When a seasoned DJ crew throws a party, you can pretty much guarantee it’s going to be at the very least a decent party, and when it’s at the Civic Underground, you know it might just be pretty special. Friday the 10th of June was ‘A Human Movement Party’ with support from Sonderr, Nutrition, Tristan Case and Andy Garvey, and it’s safe to say it was a classified banger.
The Civic Underground has a way of throwing you straight into the depths of a party, it might be partly due to the fact that you are immediately greeted by a dancing crowd upon entry or maybe it’s the black & white tiles that scream disco and dancing. Even when it’s the awkward hour and only a few spirited folks (or those who peaked too early) are on the dance floor, there’s a palpable feeling that this is the right place be for a banging night. Whatever it is, for the Human Movement Party, that something was on full blast.
A quick observation of the crowd, and you come to the conclusion that Human Movement attracts a young crowd, a very young crowd, and a very female one at that. Which is interesting considering that techno is undeniably a sausage fest, both on the floor and behind the decks. Having said that tides are turning as programs like FBI’s Dance Class push women to get into the industry, and music blogs cover female producers and DJs with emphasis. Besides, house and techno music was always supposed to be about inclusivity and diversity. But back to the young crowd, which could have just been a result of targeted marketing, but either way, their market exists probably because simply Human Movement play music that, to use a cliché; is just what the doctor ordered.
The night’s music centred around huge, throbbing bass techno that at times the speakers couldn’t handle, which is unusual considering the Civic’s speakers have earned them a reputation for one of the best sound systems in Sydney. Now and then the bass lines would blare, but in the thick of it made for a raw sound. Young revellers want big, pulsating beats that allow them to completely cut loose, jumping around like kids again, and Human Movement provides just that. The parties fit out capitalised on this too, the night’s MC Oscar Solomon, one part of Pilot Co, told attendees on Facebook to expect a decor reminiscent of UFC and a Boiler Room session in Berlin’s club Tresor. And they didn’t disappoint, the dance floor was fenced off with a net, creating a boxing ring for heavy weight tracks to fight it out. I only felt sorry for the security guard that had to keep people from leaning/falling onto the net directly behind the DJs. In terms of a Boiler Room session in Tresor, that’s a little harder to pull off, but it came quite close, especially when you were down in the main dance floor in the thick of it surrounded by a heaving, syncopated crowd, dancing bodies above you in the peripheries.
And of course, this wasn’t just any old party, Human Movement were giving the crowd a taster of their at the time unreleased EP ‘Subcity’ which you can check out below. The techno tracks were huge crowd pleasers, a sign of good things to come for the Sydney crew.
The Human Movement crew know a good party means bangers on top of bangers, who can argue with that, especially when your crowd is young, energetic (both with and without powdery help) and looking for music that makes the floors shake.
Rating: ★★★
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author: Natalia Morawski