We all knew it was going to be big. We all knew that the Family was coming for Sydney. What I don’t think any of us were prepared for was exactly how big and how significant this event was going to be, beyond just the evening of the party itself. It’s safe to say that Midnight Mafia was the beginning of a new age in the Sydney rave scene.

For starters, it was the first large scale overnight event held in years. For the older ravers it was a glorious return to the ‘good old days’ of the 9-6, a tribute to a time they missed. For the younger ones, it was a fresh, exciting experience they may not have had before. For me, it was a bit of both. My very first raves were technically speaking overnight events (Showtek at the Hordern, the very last Utopia at Sydney Olympic Park), but at that time that era of the scene was dying and that style of event pretty much petered off around then. I had experienced that old style of event, but it was so long ago, and I’d missed some of the best parties due to age/not living in Sydney. So, Midnight Mafia was still something unique for me to experience.

And what an experience it was. I’d been to the venue before for other parties, all trance and house. HSU managed to transform the space into something completely different though, so I felt like I’d never been there. A huge, roughly square space was available, encouraging people to roam and run and play. The stage was a huge glittering fortress of metal, screens and lights. Every now and then huge pillars of smoke would billow up, towering over the whole thing. The LED screens peered out from sections of the framework, giving the impression that the skin of a the whole thing had been peeled away to reveal the inner workings beneath. When you stood in the middle of the crowd, it was hard not to be overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the entire thing. I tried to find a comparison, something already in existance that could describe the vision before me. Put simply, there was none. The set up at Midnight Mafia was simply incomparable to anything. If the stage alone didn’t do it for you, than the lasers certainly would. Being indoor made it possible to use more than the usual green lasers, meaning spectators were dazzled by lights and lasers of every colour of the rainbow.

No matter where I walked, it seemed spacious and comfortable, even with the event full to its 8000 capacity. There was a huge amount of space to roam and relax outside as well, with plenty of seating, toilet and eating facilities available. There was even a slingshot ride open, for those who were brave enough or not bothered by the rain.

Inside or out, the energy levels were high and there was a sense of joy from the very beginning. People were just happy to be there, happy for the experience. When I was in line for a drink, two girls introduced themselves and upon discovering I was wearing lace up boots, quickly made themselves busy entwining glowsticks into the laces of my shoes. I admitted to one of them I was short sighted and couldn’t read the menu, so she read everything out to me so I was able to pick a drink. Just about every time I made eye contact with anyone they would smile and reach out for either a hug or a handshake. At one point, when I was outside smoking, a group of cheerfully rowdy guys started an impromptu dance circle, singing the tune to ‘Zombie Nation’. Within seconds, everyone within a couple metres was singing along and people were running from every direction to join in. It was that kind of party.

Now, when I go to a big event, I have a bit of a system. I arrive and the first thing I do is buy a drink, do a lap to figure out the layout and then try to meet up with people I want to catch up with, before getting stuck into my own adventure for the evening. By the time I’d done all of this, it was time to for the first international act of the evening: Italian babe Stephanie.

I’ve seen Stephanie play a couple times now, and I definitely think that the set she played at Midnight Mafia was my favourite out of all the times I’ve seen her. I realised that when she dropped ‘Sicknite’, Stephanie was really setting the bar for the evening as far as energy and mood went. She certainly seemed to be caught up in the spirit of it all, jumping on the mic a couple times to call out to the crowd in her gorgeous Italian accent, which was so very fitting considering the theme of the event. Euphoria levels hit an all time high when Stephanie moved into ‘Karma is a Bitch’, people whooped and raised their hands in the air before dissolving into a frenzy of clapping.

Up next were the Loan Sharks, Norwegian duo Da Tweekaz. These guys definitely had the hookup the crowd needed. I have never seen these guys play a bad set, and Midnight Mafia was no exception. From pulling out a bag of potatoes they snuck into the event (a reference to the ‘Bring a Potato to Midnight Mafia’ prank that went viral), to opening with their Reverze 2014 edit of ‘Bad Habit’, these guys were on point from the very beginning. They played with their characteristic sense of good humour and energy and the crowd responded accordingly, joining together for the ultimate sing-a-long when Da Tweekaz dropped their ‘Frozen’ Disney Tool. They kept the bangers coming with their 2015 Reverze bootleg of ‘Hanging Tree’, ‘Hewwego’ and old crowd favourite ‘Gangsta’. It was easy to see why so many people had said Da Teekaz were the act they were most keen for.

As they finished their set, I made a quick run for the VIP bar, keen to avoid a long line so I could grab a drink before the next act started. Making my way through the crowd, I was really struck by the sense of euphoria. People were dancing like they didn’t have a care in the world, feeding off of one another’s high spirits. It was infectious, I couldn’t wipe the grin from my face. I felt like I was in the middle of a rave carnival.

I just made it to the bar when Tuneboy started his set, opening with his dancefloor killer ‘Bulletproof’. Now this track is a Sydney favourite, due to it being a collaboration between Tuneboy and much loved local MC D, and it went down a treat. I am glad I had a VIP ticket at that moment, because I couldn’t help but bust some moves when it got dropped and having the extra space to move was really good. The crowd was quickly coaxed into an ‘ozzie ozzie ozzie’ chant to build the energy levels before Tuneboy dropped into his and Technoboy’s masterpiece ‘Contrast’. The moment in his set that really got me going was hearing his remix of The Raiders’ ‘A Feeling’. It’s a track that has such a classic sound and always gets me in the best mood. Only one moment in that entire set topped it for me: when Tuneboy dropped ‘Devotion’. One of my favourites, ‘Devotion’ is a huge track and could really be considered a modern day hardstyle anthem. I felt such a sense of happiness upon finally hearing it played by Tuneboy himself, bathed in mesmerising pink lights and lasers. On stage, the LED screens showed a live camera projection of Tuneboy himself, who looked like he was having just as much fun as us on the dancefloor.

Up next was one of my personal favourite artists: Tatanka. Now, this guy’s earlier music is some of the first stuff I can remember listening to when I originally got into hardstyle. As such, I view him with a lot of fondness. Up first was crowd pleaser ‘Shine Again’ . He charged into his set full throttle with ‘Wild Wild West’, and Zatox’s hardstyle bootleg of ‘Let’s Get Fucked Up’, satisfying those who’d been craving a slightly edgier sound. I got my nostalgia fix with ‘Tokyo’ one of those ‘first tracks’ I mentioned earlier. Tatanka paid homage to his music partnership with Zatox once more by playing Wild Motherfuckers’ classic track ‘Fuck It Up’.

There was no reprieve for the crowd though, with the Godfather Technoboy taking the stage after that. From the very beginning, I was dazzled by both the intense array of pink and green lasers that filled my field of vision for the duration of his set, and the way he managed to churn out banger after banger. From ‘Phases’ (TBY Romantic Mix), to ‘Rage’ and ‘Vanilla Sky’, Technoboy’s set just ticked so many boxes for me and everyone else, if the cheering was anything to go by. ‘Vanilla Sky’ in particular drew a big reaction as a few people had started a bit of a campaign to get it played, messaging Technoboy directly to request it.

Thinking I had a bit of time, I ducked outside for a cigarette. I’d barely had half when I heard another crowd favourite, ‘Dragonborn;. With a jolt, I realised that had to mean the next act was up: Headhunterz. This was the evening for smoking it seemed, I threw my cigarette to the ground and ran inside.

Now, whilst old Headhunterz is one of my nostalgic favourites, I have to admit I’ve not a fan of his newer, slowed down sound. That said, his track selection was excellent, if a bit predictable. Some of my favourites such as ‘Reignite’ and ‘Last of the Mohicanz’ were played, as well as Frontliner’s bootleg of Macklemore track ‘Can’t Hold Us’. One really great thing to note about watching a Headhunterz set is how passionate the crowd becomes. Regardless of where you sit on the whole issue, he’s an artist who’s been playing for a long time and has a big fan base. Every time I’ve seen him play, he’s really whipped the crowd into a frenzy. At Midnight Mafia, he kept everyone entranced with his energy, jumping on the decks and approaching the crowd during his set. Regardless of how I felt about his new musical direction, I was impressed as always with his chemistry with the crowd.

Technoboy and Tuneboy, AKA TNT, played after Headhunterz. In my earlier interview with these two, they’d described their sound as ‘pure energy at 150 bpm’, and I’d say they nailed it with that description. It seemed that regardless of style, everyone’s sets this party was about energy. The crowd was on such a high from the moment the two Italians stepped on stage, they did a beautiful job of keeping the crowd at that level the whole way through, dropping bangers like ‘Skinner’. I couldn’t help but go a little bit crazy myself when the two of them dropped some older classics like ‘Tritolo’ and ‘Double Dutch Darkies’. Amazing artists in each of their own rights, Technoboy and Tuneboy are definitely a force to be reckoned with when together.

After TNT’s set, the evening took a darker, more intense turn with the arrival of hardcore champions Angerfist and Miss K8. I was excited to see Angerfist as he’s a firm favourite of mine, and I was keen for Miss K8 because I’d never seen her, and I’m always keen to support female artists in a pretty male dominated genre. Whilst I’d enjoyed the music I’d heard so far, I had developed a musical itch over the course of the evening that only a good, healthy dose of hardcore was going to fix. That itch got scratched very well indeed with their set. I heard tracks I loved, such as ‘Incoming’ and ‘Just Like Me’, which I cheerfully howled the lyrics to. I discovered a new favourite in ‘Full Gentle Racket’, a track from Angerfist’s most recent album which I’d previously been unaware of. I probably looked pretty ridiculous for the duration of that set, standing backstage within view of all the artists, doing my best to do a half decent hakk in knee high boots. I just couldn’t help myself, I was enjoying the set too much to care.

The mood changed dramatically once more with the next act, Hixxy, starting. Representing the bubbly, euphoric sound of UK hardcore, Hixxy played a massive set full of gems like ‘Sacrifice’ that really appealed to any of the older ravers and passionate happy hard fans. There was a lot on offer for the newer generation of fans too, with Hixxy putting a modern twist on his set by dropping more recent edits of classics, like Darren Styles’ 2014 version of ‘Come Running’ and ‘Save Me’. Part way through Hixxy’s set, something really special happened, Da Tweekaz jumped on stage with Hixxy for his remix of their track ‘Break The Spell’. The set was pure emotion and euphoria from beginning to end, and everyone looked ecstatic. It really is one of the best parts of UK hardcore, just how carefree and happy everyone looks when it’s played.

The evening (or should I say morning by that point) came to an equally light-hearted end with Kid Finley jumping on the decks for a quick 25 minute set. When it came to an end, we were all faced with the uncomfortable realisation that the festivities were over, and we all needed to go face the outside world. Walking out into early morning sunlight was not a pleasant experience, particularly when faced with a number of tradesman wondering around Olympic Park. After spending several hours in a dark room with thousands of ravers with loud music playing, I felt ill prepared for interacting with the normal world. I found the first available cab and made for home.

Along the way, I got to thinking. HSU had certainly come a long way since it’s beginning, from 500 person club gigs at the Gaffe, to a sold out 8,000 capacity crowd at Sydney Showgrounds. I’d been to six or sevem HSU events, and it seemed like they improved and grew with each successive party. The commonly held belief in the scene was that we’d never see large scale overnight events again, that Sydney Showgrounds would never agree to host another rave. And yet, somehow, Midnight Mafia had proven both those beliefs false. We’d come full circle, but at the same time had started on a brand new path. It dawned on me that HSU was going nowhere but up, and Midnight Mafia represented the beginning of a new era for our scene.

There’s starting to be a lot of choices available for the Sydney raver. For a long time, I felt like there were a couple of serious contenders when it came to our scene, and as such there was only so far we could go. With the rise of HSU, and the continued expansion of other established promoters, there’s bound to be some serious competition. This means nothing but good things for the punters, with each organisation constantly doing it’s best to expand and deliver better quality parties.

HSU has already raised the stakes with the announcement of their next event, Shadows of Wonderland. Judging by the flyers, this event is going to have a darker, fantasy theme and is already proving to be highly talked about. It’s hard not to be excited when you consider what a promising time it is for Sydney’s rave scene. I can’t wait to see how this year unfolds, especially when I know we’ve got organisations like HSU helping lead the charge.

For all things HSU, hit up their official Facebook page.
To stay up to date with their upcoming party Shadows of Wonderland, check out the event page.