Underground music. Much like the term ‘unAustralian’, people seem to use it to describe almost anything they want. My definition of the term became a little clearer last Saturday Night, after witnessing almost three hours of music that refused to be pigeonholed. Lashings of progressive, electro, tech-house, minimal, nu-disco funk and even old-skool pop was seamlessly weaved together by Belgian duo Spirit Catcher who demonstrated just how versatile ‘underground’ electronic music can be.

Despite a weekend of sheeting rain and howling winds, Kings Cross seemed its usual vibrant self on Saturday night, teeming with all sorts of people looking for kicks. I don’t often go to Yu anymore, but the lure of Spirit Catcher was strong and Beware the Cat have been consistently booking quality acts. The act in question is comprised of Belgian pair Jean Vanesse and Thomas Sohet who, over the past couple of years, have been building a remarkable repertoire of original productions and remixes, including a full-length artist album. Their sound could be loosely be characterised as nu-disco and their music has a quirky energy about it; heavy on the bass and full of joyful synth melodies.

Upon arrival the music was decidedly deep. Minimal sounds were trickling out of the speakers and there was plenty of languid dancing going on around the room. The crowd was an odd mixture of young and old, some clearly already having indulged a little too heavily in their Saturday night (including one guy who spewed on himself sitting next to me). There was the now ubiquitous zebra and leopard print spotted around the room and naturally, plenty of stovepipes. Declan Lee played a solid warm-up set from 12am, keeping things pretty restrained and firmly in electro territory, allowing enough room for the Spirit Catcher boys to step things up a notch when they started.

Before I talk about the music, a quick overview of the gear. Spirit Catcher’s live set up is a musical nerd’s wet dream. Jean was on mixing duties cueing up the tunes through Serato Scratch Live while Thomas devoted his immense talents to layering new sounds into the mix; bashing on a Roland Juno 106, a drum sampler and a midi controller keyboard connected to laptop with Cubase SX and various soft synths. While this was therefore not a ‘live’ set in its true sense, Thomas was injecting plenty of fresh chords, loops and effects for nearly their entire stint in the DJ box.

The beginning of their set was surprisingly deep and devoid of the funk for which they are known. However, it did not take long for their trademark sound to make an appearance. The basslines started to get some chunk and wobble and large slabs of chords burst out of the speakers. Their awesome remix of Kirk Degiorgio’s Starwaves really got the crowd going and was followed by a classic prog remix of Thriller. Sometimes hearing Blue Monday in a club can be cringe-inducing, but when it is being layered with live drum fills, loops and eighties electro computer games bleeps, it takes on a completely new life. Overall, their set displayed a great balance of styles with some immense proggy chord build ups, driving electro, funky tech beats and a drop of the familiar with the likes of Depeche Mode and New Order.

For me, Thomas Sohet is the Belgian, black-haired version of James Zabiela – not for any musical similarity, but rather for the ceaseless enthusiasm that he displays behind his equipment. For almost three hours he was rarely without a smile and his long black locks of hair never stopped bouncing. Quite remarkable was his ability to play repetitive chord patterns over and over again without ever missing a beat. He would often continue playing the keys well into the next track being mixed in, so it became hard to determine what was live and what was not. The only disadvantage of the set-up at Yu was that is was quite difficult to get a good look at the magic happening within the DJ booth.

Tim Sea and his moustache took to the decks after Spirit Catcher and kept the vibe decidedly tough. His energetic mixes kept the hardcore few on the dancefloor, but my legs were weary and aching for bed so it was out into the cold for a late-night curry pie and a warm taxi ride home.

Spirit Catcher have won many new fans and admirers during their Australian tour (which also saw them performing as part of the We Love Sounds festival over the June Long Weekend). Their fresh sound seems to have struck a chord with many dance music lovers, and I can only hope that we see them on our shores again soon.