Review by: Aidan Archibald + Merinda Edwards

As part of Illuminate Adelaide, Supersonic transformed Hindley Street Music Hall into a full-scale immersive night of pulsing sound and light, and from the moment the lights dropped, it was clear that the production was one of the night’s greatest strengths.

Each artist was given a distinct visual signature, while fog machines, strobes and an arsenal of stage lighting created a genuine atmosphere. Unlike some gigs, the visuals at Supersonic were not an afterthought or decoration; they were seamlessly integrated as an active part of the night, amplifying the shifts in energy from set to set and turning the room into a constantly evolving space.

True to Illuminate’s form, Supersonic drew a genuinely diverse audience, from younger ravers to senior music lovers who looked just as at home on the dance floor. This is truly the strength of all Illuminate Festival, their music program attracts those who truly love music, and it’s why we keep coming back for more.

Soju Gang opened the night with a technically outstanding set. Her transitions were flawless, the bass work inventive, and the whole performance felt like a showcase of precision and control. There were repeated moments that seemed to say, watch this, and the crowd was clearly impressed by her ability.

Moktar followed with almost the opposite approach. Instead of short, flashy passages, he constructed one long, evolving journey. Where Moktar truly excelled was connection. He read the room beautifully and gradually pulled the crowd into a shared groove, creating a sense of collective momentum that Soju Gang’s more clinical brilliance never quite reached.

Then came Skin On Skin, the headliner, and he delivered the night’s most complete performance. Born in South Sudan, raised in Cairo and Brisbane, and now based between Paris and Tokyo, Skin On Skin has become a global force through his blend of techno, house and alternative hip-hop. The artist behind Multiply, Burn Dem Bridges and a string of sold-out releases brought exactly what the finale needed: the technical precision of Soju Gang combined with the crowd-building instinct of Moktar.

His transitions were razor sharp, but they never felt showy for their own sake. Every move served the dance floor. By the final stretch, he had the entire room jumping, and the energy in Hindley Street Music Hall reached its peak.

Interestingly, there was no single track that emerged as the night’s defining anthem. Supersonic worked not through isolated peak moments, but through the steady accumulation of atmosphere. The tension, release and momentum built patiently across all three sets until the room felt fully locked into the same pulse.

Motez (Moutaiz Al‑Obaidi), a local Adelaide artist who curated the event, shaped a night of this scale, which was one of Supersonic’s most satisfying aspects. Motez’s trajectory, from arriving in Adelaide as a refugee from Iraq in 2006 to becoming a Platinum-certified producer and multiple South Australian Music Award winner, is worth following if you haven’t already. His curation balanced technical excellence, crowd connection and international calibre without losing its local identity.

Supersonic was more than a strong club night; it was a carefully curated rave experience that showcased world-class production, a remarkably inclusive crowd and the power of local artistic leadership within Illuminate Adelaide’s increasingly ambitious program.

Photo Credit: Sash Vogt Photography