South Yarra nightclub Circus is located at 199 Commercial Road and has been running Circus Sundays for past seven years. What has made it so successful is its ability to continually evolve and change its aesthetic to keep in line with the best dance music around the globe.
The latest incarnation of Circus Sundays falls is guided by Ethan McLaren and Michael Muska and despite the pair having only been in charge of the night for less than a year Circus Sundays has been putting on some of the biggest Sunday nights in its history – if any of our readers experience Oliver Huntemann’s set on Sunday July 20 this year, they would know exactly what I am talking about.
“I started at about Labour Day weekend in 2013. I had been Sunday night at Pretty Please before that so when Pretty Please went bust I was Circus Sundays main competitor, so when I was out of a club night I just called the guys at Circus and said ‘hey guys, let’s work together’ and the rest is history,” explains McLaren.
“Circus was perfect for me because at Pretty Please the focus was a bit commercial and a different sought of crowd whereas at Circus I was able to experiment with the underground stuff because here it is a much more informed crowd and they tend to be more willing to go with the DJ if they diverge from the norm,” completes McLaren on the factors that drew him towards Circus.
However, McLaren’s vision for a truly edgy music policy was truly brought to fruition five months ago when Michael Muska joined the Circus team. A DJ of more than 15 years experience he was also a more than competent booker with strong ties with international DJs and booking agents from his work with Brown Alley and the fact he conceived the idea for Let Them Eat Cake (“the only way he could DJ the closing set at a festival,” quipped McLaren).
“I finished up at Brown Alley in January and hit about two months [of not really doing anything] and the I thought ‘what am I going to do next’ and then, almost as though he heard me, Jeremy [Schnick] the owner [of Circus] gave me a call and I liked the idea of working at Circus because it’s smaller. Coming out of having to fill up such a big club [Brown Alley] for five years I had just burned out on coming up with new ideas to make such a big place work and also you can’t really be selective with your crowd because you needs heads through the door to pay for running such a big operation,” reveals Muska in a refreshingly honest fashion.
The very informed clubber Muska now explains why he feels so comfortable at Circus: “This is cool man because it’s a good size and it’s intimate. I love playing to an intimate crowd late at night. Since getting a regular thing behind the decks here I have learned exactly what and how to play to keep everyone moving – it makes for really special moments behind the decks.”
As well as Muska and McLaren the quality of the other regular DJs at Circus is intimidating. It is Melbourne club scene legend Boogs. Both Muska and McLaren agree that Boogs is a local DJ of international standard.
“His use of effects and track interplay is incredible – he will have three CDJs going plus run loops through the desk so he never loses the crowd because the music is so stimulating,” enthuses Muska.
It is clear from the above that if you are fan of club music then Circus Sundays must be experienced and as well as the regulars McLaren reveals that this summer there will be a few surprise guests from beyond our shores. “This summer we will have an international every month but we don’t announce until the day before on Facebook page.”
BY DAN WATT
