Laundry feat. Nathan Fake @ Chinese Laundry, Sydney (28/04/07)

Another Sydney Saturday night, and another list of nightclub lineups that did little to enthuse me. All except for the Chinese Laundry of course: the club had produced two acts that although they hadn’t received much exposure in Sydney, came with UK credentials that were nearly untouchable. The Laundry has really stepped up over the last year or two, bringing some of the freshest and hottest international talent right to our doorstep. What we witnessed on Saturday night in the Cave backs up these assertions, and those who were there experienced something amazing indeed.

Strolling into the Laundry at about midnight, there was a solid crowd inside that was already getting down to the grooves of Mark Dynamix in the Cave (even if his style didn’t really suit a warmup set for Nathan Fake’s style of music). By the time our international guest graced the decks for a one-hour ‘live’ set at 1am, the room was pretty packed to the rafters and the next hour proved to be no less than astonishing.

From the outset it was evident that he was playing a lot of his own work off his albums, but the way he fused all the sounds together on his side of the decks allowed the crowd to be taken down a musical path that isn’t very often touched upon in Sydney. The atmosphere he created was so strong, with the sound delivering so much ambience yet never losing its characteristic underground house vibe. Whether what was being played was on the dark minimal side or more so in the spectrum of bouncy tech, Nathan controlled his set with meticulous precision. From his Icelandic mix of The Sky Was Pink to his signature track Outhouse, the crowd was always moving and showing their appreciation right throughout the set.

It would be great to see him play an extended three to four hour set, but even his all-too-short one hour time slot satisfied even the harshest of critics. As the boys from Audiojack took over from Mr. Fake the mood of the room changed, and we were redirected down another electronic path. They really suited the timeslot and delivered a set full of jacking electro/tech that covered a broad range of musical genres. Their mixing and enthusiasm behind the decks was pretty relentless with a lot of sounds and effects being layered over each track, making sure that everybody remained on the dance floor.

They played a lot of stuff off labels like 2020 Vision Recordings and Leftroom Records, who have both released their own music in the past. Some highlights include their remix of Idiots by Lot 49 and Bitrayl by Phonogenic. I wasn’t able to catch their entire performance but from all reports they really amped up the tech sounds towards the end of their set.

It seems like I’ve been saying this a lot in recent times, but I walked away from the Laundry incredibly satisfied with what I had witnessed. Fake and Audiojack both succeeded in showing Sydney what electronic music is all about. With the Jam Music team serving up so many internationals on a regular basis, it’s hard not to get excited for upcoming nights like the 10th Birthday. Bring it on!