Berlin Calling

Beauty in sound resonates from memory as a result of our recent trip to Berlin. Surprisingly, such depth in music came from emerging artists and dj’s, while the well-established Plastikman offered an unrefined (the sound quality at Bermuda was arguably to blame in part) dose of some of the most profound sounds in techno. Disappointing! So to London, and Plastikman’s performance at Brixton Academy on Saturday, and sheer over-grounding made the artist, again, difficult to appreciate. But I’m sure it’s down to sound. When we heard Richie Hawtin perform as Plastikman in Frankfurt earlier this year, the set was consummate in its ability to transfer significant emotion across a huge audience. It was a real experience, a musical journey that was never before heard and we found ourselves in a state of awe as visual and sound joined forces to create an unforgettable experience. So naturally Berlin calling and yet again were drawn to Bermuda festival ready for another in-awe experience with Plastikman. Now in Brixton, having heard Plastikman in an environment better equipped to transfer his tracks then Bermuda (better speakers basically), London was busy, and even Plastikman couldn’t overcome this fact. There was little opportunity for us to lose ourselves in the music.

'Are we really getting old?' Post party questions, surely not. But as each party comes and goes there is little left with excitement and satisfaction. Undeniably, tracks of Plastikman musically fulfill your needs but anyone can play your favourite tracks, there just didn't seem to be any variety in all three sets that we have seen. A friend argued that we already knew what to expect, perhaps this was the case, but why should that be an excuse? A musical genius; Plastikman should really be giving each set a variety of tracks that encompasses all of his albums, he should also be taking into consideration that avid fans are likely to attend more than one showcase. Unfortunately this is not the case and both Bermuda and Brixton were as predicted, a replica on the first show. Interestingly enough the review on Resident Advisor seemed to have a similar opinions to ourselves which only confirmed our thoughts. Not what you would expect from someone trying to expand their technical horizons. It's not just about advancing in music, it is also about advancing in quality. Let's hope he doesn't forget his originality in February!