City Beats: Melbourne
In our City Beats series, we explore underground scenes around the world, and this week we’re spotlighting Melbourne, a city whose nightlife is defined by abundance, experimentation and a proud multi-genre identity.
A Brief History of Melbourne’s Underground
Melbourne has long been a city of subcultures. Think 2000s warehouse raves, jazz-soaked house parties and clubs championing alternative sounds. It’s undoubtedly Australia’s cultural epicenter, and that is reflected in its community of dancers, DJs and artists.
The first wave of house and techno hit Melbourne in the early ‘90s, brought across multiple ponds by Brits neck-deep in D&B and the free party scene. The scene was built on warehouse raves and DIY ethos, with international artists Derrick May, Claude Young and Carl Craig regularly jetting over to soak up its anarchist energy.
The first underground venue to play house music was Razor, followed by Biology, a warehouse rave hosted by Richard and Hydi John. That’s where local heroes like Steve Robbins and Todd Terry cut their teeth. Then a fella called Mark James opened a club called Pure in the early ‘90s dedicated to house and techno, and that’s when the scene took flight.
Melbourne has always retained its DIY, independent energy, and totally refuses to conform. We spoke to local DJ, producer and artist Girl Whatever (AKA Stella) to find out what’s making the city buzz at the moment.
The Melbourne Effect
Stella says that Melbourne is having a moment of cultural abundance. “It’s pretty effervescent right now, so a lot of fun things are happening,” she says. “People are getting really tired of listening to the same kind of stuff and the scene in Melbourne is hugely multi-genre. It’s a melting pot of all different kinds of music and culture, so there’s a really nice variety at the moment.”
Melbourne’s got plenty of venues too, which function as their own ecosystems with distinct personalities and sounds. Stella says her favourite haunts include but are not limited to:
The Music Room – a listening, vinyl and whiskey bar
Section 8 — an iconic outdoor container bar
The Toff — live music venue
Miscellanea — Music venue, cinema and performance space
Sub Club – a Subterranean dance space in the heart of the city
And Stella laments those we’ve lost, too. “Rest In Peace Colour Club,” she says. “It’s a fallen angel, it’s gonna happen with the amount it takes to run a bar – the prices are exorbitant so we’re seeing a lot of venues struggling at the moment because of these unfair insurance costs.”
In 2024, Australia’s live music venues saw a 400% hike in the cost of insurance, pushing many of them to the brink of survival.
Communities, crews and club nights
That’s a big reason why communities and club nights that rotate venues are becoming increasingly popular. Grassroots organizers are a defining force in Melbourne nightlife, and one such example is Umami Collective. “Stevzar, the head honcho, is really amazing,” Stella says. “I’ll sing her praises for eternity. I’ve seen the impact she’s had on nightlife and the scene so shout out my sis for really creating a space for people. She’s also one of my favourite artists right now. The first time I saw her play it was such a mix of styles and it really opened me up to so many possibilities as an artist and DJ myself.”
Other fixtures include:
Club Confide — Queer Summer Sunday Series at Miscellania
Ballroom Houses — there’s a vibrant ballroom scene in Melbourne, including Stella’s own House of Whatever
And festivals are equally crucial to Melbourne’s identity. “They’re top notch and in really lovely places as well,” Stella says. "Meredith, Strawberry Fields, Golden Plains, but I also love doofs like in a park or in someone’s paddock. I’m from Tazzy [Tasmania] originally so I love that shit.”
And with NY incoming, Stella plans to keep it low key. “My new year is a small 250 person bush festival queer party,” she says. “You really get to know people better and feel the depth of connection at an intimate music festival.”
Artists Shaping the Sound
Melbourne’s creativity is overflowing, and the artists championing the sound have their own unique style that can be recognised from anywhere in the world. “The music right now is very new and fresh,” Stella says. "You can always tell when an artist is from Naarm.”
Stella remembers going to a club night in Brisbane and hearing a DJ play in a style she recognised. “I remember thinking she sounds like a Melbourne DJ, and when we spoke after I was correct.”
Stella’s favourite artists of the moment include:
Stevzar - Umami Collective
House Mum -1/2 of Fluxx Club
Jackson Miles — Multi-disciplinary artist from House of Whatever
Vanessa — Singer/producer/DJ
Josh Olave — Throws club nights at the Toff
The Sound of Now
Melbourne’s global bass futurism bounces between multiple sounds. “Lots of bass, jersey club, garage,” Stella says. “I was just in Berlin and did a gig there and felt so compelled to do what I do here. I stay true to Melbourne when I DJ, so lots of vocal chops, triplets in the kick drums, Jersey, a lot of alternative club sounds.”
And culturally it’s totally different to other cities in Australia, too. “Usually people go out to get sloshed and have a typical Aussie binge drinking experience,” Stella says. “But with Melbourne nightlife there’s an undercurrent of culture and people go out here because they want to enjoy hearing something new, they want to enjoy the things that music attracts like fashion and subculture.”
Ultimately, Melbourne is a one-of-a-kind city with its own energy that stands up against cultural capitals like Berlin, London, NYC and Amsterdam. It’s vibrant, energising, loud, diverse, and unmistakably itself.
