- It is not often that you enter a club to be greeted by glasses of complimentary champagne, served out by a group of friendly, gorgeous girls otherwise known as the Altitude flight crew. This was all part of the service for Altitude, who were taking their “come fly with us” motto to a new level with the Bohem “club lounge.” With complimentary drinks and a vast array of familiar faces from previous altitude events, it felt more like I was at a private party than a club, and this is the sort of friendly, intimate atmosphere that the Altitude productions crew have tried to create from the start. After an hour of this 5 star service we were informed by the flight crew over the loud speakers that Altitude was ready for departure, and attendees were promptly ushered down the flight of stairs, which were covered in smoke to add to the affect, to Gas nightclub below. The main dance floor filled up within minutes, and we were ready for take-off! (excuse the plane travel analogy, but it was hard not to get into it!)
Lee Hardy and Simon Bell were handed the responsibility of kicking off the main room, and this they did with style. Opening with what I was later informed was Simon Bell’s own rendition of ‘cowpander’, they proceeded to drop a number of progressive bombs which also included Sasha v JXL – Beauty never fades and James Holden – Horizons. Progressive trance fans in Sydney are generally limited to the occasional international act, so it was great to see a couple of local boys (or at least locally based) playing the style so well. The set was perfectly structured, always increasing in tempo and taking the crowd with them all the way towards a more uplifting finale. The atmosphere was perfectly set for Diggs & Morro to take centre stage in front of a now packed out Gas crowd.
The Altitude faithful were subsequently greeted with one of the best set intro’s I have ever witnessed, as the familiar sound of Armin’s classic “Communication” beamed on to the dancefloor. I challenge anyone to find a trance track with a better build up than this one, and by the time it reached its climax almost all present had their hands in the air before an explosion of confetti fell down on them from the ceiling above. Classic! Diggs & Morro then proceeded to embark on a 2 hour journey of melodic, uplifting trance that never showed any signs of letting up. Their mixing was typically superb, and it is no wonder how rapidly this duo are gaining in popularity. Tracks like Sonorous – ‘protonic (Ronski speed mix),’ Kid Vicious – ‘proceed,’ Darren Tate v Jonno Grant – ‘Let the light shine in,’ Coldplay – ‘Clocks,’ and Paul Van Dyk – ‘Nothing but you’ had the crowd in raptures for the entire duration of their set, and had me absolutely exhausted by the end of it!
Not much time for rest though, as Liquid M were next up to perform another of their now widely acclaimed live shows. It wasn’t long before the familiar sight of the guys jumping up and down and going nuts behind the keyboards came into full effect, and the crowd responded in kind! They have a great ability to create a vast amount of energy in their music without sacrificing any of the euphoric emotion that can be lost in some of the harder styles of trance. We were treated this time with a few of their newest tracks, and on this evidence there is no question that these guys keep getting better and better. Their closing track in particular was sensational, and the guys were fully deserving of the huge cheers and applause they received at the conclusion of their performance. Any trance fans who are yet to see these guys are doing themselves a huge injustice, as they really are something special in the making.
In between all this downstairs mayhem I was able to catch some of the action upstairs in Bohem, where breakbeat was the order of the night. While breaks has never really been my thing, I was particularly impressed with Lish, whose energy behind the decks was vastly contagious. The Bohem lounge also served as a very nice chillout area, decked out with lots of comfy couches and chairs that many of the punters took advantage of. It even boasted a very impressive ice structure, compliments of the multi-talented Lee Hardy.
Back downstairs now, where Antonio Cabalfin was pumping out a slightly harder edged sound, building on from where Liquid M left off. I found myself sitting down for the majority of his set but this was mostly due to my tiredness than any reflection on his performance, which was another very impressive one. It just shows how much unknown local talent there is in Sydney at the moment, and it’s great that more and more clubs and events are starting to recognise this. As much as I wanted to stay and catch Stama vs Cameron O’Shea I made the sensible move and took off a little early, but by all accounts these guys closed off the night on a strong note, finishing with Circ – ‘Destroy she said (De Sonatis remix).’
Without wanting to go over the top, over the past 9 months or so the Altitude crew have virtually single-handedly restored my faith in Sydney clubbing. Their dedication and commitment, along with their undoubted passion for the music, shines through in each and every one of their events and this was to be no different. Only this time with a new venue and larger budget, they succeeded in taking Altitude to a new level altogether. With a fantastic laser show and one of the friendliest crowds you will find anywhere in Sydney, this really was a night to remember. If they keep putting on events like this, Altitude will surely continue to go from strength to strength. I’ll drink to that!