Tim Hecker / Pete Swanson @ The Old Fruitmarket, 20 Sep

The Old Fruitmarket is a wonderful venue, and it is relatively rare to get to watch avant garde or experimental electronic music in such a cavernous and beautiful setting in Scotland, which makes tonight's concert all the more special.

As Pete Swanson takes the stage, the lights are lowered, and the Yellow Swans alumnus proceeds to fill the dark and echoing space with thundering industrial techno drums, punishing escarpments of evolving, mutating white noise and static, and the occasional, merciful digression into more melodic, acid-drenched four-four bass. That the thundering acid basslines are a respite is telling – too much of Swanson's music corners itself in susurrant, atonal treble and static, and although the results are undeniably powerful, they are also painful. Not to everyone's taste, then, but Swanson's uncompromising performance is undeniably effective.

By contrast, Tim Hecker's slowly coalescing, gently undulating washes of piano, synth and carefully-glitched electronic patterns feel like slipping into a warm bath. At times seeming to nod to more traditionally compositional, even classical forms of music, and at times resting comfortably on a bed of ambient electronic depth and texture, it is somewhat meandering, although dips and gaps between movements do allow for a more nuanced appreciation of each track's intention. 

Unlike Swanson's performance, Hecker's set is easy to glide through, almost imperceptible because it is so welcoming and lush. In starker surroundings, or at home, it could be background music. But in the echoing hall, it takes on an ethereal beauty, one of much deeper, more complex tonal shifts than Swanson's stark, brutal assault. As the candles on stage wink out, walking out of the venue is like waking from a dream.