Hard to believe it is 18 years since Lone (aka Matt Cutler) and his 2nd album ‘Lemurian’ appeared on our reconnaissance radar. That record saw Nottingham’s finest beatmaker serve up a remarkable cut & shut of hazy Boards Of Canada sunbaked chords with Madlib/Flying Lotus influenced breakbeat science. Not dissuaded by the comically awful cover art, from the moment a sample of Beach Boys Carl Wilson fades on ‘Interview at Honolulu’ it was clear a seriously playful mind was at work and we’ve been hooked ever since.

Lone has taken to making ever more expansive and ambitious records, with his most recent two ‘Always Inside Your Head’ and ‘Hyperphantasia’ moving into – his words “self-indulgent bat-shit pop music from an alternative dimension” bringing in guest vocalists and rappers but never losing the essential core trademarks of Lone – big, chunky melodic chords and expansive soundscapes, perfect for a long hot summer.

Interestingly he’s taking this new record on the road – not a run of guest spots at club nights or dance festivals in the wee small hours, but a headline tour of small indie venues during regular gig hours – doors opening 7-ish and all done by last orders. I wish more Electronic/Dance artists would do this and judging by the ‘sold out’ notices on several dates Lone has proved you don’t have to be Orbital, Bicep or Underworld to get an audience for a live electronica set.

PhoningItIn missed the Manchester date but by a stroke of luck it appears Lone has followed us to Edinburgh and it’d be rude not to go see him at Sneaky Pete’s. Under an arch just off the Tourist Trap/Bagpipes/Shortbread end of town the venue is uber-tiny – a narrow bar bit leads to a small dancefloor area and stage and has the somewhat ‘lived-in’ air of a place that has seen a million Edinburgh Fringe acts, hopeful Indie bands and sweaty club nights. The place is already jumping to the support DJ when I arrive even though it’s Sunday night. I get the impression it’s a mix of Edinburgh party people who may well have out since Thursday, diehard Lone fans like me who own his back catalogue, and given it’s location quite possibly some tourists who have checked the guy’s track record and taken a punt.

Suffice to say by the time Lone takes to the stage – via a remarkably efficient swap of equipment as one set of kit is slid off and his is slid into place without literally missing a beat, standing still is not an option. Given the balmy weather, any suggestion this might be a laid back ambient show are cast off the moment the wobbly keyboard intro gives way to the first (suprisingly ravey) rhythm kick of the night – the crowd are up for dancing and so they shall.

There’s no A/v show tonight, just the stage lights and a mirror ball, but Lone gets busy – flitting between his controllers, beat box and mixer – and proceeds to jam out a perfectly pitched set pulling in recognisable cuts from his earlier work like ‘Airglow Fires’ with newer tracks like ‘Affinity’ and ‘Life Spark’. He leans into the faster harder BPMs and the crowd whoop it up, albeit when he does that, he always has that bedrock of his signature soaring chords and that deep sense of lushness and intricate melody running through it. Even when the beats and breaks nod toward ‘ardcore – the musical backdrop is still colourful and expansive – small vocal snippets adding an extra dimension to the newer tracks.

Curfew is 10pm but he gets, and does an encore, momentarily struggling as the machines doesn’t want to seem to change from the 50bpm tempo he slowed them down when he shut down the laptop – it’s a reminder that you don’t just press a button and ‘Lone’ music comes out. It all kicks back in for one last rave-up before we’re booted out into the still light night as Sneaky Pete’s gets ready for the next wave for another after hours shindig.