- One of the most anticipated nights of the year had arrived in Canberra through the aura that is associated with Danny Howells. And after arriving in Canberra and smelling that aura in the crisp cool (read: bloody cold) air, I myself was pumped as a weightlifter on steroids.
On arrival I felt as if I was plunged into the civil war in Beirut as the walls of the ANU seemed to be shaking as if bombs were dropping within yards. Well they were in one sense of the word inside the venue, and the movements of the walls suggest the sheer power of the sound system that was incorporated inside. That power could be felt clearly early on in the night with Ryan Papa playing in front of a few people that made the effort to arrive early. Those who did were treated to some quality cuts like Ryan’s very own remix of Lexicon Avenue’s ‘West On 27th’ and the very sinister ‘Let It Flow’ by Dave the Drummer. A quality early night set to get the ball rolling.
Nubreed were also an early highlight for many there as they dished out their usual high quality dirty baseline and big beat servings. Two Square, who consists of Jeff Drake & Mikah Freeman were also a great way to bring in the delights of Danny Howells. They really had the crowd going in the right direction, especially when they hit their peak with the devastating big room remix by Ryan Papa and Jeff Drake of ‘Touched’ by Vast. The crowd by this stage were completely ready for the onslaught that followed.
Danny ‘Rockstar’ Howells had landed and really tore shit up. He smoothed the crowd in for a good 30 minutes and then pretty much said ‘fuck it’ as he turned the tempo up and really banged it out with style. Highlights included the massive baselines of Phil Kieran’s mix of Agoria’s ‘La 11 Eme Marche’, the Spanish stylings of ‘Calinda’ Ritmo Dynamic or the epic moments of Agoria’s mix of Dibaba and ‘Hold You’. These three tunes alone demonstrate how good Danny is at mixing it up from Housey moments to the harder techno tunes that he is more known for, and of course, the epic progressive moments. It was a set that had me and many many more enthralled and in the zone for the entire 3 hours duration. The music, the quality sound, combined with Danny’s DJ of DJ’s attitude had really made this one of the greatest nights for the last few years for me.
Special mention must go to the Friction crew who yet again put on another memorable night on Canberra. It is no wonder why that so many people outside Canberra make the effort to attend these nights. Their production and co-ordination of a party, combined with the talented DJ’s that are on the bill, combine to make the near perfect party almost all the time.
It’s pretty amazing that Danny still remains the down to earth, music motivated DJ then when he was first in Oz in 2000. His energy was identical at that secluded gig in Regent Street in Sydney in 2000 than it was a few nights ago, despite the fact that his popularity has increased probably 100 fold. It’s an attitude that has seen him attract the 50 people or so 3 years ago to the hordes of fans that has seen him on this tour, and an attitude that has seen him maintain that aura that only a handful of DJ’s have.