- In a town renowned for its secrecy, there are few vanguard Detroit-based acts more mysterious than Dopplereffekt. Who are they? Which planet are they from? Are they even human? Questions like these are bandied about to the extent that few can equal. Of course, we probably know the answer to the first: (probably) Gerald Donald from Drexciya, and a female cohort. But were we seeing one variation on a collective, perhaps? With those questions in mind—and having listened to Gesamtkunstwerk all week—me and my eager buddies headed down for some cracking electro bassline business.
Dopplereffekt, like their "only influence" Kraftwerk, can be upbeat, but can also have a more ambient analogue synthesizer exploration/study style, as showcased in Calibi Yau Space. As with similar stuff by artists like Brian Eno, I personally find this kind of purism not only interesting but important for sculpting and furthering the potential of electronic music; however, I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed having realised, after a half-hour of powerful sawtooth arpeggios and warm analogue sub-bass, that this is what they were going to be doing with the night.
This impression was based on my own preconceptions, and although I'm sure this opinion was shared by others, the overall effect was a highbrow showcase bookmarked by Plex's own style of glitch-rave, and more interesting than the usual homogeneity. The show was undoubtedly cool, with the masked twosome facing each other in front of sombre industrial video imagery, far too serious to be making any motions that weren't related to programming or playing their synths. Having done "Hyper Elliptic Surfaces" off Calibi Yau, it picked up a bit towards the end, and on to Wee DJs' twisted digital mashup.
It's worth taking a bit of a detour at this point to mention the venue, which is a current "well-kept secret," equipped as it is with a lush Funktion One system and a smoking area that you don't have to get hand stamps, wristbands or be branded with a hot iron to use. The warehousey feel and blurred projected video art isn't worlds away from the gothic castle cellars and dripping candles that would be the ultimate setting for this kind of music. It was a good move by the promoters to complement the lineup—which was filled out by another rarity, Wee DJs, and Planet μ big cheese μ-ziq, whose uplifting melodic electronica sparkled and squelched its way onwards to wider panoramas.
So although the main act wasn't as club-geared as I'd hoped, the quality of music was undoubtedly top notch. With the widespread inundation of four-four, nights like this which explore the more interesting corners of electronic music (without just slapping together the usual suspects) are essential for keeping the clubbing scene fresh and evolving.