Published
Fri, Aug 10, 2018, 08:30
- This niche virtual card game puts the electronic music world in Magic The Gathering terms.
A new Instagram project is merging the worlds of electronic music and Magic The Gathering.
Techno The Gathering was created by Vincent Neumann, a DJ based in Leipzig, Germany. Each card assigns its subject a description, ability, action or quote, giving TTG ample opportunity for laughs. Nearly everything in the scene is fair game, from rotary mixers and eager promoters, to health-promoting DJs and festival-shuffling travel delays. Even Resident Advisor has not been spared.
Neumann tells RA that the idea came out of his love for the competitive collectible card game, which he started playing at 12 years old. While he hasn't been an active player or collector for at least ten years, he says, "the aesthetics of the cards still fascinate me." Neumann says he started sharing early Techno The Gathering cards in 2012 on his Twitter and then Facebook account: "I announced my very first Berghain closing in the form of a Magic The Gathering card."
DJs have generally been having fun with TTG, Neumann says. The Black Madonna, FJAAK, Gerd Janson and Lena Willikens are among those who have shared their own cards, and you can usually find them in the comments, like Amelie Lens under her card with Charlotte de Witte.
Neumann understands that not every producer will be psyched to share their card, like Nastia, but makes an effort to keep the cards based in easily findable facts. He does not shy away from addressing Konstantin's sexist interview, but decided that a card referencing Peggy Gou's Instagram following was too touchy and took it down. "I once did a card about Peggy Gou that said 'Tap to add 60,000 likes from Indonesia to your Facebook profile. You lose $100.' ... I don't know for certain that anyone bought likes for her profile. So I'd rather be transparent and admit that the card was too rude, and I took it down. But, if DJs do weird rants on social media, hey, I'm sure as hell gonna use them."
Neumann says he plans to keep updating TTG until the ideas and fun run out, though he's found the rush of attention curious. "Maybe it's interesting that it started out as a joke to DJ friends of mine but now has spread on a whole new level I didn't expect," he says. "It's kind of telling that in two weeks I garnered more followers to this page than in seven years on my techno main Instagram account, @instagramsucks. People are drawn to memes, I guess. Gonna make a card about the attention economy, too."
Update: The final card (for now) has been drawn.