Eleven Years Of Chinese Laundry
By Berline Abraham
It was eleven years ago that Chinese Laundry came screaming into the world, and ever since they smacked her pink little arse and handed her over, Sydney’s been better for it. A huge crowd packed into Laundry to celebrate her 11th birthday, and with the help of a wicked line up and a cheesy ‘bling’ theme, the scene was set to get a little trashy and give the birthday girl a night to remember.
Headlining the festivities was heavyweight Anthony Pappa. The Melbourne boy who is now based in the UK was back in the country to show us some new tricks. He played early in the night as the background hum for a sausage sizzle and free drinks for some lucky earlybirds. He stepped down after an hour or so, but came back with a bang to hypnotize the packed Cave later in the night with his seamlessly layered tech house. The room was so crammed you only just had enough room to dance, but that’s all this mob needed.
I popped into the Laundry room just long enough to catch Bag Raiders pumping up the swarm of blissful dancers. They were all so taken by the sounds being driven at them they seemed to be oblivious to mini festival going on in the rest of Chinese Laundry.
Upstairs the Sand Bar was packed to the brim, with bling as far as the eye could see. It was a little tamer than the fanatical bash going on downstairs, which seemed to suit the crowd fine. Part of Chinese Laundry’s appeal is that it caters for almost everyone, with three incredibly different sounds and vibes in each of their three rooms. The Sand Bar dj’s kept the mood fresh by messing with some mainstream songs and adding funky beats to their predictable sound. A first-class remix of Estelle Kanye’s American Boy got the wall flowers off their seats and Dave Nada’s Soulja Boi vs Cream kept them there.
It’s a difficult task staying relevant in Sydney’s ever evolving clubbing scene. Chinese Laundry has not only managed to do this, but they’ve had a momentous impact on the music Sydney has partied to for over a decade.