Mt Kimbie @ The Bakery, Perth(05/03/11)

Mon 7th Mar, 2011 in Gig Reviews

At times they defy consciousness with tidal waves of noise rhythmically crashing on the audience, sharply contrasting bone-shaking basslines with the melodic subtlety they are known for, Mt Kimbie are one of a kind. With a sound that has been described as post-dubstep so soon after dubstep’s inception, they are an unstoppable force of musical ingenuity and creativity that join the prestigious, boundary-breaking ranks of Joy Orbison and James Blake.

The Bakery crowd is sparse and dozy, chilled beats slither out the speakers to bounce off walls and ear drums, opening doors to the human subconscious. Local RTR FM DJ’s Ben Taaffe and Ben M, collectively known as {Move}, are on the decks and astounding with fantastic ability. Their impeccable musical selection starts at mellow, buttery hip hop and ends at muted synthetic palettes served up with seamless transitions on vinyl (how refreshing!); they are the perfect appetiser for the night to come.

The stupefied Seekae step on stage and are clearly chuffed to be there. In between incredulous expressions and dazed thank-yous to their promoter and the audience, the three boys from Syndey give one hell of a show. From the short Beach Walk Lament to the crowd-pleasing Bloodbank they mix live drums, MPC’s, samplers and synthesisers to create an amalgam of wonky beats, minimalist, sorrowful voids topped off with sprinklings of chiptune that become both surprising and invigorating. Boards of Canada and Flying Lotus would be proud.

After a brief intermission with more slick beats, the head liners move into position. “It’s quite hot in here” says the understated Kai Campos, Dominic Maker ’s other half, echoing his music in simplicity. The two are surprisingly humble for such multi talented performers. They stand grateful for a sell-out show at their first gig in Australia – hardly a surprise to the adoring fans who are soon to find that their faith is well-warranted.

For the forty-five brief minutes of their presence they play guitar, drums, synths, samplers and sing, carrying their followers through scenic glitchtronica soundscapes, entrance them with meditative syncopation and charm them with the unfinished sentences of lovers’ whispers. They forgo the traditional kick/snare format that defines modern sound and, instead, feed minds with ethnic instruments and vocal samples from Brazil to the Far East to create worlds that, prior to this moment, did not exist.

Although their composition is brilliant, the overwhelming amount of sound can become too much to bear for the speakers at times, of which more were added just for this show. The barrage of bass, distorted guitar and heavy sampling drowns out some of the finer touches in their music. But maybe this is what they intend: a complete inundation of frequencies, vibrating through every particle of every body.

The London duo go from melancholy hits like Carbonated and Before I Move Off to end the show on the fantastically funky Mayor, breaking the track down into its components from ascending arpeggio to screaming synth, then put it all together for a powerful drop. But something isn’t working with this mix. This is their biggest party track, yet it’s not quite hitting the spot. The mix is light on substance and lacks the syncopated harpsichord that gives it so much rhythm. What’s more, they’ve only played for forty-five minutes out of a promised sixty! Never mind, surely there is an encore coming.

There isn’t, {Move} have started playing their final set. Despite performing tracks out of the recently released Crooks and Lovers back to their earliest work from the Maybes EP released one year prior, the show is cut impressively short. Though it’s hard to complain given the experience provided, it’s hard not to feel like they’ve short-changed their audience to some degree. Hopefully this is just a sign of the duo finding their feet, or their inability to cope with the heat of the venue, and not an omen for the rest of their shows.

Despite these minor shortcomings, Mt Kimbie gave an impressive performance that expanded minds and jumbled organs with unrivalled creativity and huge sound systems. There is very little to fault with a group that has made so many leaps in such a short time. The only thing certain about the future is that: next time, we’re gonna need more speakers.