Live Review: Jon Hopkins, Simon Caldwell

Brian Eno protégé Jon Hopkins produced one of the best dance albums of the year with Immunity, and his club show was a triumph of euphoric sound design and a giant middle finger to deep house deniers. It was also, regrettably, very short.

Sydney club king Simon Caldwell warmed up with a steady-handed set full of his characteristic warmth and simmering energy. Caldwell's sets are consistently interesting, and the level of control and consideration on display is always impressive. The build-ups are well timed and avoid overextension, and track selection is deep. His OAF set was designed specifically as a warm-up, something many DJs don't do, choosing instead to break out big material before the headline. Caldwell, ever the consummate professional, is better than that, happy to play second fiddle to the international. The set never broke a sweat, but it did maintain momentum with a pulsing deep house selection.

Jon Hopkins arrived in a cloud of ambient drone, and broke through it with the heavy sludge bassline of We Disappear, the opening track from Immunity. The first half of Immunity is almost frightening in its ambition and drive, with thick beats covered in grit and rhythms. Hopkins' show established itself with those key tracks up front. Lead single Open Eye Signal pounded the dancefloor, revving up an excitable crowd. The OAF's above average sound set-up handled it really well, and the rich textures pushed into the edges of the whole space, yet the smothering, hissing kicks never felt claustrophobic. The effect of having our chests compressed felt good, rather than oppressive.

Hopkins' spaced out ambient drone melodies balanced out the crushing rhythm section, expanding the room (and the headspaces of the crowd) and lifting spirits far better than pharmaceuticals could.

The downside of the evening was not one based on quality, but quantity. Hopkins moved through his recent recorded work, neatly cutting the set into two halves (deeper moving into lighter), and then the night sort of evaporated, leaving punters stunned and wandering aimlessly. His live prowess is not in question; his use of equipment and live sound processing was great. His decision to stick with an album-length set was disappointing. Perhaps it was a question of potency and purity: keep it short, keep it sharp, keep it consistent. In that regard he passed with flying colours.