Dawn of Midi play with the possibilities of polyrhythm, weaving and interlocking motifs in angular and evolving patterns.
Everything else is stripped down to austere minimalism – the tone of the trio’s drums, double bass and piano stays consistent, melody is made and constantly remoulded from a small handful of repeating notes and any change in dynamics is subtle.
This only makes the complex web of beats all the more compelling, creating a sort of acoustic IDM that would be equally at home in jazz clubs, ‘contemporary music’ circles or recording for Warp Records.
That trinity of styles makes it obvious why they are supporting Nils Frahm, who also moves seamlessly between classical, improvised and electronic music.
But where Dawn of Midi focus on rhythm, Frahm is just as much focused on melody and texture.
He shifts through a mad sound-scientist’s lab of keyboards, pianos, synths and electric pipe organ, treating us to a wide palette of sounds—lush landscapes of chords and drones, frenetic finger workouts, pulsing techno.
His technical ability is spellbinding, and yet never indulged for its own sake, hitting all the right notes at all the right times.
The set ends with a euphoric extended version of ‘Says’ from the album Spaces, and an encore, which starts off with Frahm using toilet brushes as drum sticks, before giving us one last experience of his hypnotic piano playing.
Words: CR Sanderson
Photos: Nadia Murdoch
