Disco lives.
On a rainy, sweltering afternoon (1 February) in Melbourne, Bourke Street Courtyard was a heaving, sweaty mass of bodies both young and old, getting down to the finest disco and house tunes provided by one of the best in the business.DJ, producer, remixer and Z Records label owner Dave Lee, who under numerous monikers including Jakatta, Raven Maize, Doug Willis and his best known, Joey Negro, has been a tour de force on the global house and disco scene for decades, made a welcome return to Melbourne in what was an absolutely belting four-hour set.
The extended set time allowed Lee the opportunity to dig a little deeper into his formidable back catalogue and, from start to finish, it was hands-in-the-air, smiles-on-faces, body-moving music that hit the spot.
Joey Negro @ Bourke Street Courtyard - image via Facebook
As a compiler of forgotten and obscure disco, soul and funk releases, Lee is arguably without equal.
His 'Remixed With Love' series has positioned itself as the industry-leading mix series, seeing Lee secure the original master tapes of classic disco and soul tunes that are then remixed for contemporary dance floors. As such, it was unsurprising to hear cuts from the three-part series feature heavily throughout his set.
Lee’s remix of Fatback Band’s 1975 soul stomper '(Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop' was a crowd pleaser, as was Gwen McCrae’s 'Keep The Fire Burning' and George Benson’s 'Love Ballad', which created one of many moments throughout his set.
And that’s how it went all afternoon: remixed dance-floor hits from the '70s and '80s interspersed with more contemporary house tunes, lapped up by a knowledgeable, respectful crowd.
His 1999 cut and modern classic 'Must Be The Music' got a good working, as did 'He Is', the deep house mid-noughties gem recorded by Lee’s Sunburst Band.
Such an atmosphere in the main room did come at the expense of the second room, however, where locals bravely built a following on the back of classics like Snap’s 'Rhythm Is A Dancer' and Depeche Mode’s 'Just Can’t Get Enough'.
It was in the courtyard, though, where Lee was able to whip the crowd into a frenzy on the back of tunes like Christopher Cross’s 1980 'Ride Like The Wind'. And when the sounds of Sister Sledge’s 'Thinking Of You' closed proceedings, the roar of the crowd and the smiles on faces told the story – this was an afternoon/ evening to remember.
Hats off to the Novel and Burn City Disco crew. This was a feel-good outing, a well-put-together afternoon and evening that was rammed to the very end.
