Live Review: Floating Points, Fatima, Alexander Nut, Sean Dean, Steve Spacek, JPS, Teebs

Where?House is not so much a warehouse as a concrete bunker in the sadly now-derelict Argus building on Elizabeth Street. The place isn't soundproofed, so the sound system isn't totally blasting out of deference for the neighbours preferring a quiet night in. But it still produces a satisfyingly deep bass rumble that sees the venue vibrating through the night.

Hosted by The Operatives, tonight's Espionage rave-up at Where?House surprises some and disappoints others. Prefuse 73 (aka Scott Herren) is a late addition to the bill. He's scheduled to kick off the event at 6pm with a short, one-hour set before he heads off to Strawberry Fields. As set times are advertised via Facebook just a few hours prior, it means that many who planned to arrive later simply miss out on Herren's set. Us included, unfortunately. Instead, we arrive while Teebs is dropping an absolute eargasm of a set. We are greeted by a series of evocative moods, organic textures and broken beats that make for a rather thrilling start to a massively epic evening of grooves. Much like Prefuse 73, Teebs works with experimental hip hop templates that avoid the Wordy Rappinghood created by rappers and MCs, instead preferring to focus on experimental electronic noises, which give his set something of an IDM feel. Teebs' music elicits a lot of enthusiastic chin stroking and gentle head nodding, but no one is exactly pulling shapes. Perhaps the most noticeable difference between tonight's rave and those of yesteryear is that punters direct their attention to the stage expecting spectacle rather than making a spectacle of themselves and dancing the night away with reckless abandon.

Local DJ JPS follows with a selection of choons that is a multi-car crash of styles and influences skilfully managed into coherence. Many are disappointed by Africa HiTech's late cancellation. Steve Spacek replaces them. Booked in DJ mode for this event, Spacek does not treat us to his delightful soulful croon this evening, instead taking us on an eclectic trip through a range of beats influenced by lounge, jazz, soul, hip hop and a little obligatory grime and dubstep that starts to get the floor bumping. Sean Dean's short set marks a turning point in the evening as the BPMs increase and bass-drum kicks start to provide a lot more thump to the mix. The rest of the night is essentially an Eglo Records showcase. Alexander Nut kicks off with a freestyle approach before settling into a deep house groove that has punters cheering. Upcoming Swedish singer Fatima joins him and belts out a selection of her soul and R&B songs. Nut provides sleek, electronic backing tracks that eliminate the retro nature of these songs, sending them off on a time travelling mission light years into the future. Floating Points continue to take us deep into the heart of Saturday night with thick, house grooves that come with luscious, feel-good layers of jazz samples. Grinding awkwardly to a halt on what should have been an all-nighter, many soon find themselves headed for an after-party.