- When a producer as venerated as Anthony 'Shake' Shakir plays an Animals Dancing party in Melbourne, it draws a crowd. The club night has called the dark and dingy Mercat Basement—without a doubt one of the city's favourite club spaces—its home since 2001, and has since developed a strong following. At any given party you'll get a nod of recognition from nearly anyone in attendance, but for Shakir, unfamiliar weathered ravers shared the floor with Animals Dancing regulars.
It was certainly humbling to watch the Detroit veteran being guided through the dance floor toward the DJ booth, using a walking stick as a crutch. Having only recently been made aware about his being diagnosed with MS, it was a sobering moment for all in the club. Though it made for an odd mood to begin with, it didn't take long for Shake to make us forget.
Perched on a chair behind two Technics, Shakir began with house. The pace and energy with which he mixed couldn't have been further from the pace of his laboured entry to the club. His mixing was sloppy but, upon reflection, it hardly deserves a mention. Every juggle of the crossfader was a gentle jolt back to reality and his imperfection began to grow on me. Over his two-hour set, he kept the dancers on their toes and his selection travelled from techno to the grit of dubstep, and from the funkiness of Floorplan to Kyle Hall's "Get Down."
People had not strayed from the dance floor by the time Shake left the basement at about 4.30 AM. Andee Frost and Otologic did well to follow, and kept a handful of dedicated clubbers indoors until we were kicked out three hours later.