Olav

Victoria producer Colin Liseth, better known as Olav, proved that less is more with his set this afternoon. He had a simple laptop and midi controller setup, ergonomically propped up on cases of Diet Coke. Though his style of evolving IDM beats would tempt many to knob like there's no tomorrow, Liseth showed poise to not over-tweak. Rather, he employed ambient transitions between pensive, dramatic beats, which were rife with digital distortion, droning string samples, and broken bits of speech used more as tonal suggestions than bearers of meaning. Olav showed a range of nerd-satisfying sounds from downtempo and ambient to techno and drum & bass that would be at home on Mood Hut or even Rephlex. He had a stern look of concentration on his face for much of the performance, except when someone woo'd quietly during a breakdown; it solicited chuckles from the few audience members gathered in the gallery space, and a smile drifted across his face.