Live Review: Willow Beats, Oisima, Problems

A balmy summer’s evening, the sumptuous sounds of Australia’s finest beatmakers and an open-air rooftop packed to the brim with swinging hipsters: Rocket Bar was the place to be on Friday night.

The lucky people who managed to get in early were greeted by a local duo, Problems. The band’s 40 minutes of stage time was packed with textured, chill-wave goodness and it was particularly pleasing to see (or hear, so to speak) Shane Lock’s melancholic vocals in front of emotive, synth heavy sounds. Problems set the tone for the evening with their down-tempo set, exiting the stage to a supple rumble of applause from the crowd.

After a quick dance intermission with the Cats DJs, music producer prodigy, Oisima, was ready to turn things up a notch. Sweeping his remarkable beard across the beatpad, Oisima went from strength to strength during his set. A sparkling opener was succeeded by trip hop-permeating lush ambiance and then his newly released collaboration with Mei Saraswati titled Sun Of Truth. Oisima delivered a soul-warming performance of innovative sounds that foretold what was to come in 2015. This is a producer to certainly keep an eye on.

After strong performances by local support acts, the bar’s band room was a full house to warmly – literally, it was starting to get quite sweaty – welcome Melbourne’s Willow Beats. Perhaps the moistness in the air was an ode to the new Willow Beats EP, which has just come fresh out of the water. A smooth, flowing blend of ethereal euphoria and warped, woozy sampling drowned ears and drove the audience wild as they danced along to the super bouncy, syncopated rhythms. Kalyani Mumtaz is to be commended on her vocal ability, which shone through thanks to the crisp production of Narayana Johnson. The room only quietened down for a brief moment when the duo revisited their Alchemy EP and pulled out a peaceful rendition of Blue, a track that has become a staple highlight of their live performances. Willow Beats wrapped up their EP tour in Adelaide with vivacious version of Merewif, and it was only natural to continue dancing late into the evening.