- Anthony Naples has come a long way since his first tour in January of last year. Some 18 months of relentless gigging paid off for the American DJ, but now his heavy schedule has subsided. His most recent trek across Europe ended in May, and Naples isn't booked to play abroad until August, so his appearance in Berlin on May 28th was probably his last there for the foreseeable future. The month before, he had played to a packed midday crowd at Panorama Bar, but this time he was booked to perform at Chester's, a modest space in Kreuzberg. Although Panorama Bar is typically closed on Wednesday nights, it had opened early on the occasion of the bank holiday the following day, and Naples was concerned that might draw people away from Chester's.
It turned out that he had no reason to worry, because Chester's was comfortably full for most of the night, with booking agents and other 20-something DJs passing around joints and trays of shots behind the booth. He took over around 2 or 3 AM after fellow Trilogy Tapes alumnus Mix Mup, who warmed up with a mix of groggy techno and bass-heavy broken beats. Anthony kept a steady four on the floor and ground through a relatively dark set peppered with moments of vocal house and garage-influenced jams. He's developed a distinct demeanor while he plays that revolves around the way he nods to the beat—he pushes his chin towards his chest and then scoops it upwards in a U shape, and when he gets really into the vibe, his head snaps up at the end. The crowd at Chester's reciprocated his energy and kept Naples nodding until 6 AM. When he stepped down, the party he had created deflated quickly.