One of the keys to having a great time at The Hoxton (or any venue) is to ensure you arrive promptly. Arriving early means you swiftly move through the queue, have a smooth transition at the coat check and can feel out the vibes before you claim your spot on the dance floor. This is easy when you are riding solo for the night and only have to worry about yourself. What’s worse is rallying your party crew early to celebrate your birthday. Happy belated champagne birthday, Natalia!
We all arrived minutes before 11 p.m. as Matt Zanardo was on the decks warming up the crowd. The music was loud, bass was pumping, and bodies were moving on the dance floor. The track selection not only caught you off guard, which is a great thing, but also kept you moving. This would become the staple of the night. Nothing is worse than walking into an event already knowing what will be played. Of course, you have the artist’s tracks, a few well-known singles under the wide EDM umbrella, and the random songs to fill the remainder of the set list. The great thing about Melbourne Bounce is the versatility of track selection given to the DJs. Electro, Mainroom, Trance, dance classics, Rock & Roll and Alternative were mixed in the set list. Not once did we, nor did any of the attendees, stop bouncing to the beat.
Amrit claimed the dancing area we would take (front left crew, what up?) while Matt Zanardo enticed the crowd with more surprising favourites. Nelly featuring the St. Lunatics Ride with Me and Bruno Mars‘ Treasure could be heard from the speakers while Natalia met with our contest winner Justin and his guest. Congratulations once again to Justin for winning the meet and greet with Joel! For those who have not had the opportunity to meet Joel Fletcher, you probably don’t realize how tall he is, photos do not do justice. He is also a very sweet, super talented, and his accent doesn’t hurt either. EDM TOR hopes Justin, Kaitlyn and Kurran enjoyed the remainder of their night grooving on stage. From the floor all we could see were smiles.
EDM TOR contest winner Justin with Kaitlyn, Joel and Kurran with his perler bead of Joel’s face. ©2014 EDM TOR
Joel took to the decks just after 1 a.m. By this time, The Hoxton was full of bodies ready to bounce. It was a lot harder to maneuver through the crowd once Joel was on stage. The selection of his set list made anyone who listens to multiple genres very happy, and all you could see were smiles from the crowd once each new track was mixed in. Highlights include Blink-182‘s All the Small Things, Lil Jon‘s Get Low, Zedd featuring Haley Williams Stay the Night, Showtek featuring We Are Loud and Sonny Wilson ‘s Boooyah, and Faithless‘ Insomnia, as well as some of Joel’s own productions including Swing, Mia‘s Bucky Done Gun (Joel Fletcher Remix) and his remix of Missy Elliot‘s Lick Shots.
Not sure if any of our readers appreciate a great parting song but we took our exit to Terror Squads‘s Lean Back featuring Fat Joe and Remy. From the back of The Hoxton you could see everyone swagging out, leaning back over their shoulders. For anyone who missed Joel Fletcher’s debut North American tour they missed out on a great night. It’s cliche to say but we danced from the time we arrived and danced right out the door. The mixture of different genres throughout the night backed by Melbourne Bounce signature elements: huge bass lines, bottom heavy filters, and rampant, hard-hitting rhythm sections made for one solid dance party! We have had a bounce in our step ever since the night ended and wish Joel Fletcher a fantastic time during the remainder of his tour. If you have the chance to catch him in another city, we highly suggest you get there!
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Matt Zanardo
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Tamper Track
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Faulkon
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The Hoxton
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Amrit Sandhu and Natalia Toussaint – EDM TOR
