- It's hard to say whether it's the location, the friends she brings along (Heartthrob, Marc Houle) or the fact that it's Magda's favourite club, but the now-traditional Magda at Robert Johnson parties have become a mecca for minimal techno lovers. (They've also spawned a whole bunch of YouTube videos for those who can't make the pilgrimage.) The November 2009 edition came days before the release of Magda's new fabric mix and provided a chance to hear new tracks from the recently quiet Heartthrob.
Offenbach's flagship venue on the Main River seems too good to be true. Maybe someone actually sold their soul for it: The soundsystem sounds amazing, and the cheap Sony TVs provide tighter visuals than you'd imagine. Opening things up was Fabrizio Maurizi. The Italian DJ/producer has divided critics since joining the Minus crew, but his recent sets at ADE and Brixton Academy both garnered praise. Although it was perhaps a bit too hard for the beginning of the night, he was solid throughout, and one could argue that things start later than usual in Germany anyway. Effect modulations produced mind-bending snare delays/flangers and Okain's "My Super Sweet Sixteen" drew countless trainspotters to the DJ booth. RJ's resident VJ Holger Wuest's bizarre and intriguing visuals didn't hurt: Imagine an acid-friendly '70s advertising team was frozen in ice and brought back to life to make nightclub visuals.
After Magda plugged in her equipment and took the reins, she immediately started driving the crowd into a frenzy with The Seakers' "Catalan." This first track summed up her present style pretty well. Bass, bass and more bass. Aside from one synth hook near the end of her set, middle frequencies were used sparingly. Magda showed a calm hatred for people's eardrums, sometimes layering new basslines over already booming subatomics.
A strange vocal about the seductive ways of models opened Heartthrob's PA. His style seems to have edged closer to Magda's: Harder basslines have replaced emotional hooks. Nonetheless, there was still a beep or two reminiscent of the old Jesse, and as the sun started to rise over Offenbach, Fabrizio took a victory lap to finish off what turned out to be an awesome night. Check YouTube if you need proof.