Live Review: Factory Floor

Most press on Factory Floor describes their live performances as a three-piece with acoustic instruments, but, at least for this tour, it seems that Gabe Guernsey and Nik Colk Void are in duo mode, and they’ve ditched the instruments and microphones for mixers and samplers.

There’s no gentle build once the pair take the stage. They jump straight into brilliantly harsh techno, all distorted scraping sounds and pulsing beats. The music changes slowly, gradually, over the opening track and while elements slowly make their way into and out of the mix, the central beat and arpeggios remain largely unchanged. The shift into the next track, when it occurs, is clean and efficient, the distortion dropping out and leaving just the driving bass, different enough to create a clear break without sacrificing the intensity. Not every layered sound works, but overall it keeps the listener engaged, on edge, and the intentional discord pulls the music solidly away from the safe confines of traditional techno or house.

The space is attractive, but GOMA was always going to be a little awkward for this sort of gig: too self-consciously cool and too well-lit to easily get people dancing. Still it’s hard to resist the pull of the insistent beat, and the majority of the crowd is at least bobbing along, a few brave souls making a little more of an effort. There’s certainly no performance from the band: two bobbing heads behind a desk, looking (to be kind) deep in concentration. A large screen displays monochromatic videos that mesh loosely with the songs, but it’s to the side, entirely off the stage, and it’s hard to tell if anyone even notices.

A little over halfway into the gig the music comes to a surprising stop and the bemused glances the artists share at the audience applause makes the pause seem accidental. It marks a noticeable shift in the set though, and when the music does kick back in, it feels faster, more intense, but less dance friendly, the focus on rhythm and noise a temporary nod to head rather than body music. When the melody drops back in again it all meshes perfectly, and any lost momentum is instantly forgiven. By now, the floor is a little emptier and a fair bit looser, as people lose their inhibitions and begin to really move and it’s a real shame that the night has to end so soon. But end it must, with an abrupt cut to silence and the cheering of a satisfied crowd.