Roll the Dice

A bank of synths facing each other, duct-taped together on a single rig, was wheeled onto the stage and the lights dimmed, as Roll the Dice's Peder Mannerfelt and Malcolm Pardon came onstage looking like characters from an episode of Deadwood. Mannerfelt (aka That Subliminal Kid) was dressed in dungarees and suspenders; Pardon was in a waistcoat, their faces and shirts covered in dirt, looking like gold rush pioneers -- which was the concept behind Roll the Dice's latest album In Dust. An intense analogue synth sound filled the space, with cochlear-shaking sub bass on the third track that you could feel under your feet. But it all became funkier and more danceable as the performance progressed. Intense, romantic and hypnotic, this was a unique set by an act who deserve more attention, and managed the feat of recreating their analogue clash-of-eras sound in a live setting as perfectly as you might hope. Sounds that have a lot in common with Krautrock and kosmische, and some beautiful builds that are more evocative of dance music, house and trance, fit together perfectly in a breathtaking whole. Midway through, they slowed things down, playing a slow pulse while images of them in character on horseback played in slow motion before building up to an epic finale, with the pair eventually hugging each other before walking offstage.