I arrived at Miss Libertine for Sonic Textures 001 not knowing what to expect. Australian born Kasey Taylor now resides in Portugal, and this event would be his first Melbourne gig since the Rainbow Serpent Festival and Famous at the beginning of the year.

Miss Libertine, which is normally host to electro and hip hop nights, was an interesting choice of venue to showcase Kasey, who has played at events such as Voov in Germany and Labrynth in Japan. As I entered the club the vibe was one of relaxed anticipation, as people kicked back near the bar enjoying Nick Nano’s funky, minimal tunes.

Meanwhile, in the main room Jonny Mac demonstrated his versatility behind the CDJs. At this stage the dance floor was scattered with only a few enthusiasts, and it didn’t kick into action for at least another hour. Although Jonny threw us a few funky, catchy tunes and the occasional driving track, it was pretty light on for those who wanted to dance at this stage of the evening.

There was a notable shift in energy as Gavin Martin took the decks at 1:30am. The dance floor began to fill, with heads bopping and feet shuffling, and Gavin delivered an energised, techy, prog-infused set which became increasingly dynamic. I have only good things to say about Gavin’s set, which was mixed seamlessly and established a suitable platform for Kasey to work off.

Soon enough the time for Kasey’s set had arrived, and apart from a few lost souls who had stumbled unknowingly into Libertine (“Kasey who?”), the rest of us were aching to see what he would deliver. Those familiar with his recent compilation Gems may have expected a predominantly progressive set, but if this night would prove anything it would be that Kasey knows how to mesh his genres with the best of them.

The set began with a ‘scape’ of techno sounds, a German influence being evident more than ever. Twenty-five minutes into the set, the sounds became darker. Kasey’s set became increasingly driving before he introduced some more uplifting elements around the 45 minute mark. At this point the smoke machine fogged into action, and thankfully it was not used excessively throughout the party. There are few things more disconcerting at a gig than the overuse of a smoke machine and strobe lights flashing on a half filled dance floor!

Midway through Kasey’s set the audience still did not appear overly excited, apart from a couple of entertaining lasses at the front who began performing a range of ‘kung fu’ dance moves and playing imaginary ‘jump rope’. Those who were looking to be blown away would have been a little disappointed, as Kasey’s set became a bit tedious in parts. It was not until about 5am when we were reminded as to why we were here, with Kasey moving into more uplifting territory.

For the final 30 minutes Kasey alternated between ambient and funky beats, then finished off with some driving and familiar tunes. With a backspin of the final track, Kasey’s set was over, but who could complain? Even though the crowd had diminished to a few die-hards, Kasey had generously given us half an hour longer than expected, so it was now time to hand him back to the Portuguese. Obrigada, Kasey, thanks for a great night!