set, giving the crowd the kick in the pants and onto the floor that all early comers need. It was a nice set, and exactly what the club needed to start the night.
Increasing the hardness factor by one was Yoshi, who went the opposite of Nervous and worked the decks with a lot of attention and interestingly used a few breakbeat rhythms in his set, providing some surprising variety to his set and definitely getting the nod from the punters for this.
After this came Cosmic gate, starting their three hour set with a very warm welcome from the club, pumping the hype with track after track off quality. It was excellent, but also this is also where some disappointment lay. Cosmic Gate decided to play their own tracks and remixes for the majority of their set. Of course because their tracks are so good there really was no real problem with it, “Exploration of Space” blowing the collective minds of Gas, but fans of Cosmic Gate would know that their DJ sets always seem to be even better. This minor quibble removed, there is nothing really bad to say about their set, Nic Chagall and Bossi know how to play an good set and a good set they played, getting more than enough adulation from the crowd as they finished.
Amber Savage, probably knowing that it was a hard act to follow, spun very well, getting the thinning crowd who seemed to have just come for Cosmic gate, jumping all over again. She even decided to refer back to her Happy Hard roots with a nice remix of the classic “Wonderful Days” thrown in for good measure.
This all said, it was a good night: there was good music, a good crowd and a good vibe. Good, but not great or fantastic. It was enjoyable but there is the sneaking suspicion that it also might be forgettable. With all the excellent nights to be had in Sydney, it’s sad that all the “good” nights get overshadowed.