Review: Leon Vynehall at The Rechabite

Leon Vynehall at The Rechabite
w/ Slow Point
Friday, March 3, 2023

Leon Vynehall has struck an interesting balance in his career, gaining recognition as a house and techno DJ but never loyal to one genre too long, nor confining himself to the dance sphere exclusively. His 2018 release Nothing Is Still was a concept album documenting his grandparent’s move to New York City fifty years back and played more in the realm of jazz and modern classical than club-ready dance. 2021’s Rare, Forever returned to the dance floor, but it had not left Vynehall’s ambient and conceptual roots behind. His set for the Perth Festival indulged these experimental tendencies, mixing moments of house, techno and breakbeat bliss against sometimes cathartic, sometimes jarring moments of industrial ambience.

Opening proceedings was Slow Point, likewise representing the more abstract side of the electronic spectrum with a minimal, swelling set of ambient which traded beats for sustained synth notes in a suitable soundtrack for the denizens of some far off dystopian cyberpunk cityscape. It was all the more impressive given his equipment, an old analogue synthesiser full of jutting wires. It was strangely fitting, embracing the kind of ‘messy tech’ aesthetic to which the music leant a backing.

Leon Vynehall was next up, taking his seat with little fanfare. It was a wordless and almost person-less performance, man divorced from music as he faced away from the stage and let his music do the talking. His position on stage was curious; kneeling rather than standing against his decks. It looked an uncomfortable proposition, particularly given the intricacy of the similarly analogue system that Vynehall was working with atop a regular set of DJ decks. Vynehall showed no signs of being slowed however, firmly concentrated on his performance throughout. Above him was a ring of lights, which would provide a suitably epic visual accompaniment to proceedings.

Opening the set was a swelling intro combining a euphoric, almost post-rock type build with some very jarring mechanical sounds. Mileage may have varied, but the volume of these noises atop their intentional nails-on-a-chalkboard abrasiveness made it a pain on the ears, with punters well advised to take the earplugs offered on the door. The interludes, such as this introductory salvo, certainly felt epic, but could have done without the extra layer of grit. Once peaked, there was a slow fade to the ambient Worm (& Closer & Closer) and then into the distinctive Mothra, whose understated but danceable groove got the crowd moving like a winter sleeper out of hibernation. The repeated mantra of “I’m dreaming” underpinned another smooth techno excursion before the set deconstructed itself once again with a set of mechanical clangs and squiggles. The terse, pneumatic grooves of Snakeskin ∞ Has-Been emerged from the murk before Vynehall entered breakbeat territory, adding layers on layers of drilled and cut noises that recalled Aphex Twin at points. The light show was impressive throughout, with strobes and unrelenting flashing lights during the album’s more intense builds.

Ecce! Ego was a more melodic release, all cyberpunk synths and foreboding candour before Vynehall transitioned to the pneumatic loops and plaintive saxophone explorations of Alchea Vella Amor in one of the album’s most outwardly beautiful moments. Harder edged sounds gave way to beauty later in the set too with Be Brave, Clench Fists, an earlier smooth house highlight with whooshing synths and repetitive synth stabs. The show made sure to end on some bangers, with the dancefloor-ready Dumbo getting the crowd moving. The final slot was reserved for Vynehall’s latest single, the excellent Sugar Slip (The Lick). Its slinky grooves, interspersed with moments of tranced out bliss, gave way to a final light show-driven crescendo.

As the crowd shuffled out, one felt that this performance was as much an art piece as it was a traditional DJ set. It was a tad short, and some of the freeform material overstayed its welcome, but Vynehall proved that he can build an atmosphere like few others. Harshness and beauty traded off one another the entire set, sound and vision tightly interposed in a conceptual set worthy of Perth Festival.

MATIJA ZIVKOVIC

Photos by Mark Francesca