There has been something of a flash-flood in Sydney recently, but it’s been far from a disaster: the rush has been a welcome onslaught of quality electronic gigs. On the back of their hugely successful OutsideIn festival, Astral People – major proponents of this much appreciated flood – delivered another stellar lineup for Land Of The Giants at the Metro Theatre. The expert curators put together a refreshingly varied lineup; each act deserving of a headline gig any other night of the week.

As the Astral People DJs took to mid-set duties, local up and coming producer Thomas William started off the night with his unique brand of experimental electronica. Like a warped version of FlyLo (if that’s even possible), Thomas William’s twisted, chopped and screwed beats and samples set the tone for an interesting evening of quality music. It’s hard to believe this young dude can create the complex music he does, and it goes to show that he is definitely one to watch for the future.

Up next is UK bass maestro, Synkro, whose energetic list of tracks is an easy instigator to get the crowd moving. This guy has been around the traps for a long time and really knows what he is doing. His mixing is consistent, keeping to the bass heavy side of things and there’s no wonder why he’s got 20,000 fans on Facebook. By this stage the crowd at the Metro is certainly heaving, as most of the stragglers file in. The eclectic line-up is certainly reflected in the crowd, with what seems like little pockets representing each act.

When the obscure and talented Baths arrives on stage, the crowd let out a vibrant cheer. He was clearly one of the night’s biggest drawcards,  definitely one of the highlights of the night and has been steadily increasing in popularity over the last two years. Fans of Baths may have been wondering how he would translate his intricate electronica into a live setting… Well, the answer is EXCELLENTLY. He transforms his delicate tunes into an upbeat and lively set – bouncing in and out, arms flailing, as if in an orchestrated dance with his touchpad. Set highlight? Definitely the 2010 hit ‘Lovely Bloodflow’.

It was unfortunate to see a small portion of the crowd leave after the Baths set, but the majority remained to check out Prefuse 73 and Tycho.

Guillermo Scott Herren, aka Prefuse 73, is definitely an artist whose name precedes him. With a back catalogue that stretches all the way to the 90s, he is most definitely the veteran of the line-up. His interesting mixing techniques and eclectic music taste – from electronic to hip-hop instrumentals and beyond – left some scratching their heads while others continued dancing.

Last but definitely not least, Tycho took the stage. As the only full live band on the bill, there was a lot of excitement and anticipation for what they would bring to the show. As the brainchild of designer and musician Scott Hansen, fans of Tycho would testify to the quality his music and live shows. This performance proved no different: as the band began to play, it was clear straight away that they are seasoned performers. Scott juggled synths with his guitar, superbly backed up by Rory O’Connor on drums and Zac Brown on bass. With a very full and rich sound, the guys from Tycho were accompanied by a visual display of ISO50 (Scott’s designer moniker) imagery. It was an amazing set both in sight and sound, with Tycho bringing out a variety of tracks from their latest album Dive as well as some from their debut Past Is Prologue.

Another night of expertly curated electronic music thanks to Astral People, with a great array of acts and a full house… a very successful evening all round.

—————————————-

Land of the Giants @ The Metro Theatre on 10.11.12

Presented by Astral People and FBi Radio

All photos by Glen Slough. Like ’em on Facey!