1998 – George Michael arrested in a seedy dunny and US president Bill Clinton admits he had “improper physical relationship” with intern Monica Lewinsky. Sonik 98 turns into a catastrophe as police use a hot dog stand woman to search female punters for naughty tablets. Fatboy Slim releases “You’ve Come a Long way, Baby”. Lots of free kegs drunk at Gravity nightclub. DnB is called Jungle and happy hardcore is still a genre. In a complete upset, local hardcore label Hardline Rekordings wins the inaugural PDMA award for best label, much to the disgust of Hardline fans. Greg Packer begins a long-time reign for best Perth DnB (Jungle) artist and Delerium are at the height of their game. Hardcore still exists.
Best House/Trance DJ: MRW
MRW receives the award for number one house/trance DJ. MRW has been pushing his unique style of tech house/hard techno to the crowds for longer than many DJ’s have been shaving. Many of the years biggest events were also rocked by DJ Puff, often seen along side MRW, coming in a close second.
Best Jungle DJ: Greg Packer
Best Jungle DJ goes to Greg Packer, and this is hardly suprising. Greg’s jungle sets are something that have to be seen to be believed. His scratching and mixing abilities are second to none, and is often regarded as Western Australia’s best DJ.
Best Hardcore DJ: Greg Packer
DJ Greg Packer also takes the number one Perth hardcore position. Although Greg Packer played hardcore rarely throughout ’98, he obviously left an impression on the hardcore fans of Perth.
Best Happy Hard DJ: Kevin
The best happy hardcore DJ undoubtedly goes to DJ Kevin. One of Perth’s original hardcore masters, ’98 saw Kevin play at many parties big and small. Residence at the old Gravity nightclub also allowed Kev to show off his DJ’ing ability and wicked selection of tracks.
Best MC: Kevin
The number one MC award goes to MC Kevin, and playing at just about every party in ’98 it’s hardly suprising. Reviews throughout the year have shown Kevin to not only have an excellent MC and DJ’ing ability, but a unique skill of working the crowds into a frenzy as only Kev knows how to do it.
Best Radio DJ: Echoic
Best radio DJ goes to Echoic. Echoic played a lot of drum’n'bass and jungle through out ’98, conveniently as Perth was riding the jungle wave. Always pushing something new, and winning the crowds over with his cool but confident on-air attitude, Echoic is sure to keep his regular radio show on RTRFM’s Full Frequency rocking the people of Perth for some time to come.
Best Radio Show: Full Frequency
Full Frequency takes the number one radio show. One of RTRFM’s original dance music programs playing a huge variety of styles, giving the people of Perth something to listen to during the afternoon every weekday.
Best non-club Venue: Embassy Ballroom
Best non-club venue goes to the Embassy Ballroom. This one has been around for awhile and certainly offers loads of space and excellent facilities for the larger scale events. Coming in second was the Gilkinson Dance Studio; a massive two-story venue with lots of potential, although many HYPNOSIS visitors felt it did not have the same atmosphere as the Embassy Ballroom.
Best Nightclub: Globe
Best nightclub was won by Globe. A massive overhaul of the club and the creation of the Globe Entertainment Complex including Detour and the new Gravity during ’98 boosted this clubs profile hugely amongst the Perth clubbing population. Globe also plays host to many special events both national and international. The old Gravity nightclub also fared well, providing Perth with a regular dose of hardcore, until it was closed late in ’98.
Best Record Shop: Central Station
Central Station Records wins the number one record store with ease, offering a large selection of music, clothing, DJ accessories, and just about anything related to dance music, including tickets for almost every event in Perth.
Best Local Record Label: Hardline Rekordingz
Hardline Rekordingz taking the number one local record label? Probably the last thing Hardline fans want to hear! Hardline specializes in releasing especially hard and dark tracks from a variety of different artists, everything from 200+ BPM gabba to the darker side of drum’n'bass makes this label a little different from other typical Perth offerings
Best Event: Sonik ’98
Sonik ’98 was undoubtedly the biggest event of 1998, and also received the most votes. This event was truly massive, with five huge tents catering for all musical tastes electronic, at probably the most original outdoor venue of ’98. Unfortunately the authorities closed this one down a little early at around 3am, but the crowd almost 5000 strong was anything but disappointed with the event as a whole.
Best Flyer: Sonik ’98
Sonik ’98 also takes the number one flyer. Eupho Spug creates many of the most creative flyers seen in Perth, and while the Sonic flyer was a little different to Eupho Spugs usual offerings, it is sure to be plastered on just about every bedroom wall of Perth’s flyer collectors.
Best Promotion Team: Delirium
Best promotion team is awarded to Delirium Promotions. With its hugely popular regular line up of events, and its large-scale events bringing out some of the world’s biggest names, Delirium received an overwhelming number of votes. Support from HYPNOSIS visitors over the last year is a further indication of Deliriums professionalism and dedication in providing Perth with the highest quality events.
