Judgement Day - Judge Jules @ Seven
Date: Saturday 26th Feb 2000
Venue: Seven NightClub
Post Mortem:
What happens when you invite one of the worlds premier DJs to play in one of Melbourne's smallest clubs- Absolute and utter chaos- - You're completely correct. Judge Jules at Seven - the madness prompt ensued.
By midnight any movement was impossible, the heat - unbearable and the atmosphere charged with anticipation. There were so many people packed into the club that at times it was difficult to discern which body parts belonged to which people. Dancing quickly became restricted to the vigorous wiggling of fingers and toes, and people crazy enough to back into a corner - stayed there.
Luckily for those "fortunate" enough to already be inside, the door was promptly restricted to the trickle of late members and guests. Conditions - however - failed to improve. The ceiling dripped sweat, the bar and the toilets remained unreachable goals and the close confines led to jostling and shoving. It appeared that the situation might soon become unbearable. But then the Judge came on and people ceased to care. He played a lot faster than most had expected.
He played less house than most had expected, and he played more sensationally than most had dared to dream possible. The crowd went completely and irrevocably crazy. If that sound is the reason that clubs like cream and gatecrasher have reached such legendary status - then they deserve every acclaim that they've ever received. There are so many complex levels.
So many threads woven through the music - that it literally carries your mind to wherever you want to go, and it was irresistible. Judge Jules deserved a far larger audience - in a far larger venue, but for those blessed soles granted access to that performance it didn't seem to matter. Clubbers and groovers, young and old - shared grins like watermelon slices and danced like the damned to the world's greatest sounds. It was brilliant. . . . and it's a shame you missed it. It would be unfair to criticize Seven for the conditions - they probably could not have done more - and you have to remember, if you go to see one of the world's premier djs - playing in one of Melbourne's smallest clubs - you have to expect the chaos.