Wet:006 - Saturday July 28th 2001

The first thing that was inviting about this cold Saturday night in Melbourne, was the short walk from 'The Inn' to Storey Hall that was in front of our crew (Sam, Nat, Wifie and I) on our way to Wet 006. Preparation is an important part of a good night out, tonight it involved meeting for a few drinks and some pre-tunez before the main event. After an hour of Calvin Tang's CD (still getting over Tranzfusion's 6th B'day) we put the responsibility on Sam to fasten up the tempo and prepare us for the onslaught that we've all come to know and love in Wet Music.

We arrived at Story Hall around 2:00am to a considerable line. This always bothers me at a pre-sale event as maybe it's just me, but you don't pay upfront to be out front. Lucky for us Wifie was in a confronting mood and took this up with the bouncers who were quite friendly enough to let us through. The next aim was to get up those stairs. Those trying to get up were met by those coming down to the second level (toilets), and the kiddies on their way for a 'puff' outside. The event was strictly an all ages no smoking no alcohol event. So even though there was an adult area dedicated for a chill and/or a smoke, the liddle kiddies had to cram their way down those stairs and out through the main entrance (2:00am against the flow of traffic) for their hit of nicotine. Once upstairs though, the room available to move and groove pleasantly surprised me.

By running an all age party Wet Music is targeting the future of the Melbourne techno scene. Already I have referred to the liddle kiddies at the party but I must say the fresh faces (at the start of the night) and the colour it provided was a feature that added to the overall energy of the party.

First up for me on the dance floor (around 2:30am) was the only participating member of the WET Duo on the night Mr Simon Digby (the question still to be answered… where was Will E Tell--). It had been a while since I'd seen Simon play and was not at all disappointed. His relationship with the crowd both on a musical and energy level was amazing… dropping tracks such as Deetron's - 'Don't Know Why' and at some points slowing the speed of his tracks right down, then waving his arms to the crowd, before bringing it back up to the roar of the punters. This level of crowd interaction combined with the visuals from Scott Zero (Chroma) ranging from car racing (special mentions to Nat and her ute) to dancing skeletons, ensured that not a moment passed where my feet weren't moving or my eyes looking at the many sights projected around the room.

Following Simon was the man of the moment Ben Sims. His intro included spectacular visuals of rain being projected behind the decks, and this effect was used throughout his set when he wished to make the point of a defining moment to the crowd. His tracks took us through groove stimulated genres within techno itself, with flexing industrial levels of bass that kept the crowd moving to the beat the whole time, dropping in funky ass tracks such as Dave Clark - 'The Compass', and finishing with Andrew McLoughlin's - 'Love Story', a wet music favourite.

It was then time for me to spend some time in the 18+ only chillout room to loosen up before checking out one of my favourite DJ's since he's moved to Melbourne, Eric Powell. Unfortunately 1 hour of chats chilling with a group of friends turned into 3 and before I knew it not only had Eric Powell finished, but Simon Coyle was making way for Steve Douglass. For me this meant home time even though I would of loved to stay to hear some of Steve's acid loops. For those acts on earlier in the night special mention must go to Alpharisc who, from talking to many a punter, was their overall highlight.

Personally as a punter who is always eager to be educated by a set, it pleased me to see Ben Sims in Melbourne and especially at an all ages' party. For the whole crowd (young and old) to experience his funky d Tags

• Wet Music
• wet 006
• Ben Sims