Review: Ackeron Street Records launch party

The new record label intends to promote independent alternate music. The crowd of nearly 500 enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and exceptionally good music.

I was impressed by what I saw and heard during my four-and-a-half-hour stay.

Bleu Collective were on stage when I arrived. The four-piece instrumental alternative jazz fusion band is led by keyboardist Isaac Walker, with Daniel Simmons on drums, Jesse Dowley on bass guitar and Matthew Baines on electric guitar.

They met while studying at the Conservatorium of Music and have been playing together for about eight months. Their sound is smooth and ultra cool. Feeding off the energy of the audience they like to throw in lots of improvisation, move parts around and throw in some funk and Latin beats.

The audience swayed to their unique relaxed groove and appreciated the sweet melody lines provided by guest saxophonist Teleah Riordan.

Their sound is well polished without being slick. It's fresh and hits the groove without being overtly hip.

Next on stage was Romy Church - aka E4444E. Last time I saw E4444E was at a secret house party at which he performed as a solo act standing behind a desk of electronic devices. The E4444E line-up has expanded since then and now comprises Romy Church on vocals, samplers and guitar, Noah Church on guitar and vocals, Liam Rutherford on drums and Alex Rutherford on synths.

As a solo artist I thought his sound was somewhat raw yet complete, carefully considered and well crafted. The move to a full band has taken the E4444E sound to a new and exciting place.

The addition of analogue instruments guitar and drums, as well as adding more digital texture from another synth player has taken the core sound of E4444E and moved it into a much bigger audio landscape.

It is ambient and emotional, it is vast and powerful. Close your eyes and listen - it will engulf you and transport you. It's a cinematic soundscape reminiscent of bands such as Sigur Ros.

The Fighting Fish hit the stage ready for combat and a take-no-prisoners attitude. Well at least one member, Brrdman, was wearing combat camoflage. Make no mistake: this is old school hip hop at its best, reinterpreted for the new millennium.

Brrdman is MC and singer. Flavio samples old jazz and soul vinyl from people like Ray Brown, Charley Harrison, Miles Davis and Bill Withers. He cuts up the samples and uses an AKAI MPC, vintage digital technology, to create new beats and loops. Flavio also raps. Issa Mané from Senegal raps and sings in English, French and Wolof (a language of Senegal).

The Fighting Fish sound is an overt mix of cultures that has been reworked and defined by a love of hip hop, reggae and finding the groove. Even when the beats and loops were laid back, cruising along, the level of energy generated by the performance was extremely high and pulled the audience to the front of the stage to form an exuberant jumping mass.

There is a tension created by the very different styles and personalities of the three performers. To understand this energy, you need to experience The Fighting Fish at a live performance - I'm not sure this can be captured in a recording.

If you wanted to finish on a high the night could have easily ended here, but there was more to come.

Next up was The Hamilton Alpine Club. I really liked their buttery smooth blend of funk, jazz and soul. The sound was sophisticated and tight, and the live performance had a slight cabaret element. Who doesn't love a tight brass section that punches through in exactly the right places?

The last band I saw was Port Royal, creating the unmistakable sound that is dub reggae. Justin Moon creates the beats and samples, also using an MPC. Moon recently started a business called Phono Lab, using a record cutting lathe he imported from Germany. Clarence Playford plays bass, Kai McGilvray on keyboard and vocals, Jodie Kell on trumpet and keyboard, Ingrid Moon on sax and Byron Williams on guitar.

Justin Moon and Playford are the founding members of the band and the producers.

One of the distinct influences shaping Port Royal's sound is their vocalist Issa Mané from Senegal (also a member of The Fighting Fish). He brings different melodic ideas to the mix and sings in Wolof as well as English and French. Playford fills out the bottom end perfectly with a big warm bass sound that is essential for dub reggae. Kell and Ingrid Moon call themselves the "talking brass" section because during live performances they constantly improvise new brass lines, sing the lines to each other and then play them.

The Port Royal sound was large and encompassing, filling the spacious warehouse and wrapping the audience in a warm audio blanket that comforted them as they swayed with the groove and nodded to the beat.

The launch party continued into the small hours of Sunday morning with DJs providing the tracks needed to keep the dancing alive till sunrise.

It was an extraordinary amount talent in one place. I can honestly say that of the five bands I saw and heard, not one of them would be out of place in the line-up of any of the big music festivals in Australia.

Three bands that performed are already on the Ackeron Street Records label: The Fighting Fish, Port Royal and The Hamilton Alpine Club.

The Fighting Fish are about to release their second album on Ackeron Street Records - the launch will be at The Edwards.