Play 1st Birthday Speciale

This July marks Play's first birthday, so we're celebrating the milestone with a night of curated dance music and birthday shenanigans at Solace Bar.

The Club hosts a trio of Naarm's finest, pushing underground hypnotic sounds, rolling basslines through the Funktion-One Evo 2 system. Lock in and enjoy this city's finest dancefloor.

The Bar brings some of Naarm's finest mixologists, both behind the decks and the bar. Grab a cocktail and settle into some house-leaning selections, in collaboration with Solace Radio.

Kai Pizer - Representing the contemporary Australian underground, electronic music producer and DJ Kai Pizer is recognised for his deep, hypnotic approach to modern techno. His sound fuses driving rhythmic energy with ambient, cinematic textures, creating immersive performances shaped by atmosphere, spatial detail, and long-form tension. An artist dedicated to his sound, Pizer focuses on conceptual integrity and carefully crafted sonic environments. Through this distinctive approach, he has built a strong reputation within underground electronic spaces. With a series of new EPs scheduled for release in the coming months, Kai Pizer is expanding his sonic identity and solidifying his presence as an important new voice in contemporary techno.

AMY. - Known for her long blends of tracks, meticulous mixing style and tasteful selections in top notch techno, AMY. is an extremely versatile artist, adapting to any room and crowd. Having been brought up around electronic music, AMY. brings a unique knowledge and a large catalog of underground sounds to her sets, selecting from a range of dark, hypnotic, and groovy tunes. An absolute hype queen behind the decks and on the dancefloor, AMY.'s energy is infectious and her selections are always on point, taking her to play at clubs such as Sub Club, Solace, and My Aeon, and supporting crews such as Anomalie Collective, Fluxx, and Melbourne Techno Collective, leading to her residency with 150BPM.

Hoovy has been in and around the Naarm techno scene regularly for crews such as Allure, 150bpm and Tilt Shift, but only recently has started showcasing his vinyl mixing skills, displaying his finest selections. His hypnotic and raw sound captivates the dance floor with brain-itching sounds that'll satisfy your dancing needs.

Ari has never been one to turn down an opportunity to celebrate, especially a birthday. Play's founder returns for a 3-hour Solace Radio set, marking his debut in the bar. Drifting between minimal, progressive-house wobblers and naughty tech house heat that'll leave a smile on your face, he leans into a selection curated with celebration in mind. A house speciale from start to finish, best enjoyed with a cocktail in hand.

Olbah (F.K.A. Ollie Strong) has hinted at "some house and other shit". All jokes aside, Olbah is the former booking manager at Solace and has been responsible for organising the Australian debuts of many of our most treasured artists including D.Dan, Phara, Rene Wise and many more. His roots in the Naarm/Melbourne scene run all the way back to 2019 when he co-founded the beloved techno party series Static.

Lucy D - Taking inspiration from techno's legacy of funk and futurism, Lucy D blends hypnotic, hardgroove and raw influences using groove as a through line for moments of tension and freneticism. This same sensibility also underpins her approach to house, albeit in a more subtle way. Drawing upon the genre's minimalism, looping production and soulful sampling, she explores emotional contrast and anticipation through rhythm and restrained melodic shifts. With appearances alongside artists such as Wata Igarashi, Osmosis Jones and Honeysmack, she is quickly establishing herself within Melbourne/Naarm's electronic music scene.