Nathan Fake. Click here to view flickr.

Nathan Fake
Thursday 23rd March 2006
ICA, The Mall, London

With a name like Nathan Fake, it sounds like he belongs to the electroclash set. And with his ruffled boyish looks, it looks like he belongs in a nu-wave indie rock band. Instead opting to spend his time staring into a computer sequencing interface has resulted in a clutch of distinctive sounding records. Climaxing with his well-received 'Drowning in a sea of love' long player.

I wasn't that enamored. Sounded like Four Tet goes house; the plinky-plonky melodies and skittering approach to rhythm just didn't have enough bite for me. But it seems to have more impact live, primarily due to the narrative-conscious visuals from Vincent Oliver. Intimate home video, abstract colourscapes and space-fixated effects are perfectly synchronised to Fake's altered playback. Elevating what would have been just another laptop performance to something resembling electronic storytelling.