Soulful duo Take Your Time kicked things off with vocal samples over smooth, rich production that didn’t sound a touch out of place. Between harmonisation and a great chordal structure, the duo’s only weakness seemed to be their male vocalist, who tended to take a backwards seat to his counterpart after being relegated to bass duties later in the set. The band’s stronger tracks were spearheaded by the female, as she incorporated jazz piano into R&B tinged tunes that were dripping with elegance and danceability.
Saatsuma have had a big couple of months, having deservedly received airtime on triple j. The band did what they do best, and immediately launched into a tirade of ambient, slow moving art pop made entirely more interesting through the haunting vibes of vocalist Memphis Kelly’s dramatic stage antics. Closing their set with flagship single Floating, those who knew didn’t seem to want to stop swaying in time to gorgeous harmonisation and production slightly tinged with darkness.
Main drawcard for the evening Yeo wasted no time getting crowd energy levels back up, immediately launching into an emphatic dub opener complete with a wavy synth line. As the crowd became larger and larger, Yeo stopped to admire the response, introduce his drummer, before getting straight back into it with a keytar that attempted to solidify why he’s something so special. While displaying cool amounts of energy, Yeo’s focus on his production was something to be admired while he was busy recreating soul and funk rhythms in slow jams.
Being dark for most of the set, Yeo encourageed the venue to turn the lights up, illuminating the stage and his overall performance. It was, for lack of a better word, absolutely lit, when Saatsuma’s own Memphis Kelly returned to the stage amongst a cosmic visual backdrop to help sing backing vocals with Yeo, prompting huge audience cheer and participation.
When Yeo opted for crowd favourite, yet surprisingly absent more times than most from his live sets, Cool Your Jets, the crowd erupted into fits of dancing, enthralled by the incredible sax solo that rounded out the end of the track. Triple j mix-up playlist staple Extra Time was next, remixed in a way that would please both deep house and electro fans.
As Yeo walked off stage to a resounding reception, he wasted almost no time getting back on for an encore, much to the delight of fans that helped justify this young producer’s relevance. If the Australian electronic scene is looking for someone to fill a void, they seem to have found their man.
BY BENJAMIN POTTER
Loved – Yeo’s awesome and trippy visuals.
Hated – Zilch.
Drank – Stone & Wood.
