Detroit, musically better known of late for the rap posturing of Eminem, is also home to a thriving electronic-soul movement championed by Joseph "Amp" Fiddler, a former session musician for Prince and George Clinton. The fortysomething's debut LP, Waltz of a Ghetto Fly, features Clinton on the title track, and has been met with considerable critical acclaim, thanks to its cool conscience and laid-back lounge aesthetic. Fiddler's smoky vocal muses on love and relationships, with the odd anti-war message thrown in for good measure.

The album is a lush symphony of hypnotic bleeps, wah-wah guitar and rumbling bass. However, the best way to appreciate Fiddler's musical aptitude is at a gig. Supported by an accomplished five-person band, the languorous drawl of debut single I Believe in You becomes a throb of funky sensuality, while Superficial thickens into a meaty sonic stew of fiercely plucked bass and sliding keyboard riffs. The backing singers bring sizzle to You Played Me by driving the wistful wordplay into a world of joyful harmonies and foot-stomping melodies.

With the emphasis on fluidity rather than set lists and song-sheets, Fiddler could be accused of over-indulgence with his prolonged instrumental breaks. Love and War, interpolated with Edwin Starr's War, sprawls over 15 minutes, too long to sustain the interest of even diehard fans. Generally, though, his band of seasoned players are a joy to watch, and the audience lap it up, demanding not one but two encores.

The likes of Thelonious Monk apparently inform much of Fiddler's work, though he is careful not to dwell too much in the past. Contemporising his keyboard - a compact Hammond and Wurlitzer - with snapping snare and punctuating drum patterns ensures a notable show that nods knowingly to the past while keeping a foot firmly in the future.