All was quiet on Bundah Street last Friday evening, Good Friday in fact. The usually buzzing alfresco hotspot was empty and closed up for Easter. The glowing neons of Academy stood out on the quiet street, and like a confused moth I headed straight towards the pretty lights.
Academy Nightclub is a strong supporter of Canberra’s local DJ’s, and this quiet evening was about to get a whole lot louder, as ‘Project XO’ was soon to be initiated. Project XO was an event planned by Academy to showcase three of Canberra’s up-and-coming DJ’s; DJ Eldred, XOXO and The Projectz.
I thought it was quite ambitious of Academy to host a major house party on Good Friday, when most Canberrans are heading to the coast or busy nursing hangovers from the previous night’s effort. As the club remained fairly empty and the set time for local talent DJ Eldred approached, I was starting to feel a bit sorry for the guy.
Then, as if someone upstairs had flicked a switch, the club began to fill up. DJ Eldred started pumping out house favourites, with a glorious emphasized bass that rumbled through your chest and tickled the insides of your lungs. The dance floor was filling up with punters eager to dance to remixes of Foster the People and Benny Bennassi, expertly mixed by DJ Eldred.
The deserted bar had suddenly transformed into a crowded mass of mini-dresses and fluro T-shirts. Academy’s Project XO was well under way. Perhaps a Good Friday house party wasn’t such a crazy idea after all.
After DJ Eldred had coaxed quite a crowd onto the floor with his bass-heavy set he gave up the decks for Canberra duo; XOXO who launched into their performance with some classic hip hop favourites, blasting the speakers with old school beats from the likes of Fatman Scoop and Lil’ Jon.
The floor was swamped by patrons, and as the night progressed XOXO lifted us from the ghetto to techno, whipping out old dance favourites from the Bloody Beetroots and Alex Guandino.
XOXO’s varied song choice kept the dance floor powered-up and packed. At one point, three beach balls were thrown into the crowd, along with a shower of ribbons and confetti, enhancing the house party experience.
The set list; crammed with current chart toppers, mixed in with some classic club anthems, was surely bringing back old memories, as well as creating some new ones.
Soon it was time for XOXO to step aside and make way for the Canberra DJ trio; The Projectz, who were itching to show Academy a thing or two about house music.
Though it was already pushing 2.30am, the dance floor remained packed as ever. The three Canberra lads laid down some big tracks, slightly more experimental in their sound. The Projectz interspersed their electro-house music with just the right amount of dubstep, satisfying those who were craving something a little more heavy as the night wore on.
The Projectz kept Academy pumping well into the early morning, and when I had finally decided to call it a night and re-emerged onto the deserted Bundah Street, I could still hear the bass echoing off the buildings.
It’s safe to say that Academy’s Project XO was a success, transforming the quiet Good Friday evening into a loud great Friday night.
Photography by Amy Dunham.
