Machinedrum @ The Deaf Institute, Manchester, 16 October

Wednesday night club events are usually the sole reserve of students and die-hard fans. As such, it's no surprise to find the Oxford Road corridor’s premier intimate performance space brimming with bass-leaning scholars for Travis Stewart aka Machinedrum’s first appearance in town since unveiling his recent album, Vapour City.

Following a warm-up (if you can in fact call it that, tough as it was) of upbeat, chunky new house tones intermixed with post-dubstep and a little footwork, finally – for those with work the next day – it’s time for the main attraction. With Stewart taking to the stage to rapturous applause, it’s clear expectations are high as the first spatial harmonies emerge from the rather serious-looking equipment that takes up half the stage. Immediately silencing, it’s apparent things are going to get rather deep.

As he launches into summer single Eyesdontlie, the crowd already seem to be falling under the spell of his ethereal hypnotics. The vocal repetition and that percussive section, which nods to liquid drum‘n’bass, build to a peak-time crescendo before the real rhythms kick in. The result is easily the most zealous crowd reaction of the night, causing heads to be thrust downwards while fists punch the air.

As tight tonight as he is on record, Stewart’s unarguable talent is abundantly clear – layering and layering sound into sound, he creates beautiful cacophonies tinged with enough rave influences to escape any downtempo cul-de-sacs, made to both move feet and engage the brain. [Martin Guttridge-Hewitt]