- The streets of Berlin may have been alight with fireworks on New Year’s Eve, but inside Arena Glashaus the lights were low. For the third of four Arena takeovers, HYTE had lined up Adam Beyer, Gregor Tresher, Dense & Pika and more for an 11-hour NYE blowout.
Forget the underground events, the small venues, the password-protected parties: HYTE is all about big, all-inclusive raves. This was your classic all-in techno party, set up in a dark but cavernous space with Drumcode boss Adam Beyer at the helm. The Swede's brand of intense, big-room techno seemed right at home in a space like Arena, and he had the crowd locked from the word go. At times it felt like he was pushing the speakers to their limit, turning out long, heavy breakdowns embellished with white noise. It wasn't for the faint of heart.
Gregor Tresher followed with a similarly powerful performance. He kept the crowd under his control with classic rolling techno, throwing down a solid set that played to his strengths. Hotflush affiliates Dense & Pika were up next as a surge of fresh-faced partiers filed into the venue (thanks to the at-the-door early bird tickets). The UK duo moved neatly through a slew of warehouse-style tracks, with few breakdowns or lulls in between. Their techno was both lofty and imposing, and it suited the vibe of the night perfectly.
But for all its heavyweights, the night’s unsung hero was Evan Baggs. The New Yorker had the crowd in the smaller second room bouncing off the walls, displaying impeccable mixing and track selection, while presenting a funkier, groovier alternative to the mainroom’s hard-hitting techno.
Photo credit: Camille Blake