The new years period is always an exciting time in Sydney, and Mobile Home over the past few years has unquestionably become the city’s premier event to bring in the new year. Widely recognised as one of the highlights of the international calender, this year they were very excited to announce one of the biggest event lineups of the year, featuring the recently voted No 1 dj Tiesto, DJ Sneak, DJ Dan, Tayo, Ed Real, and a host of Sydney’s finest local talent. Any event featuring a lineup such as this one is certain to cause a stir, but coupled with the perfect venue, quality sound system and superb overall production made this new years a truly memorable one for all who were lucky enough to be there. For someone who is usually somewhat cynical towards new year’s events, this one has turned my thoughts around completely!
I made sure I arrived early to soak up the atmosphere of one of the finest spots in Sydney before things kicked in to full gear. The main stage was looking fantastic while the two outside arenas were positioned perfectly along the waterfront, and it was instantly apparent that a huge amount of effort had been put into setup and production by the mobilehome crew. Armed with a VIP pass I was quick to make full use of it, with the VIP bar my first stop of the night. To my surprise Tiesto himself was standing up chatting to people nearby so I managed to get a quick photo with him which started the night on quite a high note! It was here I stayed until the 9 o’clock fireworks commenced, for which we certainly had quite a view! With the mood set and the atmosphere building, it was time to make way towards the main arena where Ed Real was wrapping things up in preparation for Tiesto to begin his 3 hour set.
As one of the heads of Nukleuz records, and an internationally respected dj in his own right, I found it a little strange that Ed Real was playing so early on. I had no great desire to see the guy personally, but surely people who pay good money to see the internationals on display deserve a chance to see the guy at more of a headline time. This was really my only question mark over an otherwise flawless event, however, and I quickly got over it as soon Tiesto appeared behind the decks to a rapturous ovation.
DJ Tiesto has been and remains to be one of the world’s true superstar dj’s, and has been at the forefront of the international trance scene now for many years. It was therefore with a huge amount of anticipation and expectation that I awaited his Mobile Home performance. From the moment he dropped his opening track, Andy Hunter – Go (Antillas remix), right through to his encore track, his own remix of Jan Johnston – ‘Flesh,’ his set was the kind of performance punters like myself dream about. Tracks like ‘Mindcircus’, ‘Lethal Industry,’ ‘Nyana,’ and his new remix of Radiohead’s ‘Street Spirit’ made sure that this would be a set to remember for a long time to come. His stage presence, musical selection and a mixing ability you would expect from the man touted as the number one dj created a vibe unlike any other dj performance I have witnessed. He blended old with new, epic and uplifting with dark and ‘techy,’ and kept the energy levels up for the entire 3 hour duration of his set, something that can be difficult to do. Just when I thought the set couldn’t get much better, the familiar intro of perhaps his most famous production, his remix of Delerium – Silence, began to kick in, and I’m afraid I have no words to adequately describe the minutes that followed! At the very climax of the track the main arena lasers (kept off up to this point) exploded into life and only those present at this moment will understand how incredible this looked. The rest of the set just flew by after this and before I knew it the music had stopped and midnight was almost upon us.
With Tiesto’s set completed I joined the rush of people from the arena to the harbour side to get the perfect view for the midnight fireworks, which were fantastic as usual. With the night still young the music then started back up again, with Tayo, leader of the nu-skool breaks scene kicking off his set in the breaks stage to the now packed out outdoors area. While Tayo was whipping the breaks crowd into a frenzy, Kate Monroe was easing into her set nicely after the crowd had clearly been blown away by DJ Sneak, who I unfortunately managed to miss due to my preoccupation with Tiesto’s performance in the main arena. Monroe is a home favourite and it showed in the crowd’s reaction to her trademark sound of funky, sexy and vocal house music. Tayo was capturing more of my attention during this stage though, and I continued to lap up the sound he himself describes as ‘breakbeat funk,’ while in the meantime PeeWee Ferris was turning things up a notch in the main arena with the cranking hard trance he is now renowned for.
With the time now fast approaching 2 o’clock I made my way back into the main arena where ‘America’s most beloved dj’ DJ Dan had joined in the party. Following on from the hard trance of Peewee he started things off on a harder note himself before gradually slowing things up and kicking into his own rhythm. His set was filled with techy beats and funky basslines, and it was soon apparent why the guy has managed to attain such a popular international status. This was a true party set for a true party occasion, and tracks like ‘Movin Thru Your System,’ and ‘La La Land’ (Zzino vs Filterheadz remix) kept the festive mood alive and kicking well into the early hours of the morning.
3 o’clock saw the outdoor stages come to a close, where the Rogue Traders and Q45 had continued to provide one of the best overall musical displays I have experienced at a Sydney event in quite some time. The party was by no means over, however, as Alex Taylor and Jason Bye were charged with kicking the main arena on ‘till dawn, and they did this job very nicely! Jason Bye in particular was pulling out some classic tracks for the occasion including Paul Van Dyk – For an Angel and Sasha – Xpander in a thoroughly entertaining set of house, driving progressive and even a little trance for good measure.
I always try to not get too carried away with event reviews, but Mobile Home 2003 absolutely blew me away. Production of that level has not been in Sydney at any of the larger events for quite some time, and everyone behind this Mobile Home event needs to be acknowledged and congratulated for creating, in this humble reviewer’s opinion, the best event of 2003. A world-class dj lineup is only the start of it, and on this occasion all the ingredients were present for a classic. Thank you mobile home for a New Year’s Eve I and many others will never forget.