Mount Kimbie, consisting of Dominic Maker and Kai Campos. They were down here to play mainly the Golden Plains Festival, but managed to do a few sideshows while in town. The second of which I managed to catch at the Oxford Art Factory. I was real excited to see Seekae live as well, surprisingly I had missed out on other chances to see them, so this was almost like a double bill for me. Both Mount Kimbie and Seekae. Score!

Seekae. A much loved Sydney band, deserving of international success. With a new album just released - Dome - it seems like good things are headed their way. Their dedication to the effort and complexity that goes into a live performance was not unappreciated. Each track lined up stacks of samples and managed to spread out the various elements across three laptops and slotted in live drums - nothing short of genius. Static noise merged what sounded like malfunctioning SNES consoles, intermittent bursts of samples reminiscent of revving car engines. Managing to make all these different components sound organic was what astounded me.

The chaos was barely held in check, if one element had been out of place the whole ensemble would have fallen apart, but it was all held together professionally through their meticulous attention to detail. Experienced bands would shudder at the reckless way that they took to caution, ensuring that fans got a performance that was noteworthy. The extended chords of "Void" washed over the venue, and instantly I was transported back to a lush forest, giving way to heavily syncopated 808 beats kicking back in to create an utterly unique experience. I've seen many bands over the years, both local and international, but Seekae holds a special place amongst all the acts I've seen.

After Seekae, most of the crowd was left in a daze, feeling as though we'd already gotten our value for money.

We waited for what Mount Kimbie had to offer as the main event. Once they arrived (with a much smaller stage set-up), they sounded as if they were much more studio based and produced and less actual live instrumentation. At times I wasn't even sure that the drum pad was in use when he was hitting it, but that may have been because there was ridiculous amounts of delay on it, I wasn't convinced.

What was impressive about them though, was their ability to concoct new free form approaches to the already over-played dubstep genre, the way they re-arranged and manipulated various electronic influences into their own thing, was what set these guys apart. At times they had the metallic tones of some of Aphex Twin's early work, to the more glitchy sounds of recent years. Even managing to assimilate distorted riffs into "Field", which was quite a welcome surprise.

"Before I Move Off" was definitely a stand-out track, with most of the crowd getting into it, and deservedly so. Bass wobbling was not entirely left out of the set but it wasn't in the way that you might expect, not for mindless headbanging, but to inflict an ambience of overpowering proportions, almost as a siren to introduce you from one idea to the next. Expressing themes from a different perspective.

Making use of what little equipment they seemed to have brought on tour with them, they were a solitary duo, at times trying to connect with the audience, but much of what they said passed by misunderstood due to their heavy accents. But the crowd was feeling them either way.

Two consecutive nights sold out, not an easy feat for such a young duo. They lacked in the live performance arena, especially when compared to Seekae but it seems they should step up their live performances up a notch.

Must be a lot of pressure when you're hyped and hailed as the next big thing, by blogs and the press alike. The music however speaks volumes and it is great to see an act stepping away from the usual trend back in the UK. Glad they came to Sydney.