Words: Lara Pacillo // Photos: Ambrose Foster
Their DJ names are Snoutpop and Nicholas. When they’re not working in hospo in the city, Jayden Pendergrast and Nick Gibson host raves around Adelaide as a part of Redline collective.
“We’re mainly focused on trying to reincarnate the 90s techno scene, when it was just grungy, dirty, in warehouses, or at random little spots,” Jay says.
“We want to incorporate that into this day and age of parties.
“Techno isn’t as hardcore as it used to be, which is what we’re really focused on bringing back.”
Redline raves are held at random spots around town, with a preference for outdoors. Their next event on Saturday January 28 will be held at Skye Lookout for Redline’s first day party.
Teaming up with record label and DJ collective Big Large Recs for the Summit event, Redline are bringing a lineup of six local DJs including Strict Face, Figures in Motion, and Jess.
The BYO event will have a relaxed energy, where the music will have a slight garage focus with influence from Big Large Recs’ sounds.
“You can bring your friends and an umbrella, and lay out little picnic rugs with a few nice wines,” Jay says.
“We’re going to have some couches there. Everyone can hang out, enjoy the view, watch the sunset, and then as the sun comes down, that’s when it will kick into gear a bit more.”
The event will take place on the same date as underground dance project Small City Systems’ night party featuring Berlin’s Different Shades, held at an abandoned theatre in Norwood.
Redline will be working together with Small City Systems by encouraging the day crowd to cruise down to the Norwood event and kick the party on into the night.
“The scene’s really good here like that,” Jay says.
“Everybody loves working together and helping each other out. It’s a very tight knit community.”
And it’s been like this since day one for Redline. They held their first party in December 2021 under the Mile End bridge, where over 400 people showed.
They’ve continued to have great turnouts at events, and their focus on making sure their parties are a safe space — before, during, and after a rave — keeps people coming back.
Choosing spots that are public spaces, positioning speakers away from houses, and calibrating speakers to a respectable decibel, all comes into play. There’s always water and bins supplied, and there’s always a massive clean up after with the goal to leave the space tidier than when they came.
Redline party with the purpose of bringing back the hard and fast techno of the late 90s and early 2000s in Australia that Nick and Jay, who are both in their 20s, grey up on.
“I remember being five to 10 years old, and my mom would be playing old school Dyewitness while vacuuming the house,” Jay says.
“It’s low-key in my blood.”
Nick explains that Adelaide was the techno city in the 90s, and one of the first cities in Australia to introduce the harder, faster techno that originated in Detroit.
There’s been crews who have come and gone over the last few decades with the same purpose as Redline, but covid in particular has caused a slight drop off.
“We’re just trying to reignite that flame,” Jay says.
“It’s still there but it just needs to get more smoke blown into it, and it’ll just blow up again.”
Following the Skye Lookout party, Redline will take over Divide on February 24 bringing UK’s Franck as their first international act, which will be a milestone moment for the collective.
Redline’s primary focus however is to support small and local, where they often open the deck to people who don’t get a lot of airtime. Jay and Nick encourage any DJs who are interested in playing a set to get in touch, no matter how experienced they may be.
“We just love seeing people have a good time, and seeing the looks on their faces when we give them a good set,” Jay says.
“It’s all just for the love, the music, and the party.”
Summit by Redline x Big Large Recs: Skye Lookout, 120 Coach Rd, Skye 5072 // Saturday January 28
