- It's not the first time Villalobos has made me pull on my dancing shoes and head off into the night, but Motivbank's night at Watergate was the first time he has managed to do it without even appearing on the bill. Villalobos' Sei Es Drum label released Baile/Caminando to a mixed reaction earlier this year, and although "Baile" has been heralded as a DJ tool par excellence, it is Reboot's "Caminando" which is paralysing dance floors across the world. Having first heard the track in Cocoon and witnessing the Amnesia hoards succumb to it en masse, it was clear that we had a possible successor to "Heater" in our midst.
Whether or not the crowds amassed outside Watergate, though, were here for the same reason remains unclear. But if so many will have been disappointed to see Reboot in the opening slot. His Cadenza musings are summery affairs and lock firmly into the Luciano aesthetic of ass-shaking Latino merriment, but a deeper, more stripped back Frank Heinrich was on show this evening, more Detroit than Santiago. Unsurprisingly, it was cuts like Omar-S' "Day" that got people moving. There was no room for "Caminando" here—presumably it works better in hotter climes than those of a short-lived Berlin summer—and with Reboot's early slot dictating the tone, it was ultimately clear why.
Ion Ludwig's live show continued with the deep vibes where Reboot had left off, but Ludwig's attachment to his laptop screen and unwillingness to share in the excitement of the crowd led us to search out Clé downstairs. Although Watergate's upstairs lighting is rightly famous, during an extended dance floor marathon it can become a tad grating, something that is hard to say about the view over the Spree with dawn fast approaching. The Waterfloor offers one of the unparalleled views in clubbing, and the smaller, more intimate space also provides a distinct atmosphere to the main room antics of upstairs. Clé capitalised, providing a set that was both small and epic in equal proportions.
Given the fast-dissipating crowd that greeted Guido Schneider, Reboot may well have been the big draw of the night, but Schneider did what he did best, providing those that remained with plenty to enjoy, although it must be said, without ever tearing the place down. In all honesty it was an odd evening, the crowd split between in-the-know aficionados and a boozed-up, fashionable Easyjetset that never quite gelled. There were undoubtedly highs, but I set off "Caminando" into the morn feeling somewhat short-changed.