The Ampt Productions story began as creative endeavours often do – with a group of mates sitting around after a big night out talking about the night they’d just had and how it could have been better. After countless months of enjoying the party life as only a group of 21 year-olds can, that morning Ralphie, Timbo, Deano and Dave made a pact.
They decided to put their combined years of experience in the corporate events industry to good use to produce their own club nights, inviting their favourite acts to the party and setting new standards in production for independent club nights in Brisbane. The seed was sown, and Ampt Productions was born.
Their first foray into promoting brought the Phunk You parties to the Jubilee Hotel, showcasing the wares of local talent such as Vinyl Slingers, Kid Kay Ferris, Dope N Dusted, D-Ko and Whispa to name but a few. The parties were a success, but soon enough the usual problems that plague Brisbane’s independent promoters (sound restrictions, venue hassles, the infiltration of the ‘City crowd into the Valley) reared their ugly head.
But in that time Ampt had captured the attention of many other crews around Brisbane with their unique venue installs, often utilising multiple visual screens combining live video feed, custom-made animation, innovative lighting and effects, and most importantly, perfectly tuned sound systems. Pretty soon their skills were being called upon by Brisbane’s dance music elite for production duties, bringing their signature touch to events such as the inaugural Nokia Terminal 9 and Earthcore QLD festivals, Logic, Melt, Drop, Rude Bwoyz and Elements parties.
With Joel, Trav, Nev and Brad now part of the team, the Ampt name has become synonymous with the previously undesirable Shamrock Hotel, which has been transformed into the hub of Brisbane’s independent clubbing fraternity. While continuing to work alongside other crews, Ampt once again started hosting their own events, including the wildly successful Krishna Kuts series of indoor psy-trance parties and another edition of Phunk You featuring Australian dance music legend Endorphin and rising breakbeat star Dopamine.
The biggest feather in their cap to date has been the massive Ampt vs Rude Bwoyz event held over the Valley Fiesta weekend in September 2006, drawing over 500 punters over two levels of the Shamrock Hotel for UK tech-funk pioneer Meat Katie and his Melbourne counterpart Jono Fernandez. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg as far as their 2006 honour roll goes, with big name acts such as Deetron, Martinez, Paolo Mojo, Desyn Masiello, Steve Porter, James Holden, Shpongle, Habersham, Numinous, Misjah, Luke Fair, Jimmy Van M, Jaytech and soon minimal maestro Michael Mayer (at Earthcore 2006) all receiving the Ampt touch this year.
What started five years ago with a group of friends daring to dream has now become one of the cornerstones of electronic music in Brisbane. With universal praise from punters and their fellow promoters alike, the future is indeed bright for Ampt Productions.
AMPT are like the MacGyvers of the Brisbane club scene - give them a roll of string, some Milo Tins and an empty room and they’ll transform it into a perfectly tuned musical playground. D-Ko relish playing through their systems, and Elements parties wouldn’t be the same without their lighting and decor skills.
Kris Swales, Time Off Dance Music Editor, Promoter of Elements, Publicist
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