The Hump Day Project

It’s midnight in a dark, smoke-filled nightclub in the heart of Kings Cross. The prospect of a day off work for the ANZAC Day long-weekend has proved irresistible for most and the place is packed. The dancefloor is a living creature of flushed faces and half-spilt drinks as the crowd flail about in time to the funky Electro tunes filling the room.

Suddenly, the creature slows to a halt. The music has changed. Gone is the pounding beat that was keeping all those feet moving. In it’s place is a soaring African vocal; something very familiar, but more than a little out of place. It takes everyone a moment, but they soon recognise what they are hearing as Circle of Life – the unmistakable opening song from The Lion King. The confusion falls away and is replaced by nostalgic smiles. Many try, and fail, to sing along with the Zulu lyrics. A thudding bass drum enters the track, which turns out to be a banging remix of a Disney classic. The feet start moving again with renewed energy.

Unexpected? Just a little.

But unexpected is what Sydney DJ duo The Hump Day Project – a.k.a. Steve Lind and Heath Jansson – strive for in their live sets. And the results speak for themselves. “I like stuff that’s really weird,” says Steve, “that takes you off guard”.

If you’ve frequented any of Sydney’s grimier clubs in the last few years, chances are the boys from THDP have managed to catch you off guard themselves. Labelled by prominent local blogger Deckhead as “the bootleg kings of Sydney”, THDP have an uncanny knack for throwing a left-field vocal track over a big dancehall tune and making it work. A live THDP set can also cross seamlessly through a range of genres rarely heard in the harbour city.

“You’ve gotta pick your moments,” Steve explains, “but we can play anything from Dubstep to Drum N’ Bass, depending on the crowd.” This, mixed with their own Baltimore club-influenced productions, leads to some pretty wild dancefloors.

Back in 2007, when both Heath and Steve were playing solo at Sydney’s favourite oriental Laundromat-themed nightclub, Chinese Laundry, the pair got together to write a bootleg.

“It was only ever going to be one or two tracks,” says Heath, “and then it just snowballed from there, and I haven’t been able to get rid of him since.”

“Two-and-a-half years and I’m still stuck with this guy,” says Steve.

Since then they’ve become one of the most sought-after acts around town, and their productions have made a splash overseas with the likes of UK heavyweight Pete Tong droppin their tunes on his BBC Essential Selections show, while other dancefloor luminaries such as Stanton Warriors, A-Skillz and Utah Saints have also picked up on their sound.

Now, after wowing the crowd with a raucous set at this year’s Good Vibrations Festival, and a string of remix releases in the last month, THDP are looking forward to putting out an original track with notorious hype-man MC Shureshock (fittingly titled The Shureshock Project).

Apart from that it’s business as usual for these two local club rats – playing their monthly residencies at notorious underground noisepits Chinese Laundry, Le Rouge and Candy’s Apartment.

Oh, and if you happen to notice Steve playing with no pants on, don’t be alarmed; Steve bribed his friends to get a side-project track of his to number one on the Beatport charts with the prospect of a pantsless DJ set if it got to top spot.

At least now you know to expect the unexpected.

And don't forget to check them out on Beatport!