Bertie Breaks Down Her Favourite Boiler Room Moments Ahead Of Performing At Sugar Mountain

The 2022 Sugar Mountain Boiler Room is edging closer and closer each day.

This year its heading to Melbourne/Naarm's Seaworks Maritime Precinct on the 26th of February, and will feature, as always an iconic 360 degrees stage in a new, waterside, industrial surrounding location.

The all star lineup includes some of Australia's most exciting underground up and coming talent, to some of the most critically esteemed electronic acts around the world.

It features the likes of Bertie, C.FRIM, Dameeeela, Darcy Justice, HAAi, jamesjamesjames, Kelly Lee Owens and Lauren Hansom.

Sugar Mountain Boiler Room's have brought some of the world's most iconic DJ set moments, including fan favourite sets from the likes of Honey Dijon, Gerd Janson and Project Pablo. 

To get excited for the day, we've recruited Naarm local and favourite Bertie to break down some of her favourite Boiler Room moments over the years. She's not afraid of a big stage, having traded headphones with the likes of CC:DISCO!, DJ Boring, Skin On Skin and Jennifer Loveless, as well as providing mixes for esteemed brands including triple J, Nomad Radio and Area3000. She's become known for her eclectic brand of balearic bright dance music, one that taps into the worlds of disco, Italo and as her sets progress, the chuggier sides of downtempo house music.

"Like most, my first experience of Boiler Room came from online streaming. Popping up in my Facebook feed, these videos became a portal into the energy, vibes, mixing techniques, and most importantly, music DJs were selecting from around the world," Bertie reflects.

"Over the years many sets have stuck with me, but many songs have too. Whether it was first discovering them, re-discovering them, or seeing the way they were used to craft unforgettable moments during a set.

"So with that in mind, and the upcoming Sugar Mountain Boiler Room just weeks away, I’ve selected 5 songs from previous Boiler Rooms that come to mind all these years later."

Rhetta Hughes - Crisis

Kamma & Masalo | Boiler Room x Dekmantel 2019

Was lucky enough to see Kamma and Masalo IRL at Dekmantel. What a b2b. A soulful start that had everyone vibing from the get go. But this particular disco banger—dropped early and with passion—is what did it for me. Kamma came in hot and the crowd loved it.

Agora - Montayo (Mark Grant Club Mix)

CC:DISCO! Boiler Room Sugar Mountain Melbourne DJ Set

Gotta admit, this set is a personal fav, and one of the only mixes I’ve made the effort to load onto my phone for off-the-grid listening. So it’s hard to pick just one, especially with the likes of Easy Going, Nana Tuffour, and Soul Liberation in there. But having been in attendance during this set, this Mark Grant Club Mix of Montayo was a song that slapped. It came out of nowhere and acted as both a peak and a transition into something new. Loved it.

The Story Continues 2017 vs Honey Dijon feat. Cakes Da Killa - Catch The Beat — Marco Lys

Honey Dijon Boiler Room x Sugar Mountain 2018 DJ Set

So many moments from this set have stuck in mind. But the earliest moment that absolutely hit me, along with everyone else in the crowd, was when Honey Dijon layered acapella upon acapella over The Story Continues by Marco Lys, starting with Catch the Beat by Cakes Da Killa, and for the second build up, a Hateful Head Helen acapella. 

Hyperfunk (Vocal Mix) - Antonio

Carista Boiler Room x Dekmantel Festival 2018

This one I streamed from home here in Naarm, so what got me was just how contagious the energy was, even from the other side of the world. This track had the crowd up and about, so much so Carista spun it right back and kicked things off from the top again, with screaming appreciation from the crowd. 

Ata Kak - Bome Nnwom - Obaa Sima (Ghana) 

Awesome Tapes From Africa Boiler Room London DJ Set

Finishing this list off with a set I discovered thanks to the YouTube algorithm. No festival, no crowd. It’s just Brian Shimkovitz playing back to back cassette tapes in a Boiler Room first. This set led me to discover a whole lot of music, including artist Ata Kak. The song Bome Nnwom has a dance energy that lifted the end of the set and had me on Bandcamp straight away.

Words by Parry Tritsiniotis

LISTEN TO NEW MUSIC HERE

SEE ALSO

dameeeela Begins Her Rise To The Top, Releasing Debut Single, 'The Shake Up ft. Tjaka'