Berlin. -20 degrees during the depth of a dark winter. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? It’s festival time.
Yes, February marked the unrolling of many a red carpet. First, for heels (fashion week) and reels (Berlinale) before ending with the Transmediale festival (er…). As with any Berliner fest, you need entertainment, and the organizers didn’t disappoint. Despite having my legs flying around like this while in line because of the ice (sadly, this was unintentional), the freezing wait was worth it thanks to two great DJ sets.
Four Tet made me understand what it is a DJ actually does. He was really playing his decks like I would imagine a guitarist to perform on his instrument - not just playing back the fruit of countless hours of tweaking and digital manipulation of sound. Interesting, complex, sweet and simply fantastic, he packed the room more than any I had ever been to in Berlin. Including Summer, this was hotter than any moment of the past eight months here. Despite - or thanks to the sweat, this set was one I’d love to relive a couple times again. a.fé can only recommend Four Tet and his new album There Is Love In You.
The next act can be aptly summarized in one word: noise. That or maybe ahhghghghghghhhh.
Songs usually have layers, with the main melody in the foreground, rhythm in the background etc. Dan Deacon doesn’t do layers. Absolutely everything was turned up - and loud.
Imagine a slobbery dog shaking his head with a nearly incessant kick drum and an omnipresent green flashing skull on a stick (the skull, though, was not just part of my imagination - it was very much there). Now turn up this image to 200% volume and voilà, you’ve a) noticed organs you didn’t know you had and b) been to a Dan Deacon gig.
Musically, he’s not too much my thing. But wow, what an entertainer. He opened with an audience stretching excercise and even managed to make the not-so-wild Berliner gig-goers form a circle and compete in a dance off. The room looked like something out of Fight Club, with those nearest to the circle crouched on a knee.
Dan yelling “GO!” and everyone rising to mark the end of the dance-battle has to be one of the coolest gig moments I’ve ever been a part of. Man, I had a great time at the gig. Check him out on youTube here and the track Woof Woof below.
If this is how wild and hot it gets in the depth of Winter, bring on the Summer, glowing green skull and all…
