“Nothing like Christmas Eve” – was some of the sentiments expressed by a few of punters who got down to the Kaskade gig at Ambar last Friday.

Once again, jostled into the underground chasm of venues, we breathed a sigh of relief that crowd wise, the night wasn’t going to be as reminiscent of a sardines-tin array like the Infusion gig was the previous week.

 In all honesty, as a fairly meticulous follower of Kaskade’s work, I found this to be a very ho-hum gig. Having viewed his last two Perth gigs, I found this somewhat subordinate to his previous events.  

Monsieur Flex took the coveted position, playing the set before and amping up the crowds, with some good, strong boompity tracks. Picking up on the vibes of the punters, he took the lead and released a good contingent of funky-progressive, really putting everyone into the spirit of things.  

Then, with his chiselled jaw and boyish charms, the man himself graced the decks and played out that San Fran sound we’ve all come to know.

Christmas Eve, “Stepping Out” kicked off his set, and since it was relatively fresh, it was a track crowds appreciated. This time around – he took a more subdued approach.

From my recollection, other charters weren’t played. There was no “Soundtrack to the Soul”, there was no “Move” and there wasn’t really anything that consistently kept the tempo up.

 Last year, “It’s You, It’s Me” was blended with the Propellarheads Tha Bomb. This time, there was none of that – just the track as is.

Midway, Kaskade did alleviate the pitch, taking it a step up and really providing some beats for those who like to get down.

Regrettably, when this was done, those who seemed to be at this gig to add a stylish touch to the décor, left the dance floor – and we all know a DJ without a good crowd moves into a change of strategy pretty soon.  

As a result, “True” and “Gonna make it” was pelted out, sending out girls in a tizzy and getting everyone on the floor. “In this life” soon followed and Kaskade’s mix of Collette’s  “Hypnotized” was in close stride. His newish track “Safe” got a rouse, proving to be well liked.

 Kaskade has a well-established and respected repertoire internationally. His style in DJing and producing is versatile and his tight mixing and articulation to his sets is recognized. He does have the potential to move away from being a typecast DJ, as partially verified by his latest release “House of OM” where he gives credit to Lawnchair Generals through “Really Don’t Stop” and their remix of DJ Hal’s “Don’t give Up”. 

A very “sin-curve” set with small inflections, made this set kind of bleek, but as proved by the photos – it was a good looking crowd who enjoyed the night.

 But judgements should be reserved. For as a wise DJ once said, “Don’t get on the back of those who like mellow music, just let him do his thing, ok?”  

And at least Terry Waites got a chance to pump it up a bit more – playing some fresh tracks from Aroma and from my recollection a few from the Amenti label that caused most of the crowd to stay.