Jerome Hill, Synthetic, Berlin Bierhaus, Edinburgh, May 31

The modest mid-week turnout brought a chilled atmosphere to go with Synthetic's beats, which are generally like winter soup: chunky and hot. Tonight's warm-up featured some interesting track choices from The Physicist, Zuni, Kid Ill and Kobold (unexplainably dressed as the dwarf from LOTR with full beard), including the full-length original Hard Day's Night and Dr Oizo's Flat Eric tune. This set the wonky theme for Jerome Hill, who broke out a sadistic beast of a swearathon, Sly Fi's Wild Wild Child ("arse-f*cking, piss-drinking, mother-f*cking" – well you get the idea) early in the proceedings. The quirkier side of techno got a good airing, including a lyrical spoken-word piece: Hill removed the backing beats to reveal a chugging force, and watching a room full of clubbers dancing to the rhythm of speech and no music is extraordinary in itself. Urban, gritty and off-the-wall. [Alex Burden]