Live Review: Let Them Eat Cake

The first day of 2013 delivers a perfect summers day for revelers to frolic in the gardens at Werribee Park whilst enjoying an eclectic selection of beats from some of the most exciting producers and deejays in the business. In keeping with the eighteenth century theme of Let Them Eat Cake a number of high spirited punters arrive in period costume looking as though they are off to party the night away at Versailles. A din of beats and bass emanating from all four stages greets our ears and unusually there is barely whiff of indie dance in air as the inaugural edition of this festival features a line up that focuses on delivering a tasty selection largely electronic sound. Featuring small stages and catering for small numbers gives Let Them Eat Cake a friendly intimate vibe that's conspicuously absent from the stampede you might experience at larger festivals.

Local producer Sun In Aquarius salutes us with his atmospheric aquatic grooves set in motion by hip hop beats as we make our way to see Space Dimension Controller. Apparently still a teenager, Jack Hamill a recent signing to the illustrious R&S label has received much acclaim with just a handful of twelves released under his Space Dimension Controller moniker. Today he is giving material off his new album a work out. The first part of his set features wonky virtual synths delivering a symphony of bleeps set to an understated chugging beat. Space Dimension Controller's light and fluffy grooves are perfect for lazing in the summer sun. It isn't long before he realizes that this laid back approach is clearing the floor and it prompts him to start pumping out more aggressive stuttering electro beats that quickly attracts a crowd.

The crowd grows even bigger as house maestro Kerri Chandler kicks off a jacking set of feelgood soulful house. Strings of Life elicits a huge roar of approval from punters that look about as old as the tune itself. It provides one of the most joyous moments of the day that perfectly compliments the celebratory tone of the festival. Many of the tunes Chandler spun were produced back in the nineties but they wash over as fresh and inviting as ever. While Chandler effortlessly has the crowd dancing with wild abandon and arms in the air, New Zealand producers Opiuo seem to attract the nastier and freakier fringe of the crowd with their heavy funked up dub step. Meanwhile Slow Magic is spinning dreamy sounds to almost no one behind the toilets at the Guillotine stage.

Transcending the limitations of genre, legendary dub step originators Digital Mystikz drop proper set of ornate electronic experimentation that burns slowly to the heavy grind of their beats. The duo seem to attract geeky chin stroking fan boys who gasp in awe at everything they play. Coki and Mala take turns on the decks, conspicuously wiping down vinyl before putting the needle on the record. Stylistically both are on exactly the same page dropping an immersive and cohesive set that comes at us from fresh and innovative angles. Elsewhere Theo Parrish is spinning up a marathon party with an irresistible selection of obscure seventies disco that comes in soul, jazz and funk flavors. At this stage it is impossible not to loose yourself in the music and dance the afternoon away. However, everyone was watching their clock and despite the quality of Parrish's set most left him to do it alone as they depart en masse to check out The Gaslamp Killer. Hirsute and keen to hype us to the max The Gaslamp Killer moves about the stage like Animal from the Muppets as he constantly tosses his wild mane of hair about the place. His tunes move beyond those featured on his album Breakthrough as he starts to play unreleased material. The Gaslamp Killer constantly tells us this is exciting new 'shit' direct from California but it washes over as inspired by and deeply indebted to all the dubstep sounds we have heard coming out of South London for many years.

Tiger and Woods rock their laptops working a fun italo-electro-disco formula which settles into routine electro house bump that comes with a somewhat thin digital harshness. The party has shifted to the stage behind the toilets where H.O.S.H., Pariah and Ben UFO have quietly been playing timeless back room tech house beats that prove to be a magnet for the club kids who just want to boogie down.

Setting up Flying Lotus' so called 'Layer 3' visuals seemed to take ages as we wait in silence. Once things were good to go a deafening bass buzz greets us before FlyLo kick starts his set. The dynamic light show, simultaneously front and back projected on two transparent screens to create an unusual 3D effect is simply awe inspiring. Much like the Wizard of Oz, from behind the dazzling visuals Steven Ellison aka FlyLo gives us an ecstatic set of pounding beats that playfully moves from dubstep to experimental hip hop and glitchy pop that dials Erykah Badu's vocals into the mix. Hailing from Los Angeles seemingly inspires FlyLo to give his music a wide screen cinematic angle in a way that leaves you feeling that he has produced an alternative soundtrack to the recent Tron sequel. He even manages pay homage to Moroder mixing in the theme from Midnight Express. Towards the end of the set FlyLo greets the audience with plenty of swagger, rapping with such confidence that its seems only a matter of time before he exchanges electronica for hip hop. Touring to promote his latest album Until The Quiet Comes, the quiet that came was exhilarating loud.

As EDM moves to commercialize and plasticize electronic dance music for seemingly more mainstream audiences, Let Them Eat Cake demonstrates that if you are prepared to look below the surface the dance underground continues to offer plenty of interesting listening.