Mana Bar - Thu Jun 3

While my shiny new Core i5 laptop sits at home, all the artists at this event have decided that the washy 2.6-inch monochrome screen of a 20-year old Gameboy is sufficient for their sequencing needs. I don’t feel marginalised as a music producer at all. Ahem.

VGX opens the account with some clubby tunes – including a chipmix of Justice’s D.A.N.C.E – armed with just two Gameboys running straight into the mixer. He does an impressive job emulating (excuse the pun) a range of modern indie/electro sounds; great stuff indeed.

You could pick Sydney’s Abortifacient from a line-up if you were deaf or blind – his Juggalo-style face paint job isn’t exactly cheery, and he’s not at all shy with the mic. Musically, tracks like Cannibal Convict and Irukandji Jellyfish Fatality explore the dark corners of twisted dubstep and gabber. His 20-minute set includes a couple of instrument malfunctions, but when those instruments are circuit-bent Fisher Price toys, it’s certainly forgivable.

Dot.AY is the first to perform with a laptop tonight; a MIDI controller through Ableton allows him to put in some cheeky beat-repeats, effects and samples over a pair of 8-bit weapons that are punching out a range of grimy basslines and melodic game-like leads. Sure, you could replace the handhelds with new synths and expensive outboard equipment, but the result wouldn’t be as fascinating as tonight’s Z80 symphony.

SCOTTY HARMS

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