Christ. @ Pivo Pivo, 25 November

On record, one of the most engaging things about Christ. is his masterful keyboard playing. His extended, hypnotic improvised synth lines and spiralling, interlocking melodies create vast sonic cathedrals in the mind of the listener, and give his music the feel of vintage synth music – his compositions sit well beside the likes of Aphex Twin and Plaid, but are equally comfortable in the company of Tangerine Dream, Stockhausen or Brian Eno. Live, he adds the element of a live drummer to the mix, imbuing the sometimes meandering tracks with an urgent pulse.

Somehow, tonight, the performance seems like less than the sum of its parts – perhaps it's the quality of the soundsystem in Pivo Pivo, or the difficulty of marrying the electronic elements with the organic backbone of the drums. When Christ. really soars – on some fantastic highlights from '07's Blue Shift Emissions, or on a track from the recently-released Cathexis OST, his performance is absolutely hypnotic, vibrating the audience to a higher realm of consciousness. It's a shame that the whole performance isn't as consistently engaging, but it's nonetheless a welcome return to the live arena for one of Scotland's most influential electronic producers. [Bram E Gieben]