While debate will always rage on who are the world’s best DJs, bubbling under the surface is a point of conjecture with even greater power to divide nations: which country has the best dance music audiences? Who better to ask than Anthony Pappa, as it is commonplace for him to play over two hundred international gigs a year, and additionally because he is acknowledged by most dance music pundits as one of the best DJs in the business. For those unaware of his credentials, here is a quick low-down so we can get on to the question at hand: Winner of the Melbourne and then Australian DMC Championship at age 15; took the ballsy step of moving to London a few years later to further his DJing career at an age when most of us are just considering moving out of our parents home; created one of the most revered and timeless dance music classics with Alan Bremner titled Skydive under the alias Freefall; and now has eight mix compilations under his belt, the most recent of which is the critically acclaimed ‘Balance 006’ on Melbourne based label EQ.

So, now that you’re up to speed, let’s get to the heady question, answered by one of the worlds leading authorities on the subject considering his recent travel itinerary included gigs in Mexico, Croatia, Italy, Turkey Greece, Romania, Ukraine, Argentina and Peru. Which country has the best audiences? “Any gig in Eastern Europe,” replies Pappa without a moment of hesitation. “Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia; you can ask any DJ who has played there in the last year or so and they’ll say it’s the best gig in the world. Seriously, it’s crazy. It’s got the atmosphere that England had when dance music first started getting big, because it’s still all new over there. In Eastern Europe the majority of people struggle financially. They work hard but don’t earn a good wage so when they go out on the weekend they really appreciate it. In terms of dance music, they aren’t spoilt like in other parts of the world. While DJs are now visiting fairly regularly this is a recent development and it’s only every week or second week. So they make a big deal about it and the gigs are fantastic.”

Having heard so much of the dance music scene in South America, in particular from another of Melbourne’s most valued dance music exports, Infusion, I considered it my journalistic duty to play devils advocate. “South America is definitely up there with Eastern Europe,” says a diplomatic Pappa. “Argentina is probably the best of the lot as they’ve been in to it for a lot longer so they’re quite educated musically, but they still party hard and aren’t at all jaded. When South American’s are into something they go crazy over it whether it is football or whatever. When you play in Argentina, it can be a three hour set of really cool house music, peaking between 126 to 128 beats per minute and it feels like you’re banging it. For a DJ to be able to play the kind of stuff that is often regarded as warm up music, and it still rocks the crowd, it gives you so much more scope in your record box. The people there just lose it. It’s a really good vibe, the crowd is responsive and clued up so when you play clever music it works. From the DJs perspective, it’s a fantastic gig and you never need to reach for that track to get you out of trouble.”

With an Australian tour imminent, Pappa is quick to make mention of the Australian crowd, in particular his Melbourne set at Sunny’s sixth birthday last November. “I had such a good night,” he enthusiastically states. “It was my birthday too, so nothing could have bothered me because I was on such a high being around friends and family. The gig was spot-on with an audience who were really up for it and receptive. I felt like I played a lot of different styles of music, got a lot of things in there that I wanted to and it all worked and came together well.”

While a DJ of Pappa’s popularity does not require a particular reason to tour, the timing could not be better as it coincides with the release of ‘Balance 006’. Regarded by most as a worthy successor to previous critically acclaimed, and some would say genre-defining, additions to the Balance series by Phil K and James Holden; ‘Balance 006’ is up there with ‘Global Underground Nubreed’ as Pappa’s best mix compilation to date. When asked how it compares to his previous compilation on the React label, ‘Resolution’, it is obvious that he is much happier with the final product this time around. “I was a lot more excited about the records I had to work with for the Balance CD,” explains Pappa. “And it wasn’t because I didn’t look hard enough while compiling ‘Resolution’. When I do a CD I get bombarded. But this time I had so many amazing tracks to choose from. I really enjoyed doing two different CDs and I could have easily done a third.”

“I set out to make the first disc breakbeat, and l wanted it to set the mood for the album, creating a vibe that was atmospheric and laid back but without it being too chilled out or too heavy for that matter. It was a fine line between the two that I was looking for. The second CD has a clubbier vibe to it that takes things to the next level, It is along the lines of what l would play out in a main room club. It is also differentiated from the first disc as it is 4/4. I went for a house vibe and built the mix up to some tech house and then towards the end pushing it even further with a track by Shpongle.”

“ ‘Balance 006’ is something I am really proud of and into. I’m not trying to blow my own trumpet, but it came together exactly how I wanted and it just felt right. It was hard work but so much fun that it never felt like hard work. In fact, the only hard work was getting through all the packages of music I was sent, but putting it together was a joy.”

Balance 006 is out now through EQ/Stomp