Words: David Class

February 25^th saw Chi Wow Wah Town bring the ruckus to the city with their event titled none other than Chi Wow Wah City. After the cancellation of their annual three-day bush party due to permitting issues, which involves a memorable collaboration of deep house and installation artists, the promotion switched things up with a one-day extravaganza in North Melbourne. Host to the event was The Third Day, an arts and entertainment warehouse venue that is in itself gaining a name in the dance scene as a place to be.

Going from the afternoon into the early morning hours, the 12-hour party featured many of the familiar elements from the raved-about Chi Wow Wah Town bush parties. There was a vegan food stall, an exotic drinks menu and assorted art piece decorations. Wooden structures decked out the event with a massive intergalactic themed mantel above the DJs stage.

An entourage of local and international performers were featured including a line-up of Australian talented producers Jmcee, Uone, Dreems who gave enjoyable, but not greatly distinguishable sets unfortunately. Notables from the international scene included Dave Dinger and German Brigante who were prominent acts of the day. Dave’s set came midway through the day and instantly sent a shockwave through the atmosphere from the get go. His energetic set included rare and experimental house sounds resulting in some off tempo dance opportunities. The same could be said for Mimi Love who gave a memorable set of beats directly before Dave.

Spain’s German Brigante brought the night to an end with a space age and futuristic sounding performance, perfectly accompanying Chi Wow Wah City’s state of the art laser setup. For those who had stayed till the very end, they were treated with coloured lights beaming and reflecting off nearly every surface of the venue. The hundreds that still remained in attendance received an unforgettable final act. Even though the attendees were surely fatigued at this point, the dancing and energy carried on until close. There was a collective sigh as the music finally stopped, calling for an extension of the night.

Photo courtesy: CWWT Facebook

Chi Wow Wah City was a worthy (and substantially cheaper) last minute replacement to the cancelled event. A ‘no pass outs’ rule did make things slightly restrictive though. With the event lasting a half-day, staying within the venue proved to be quite enduring at times with no quieter areas for a break. Also, while The Third Day is an excellent location, its capacity was clearly breached, leaving little room to move around. Overall though, the weather and company permitted a memorable day. Hopefully Chi Wow Wah Town continues their ventures into the city with these mini festivals of sorts.