Live Review: Seekae, Jontl, Untzz Twelve Inch

Opening what was to be a very ambient, electro-rich night, Untzz Twelve Inch began with a spontaneous improvised live set, no laptops included. However, this didn’t seem to sway the huddled/kneeling five-piece in the corner of the stage, who delivered a solid disco/house experience to the handful of fans methodically head-bopping alongside. Originally developed as a vehicle for a group of friends to release their music in DJ format, Untzz Twelve Inch are now leaders as one of Adelaide’s most thriving DJ labels to rejuvenate the local dance scene, made obvious in their elegantly intuitive performance.

Jonti, the South African-hailing electronic musician and producer, followed, choosing centre-stage to create a landscape for the playful, pretty sounds of his first album, 2011’s Twirligig. What radiated from the laptop, switchboard and cigar box guitar for the next 45 minutes was a collection of melting synth-pop intertwined with wailing vocals and colourful melodies. Drawing on Madlib, Stereolab, Free Design and The Beach Boys, this quirky record of dreamy, bubbling sounds perfectly reflects Jonti’s distinct and very curious interpretation of music production.

With the room now adequately filled with punters and thick smoke, three silhouettes quietly took the stage. As the crowd tentatively moved forward, the hesitance in the room was quickly smothered by the intensity of the smooth, yet distinctly broken electro-synth sounds of Sydney/London-based three-piece, Seekae. With a set balancing tracks from 2009’s The Sound Of Trees Falling On People, 2011’s +Dome and their upcoming third album, The Worry, Seekae polished off favourites 3, Another and Void, whilst debuting intimate unreleased tracks Boys, Tais and The Stars Below.

Hardly pausing between tracks, the performance felt designed to be one complete listening experience, taking you on a glistening, slightly dangerous journey of both stillness and motion enveloping around you. Shifting from delicately ambitious vocals to a raw drum kit element, first-time vocalist Alex Cameron refreshes the crowd with a familiar beat within the thick electronic space. Seekae are a band who make music that demands to be heard live. They create the type of sound that both surprises and pleases, beckoning closed eyes and drifting bodies. Familiar tracks Gnor and Centaur closed the evening with a reverberating energy dissolving into the crowd, finishing a succinct yet very powerful performance.