Live Review: oOoOO, Butterclock, Maxmillion Dunbar

Berlin-based Laura Clock, better known by stage name Butterclock, gives a unique and welcome spin on '80s synth pop. Both her production and live sets feel like a twisted and gothic fairytale, and you're never quite sure whether a happy or sad ending is looming. There's a dark element evident in all of Butterclock's production, and her live set did nothing to change this habit. Delicate, airy vocal palettes danced around sinister synth lines and hyperactive hi-hats. Her take on Rick Ross' self indulgent gangster anthem Hustling was a definite highlight, but it was tracks such as Don't and Crystal Eyes from her First Prom EP that stole the show. It's always a real pleasure to see Butterclock and oOoOO collaborate on each other's production, and so it was an obvious delight to hear that more collaborations are planned for the future.

Witch house, ethereal R&B, experimental hip hop. No matter how you label oOoOO's music, there's no denying its gloomy residency and weighty, emotional capacity. In fact, Chris Dexter intentionally shies away from a particular sound in his production. In a recent interview from The Skinny, Dexter told us that, “Production values, genre, songwriting... all of that is secondary to emotion for me.” This ideology really shone through in his performance, feeding us an abundance of live takes on tortured, dim melodies and brooding baselines. The set included a host of unfamiliar but unmistakably oOoOO production, that only adds to the anticipation of his forthcoming release. Keep a close eye on oOoOO's new label Nihjgt Feelings, which will be dropping his debut album Without Your Love on June 24.

We were all gloomed out after back-to-back performances from the pair, so it was refreshing when the big man with the big beard from Maryland, USA, Maxmillion Dunbar stepped up to the decks. You would never guess that Dunbar started his career as a rapper under his Vulture Voltair moniker; his taste for hip hop seemingly traded in for an instalment of pure four-four. The change of pace was well received; pure housey goodness taking us all the way to the end.