BEN LUCID - TAKING A STROLL

Over the years word of mouth earned the Purple Sneakers nights somewhat of a cult gathering at The Abercrombie Hotel for those with a thirst for the synergy of electronic music and the old ways of rock’n’roll. The Abercrombie itself has always been an integral part of the success of Purple Sneakers but, alas, it has come to an end. Friday 15 January was the last Sneakers event at the venue, and one to be remembered… if anyone in attendance actually could.
With the move from the “Scabacrombie” comes a new start and a chance to make Sneakers even better. The crew asked their regulars what they wanted in a new home for Sneakers, and the feedback has seen them land at The Gladstone Hotel from this Friday onwards. But Purple Sneakers mainstay Ben Lucid says their old home will always have a special place in their heart.
“It was a terrible venue, with sticky carpet, late night make-out session moisture soaked couches and toilets that could go toe to toe with Club 77’s cesspool award winning amenities,” Lucid recalls of their former digs. “However it is these exact features that gave it its charm and character. It’s kind of like that mangy old dog that you see tipping over wheelie bins in the back streets of Surry Hills – you wouldn’t wanna get too close to it, but you still have a special place in for heart for the poor old thing.”
Even without the continued success of their weekly club night, 2009 was a massive year for the Purple Sneakers posse. The release of their We Mix, You Dance mixtape and anarchic national tour of Australia as well as a pronounced Parklife presence really put the Sneakers’ signature sound out there. The Sneakers and their label Boundary Sounds have no intention of staying stable – the only promise they can make is that they’re double tying those laces in preparation to step it up and take it to the next level.
Moist, mayhem, motion and devotion to the dancefloor is the general doctrine Purple Sneakers subscribe too. Lucid says it’s “all about tight beat matching and cranking party tracks.” While some will tell you Indie is a sound, others will say it’s about a band or artist being on an independent label or running their own label. For Lucid, it’s about the attitude of the music.
“[An indie band] doesn’t need to play guitar based music, or have emotional introspective lyrics,” he explains. “They just need to approach their music with a certain attitude that is a little left of centre, slightly non-conformist and an open minded artistic integrity.”
Given Lucid and his partners in crime PhDJ and MIT are at the helm of a night with an open-ended music policy, they’re surely in the perfect spot to capitalise on whatever path the indie-dance club scene follows next – not that he’s entirely sure what path that will be.
“Who knows what the next big thing will be?” he ponders. “[I see] disco-esque, melodic house having a bit of hype at the moment with acts like Breakbot starting to blow up, although dubstep is definitely building momentum in the depths of the city. So I’m putting my money on down-tempo melodic house being played by DJs wearing white safari suits.
“And isn’t smack due for another revival?’ he quips.