The cold didn’t stop dubstep and drum ‘n’ bass fans hitting the town for the launch of Dysphemic’s new album Hypnosis, described as “a mix of dark dubstep and evil hiphop mashed with jungle and dirty drum and bass”. If that doesn’t sound like an interesting evening, I’m not sure what does.

Opener, Kodiak Kid, warmed up the party nicely, drawing people away from the bar and into the main room. Wasabi is an epic stratch-meister, very impressive. I was blown away and those that are regular attendees of his shows knew what to expect and loved it, judging by the hands in the air and hollers of appreciation. Twisted Audio crew MCs Dyzlexic CM & Harzee hosted the night. At one point describing dubstep to a dubstep newbie as “Instrumental hip-hop on ketamine”, Dyzlexic proved to be a talented & charismatic freestyler and host. At points throughout the night there would be some great freestyling over the sets, although it sometimes caught me off guard.

Finally, I attend a gig that has appropriate sound levels for the venue. The sound crew had it spot on, allowing conversation to continue in the front bar and with only minor difficulty in the main room. Honestly, it was mainly mutters of appreciation heard while people enjoyed the beats. Also to provide another dimension of enjoyment were visuals by VJ Dougstep, (Yes, hilarious. But awesome). Plus, a revamped outside area made for a much more pleasant experience than the previous asphalt, and a relaxed crowd made for a pleasant atmosphere.

Baron von Rotton brought something completely different to the table with the complementary sounds of violin from Miss Eliza, from the outside a tiny Asian girl in a bikini top, tutu and mini top-hat but actually a ridiculously talented, internationally performing violinist. The string sound didn’t always go together with the beats but for a lead in and close to the set, it worked well, leaving the beats to speak for themselves for the majority. It was a great concept.

Dyzlexic CM pumped the crowd up with a bit of call and response and then partner in crime, Harzee wowed the room with his motor mouth freestyling, leading into what everyone was waiting for. Dysphemic brought on chunky beats with lots of great vocal and melody samples which leads into a fairly grimy sound, heavy with bass. The album, Hypnosis is bound to be a great success with Melbourne dubstep fans and will hopefully convert a few over to the dark side. Tracks that really stood out for me included Hypnosis and Shadows, but the whole set was great. I found it to be multi-dimensional and easy to listen to overall, although there were a couple of points that I was sure only real Dubstep fans would appreciate.

Finally, Mark N didn’t disappoint fans with a fine closing set to round of the night. Numbers were still fairly good even after 2am, granted it wasn’t packed to the rafters but there was definite room for movement, a line for drinks and plenty of body heat. Dysphemic brought a reportedly more polished sound than the last time, with a great new album to promote and a slew of primo supporting acts. This kid is going places.