INDIAN SUMMER sleazy house in The Lab SYD

The title promises 'sleazy house' and, for once, the algorithm isn't lying. This Indian Summer live set from The Lab Sydney is a lesson in stretched-out, vibe-centric performance, the kind where you stop counting tracks and just sink into the groove. The atmosphere is pure after-hours lounge: dim lights, smoky air, and the feeling the bar tab is about to become a problem. Technically, it’s a shapeshifting ride, with the BPM crawling from a downtempo 91 up to a peak of 129, averaging around 116.

The harmonic anchor is 12A, providing a stable base for the live keys and vocals to wander over. The energy balance is mid-forward, letting the funk and swing of the playing take centre stage over sheer power. The set is essentially one extended composition, but within it, highlights scream for attention. The 40-minute opener 'Shiner' is a sprawling, jazzy epic in its own right.

Dan Carr's 'Puff Daddy' injects a dose of classic, filtered disco-house flair. Ricky Paes’s 'My House' brings a raw, bumping four-to-the-floor energy, before everything concludes with the quirky, percussion-driven swing of The Martinez Brothers' 'H2daizzo'. The journey is less about peaks and troughs and more about a sustained, soulful narrative, beginning deep in the groove of 'Shiner' and riding that wave all the way to the final, skipping hi-hats of 'H2daizzo'.