- Recombination has been a huge - although not the hugest - annual indoor rave in Berlin for some years now. With a somewhat troubled past, its future had also often been thrown in limbo as a result of financial difficulties; 2004 even seeing the event completely cancelled.
As cancellation of the 2005 event loomed ever so close once again, knight-in-shining armour Nokia came on board at the last minute injecting some much-needed funds and steering the good ship back into sunnier waters; its financial power allowing the organisers to attract even bigger drawcards like the Chemical Brothers.
Hosted at the East Berlin based Velodrom, the quite sterile and cold exhibition hall played host to the main acts while outside an abundance of kiosks and stalls offered fatty chips, an assortment of fried offerings and tons of beer to hungry and thirsty guests. So while the Finnish corporate ran riot in the main hall, a second and smaller floor kept the Recombination moniker alive.
A half a million watt sound system surrounded by lavish visuals was utilised to great effect throughout the night in particular during the Chemical Brothers gig. Intervals of up to 45 minutes during the change over of artists kept the audience on tenterhooks and made the main hall event appear more or less concert like. Nevertheless, it was worth the wait, the live acts delivering pure quality.
At the start of the night while the main hall was relatively dead, the Berliners paid homage to their DJ heroes on the second floor and brilliant, but somewhat low-key performances from live acts such as Finn Orkidea, Gabriel Ananda and Mylo were able to reach only the truest of fans. Shortly before the start of everyone's beloved brothers, the Chemicals, the main hall suddenly became claustrophobically crowded. Instantly becoming an ocean of heavily pushing and swarming people, it was perhaps one of the reasons why many punters decided to experience the Chems from the balconies.
Such a mass of individuals has its own life and within minutes the atmosphere became stifling rather than enticing. For many, this was a new experience and for younger guests, even a scary one. As the toll of dizzy spells and collapsing guests in the audience rose, the security and crowd control staff were pushed to their limits.
The experience of the crowd-rush seemed to instantly ground those in the crowd who knew why they were clubbers and not ravers. However for the 'ravers' on hand, despite the somewhat offensive behaviour accompanying the party, the night in general and the main hall still seemed to be a source of real pleasure.
The booking of the Chemical Brothers and other crossover dance acts enabled the Finnish mobile communication leader to flog their hottest and newest products to the diverse and interesting audience in another fine display of corporate clubbing. Still, in a time where a baby cereal can sponsor a Hollywood blockbuster, I guess Nokia's commitment to hold dance music events is justifiable as well.
Naturally, the event received widespread attention from a battalion of media personnel. However the main stage and top spots for photography were off guard for anyone but official Nokia press as reporters quickly realised their press passes were nothing short of useless.
Once Ed and Tom had finished their performance the parquet once again became accessible; many visitors having come only to see the Chemicals. Indeed there was plenty of space and room to move around during the later acts like Slam, Kiki & Silversurfer and Paul Kalkbrenner. Surprisingly those arriving later were left out in the cold with ticket counters unexplainably closing around 2am.
Overall, all of the artists on offer gave their best and made quite an impact, complemented by some outstanding visuals. However to hold such a huge event requires a little more thought. Perhaps Nokia Germany could learn a thing or two from their events held in Argentina and Brazil, which have a completely different and individual style all together.
A healthy amount of tolerance was also required to put up with the mass crowds of people intent on drinking themselves into oblivion. At times it was not unlike being on a beach surrounded by a bunch of shouting blokes sitting next to buckets of Sangria, and this, along with some organisational weaknesses, tears down all possibility of a good rating despite the big production values, big sponsor and big names.