subversion

Recap of live painting with @kaho_michishita from March. Featuring @luna.mqa X @kodi_lotto @luke.ur.friend X @sbasxv Video and editing by @ethanbaderr

Tomorrow for a surprise return to Workshop, two Melbourne crate diggers bringing you the best from their collections. Vinyl only! @thisisvain b2b @sbasxv Poster by @rats.in.paradise :)

This month we have very special guests; a live painting by artist Kaho Michishita, music from Luna and Kodi Lotto with Luke ur friend b2b SBAS to close things out. A night not to miss! 8pm til late Kaho Michishita Kaho is an artist based in Meanjin/Brisbane, creating worlds where the Edo period meets the Y2K era. Her work is a collision of heritage and pop culture—blending the fluid lines of traditional Ukiyo-e woodblock prints with the electric saturation of 90s anime and lowbrow street art. Whether scaling a ladder to spray a 20-foot dragon on a warehouse wall, or sitting with a fine-point brush detailing a three-eyed alien on canvas, her mission is the same: to make it loud, make it cute, and make it weird. She doesn't just paint images; I paint energy. From the “Kawaii” to the creepy, Kaho explores themes of identity, nostalgia, and fantasy with a palette that refuses to be ignored.  Luna LUNA is a Colombian artist, DJ and event organiser, based in Melbourne, Australia. Her creative life extends beyond music into ceramics and the visual arts, bringing a sensitivity to texture, rhythm and form into everything she does, a tactile awareness that also shapes her approach behind the decks. Her sets weave together nostalgic echoes of her Latin American childhood, the formative energy of Wellington’s underground dance community, and the wide-open spirit she has found in Melbourne. Kodi Lotto Kodi Lotto is a DJ and runs the music label/promotion 'B2BO: Been To Berlin Once'. He has been playing at clubs, festivals, bars, & radio for over a decade. With a wealth of experience and music knowledge, not bound by genre or range, you can expect a deep, diverse, & well-thought-out set at every dance, no matter the energy.   Luke ur friend  Luke ur friend is not a DJ. He's your friend. Never leaning into anything genre specific - if it's good music; he'll play it, and you'll feel it. He just wants you to enjoy it as much as he enjoys sharing it with you. SBAS Subversion creator and resident DJ, expect dancey yet introspective tracks. Art by @kaho_michishita Poster by @rats.in.paradise

A hot pick of selectors for the basement this month: Vain & With Ess. Vain Cast out from polite society, Vain obsessed over the ancient vinyl technologies handed down by his forebears. His madness and isolation have produced sets that are a dialectic between man and machine, mixing mutant minimalism, pulsating tech house and ecstatic jazz. With Ess With Ess is the sonic project of Esther McTigue, an artist, vocalist, producer and DJ whose work moves between introspection and movement. Leaning into soft textures, low end bass and weighted percussion With Ess explores the resonance of sound. With a love of electronic music, from ambient tech to hard house, her mixes are thoughtful and tactile, made to be felt. poster by @rats.in.paradise

We are back for the new year, calling on fav selector pals JD & Lapiscine to the Fiftyfive basement bringing tracks as hot as the weather🔥 JD After spending time in her formative years playing club residencies and Perlin parties. Now based in Naarm with a renewed commitment to her collection of tangible music. Her early years shaped by jungle, trance and break-driven electro (via Virtual DJ) continues to inform her approach to the physical and psychological dimensions of the dance floor. Her palette unfolds through deep, atmospheric techno, dub-weighted progressive textures, and the occasional sexy electro weapon. Lapiscine Lapiscine is a dj producer playing bass heavy selections for big rooms. Previously involved in subversion, crate mates and tessellate, he has built a distinctive sound. Another crazy poster by rat king @rats.in.paradise

This Saturday SUBVERSION finds a new home at the Fityfive basement - inviting Sammy Sanchez and SeaBass to get our third year rolling. Sammy Sanchez A fresh new face in the Melbourne selector circuit, Sammy has a penchant for downtempo grooves and a cheeky appetite for the 90s and early 00s. She’s versatile, she’s got great taste, and she loves collecting easy peelers for your ears. SeaBass Reviving his ~hard to catch~ persona, SeaBass will bring some records of varied genres: dub, electro, acid, hardgroove, jungle - who said less is more? Poster by extremely talented @rats.in.paradise as always - Happy Birthday!

For our 2 year anniversary and the 20th edition of SUBVERSION, we call on our two close friends suki and Molto to help us say farewell to Workshop. suki William Howard’s suki project is a name that embodies love, unity, and the transformative power of music - contributing in abundance to the ongoing global evolution of trance, techno and house music. A native of the renowned Naarm (Melbourne) electronic scene, William is a DJ, producer, live performer and co-head of both Dolphin Flips Records and Weaver Agency, having begun his musical journey with a mission to explore the fusion of genres and support emerging artists. An artist who has built a career on both innate talent and an obsession with all aspects of the music scene, William's commitment to delivering authentic, high-quality electronic music productions and unforgettable performances cements his place at the forefront of the ever-expanding global music scene. Molto Meet Molto, a hypnotic sound selector raised on a healthy dose of late nights and early mornings at the Mercat, Boney, and Hugs&Kisses (if you know, you know). It was at these iconic arenas where she discovered her sonic love language: a left-field blend of ambient, prog, trance, and DnB. Molto’s practice has been an odyssey of sorts - entrancing audiences from Naarm institutions to stages as far out as Kosovo. Central to each set is her desire to translate the infinite beauty she finds in the everyday into sound, creating space for connection and collective release. Lock in. - A brief interlude - Subversion will be taking a break whilst we lock down a new venue for Year 3. Massive appreciation to everyone who makes this event happen. Thank you to everyone who supported us these last two years ! Love from sbas & mr excuse me <3 Poster by @rats.in.paradise

July 19 will be our 19th edition of Subversion, and we are bringing in an extended b2b, Bby Cass and TEEJAY. Bby Cass and TEEJAY are a duo whose shared love of music and connection shines through every set. Since 2022, Bby Cass has been turning heads with her genre-blurring selections. She co-founded Groove Alliance, a collective championing inclusive dance floors for femme, queer, BIPOC, and gender non-conforming artists. TEEJAY, once known for his hypnotic techno sets, now leans into the spiritual side of house, always digging for deep cuts that stir something within. That spirit carries through to Technaustia, an event series he co-runs that celebrates the golden era of 90s and 2000s dance music. Together, they bring a dynamic and soulful energy to the decks, creating moments that move both heart and body. Poster by @rats.in.paradise

Almost exactly an entire year since she first joined us last May, we are honoured to welcome our friend Hannah D back to the Workshop decks for another extended set. The weather might be getting colder but the music will be heating up. Hannah D @hannah.d.__ Hannah D is a DJ and artist from Meanjin (Brisbane), but has long since been a notable resident of Naarm (Melbourne) — a city with a dedicated electronic music community that sees her as a go-to for progressive sounds. Through both her near universal musical involvement and delicately-blended mixes, Hannah has created a tangible connection around the globe with new age revivalists of the 90s and 00s sound. Aside from her own personal artistry, Hannah heads up TSBU (The Space Between Us), the successful Australian label which has a local focus on proto sounds within the progressive tech space. The TSBU discography already includes a variety of releases from Mabel, Al Dente, Georgia Bird (IN2STELLAR) and more. A massive 2024 included some of her biggest performances to date, featured a hotly anticipated tour of Europe that was highlighted with landmark performances at Above Below Festival (UK)& a 5-hour b3b (alongside fellow Weaver artists Mabel & suki) at HORS-SOL Festival (FRA) - followed by an Asia debut which took her to Singapore, Malaysia and Borneo. Poster by @rats.in.paradise

This Saturday from 8pm, our second event of the year invites some excellent musicians; two great producers and a brilliant selector - welcome @yanyue_____ @ekzanderr & @domaltmusic --- Anyu Hailing from Hong Kong and living in Naarm for the past nine years, Anyu cultivated her sound from a myriad of influences, the first foray into music being her dad’s vast collection of music. She draws inspiration from diverse gradations of genres and motley corners of deep cut. Her sets traverse between pulsating, deep, groovy and bassy rhythms speckled with playful, euphoric and sprightly sounds. Ekzander Ekzander is a Naarm-based producer and DJ exploring rhythm and energy through the lens of bass and break music. With a plethora of productions released through labels including Extra Spicy, eclectic., Fluxx, BPS and Spinning Around, as well as the host of Intersections on Area 3000, Ekzander is a collector of a wide range of dance music. From footwork to jungle to techno and electro, expect a cheeky bass-heavy soundscape guaranteed to itch your brain. dom alt dom alt's sets combine their love of synth and sample heavy sounds with a fluidity of genre. They often select tracks thematically to evoke cyberpunk world building and hazey internet nostalgia. Poster by Rats In Paradise

We are back for the new year with a special one: Subversion residents sbas & mr excuse me back to back all night!  Together, with over 18 years of DJ experience, they've graced sound systems all over Melbourne and will bring you 6 hours of quality underground dance music to Workshop for their longest set yet. Between them they've played: Sub Club, Revolver, Boney, Colour, Killing Time, 24 Moons, Whitehart, FiftyFive, Nasty's, Caz Reitops and of course our home Workshop. Expect a wide range of genres, starting things off nice and slow, with 2 record bags and USBs full, they're here for a long time and a good time. Poster by @rats.in.paradise

Our last edition for 2024 brings a new guest, Grids, and returning friends from ADAC - Plot Armour. Come December 7 and close out the year with some talented selectors. Grids @grids.rze Joining the lineup is Grids, host of A New Utopia on Skylab Radio and a fixture in the alternative electronic scene. Fresh off a performance at Zeerust Festival, expect Grids to deliver a high-energy set, blending bass-heavy breakbeats, tech-house, and intricate IDM to keep the dancefloor moving. Plot Armour Plot Armour are Ewan (DJ Rodent) and Piya (moof loom), two Naarm-based DJs and producers from the Top End by way of Southeast Asia. Although the duo are stylistically different, they dovetail as a unit to play fun yet forward-thinking sets of deep house, leftfield bass and dubstep. Their chemistry, curation and push-pull approach to B2Bing always delivers an engaging listening experience for all crowds. Poster by @rats.in.paradise