- Summer in Berlin means an abundance of open-air parties, so it can be tough for any one to stand out from the rest. However, when Kinetic-Am announced details of their ten-year anniversary celebration at Else, the party caught my eye. This was largely thanks to the Berlin agency's impressive roster, which contains a number of techno's top talents. Many of these were locked in for the birthday bash, from the experimental and ambient tones of Ancient Methods and Dasha Rush to the dark and immersive sounds of Karenn, Sigha and Shifted.
The party was scheduled to run from midday on Sunday until who-knows-when on Monday. On Sunday morning, devoted hopefuls were lining up before the doors opened. As the day progressed, the queue lengthened and the door policy tightened. It's unclear whether this was an oversight or an attempt to manufacture an atmosphere of exclusivity, but I often find events that are so eagerly anticipated to be anti-climactic. In this instance, that was not the case.
The crowd was sizeable when I arrived around 3:30 PM, largely made up of attractive, eccentric 20-somethings dressed in black. The venue is split over two levels. The upper level was half scattered with groups soaking up the sunshine on the grass, and half with friends taking in the beautiful views overlooking the Spree. The lower level held the courtyard and dance floor, which by this point was full of gyrating revellers. I could sense that those lucky enough to have been granted entry were very happy to be there.
DVS1 had just begun when I got there, playing deep and melodic to compliment the summery surroundings. Shifted went off in a different direction, dropping straight into dark, driving techno. I found Ben Sims and James Ruskin's beat-heavy house bangers a little uninspiring, though the crowd never faltered. Sigha exercised more restraint, creating tension by introducing his set with penetrating noise. Later, he'd unleash several big tracks—Envoy's “Dark Manoeuvres,” Christian Smith's remix of Carl Craig's "At Les "—to greater effect. The sound system was of a high quality, which added to the buoyant atmosphere.
Karenn stole the show with their live set. At this point, most of the crowd were crammed into the venue's indoor space, a gritty room hazy with smoke. For an hour, the UK pair absorbed the floor with their style of raw and unwavering techno. I saw a group of boys dancing so wildly they seemed possessed, and a short time later I spotted a guy smoking in a tree watching the scenes unfold with the most content expression on his face.
Following Karenn would be tough, but Len Faki upheld the energy, dancing nearly as much as the crowd to his high-tempo minimal grooves. Alan Fitzpatrick and Cari Lekebusch's back-to-back carried on in a similar vein, and included Bjarki's current stomper "I Wanna Go Bang." The party was still going when I left at 6:30 AM on Monday morning. Those few that remained were treated to an impromptu back-to-back from Dasha Rush and Shifted, who were going in hard. The party was a memorable one from start to finish. I'd be surprised if another open-air managed to top it this summer.