On Saturday 26th of October, Sound Check had the pleasure of witnessing one of the funkiest bands Australia has to offer. Yep, we’re talking about Hiatus Kaioyte, the Melbourne based funk, jazz and soul group. Supporting the Hiatus was Silent Jay, who kicked off the night with his future soul infused beats. His eclectic style really came through with loose snares and hi hats all over the place. Silent Jay’s set was suggestive of hip hop undertones, with boom bap kicks and snares to get the crowd nodding. On stage he was using an Akai MPK25 and an Ableton session on the laptop. It looked as though he was launching samples from the Ableton session, whilst twisting filter and effects parameters on the MPK25. Simple, but very effective. Just ask the hippie groupies up the front who were shakin’ it all night. Being one of the back up vocalists in Hiatus Kaiyote, Silent Jay knew what kind of vibe he needed to bring to ease into the headline set.
Silent Jay on back up vocals
Hiatus Kaiyote follwed, opening up with their single Malika off their debut album ‘Tawk Tomahawk’. The groove was contagious from then on. Paul Bender held it down with his thick and heavy bass lines, which were backed by the percussive layers of Perrin Moss on drums. Nai Palm smoothed it over with her soulful tone on vocals coupled with the soft jazzy chords of her bright orange Ibanez semi-acoustic. However probably the most interesting layer of their compositions were the keys and synth, played intuitively by Simon Mavin. His warm, rich tone filled the frequency spectrum and completed the sound, enveloping you into a compulsive groove. Mavin built the atmosphere of the compositions with his analogue Korg synthesiser, creating a frenzy of oscillating squeals and low frequency wobbles. The wonderful back up singers sang with grace and style, however it would have been nice to hear more of them.
Nai Palm belting it
Overall an amazing experience. If you also love Hiatus Kaiyote check out their website for more information on tour dates. Sound Check wishes Hiatus Kaiyote well on their American tour!
Sound Check 