Nosaj Thing, Camp, London

It feels a long way from Nosaj Thing’s hometown of LA on the night he plays at CAMP Basement in Shoreditch. Despite it being a summer’s evening in London the heavens open and anyone making their way to the venue is faced with braving the torrential rain. But that doesn’t stop the room from being packed with an expectant – albeit slightly damp – crowd.

Nosaj Thing does not disappoint. He has clearly mastered the art of keeping a laptop set entertaining, especially seeing that it is a mid-week show in a space that usually hosts bands. It is a little awkward that this is music that would be fun to dance to in the right kind of club but in this venue most people seem content to just nod their heads. In fact, when I arrived hardly anyone had even realised that there was a support DJ tucked away in the corner playing a set.

The most energetic guy here is probably Nosaj, completely locked into the hip hop inspired electronica he creates by unleashing beats, bleeps and bass from the array of gadgets in front of him.

The tracks from his album ‘Drift’ take on a different shape live. I always thought of it as a 5am record to put on after coming home from a club, but played loud and with a more energy, like it is here, it is exactly what you want to hear in the club. Even though ‘Drift’ was released in 2009 it has obviously remained fresh in people’s mind, as tracks such as the Boards of Canadaesque ‘Fog’ get a great reaction.

Interestingly, Nosaj borrows just as much from the 1990s Warp records releases as from the contemporary UK dubstep artists and late Detroit beatmaster J Dilla, who both seem to be such a source of influence for other producers on the west coast of the US at the moment. And it’s not just these sounds that he references in his set. A sample of Portishead’s ‘Wandering Star’ will always go down well with a UK crowd, and you can’t complain when you get some Raekwon in the mix as well.

As the music comes to an end a few people are even moving more than just their heads around. And with it all over Nosaj Thing stays true to the west coast by sticking on Snoop Dogg’s ‘Gin and Juice’. Just keep thinking about that California sunshine as you jump the puddles on the way home.