- Now is not the easiest time to be a promoter in Sydney. A dwindling number of decent venues and oppressive licensing restrictions thanks to the dreaded lockout laws have forced party makers to look for alternatives to regular club shows, but an often volatile warehouse scene and daytime sound restrictions can make those alternatives challenging and risky. For the past three years, Astral People have hosted Summer Dance, a seasonal series of Sunday afternoon shows that seeks to inject some freshness into the city's party scene by setting up shop in the grand surrounds of the National Art School (NAS).
The picturesque campus, which last Sunday accommodated some 1,200 dancers, is a labyrinth of striking sandstone buildings. Originally built and used as a gaol between 1841 and the early 20th century, they now feel bright and inviting. Closing out this season, after early 2017 appearances from Palms Trax and Harvey Sutherland & Bermuda, were Anthony Naples and Chicago house royalty Glenn Underground, who was making his long overdue Australian debut.
That the sun made its first extended appearance in what's been an historically wet March was a sign that the day would turn out joyous. Passing through the imposing NAS archway alongside clusters of keen punters talking set times and rolling cigarettes, I came to a lawn littered with summery looking people chatting and smoking—someone was even having a quick disco nap—away from the dance floor. In the series' first year, the stage had been set up in a more open section of the campus, resulting in numerous noise complaints that put the party under strain. It's since been relocated to a triangular courtyard walled in by the NAS's impressive heritage classrooms. This contained the sound far better, silencing the "turn it up!" cries of the past. As I took my spot, Melbourne's Daydreams crew, joined by rising Sydney talent Mira Boru, were warming things up with a four-way back-to-back. Peven Everett's "Feelin You In And Out (Shelter Mix)" bloomed from the Nexo stacks, a highlight in a suitably sunny set of house and party tunes.
A slightly awkward changeover, complete with a false ending or two, was quickly forgotten as Naples' first track elicited cheers and whoops. The New Yorker got off to a cautious start, playing deep for a couple of songs, before launching into a funky bass and guitar jam that generated more noise and fists in the air. From then on it was all smiles from both the crowd and the DJ, whose endearing grin was a treat to behold. His darker side didn't get a look in as the clear blue skies inspired an especially fun set that climaxed with the one-two punch of Mood Hut's "Better" and Morgan Geist's shimmering classic "24k."
When Glenn Underground stepped up to the controls, any concerns that he might venture down a commercial-sounding path, as some legacy acts are prone to doing, were instantly cast aside. He played an expertly contoured two-hour set that centred around soulful, jazzy house peppered with solos, but which also ventured into disco, acid and even skirted techno at one point. As night fell and coloured lights splashed over the sandstone surrounds, the crowd was enraptured by his teasing use of the Condesa rotary mixer's isolator and Pioneer effects unit—an unusual setup, but it worked. Once his final track, Giorgio Moroder's "I Wanna Rock You," had died down and the audience began to spill out into nearby streets, there was a real buzz in the air. It felt like a fitting end to a great summer of music and a comforting reminder that Sydney can still be an awesome place to dance.
Photo credit /
Jordan Munns