Ever had one of those moments where everything just makes sense? Where you feel completely comfortable getting down amongst brothers and sisters, brilliant music pumping out all evening, and by the end of it, realising you've just had an epiphany of sorts - I give you Soul of Sydney.
I've been following the Soul of Sydney party train for a while with their lineups of internationally renowned funk/soul/disco dons, always keen to check it out but never having the opportunity. It all changed last Sunday when I joined hundreds of disco heads down at Flyover bar at Wynyard for Soul of Sydney's second birthday extravaganza showcasing a man who digs through crates like no other; BBE's Kon.
And so it was on a bleak Sunday afternoon, grey skies threatening to dampen what would be much better suited to a sunny one, I headed into the city for pre-drinks with a Alex and Nat. A few beers later at Harts (that Empress, good lord almighty what a beer!) and the mood was good, we were more than ready for what we expected to be a fantastic evening.
After a bit of a scare trying to find the party (the front entrance to the venue was closed), and a bit of help from Phil Taouk (long time SOS resident DJ), we arrived not, to the dance floor frenzy that I'd heard so much about, but it was still early, time to get a few more beers down us. The small courtyard below the Westpac building began to fill up with a crowd super diverse, the likes of which I'd never seen at a music gig in Sydney. Old and young formed impromptu dance troupes, preaching love above all else, love for life, love for each other, love for the music.
It only took an hour or so before the place was heaving to funk classics, such as this instrumental edit of J.B's 'Papa's Got Brand New Bag', so starting a trend to the night, hearing the songs that we all know and love, but the edits that made you wanna get down to the nearest record store and find them.
Several soul trains later, it was time for Kon, I couldn't kick the anticipation.
If there is one word I can use to describe the skills of Kon it would have to be immaculate. Whilst not demonstrating all that much technical flair, his selection is second to none. Having been to mostly house gigs up til now, my understanding of a DJ's selection of tunes on any given night is - start with some bangers, then after about half an hour work your way into some filler, songs that keep the beat yet don't match the intensity, before heading back into some bangers and repeating this until the end of your set where you play a medley of all your best songs. Kon went through hit after hit after hit stirring up a frenzy the likes of which I'd never seen before.
If there is one word I can use to describe the skills of Kon it would have to be immaculate. Whilst not demonstrating all that much technical flair, his selection is second to none. Having been to mostly house gigs up til now, my understanding of a DJ's selection of tunes on any given night is - start with some bangers, then after about half an hour work your way into some filler, songs that keep the beat yet don't match the intensity, before heading back into some bangers and repeating this until the end of your set where you play a medley of all your best songs. Kon went through hit after hit after hit stirring up a frenzy the likes of which I'd never seen before.
At about nine o'clock we were informed by the silence from the speakers that the night was unfortunately over. It goes without saying that for hours after the buzz remained, causing it to dawn on me that this night would be a pillar in my musical journey through life. I'm not necessarily saying that this will be the same for you, but for someone who enjoys music with soul, that chunky funk, it's always special when you find a people, a place, an event that sees the world the same way you do.
Make sure to check out Soul of Sydney for upcoming events and other shenanigans.
www.facebook.com/soulofsydney
www.soundcloud.com/soulofsydney