- If you're after an example of onstage symbiosis, look no further than Arca and Jesse Kanda. Having sold out Berghain's Kantine, the duo's show moved to the venue's main room to accommodate demand for more tickets. This isn't the first time that Arca and Kanda have toured together—they've been collaborating on different audiovisual projects since they were teenagers. Onstage, their chemistry is obvious, with Arca's chilling basslines and warped beats harmonized by Kanda's eerie visuals.
The table that held Kanda's gear stood a little higher than usual to accommodate Arca's massive platform shoes. Dressed in nothing more than a pleated miniskirt, leather chaps and those towering platforms, the Venezuelan's outfit lent his performance a certain dramatic flair. Much like the narrative of his recent LP, Xen, musically there was nothing ordinary about Arca's set, which combined music from his records with live edits and several tracks I'd never heard before At times it was hard to tell where one record ended and the next began: structured beats fell apart into uncompromising rhythms with no apparent pattern, while grotesque, sexless figures writhed in an on-screen orgy, only to eventually explode into nothingness.
When present, Arca's vocals ranged from ghostly whispers and drawling, syrupy melodies to urgent, demanding rap. The entire show—lights, music, visuals—had an intense, visceral feel, as if you had walked in on an intimate sexual moment. "We're out of time here," Arca announced suddenly, laughing apologetically at having been so caught up in the performance. But then, with no more than a quick glance at each other, he and Kanda launched into one final track.