Kissy Sell Out

Kissy Sell Out is currently doing good business: since landing a job as a Radio 1 DJ in 2007, the former graphic designer from East London has risen to meteoric heights. Described by Mixmag as "one of the most exciting DJs of the noughties", Thomas Bisdee has filled 15,000 capacity venues in Ibiza, and produced official remixes for the likes of Gwen Stefani, Mark Ronson and Calvin Harris.

It is therefore little surprise that tickets are scarce for Kissy’s appearance at the 700-capacity Berlin Bierhaus in Edinburgh’s West End, as the basement venue is packed to the rafters full of wide-eyed revelers wielding signs that proclaim a desire to 'join the Kissy Klub'.

But they have to wait patiently for their man, as a stream of other DJs take their turns to ameliorate impatient fans in the venue’s main room, oiling the crowd with a bassline that pounds so relentlessly it feels like being punched repeatedly in the chest.

The other two rooms of the club provide welcome respite. Luke Dubious in the Lounge Bar is one notable highlight, belting out some of the most diverse beats of the evening, although most of the punters aren’t there to hear it as they await the arrival of Kissy Sell Out in the main room.

When the moment finally comes it's 1:30am, and the atmosphere is frenzied. Drinks and punches alike are thrown as one by one the crowd clamber towards the DJ booth to catch a glimpse and a photograph of the man they all came to see.

But amidst the mayhem and hyperbole, one thing is clear: Kissy Sell Out never transcends the impression that he's a glorified button-pusher. It’s energetic, and he gets people dancing, but there is nothing especially pioneering about this restless brand of mish-mash electro for the ADHD generation.