Mount Kimbie at Project House: A Masterclass in Hybrid Electronica

Question: How do you sustain a near 20-year career when you emerged from the cutting-edge but short-lived UK dubstep scene, with the release of a hugely influential and critically acclaimed debut album (Crooks & Lovers, 2010)? The answer, in the case of Mount Kimbie, is to keep pushing your sound forward. Pulling in elements of shoegaze, R’n’B, electronica and found sounds, Mount Kimbie have continued to influence, a relevance proved as they perform in 2025 to a crowd that matches their energy on both old and new tracks. Founding duo Kai Campos and Dominic Maker are now joined by long-time collaborators Marc Pell (drums) and Andrea Balency-Béarn (keyboard, vocals), the latter claiming that this is ‘the first time we’ve played in Leeds’. Kai and Dominic disagree. Their career predates not only some current band members’ but also, as I look around me, a large portion of the Leeds crowd. Most people in our generation would know them from their frequent collaborations with King Krule, yet Mount Kimbie have been a permanent fixture in the electronic scene since the 2000s, and it is comforting to see that their popularity is still growing.

As their set began, the stage was lit in hazy shadow, the secretive blue and red hints of light subtly picked out the shapes of figures and instruments as synths and found noises curved into the room. This was my first time seeing Mount Kimbie live, and the nature of their shows was mysterious to me (I had refrained from googling recordings), which added to the anticipative atmosphere. Early album track ‘Four Years and One Day’ began the set, plunging the crowd into disorientating instrumental, synths, distortion and unexpected twists. I enjoyed this masterful opener whilst I awaited for what world they would build from there. 

Mount Kimbie continued on the nostalgic path with ‘You Look Certain (I’m Not So Sure)’ from 2017’s Love What Survives, foreshadowing the more melodic outputs that grace their most recent album, The Sunset Violent (2024). Perhaps their most accessible record to date, some have suggested that Mount Kimbie are ‘selling out’. I argue instead that their live exploration of their extensive and evolving repertoire highlights Mount Kimbie’s musical maturity, as elements from each album contribute to the new sounds heard on Empty and Silent. By the time fan favourite ‘Marilyn’ is played, the crowd are riled up and attentive, lost in the overwhelming volume of the gig. Mount Kimbie’s consistently experimental attitude in both studio and stage allows classics like ‘Marilyn’ to sound fresh and unexpected rather than a carbon copy of the original recording. Importantly, Mount Kimbie look pleased to be creative in their performance, and their onstage warmth shows up newer bands by proving that one doesn’t have to be unsmiling to exhibit talent. Throughout, they knowingly tease the riff from ‘Made To Stray’, a popular track from 2013’s Cold Spring Fault Less Youth, which, when finally played as the conclusion to the set, is cemented as one of their best. These songs that have existed, for me, solely in my headphones – it was quite something to hear them filling a room surrounded by people who are similarly drawn to Mount Kimbie’s evolving musical palette. The crowd, myself included, were left on a high.

Now, if I had a penny for every time I’ve sung ‘Happy Birthday’ to the drummer at a gig in Leeds this year, I’d only have two pennies, but it’s still strange that it happened twice. Happy Birthday to Marc Pell, official drummer in Mount Kimbie since 2023, who managed the impressive feat of taking the electronically distorted beats of Mount Kimbie’s recordings and transforming them into original and impactful rhythm live from the deeper shadows of the stage.

Mount Kimbie proved what it means to have been in it for the long game; their set was carefully constructed and oozed confidence (though they claimed to be rusty after an 8 month hiatus in performing live). They built from an instrumental beginning before segueing into surprising and beautifully controlled harmonies, whilst interspersing the set with old favourites. Both classic and new tracks alike, the tempo and dancing remained upbeat. A highlight was the club-esque finale as album tracks such as ‘Made to Stray’ excelled in the live setting. With hands raised and beats made for movement, the festival-like atmosphere was accentuated by the indoor-outdoor warehouse setting of Project House. Situated on Armley Road (frankly, in the middle of nowhere, please tell me why I was walking along the edge of an A road to get there?) is a touch pricey but charming in its ‘project’-esque decor. I will be looking out for more gigs and club nights at this noteworthy independent space whilst you start exploring Mount Kimbie’s discography…

Further listening:

A personal highlight (and I’m sure for many others there) was the live rendition of ‘Made to Stray’ from Cold Spring Fault Less Youth (2013). I haven’t been able to stop listening to it since the gig.

Mount Kimbie just released a live album entitled The Sunset Violent (Live in Heidelberg).

Enjoy the genre-blending and occasionally angsty sound of Mount Kimbie? Delve into James Blake’s discography (‘Always’ from 2016’s The Colour in Anything, or ‘Asking to Break’ from 2023’s Playing Robots Into Heaven) or immerse in the slightly darker classic, Burial’s Untrue (2007).

For a similarly moody synths but uplifting tone, try Nation of Language’s 2021 album A Way Forward (thank you Rowan for this recommendation).

Words by Francesca Lynes