Mr Of/Chime/Benny P + Genga/Duble Tech/D’Vauz Brothers
Parker Nightclub
Friday, October 10, 2014
Chillstep? Swingstep? Lovestep? Lovetrap? Another subgenre, another day, right? Hardly. Offbeat and well-executed production work is the foundation of the beautifully simplistic wavy sound attached to those awkward offshoot-genre labels, pioneered by the crazily talented Just A Gent.
In the midst of an international tour, 17-year-old producer Just A Gent stopped by Parker in Northbridge last Friday night, blowing all skepticism out of the water. Arriving considerably late in the night, there was no five kilometre long line or sense of urgency. Whether due to a lack of promotion for the event or the fact that the show had been moved from Ambar to Parker, the response was embarrassingly underwhelming by Perth standards, and somehow managed to attract older couples who generally wanted a space to bump n’ grind. For the dub/trap enthusiasts that intentionally came down for him, we were lucky enough to have enough floor space to throw down some proper moves without being elbowed in the face.
The lead-up to our headline act was brought on in the form of Mr Of. His name was maybe an indicator to following in the whole chivalrous spirit, but his set was definitely not as polite as he appeared. ARYAY’s The Lawnmower saw patrons getting amongst it and creating their own private dance worlds, as did references to Alice Wonderland’s I Want You/(Cold), Jack Ü’s new track featuring Kieza, Take You There, and a perfect mix of Childish Gambino’s 3005 (with extra cowbell).
In a predominately trap set, Just A Gent managed to cool us down a bit with the super-silky, crystalline tunes of up-and-coming girl duo Kito and Reija Lee. Those tracks provided that perfect balance between classic bangers and smooth chill trap that Just A Gent is renowned for.
Finally, it was 12.30 and out came the top hat-wearing, moustache-sporting Just A Gent, dressed in a tailored vest and all. His set began incredibly boldly, featuring a spooky track laid out with blasting organs, pushing the speakers to their ultimate limits. From there, he kept going above and beyond set expectations with big slips of wob-wob strewn through well-known vocal tracks. He took everything we knew and loved about dubstep and combined it with chilltrap to give us a set that was highly rated by most there. His support for other Australian electronic artists was apparent through the plugging of Peking Duk’s fresh new number Take Me Over, which definitely won most over. Also featured were Just A Gent’s remixes of Lido’s I Love You, Zhu’s Superfriends, and the ridiculously swinging Don’t Call Me Baby, which left us all feeling loved up and sweat-out not even halfway into the set. He trapped things up a bit more with his Defcon version of Bubble Butt, whipped with some big drops and grimy riffs.
If Kygo and Michael Jackson had a baby and made Smooth Criminal, this is what it would have sounded like. The set was hot and sexy, with some high frequencies that put everyone in the same positive mood.
Overall, Just A Gent’s set and complete sound could only be defined as gentle and whimsical build ups followed by amazingly satisfying drops. Like all gentleman, he courted us until it was time to get down to business and left us feeling well-cleansed. He’s creating beats beyond his years and is definitely one to pencil in your diary the next time he swings around.
MIA CAMPBELL-FOULKES
