We pulled up outside the Rhythm Station around midnight (BR are f**king reliable aren’t they!) to find the queue stretching right around the block, always a good sign for the night ahead. After a minor melee over guests lists and a short exchange with the ever-pleasant and considerate security, we strolled in to find the main arena “on fire” just as Fusion promised on their flyer. The temperature inside the venue soon thawed us all out, as well as a fine display by an unexpected but very welcome DJ Clarke-E who doled out a healthy dose of harder Happy tunes.

Little need to be said about the production for the night as Fusion again came up trumps with some wicked lasers, serious smoke and a solid sound system which definitely shook the arena! All this plus there was a crazy face painting stall. So far, only one team played, Druid and Vinylgroover (9.00pm-11.00pm) and the general response was that they set a high standard to follow, both playing impressive sets.

The “Battle For Supremacy” resumed on the stroke of midnight with the team of DJ Sy and DJ Unknown steppin’ up. Sy played the first hour; by 2am he had the speakers smokin’ after scratching the place proper! As you might have gathered all the DJ’s appeared separately and not back to back as we had all hoped, the only real gripe that need be made about the whole night.

Anyway back to the music, lyrics on the night were not in shortage, MC’s Marley, Sharkey, Ronnie G and Freestyle kept the crowd moving all night showing their own team effort. After the impressive start by Sy, Unknown rounded off the team’s display with a wider selection of tunes, avoiding playing all the Happy anthems of the recent few months. I think the pair deserved a very Torvill and Dean 9.7 out of 10, superb technique boys! Extra marks were awarded for Sy’s airing of the techno remix of the classic Top Buzz tune “Living in Darkness” – a real moment to savour!

With the time now at 2am, it was the time for the popular duo of Ramos and Supreme (minus the Sunset Regime, ho, ho, chortle and all that!). However before listening to their performance, I ventured upstairs to see what was on offer – it’s a miracle I ever came back down! The amount of “rave talk” you encounter in the Rhythm Station’s chill-out really is unparalleled, oh yeah and the house was good as well.

When I eventually returned to the main arena the battle was still raging, with Ramos rounding off his set, judging from the crowd’s response, the start and middle must have been just as good as the end. Supreme followed up with another fine performance, dropping some quality tunes along the way, to earn the duo a very respectable 9.6. So at this time on my score card, I had Sy and Unknown leading marginally.

This meant only one team was left to go, without doubt the most well known, and with it all to prove, the double act of Dougal and Vibes. Vibes got things moving again with all the early morning Rhythm Station massive going mental to every tune, even the bar staff were losing it! Vibes obviously opted for the old “drop every anthem in the book” approach to do battle, and I think everyone agreed it worked a treat.

If you think it all ended there, you are sorely mistaken, as when Dougal took to the decks the party continued right to the very last tune. After a request by Sharkey for the Horns and Whistles crew to step up and make themselves heard, Dougal stomped his way through the last hour which no-one wanted to end. Least of all the dancers on the stage, every one of them was going crazy!

Big respect to those girls and boys. When Dougal eventually wheeled up the last tune, in my mind the winners of the “Battle For Supremacy” were decided instantly, a perfect 10 secured the title for the golden boys (no pun intended), their sets were simply “the bollocks” nothing else need be said!

All in all the night was superb, perfect production, perfect music, perfect crowd; Fusion are most definitely setting the standard for a weekly club.