roller in North Perth, Western Australia | Event planner
roller
Locality: North Perth, Western Australia
Address: 459 Fitzgerald St 6006 North Perth, WA, Australia
Website: http://roller.perthdnb.com/home/roller/rollermixes
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21.01.2022 When we celebrated our 20th birthday last year. We were pretty sure that we were the longest running drum & bass night in the southern hemisphere. But it got us thinking... who else is there across the globe who have been pushing drum & bass long term? After a bit of research and asking around, we came across elements based in Boston. These guys have been putting on a weekly drum & bass gig at the same venue every Thursday night since January in 1999. Sound familiar? But unli...ke roller, they have remained weekly since day one. Let that sink in... Every Thursday since 1999... That is, give or take, close to 1100 shows. That is absolutely nuts. Tonight is their 21st anniversary - elements 21st Anniversary w/ Lenore, Fox & Furious. So we'd like to send some love to Lenore and all the crew at Elements and we hope tonight is an absolute blast. And if you happen to be that way anytime, drop on through and buy them a beer or two. <3 Perth drum & bass
20.01.2022 We sat down with Kev ahead of his first ever roller set and had a little chat about the past and what's ahead in 2020... ROLLER: You're a hard man to lock down... for a gig Kev. You got a family or something? KEV: Was gutted to have to turn down Roller for the last twenty years due to family commitments, but finally got a window. I have a five year old daughter and a seven month old boy. Happy days! R: Well it's an honour to have you down for a roller party finally. Thanks for coming down my friend. K: Thank you for having me. I try and get to as many Roller’s as I can so I’m very excited to get behind the turntables for this one and inflict my tastes on the ears of the unwitting public. Should help with bar sales. R: Haha. If you're there, there will be no worries with the bar sales... For those of us who have been living in darkness (see what i did there?) tell us when you first discovered dance music. K: Living in Darkness brilliant. Dance music seemed to always be ticking along in the background for me as a kid. You’d hear tunes on radio or music tv shows and I can remember things like Yello ‘The Race’ and Jolly Roger ‘Acid Man’ catching my ears in the late 80’s in Ireland. To be honest though it really didn’t take hold of me til early 1992 when a good mate Burkey (MC XTC) started hammering our little group with mixtapes. Up until around then it had been mostly rap and hip house he’d been spruiking but all of a sudden it was techno. And I was hooked immediately. R: In the early 90s it wasn't as if you could turn on the radio and hear dance music. Where were you accessing it from initially? K: As I said above it was through mates at school. Year ten we became avid listeners to Rhythm Fix on RTR with Adil Bux, Miggy, Ben Stinga etc. The big one was Beats Per Minute on a Friday night on RTR. It became a ritual. Try and stay awake til 1am and listen to the end of the very unusual ‘Dr Lesbia’ show before the familiar strains of ‘Da da da dancinda da da dancin’ would kick in and the electro sounding intro music and then Colin Bridges slightly insane banter would introduce something so brand new and crazy. It could be anything from Donna Summer to bangin gabber. But it was always interesting. I’d be lying in bed, headphones in, recording on a TDK 90 min tape. Doze off then tape would run out make a noise and wake me up. Flip tape over and record the other side. The show would go from 1am to 6am and most weekends I’d record all of it, then spend the next day editing the best bits and we’d all go to school on Monday eager to discuss what we’d heard. R: Big up Colin Bridges. Legend. Cast your mind back into the haze. Can you remember the first event you went to? K: The first event was Eclipse The Second Phase. Was a go kart centre in either Malaga or Wangara. I distinctly remember getting there around midnight (we’d waited for maps at the Hellenic centre in Northbridge for hours) and being overawed at how big it was. A trance tune called ‘Gravitational Arch of 10’ was playing and it’s an epic tune. Massive sweeps and huge build up. I think the DJ might have been Dj Inn-e-fekt who is now one of my good friends Dobbo. I remember adjusting my gaze through the lazers and smoke and being blown away by the scale of the set up. 25 tv screens at the front, lasers and tyres stacked up all around the outside of the dancefloor. I stayed til around 7am completely sober and it was brilliant. R: Legend has it that you were actually escorted away from a rave pre-party in Northbridge by your Dad. Is this true? K: 100% true unfortunately. My mates will love that this story gets another telling. I was 15. It was January 1993. I was in love with rave music and rave culture but as far as I was concerned I was a fraud as I’d never actually been to a rave. It was summer school holidays between year ten and year eleven and Carl Cox was coming to play Temple of Dreams. I had the flyers all over my bedroom walls. I kept begging my parents to let me go. They were having none of it. All my friends were going. I came up with a brilliant foolproof plan. This is genius. I argued with them once again on the day and after a big strop they left the house and went to do whatever it is middle aged Irish immigrants did in Australia in the early 90’s. Here’s the brilliant bit. I just got changed into my raving gear and walked to Gosnells train station. I caught the train into Northbridge and joined my friends outside James Street nightclub where the ‘pre-rave’ party was taking place and they would be handing out maps. Emboldened by my brilliance I bought a ticket. $25 a decent sum back then. I was over the moon. I was on my way to see Carl Cox right here in Perth. I was so much smarter than my parents... Then, I heard a commotion as the sea of ravers parted and my friends faces turned white. They later described the sight of hundreds of ravers parting as a huge middle aged carpenter with ankle socks lunged though the crowd and grabbed a shocked me by the shoulder. I was escorted bodily through the crowd to my Dad’s work van. The ride back home was one of the quietest of my life. I was gutted. R: Oh man, that is one of my favourite stories. I've met your old man and he's a big unit. I wish smart phones were around for that moment... Now to DJing. Who gave you your first shot on the decks and roughly when was it? Was it love at first spin or did it take a while? K: I basically started mixing once high school was over in 1994. My mates bought decks and we just went round there had a few drinks and started teaching ourselves to mix. We used to go to the Infirmary Nightclub every weekend and I got talking to Jeremy - Mr Whippy (now deceased RIP). We’d talk a bit every week and to be honest I was trying to push for one of my mates to get a set there. At that stage the club had a leaning towards trance and techno and my mate Pat was buying and mixing that style. But Jeremy would ask me about what I was playing. I told him I was into breakbeat hardcore and jungle predominantly. He then asked for a tape. I brought one in the next week. Then the following week he told me I was booked to play a set at the Infirmary. I nearly fell over (I probably did due to the drink anyway). R: Another one of Perth's finest taken too early :( Can you remember your first big gig? Where was it? K: I played the usual house parties and the like but basically it was late 95 at the Infirmary. I went on to a packed club at around 1.30am. I was so nervous. To make matters worse I was following my hero Greg Packer I took over and I think I started with Norman ‘The Big Deal’ which was a 160BPM hard techno tune. Then I sorta worked into more breakbeaty jungle stuff on Formation before settling on breakbeat hardcore on labels like Just Another Label, Impact, United Dance etc. The crowd seemed to like the tunes but to be honest I was too busy crapping myself to enjoy it. But it was great to be ‘off the mark’. My first international was also at the Infirmary and that was Ratty in January 1996. That was a great night too. My first ‘rave’ was Sunday Monday where I got to play on the same lineup as Westbam which blew my mind. R: Now many people also remember you as an MC. Are you a better DJ or MC? K: I think DJ. But that’s not saying much. I definitely enjoy DJing more. I just make noise on the mic and to be honest the old ‘hype man’ routine is so 90’s. R: Not saying you ever fell out of love with dance music, but you really seem to have had a bit of a resurgence of late teaming up with the SOS crew and running a few of your own nights. What sparked the fire? K: So many things. For me I never really wanted to ‘be a DJ’ as such. It was always just an extension of our group of mates going out. It was social. It got to the mid 2000’s and I’d be playing in a club to a full room but no-one I knew. It got a bit lonely. It wasn’t why I got back into it. Plus the music I was getting booked for was different to what I really feel in love with in the early 90’s. I followed the hardcore route in terms of my DJing (at least that’s what I was getting booked to play). I found that I was buying records to play out rather than what I'd enjoy. So I kinda lost interest for a while. Over the intervening years I’d get booked a couple of times a year for ‘old school’ gigs but I felt a fraud. I was playing the same tunes each time but getting worse and worse at mixing them due to lack of practice. Then the SOS parties came along. They were authentic. I met like-minded people that were into the music. I hit forty and my wife surprised me with a brand new digital DJ setup (with a little help from my good mate Rousa). The final piece was another good mate Rob Fender driving me to an SOS party and playing me all these new tunes that really hooked me in again. That was it. Slowly I started buying digital tunes, then they started pressing lots on vinyl. And here I am at forty two years of age with a full blown music and vinyl addiction again. R: Brilliant. Welcome home! What artists are lining your crate lately? Are there any local producers that are really pushing the boundaries of late? K: That is such a great question. Generally speaking there are so many artists killing it on the Kniteforce label (still going 27 years later!) and so many other labels like Innercore, Wislov, Beardy, Heavy Systems Inc, DS1, Ethan Fawkes. Then there are the old artists like Hyper on Experience, NRG, Acen, Ron Wells (Jack Smooth), Luna-C that are pumping out new stuff. On the more Jungle tip Pete Cannon is the absolute don. Using old gear (Amiga’s and Ataris) and his stuff is in demand. Other artists on the jungle tip are Worldwide Epidemic, Tim Reaper. Locally Rob Fender has a great EP coming out on Knitebreed shortly and plenty more in the works. R: You've also started a regular radio show with Rob. What's it called and where and when can we hear it? K: Ah yes, the imaginatively titled ‘Rob Fender and Kev Show’ on Kniteforce Radio. Every week we say ‘We’ve got to think of a good name for that show’ and every week we keep the silly name we have. It’s on Kniteforce Radio kniteforce-radio.com It’s every second Friday at 7pm WST. We try and bully guests into bringing up the standard of the show and in recent weeks we’ve had underground legend DJ Fuxxy and the brilliant newcomer DJ Next Jen join us. R: Anyone in Perth that you want to give a shout out to? K: So many. Firstly thanks to the Roller guys for making an old man very happy. I feel like I’m Morgan Freeman in that film The Bucket List. Obviously my very patient wife Kate and the kids. All the usual Roller crew, looking forward to catching up with everyone for a drink and one last Roller chat. I’m genuinely sad that it’s coming to an end. It’s taken up such a big chunk of all our lives and thanks for staying the distance while everybody else fell by the wayside. Also shout out to all the old ravers who just keep on going. Plus all the new people that keep discovering this awesome music. I hope someone takes the Roller torch and runs with it it will be missed. R: Mate you're a legend. Stoked to have you down and can't wait to have a few light ales with your good self. K: Too kind. Thanks so much. I cannot wait. Although not looking forward to the hangover on Good Friday! Kev's also done up a cracking promo mix for us which you grab on the link: https://tinyurl.com/t8at378 For more of Kev... FB: DJ Kev MC: https://www.mixcloud.com/kevin-nugent/
19.01.2022 Our boy Dart along with some of Perth's finest will be throwing down at the Rosemount Hotel tonight - get along if you like your D&B loud and hefty.
18.01.2022 Ok let's do this! No second chances, make sure it's in the diary so you can get involved. #perthDNBlove
13.01.2022 Our good buddies at Extended Play are starting your weekend off proper with an all local, all vinyl dnb bash! If you are anything like us and have been missing getting out and about. Then jump on the event below and lock your Friday night in. Tix are limited, so don't miss out! SUPPORT LOCAL DnB! event: https://www.facebook.com/events/618574472111727/
09.01.2022 Our good friends at elements in Boston are going in with a livestream from their home at the The Phoenix Landing in Boston. They're doing it super tough over there at the moment, so jump on and show them some love <3 Get on the stream here: https://www.facebook.com/thePhoenixLanding/videos/177309486936664/
07.01.2022 #TBT - Bad Robot aka Ross Deschamp from Zombie Cats & Phetsta seen here in full swing during one of our roller IDOL DJ competition nights. We unearthed some great DJs who went on to become roller regulars and awesome DJs in their own right. Winners included Adam B and now LA based producer and DJ Kito there were also some amazing prizes up for grabs from Kosmic and DJ Factory. Good times... #roller #thelastone
07.01.2022 Wow. For the first time in 20 years our annual Easter party is not going ahead. It feels weird, really weird. But there are things happening right now that are way more important. What is most important is that we are all healthy and doing what we can to make sure this will end sooner rather than later. So please look after yourselves and your family and of course check in on your your party buddies as we want to see you all again. As always the drum and bass community are f...inding ways to keep the music rolling. So check out the local facebook pages and channels and share the love. Stay safe roller
06.01.2022 To celebrate the final roller party we have assembled a line up that we feel represents the last 20 years of roller. DJs that have not only represented the roller sound, but have helped shape drum and bass in Perth. Spread across 3 areas we hope for an amazing celebration filled with the music, friendly faces and roller party good times that we know and love. ... So go tell your friends, polish your dancing shoes and get ready to send off roller in style - Do not miss out on this one! Celebrating 20 years of Perth drum and bass. Forever FREE forever AWESOME #thelastone #roller
05.01.2022 Introducing the newest item in the roller merch range - our Showstopper beret - sleek and unique, it's made from 100% pure merino wool sourced from ethically bred sheep that live in the highest mountains of New Zealand, this is THE item to keep your head warm when you're out raving this winter. Numbers are extremely limited so slide into our DMs quickly if you want one.
05.01.2022 hey team, We have decided that it would be best to postpone our roller Easter Thursday - The Last One party until such time as we can all gather together without reservation or worry about the consequences of doing so. At this time we urge everyone to stay safe, look out for one another and keep an eye on your family and friends who might be struggling to deal with these uncertain times.... <3 roller boys - dart / devo / blend.
