Stones Throw is a name you should already know, but just in case you’ve had your head stuck somewhere dark for the last two decades, the independent label was first started in 1996 and has been pushing out hip-hop-centric beats ever since, bringing us artists like MF DOOM, J Dilla, and Madlib. For the past few months they’ve been touring their 20th anniversary showcase and last Thursday at Howler they played the Melbourne leg of their tour. And it was glorious.

Mndsgn kicked things off with his quintessential space-jazz riffs and bouncy drum breaks, consistently luring the crowd into a steady groove before pushing them right back out again. Next up was Egyptian Lover (definitely the night’s MVP) who wasted no time blurring the lines between human and machine. Highlights include impeccable dance moves and the entire crowd being coaxed into shout-worshipping his “8-0-motherfuckin-8”.

J Rocc and Stones Throw’s illustrious founder, Peanut Butter Wolf, essentially shared the last few hours spinning through J Dilla, Anderson .Paak, Capital Steez, a lot of James Brown and heaps more—including an epic clip of early Charizma spitting rhymes with Peanut Butter Wolf whistling in the background. It’s rare that a show is everything you’d hoped it would be, but for me, this one really was.

• Photography: Georgia R Haynes