Spectrum was the place to be this Friday for bass-based shenanigans, with ForeignDub hosting Kiwi dubtronica legends Pitch Black upstairs, and the fine people at Void shaking the foundations downstairs. Anticipating that people may like to check out both, a bargain price was offered that allowed patrons to wander back and forth. Genius.

I arrived to find the ForeignDub DJs playing some reggae and some proper Skatalites style ska – a sound probably not heard in Sydney since Mr. Scruff played the Becks Bar back in January. With the unmistakable warmth that can only mean the medium is vinyl. Wandering downstairs revealed the twin delights of $4 schooners and local DJ Prize. As good as cheap beer is, Prize was certainly the better of the two, laying down some fine, fine bass-heavy wonkiness that had the already large crowd up on their feet. He’s a DJ who obviously loves what he does, and it showed in the quality of his set. Unfortunately I couldn’t catch the whole thing, but I heartily enjoyed what I saw.

Sydney’s The Versionaries appear to have undergone a slight line-up change since I last saw them, with the gorgeous Georgie Fisher lending a hand with vocal duties. It seems that Christian Burns is still the main man though, and the quartet still turn out a compelling modern take on reggae, based on samples and electronic whizzbangery. King Tubby would no doubt be proud.

Pitch Black were who everyone were there to see however. It’s been a while since the duo have visited our shores, and Paddy Free was probably most recently seen performing with Salmonella Dub, with whom he now tours. However, the release of the album Rhythm, Sound and Movement, a collection of remixes of tracks from Rude Mechanicals demanded their presence. Michael Hodgson and Paddy Free are not newcomers to the NZ music scene, having been playing together for the best part of a decade. Their time together shows in their onstage rapport, and it’s a tribute to their skills that two men with laptops have such a strong stage presence. Much of this is due to the exuberance of Paddy Free, with his spiky bright orange hair and manic smile. In their hour and a half long set, the duo drew extensively from their back-catalogue as well as from the more recent Rude Mechanicals. No matter how many times I hear it, I just can’t get enough of 1000 Mile Drift, but it’s even better live. Having seen Pitch Black play live a number of times, I’ve never been disappointed, and tonight was no different.

Unfortunately a long week meant that I had to pull the plug before Western Synthetics took the stage, but by this time I was more than happy with my lot. Just what I needed on a cold winter’s night.