Live Review: Nightmares On Wax - DJ Set

The summer months in Perth are truly a boon time for fans of the arts. Not only do we get the upstart Fringe festival, we also get the long-standing grand dame that is the Perth International Arts Festival. While the Fringe has the Pleasure Garden in Russell Square, PIAF has the Chevron Festival Gardens down on the waterfront of the recently opened Elizabeth Quay district. With all these new venues, there is a feeling across the CBD of excitement with dozens of shows within walking distance every night.

Opening night of the Chevron Festival Gardens brought UK down-tempo hip hop producer DJ EASE (of Nightmares On Wax fame). A repeat visitor to Perth, this Warp Records artist is famous for his genre-bending sets that mix hip hop, classic soul, house and electro.

The crowd was an interesting mixture of after work suits and VIPs as well as dreadlocked hippies and hip hop heads. All present were witness to an interesting musical journey.

Opening with a medley of originals including Les Nuits and Nights Interlude, EASE quickly changed up the sound playing some vocal house cuts, building live remixes, dropping a cappella parts on top of loops while casually scratching and throwing dub effects that echoed through the open air venue. Classic soul and disco were next on the menu with Luther Vandross and Blondie records getting a huge reaction from the crowd who were dancing the night away. It was a pretty safe set, but with EASE so adept at reading a crowd, it was still able to keep everyone dancing for two-and-a-half hours.