Brushing aside my usual disdain for going out on a Sunday evening, I made my way to Geisha for Democracy Live presents Gui Boratto. With the last Democracy Live gig garnering rave reviews, and having seen Gui Boratto play interstate a couple of years ago, there was no way I was missing out on the chance to see him play an intimate gig in my hometown.

Due to an unfortunate red wine spillage, I arrived later than I had planned and only caught the last 10 minutes of Massiv Trav’s set. The club was still fairly empty and those that were already there were sticking to the booths and loitering near the bar. The dancefloor was deserted, with people obviously intent on getting a few drinks into them at this still early stage of the gig.

Ping Pong Live (local DJs AarinF and James Francis) came on at 10pm and began to fire up the growing crowd, using Ableton (I think) with looped melodies and different effects. More and more people standing around the bar were starting to bop along with the driving 4/4 beats, until they inevitably spilled out on to the dancefloor.

There was a small technical glitch very early in the set with the volume levels dropping. The crowd was quick to express their displeasure, gesturing and shouting for the sound to be turned up. It was quickly resolved, with little momentum lost. Later I recognised a sample from Booka Shade v M.A.N.D.Y’s Body Language with an unknown spoken-word track over the top. It really was a fun warm-up set and the crowd showed their appreciation at the end, clapping and cheering.

There was a hush of anticipation as Gui Boratto took over, kicking off his set with the soft beats and dainty melody of Azzurra. Initially he was hunched over his laptop, intent on his work and masterfully building the set. By the time he dropped Take My Breath Away, the audience was awash in delicious melodies and loving every minute of it. The song was received with much whooping and clapping, which saw us rewarded with a shy smile.

It really was two hours of sheer magic and a fantastic atmosphere to match. Nobody was hanging back from the dancefloor, the bar and booths had all been deserted. Everybody went nuts during the opening bars of No Turning Back, erupting into more applause.

My personal high point was when he dropped his remix of Massive Attack’s Paradise Circus. I’ve been a tad obsessed with that song of late, hadn’t expected to hear it, and jumped around excitedly when I did. Two hours went by all too quickly, and as the clock hit midnight we heard the familiar beats and looping melody of Beautiful Life.

I think it was safe to say that nobody in the enraptured crowd wanted the night to end and neither did Gui, as he gave the Geisha staff a dismissive wave and cranked out another cheeky tune. I must give kudos to Democracy for providing us the opportunity to see such a fantastic artist, and also kudos to everyone who was there to enjoy it. I certainly won’t be so quick to dismiss Sunday night gigs in future.