Review: One More Time at The Court

One More Time at The Court
w/ Norman Jay MBE, Roni Size, DJ Nu-Mark, Charlie Bucket
Sunday, March 10, 2024

With Ambar gone (but not forgotten) and Breakfest now a legend of the past, local party promoters and lovers of good times, Boomtick, have found a new niche with their One More Time events. A semi-regular, intimate day party that’s about quality, not quantity. Not so huge as to be called a festival—just a well-curated selection of internationals on the decks, with some of our best local talent in support.

This (one more) time they outdid themselves with a stellar lineup—a perfectly complementary trio of deadset legends and masters of their craft. All distinctly talented and unique DJs, sharing a love of beats and bass, and all things fun and funky.

DJ Nu-Mark of legendary LA hip hop collective and Perth favs, Jurassic 5, is a legend in his own right as a turntablist extraordinaire, producer, consummate showman, and mash-up specialist, famed online for his trademark Zodiac Tracks video mix series, featuring artists of only one particular astrological sign.

Joining Mark was Roni Size, a bona fide UK drum ‘n’ bass legend. The Jamaican-English pioneer blazed a trail through the underground in the late ’90s with his live project, Reprazent, incorporating jazz influences and live instrumentation.

And headlining the good times, another Perth favourite—an esteemed gentleman, elder statesman of northern soul, godfather of rare groove, international treasure, the one and only Mr. Norman Jay MBE. He always brings the vibes with his incredibly eclectic record collection, large hat and sunglasses, and ability to throw almost anything in the mix, as long as it makes you boogie. Since the early days of hosting Vibes On A Summer’s Day at Fremantle Arts Centre back in the late ’90s, Norman has been a regular visitor with his own Good Times brand.

Before the amazing trifecta of headliner heroes, the early crowd got down to The Court from 3pm to enjoy some of our own local legends repping on the decks. Perth veteran DJ Royce started off proceedings nicely with some classic hip-hop and chilled, funky beats before handing over to Charlie Bucket, who really started to get things warmed up. As the crowd grew steadily, Charlie worked his magic to entice people onto the dance floor with his golden ticket to good times.

Whether it’s a tropical remix of the Jackon 5’s I Want You Back, into Eric B. & Rakim’s classic Paid In Full, or a taste of Grandmaster Flash’s The Message, mixed with finesse, Charlie again showed his versatility as a selector, a scene stalwart and man about town who always picks the perfect tunes for the occasion. He is as comfortable playing a gig like this as he is playing a disco house gig, Afro-beat, funk, or hip-hop show, with his deep crates and knowledge.

Round 5pm Nu-Mark stepped up, and after getting settled in, dropped Jurassic 5’s classic jam What’s Golden, which immediately got things poppin’. The mixmaster never rested long, constantly mashing up tune after tune with deft skills. Anyone who follows his zodiac mixes would not be surprised by his prowess on the 1s and 2s. He dropped a wide range of killer tunes into his party blender at breakneck speed, scratching and cutting his way through classics like KRS-One’s Sound of da Police, Souls of Mischief’s 93 ‘Til Infinity, Jay-Z’s Dirt Off Your Shoulder, Passin’ Me By by The Pharcyde, fellow LA legends who were just in town themselves, his other old mate DJ Shadow’s timeless track Organ Donor, and even a token spin of Men At Work’s Land Down Under. It was all killer—no filler! He even got on the mic to check in with us occasionally. “You feeling good, Perth?” Judging by the response, we indeed were.

A brilliant party DJ to get the night fired up and one who likes to play around a bit, Nu-Mark has all sorts of tricks in his bag. The only criticism of his set would be that, due to the frenetic pace of his mash-up style, it was hard to get into the groove at times, and some classic songs could be left to play a bit longer before cutting to the next one. However, it keeps this exciting and is technically impressive with the twists and turns the set takes. Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams came outta nowhere and went down a treat, and he pulled off an amazing, unexpected mix, blending the ominous sounds of Darth Vader’s Imperial March straight into ’90s one-hit wonder, White Town’s Your Woman. An incredibly random but somehow perfect mash-up.

Dead Prez’ Hip Hop and The Fugees’ Ready Or Not wrapped up an incredible tour de force set as Roni Size stepped up and the two traded tunes for a bit before Roni took us on a journey in a different direction as lush, jazzy drum ‘n’ bass sounds filled the courtyard.

Groove Armada’s Superstylin’ got a big rewind as Roni reminisced on the mic about Perth tours past, such as his legendary sets at the Big Day Out Boiler Room and Good Vibrations. The man took us on a tour through history, dropping many familiar and notable tunes, none more iconic than Brown Paper Bag with its double-bass thrum.

He let things play out a bit more towards the end of his set, spinning more liquid d’n’b sounds that were real nice to dance to. A With a nod to his Bristol buddies, he dropped a super cool remix of Massive Attack’s Unfinished Sympathy.

Just after 8pm Roni handed over to Norman Jay, announcing him as “the man with many hats, Mr. Good Times himself,” before embracing him and saying, “The last show brother, we’re gonna miss ya.” All three acts truly seemed to be enjoying themselves together on this, the last show of the tour. Norman picked up what Roni was putting down, launching into a more pumping set than his normal vibe, keeping it on the level, much to the crowd’s delight.

Before long, though, Norman started diving into his more trademark leftfield gems and rare grooves that all somehow worked in the context of his set. His effortless mix-mastery and deep musicology were on full display as he wove tracks into the mix like only he can, including classics such as the early Prince track I Wanna Be Your Lover, Ray Charles’ Hit The Road Jack, or a sublime mash-up of James Brown’s Get On Up and Stardust’s French House classic Music Sounds Better With You. And he still loves to get on the mic too. “Perth! It’s been four long years… So great to be back again!”

It was actually one of the hardest sets you’re likely to hear from Norman, incorporating a fair bit of hard, bouncy drum ‘n’ bass, including a wicked remix of The Specials’ Ghost Town and another bizarrely brilliant mash-up of Soft Cell’s Tainted Love, put together with Bob Marley’s Is This Love—love was in the air! He wound things down with the lush house sounds of Kings of Tomorrow’s Fall For You before bidding us farewell fittingly with Sister Sledge’s We Are Family.

A truly special night featuring three legends, who each brought their own unique talent and complimentary vibes to the party and seemed to have a great time touring together—the love and respect between them was tangible, and this feeling extended to all the long-time fans in the crowd. It was a wonderful evening of soulful beats and good times.

ALFRED GORMAN