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Every Picture Tells a Story - The Equinox

Author: Lindy Tan
Sunday, January 1, 1995
Date: March 21st 1998

Attractions/Facilities: First headliner of the night was Tatsuyoshi Kawabata from Tokyo (what a mouthful!) playing live alongside a guitar-wielding Melbournite by the name of Jim Pattinson. Different, eh- Also granting us with his international presence for the first time was London DJ Neuro-Flapjack (Christ - where do they get these names from-) for an auditory foray into techno, hard trance style.

Crowd: It's true that Every Picture parties always seem to attract quite a younger crowd. No problem with that though. A rave crowd if ever I did see one - and it was packed like a John West sardine tin. During the busiest parts of the night, travelling from one room to another took about half an hour (an exaggeration ... well, perhaps not).

The Score: The first thing I noticed upon arrival was the queue. Immense. Not since Darklands have I seen anything like it. The second thing I noticed was how young the crowd was. "I'm old enough to be their father," my friend mouthed worriedly. Not that there's anything wrong with a younger crowd - I love kiddies. Patronizing tone not intended! I truly believe they are very cute and very funky. And they all seem to disappear at 3am, just when the old fuddy-duddies are starting to arrive.

Post-midnight saw the Solar Dance Area teeming with bodies and pounding to the hardest acid ever known to man, courtesy of DJ Rudeboy. A bit harsh for me, but that's because I'm an old fud. With everyone banging around like nutters, it was quite a surprise when Tatsuyoshi Kawabata quietly emerged on stage around 2am - and what a contrast! Serene. Precise. Immaculate. This man has an uncanny likeness to an exquisitely-made robot . Now, I've always had reservations about many electronic music and guitar collaborations - much of it is mere shite - but what I saw was Jim Pattinson mutating quivering guitar licks into beautiful, peculiar noises, noises that wove in and out of the dream-like ambient breaks created by Kawabata. It was great just to stand and watch, and that's what many did - some appearing quite bemused. I can tell what they were thinking - probably, "Shit man - we want bang bang man!" Wake up. DJ Neuro-Flapjack appeared straight after and gave us the hard trance that he promised; the main floor was packed and jumping all night, while monsters on stilts stood on people and cars spun through the air (great exhibit)!

The international acts were great but nothing prepared me for the sheer, mind-blowing, ultra-funky brilliantness of I.A.M. Fookin' 'ell! Their electro breaks burnt with shit-hot acid and beats that were crazier and madder than Chopper Read. For an hour, it felt like the heavens had opened and funk-assed rhythms were just falling out of the sky. Although that could have been the drugs. I was in melt-down (pun).

And what can I say about Jason Midro's set- The guy zooms in at 7am after doing innumerable sets around the city, effortlessly hits us with a long-lost old skool set and instantly wins the hearts of every raver in the place. "Go" by Moby, "Total Confusion", (which, after all these years, still makes me dance like a spazzy) and Ultra-Shock's "Sound of E" were some of the tracks that received roaring approval from the grinning, yelling, dancing faithful. And to close off - the best morning track ever created, in my opinion - the uplifting, emotional and beautiful "Love Stimulation," by Humate. Grown men have been known to weep to this tune. Aww...

Every Picture - as per usual, stunning decor, great venue, great local acts. Welcome back to Melbourne, M.U.D!

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