Live Review: Circoloco

Perth techno fans were given an Australia Day party to remember when Ibiza club Circoloco dropped a tour with five highly regarded tastemakers. There was a last-minute change of venue from Red Hill Auditorium to Metro City, inside which large sections were roped off to create a much smaller space.

Not only was the venue running in a much smaller configuration, there was also very little in terms of visuals. A simple set-up of a pair of DJ booths on wheels and a single lighting rig was all that was on offer. For a brand known for circus flair, this was a truly understated affair.

First cab off the rank was one half of Peace Division: Clive Henry. Although he played a decent enough set, the fact that there were only 28 fans in attendance by the time he finished (we counted) meant that this was more background music for a few early drinks than a collection to get the dancefloor going.

Petar Dundov was the first act to make that happen with a selection of remixes and original tunes. The crowd slowly began to grow, although the still-underwhelming turnout meant that dancing was limited to a few couples on the room's periphery.

Whether by design or by luck, as soon as Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia took to the stage the crowd swelled from middling to near-capacity. Dubfire is a brilliant DJ, building his hard-yet-funky set from elements of classic tunes mixed with loops and samples without straying too far from the more popular big-room techno and tech-house sounds. Due to his habit of mixing musical elements, this set defied Shazaming as many tunespotters tried unsuccessfully to identify tunes.

Up next was an act we were really excited to be seeing. Nicole Moudaber has been rising fast on best-DJ lists the world over, the Lebanese-Nigerian producer winning hearts with her weekly In The Mood radio show and podcast. Taking over from Dubfire, Moudaber pushed the sound in terms of both tempo and darkness. This was a HEAVY set, mixing industrial and EBM with darker techno elements. It may have been a little too much for the crowd, however, since only diehard fans remained on the dancefloor. But for those who remained, this was a truly memorable set.

It seemed almost impossible for Jonny White of Art Department fame to follow the show put on by Moudaber. Nowhere near as heavy or hard-hitting, this was a really fun set — much funkier and a pleasure to dance to, rather than driving and aggressive. We really wished we had some more energy left, but a couple of comfy couches provided the perfect place to finish the night while swaying and tapping along.