- Melbourne-based label Balance and promoters Fluidlife are two of the most recent outfits to have taken advantage of the Brown Alley rooftop's newly installed Nexus sound system, having hosted Circo Loco and DC-10 resident Matthias Tanzmann for a recent Melbourne Cup day party. The event opened its doors at 3 PM, with the rooftop setting and friendly clued-in attitudes evident in the crowd already giving things an Ibiza after-party vibe long before the German DJ/producer stepped to the booth.
Balance founder Tom Pandzic kicked things off, followed by a back-to-back set from Lister Cooray and Jon Beta. Tanzmann, who began his career playing deep house but is decidedly more upbeat and tech-y in his house selections, began his set with tracks plucked straight from the deeper end of the tech house spectrum. It was a sound that was slightly at odds with what had been played by the preceding DJs. This, and some laptop issues early on, meant that his entrance was quite apparent, and was far from a smooth transition from warm-up DJ to headliner. However, this just served to enhance the excitement of the up-for-it crowd that even included a contingent of Sydneysiders sporting a large Circo Loco flag which was duly draped over the front of the DJ booth.
At times, Tanzmann's set was somewhat unfocused. Whether it was because this was the final date of his Australian mini-tour or the after-party atmosphere, he seemed more concerned with letting his hair down than carefully playing records. But it was this very lack of gravity, as opposed to his technical performance, that proved to be the night's highlight, as Tanzmann's genuine enthusiasm for the music he was playing and the personable way he engaged with the crowd worked things up to a level of revelry befitting the flag hanging in front of him. The night was finally brought to a close with sets from Revolver resident Mike Callander and fellow local Darius Bassiray. Bassiray's deep house provided both an apt reminder of Tanzmann's roots, and a suitable winding down from what had been the most Ibizan of Melbourne Cup days.