- If there’s one thing Berlin has taught us, it’s the importance of a proper Sunday session. Aboard the MS Hoppetosse—the infamous party boat tucked away on the edge of the Spree in Kreuzberg—the latest edition of Mike Shannon's Electric Marmalade Shake party kicked off at four in the afternoon with plans to carry on until well past sunrise.
Warming up the dance floor with an extended opening set were Cynosure residents Andrea Fiorito and Nico Lahs. Performing as Abstract Matters, the duo joined Montreal import ana+one, laying down six hours of relentless grooves. The set wasn’t quite back-to-back-to-back, though. Rather, each jumped in when it made sense. For a trio that hadn't played together before, the transitions were on point and every track was a scorcher.
The boys had the windows fogged up and the boat rocking by the time Hushlamb boss Alicia Hush took to the stage. Her live performances are a finely tuned balance of weird and wonderfully danceable, and her take on minimal techno is, as a result, markedly her own. Next up, the live sets continued with Uruguayan native Martin Teysera, who performed with help from Blackbaby on live vocals. They proved a spirited pairing, with Teysera’s bounce working well in conjunction with Blackbaby’s soul.
Finally, Shannon himself took up the reins for the closing. Playing a well-received set, he signed off to a huge round of applause before bringing the volume back up for one last track. As far as Electric Marmalade Shake is concerned, Sundays could stand to be a little longer.