Festival Editions
MusicMakers Showcase
Berghain Kantine, Am Wriezener Bahnhof, 10243 Berlin → MapTickets: 10 box office / 8 € in advance + tax & sc
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FriWith a robotic, full-sized 808 drum machine, danceable improvisations, and back-to-back DJ sets, a packed night of music runs the gamut of what musical performance and DJing can be. Berghain Kantine is host to MusicMakers, curated by Peter Kirn, createdigitalmusic.com, and Travis Stewart aka Machinedrum. The performances cap the MusicMakers Hacklab week of investigation and experimentation in creating and hacking the machines that make music, from wearable interfaces to generative hardware.
Science Fiction Children, not content with only their electro-tinged band, have built an enormous, robotic "real-world" 808 drum machine to back them up. A bass drum is an actual bass drum; the "clap" is mechanical, using wood on wood. In the latest iteration of Versum, Tarik Barri uses his own original audiovisual software to make futuristic fly-throughs of music in three dimensions. He is joined by Lea Fabrikant, uses her breath and voice as an instrument. Solar Year is an emerging Montreal duo that plays poignantly reflective electronics and vocals live. They're the first member of the new Stratosfear imprint from well-loved music blog No Fear of Pop. Tim Exile makes furious, improvised live electronic music, a mad scientist of custom-patched music software and spontaneous vocals.
Sam Barker, of Berghain and Leisure System fame, and Easton West are joined by Lando Kal, Laurel Halo, Tim Exile, Benjamin Weiss, and other guests. Armed with drum machines, effects, and all manner of synths and noise-making devices, they produce an improvised dancefloor in live, back-to-back sessions.
Led by Machinedrum, a rotating guard of DJs, including Lando Kal, Kode9, and Chmmr, will deliver the night's grand finale.
Machinedrum[US]
Travis Stewart, better known as Machinedrum, is an American electronic music producer and performer from North Carolina. He is also known as Syndrone, Tstewart, and Neon Black. He is one half of Sepalcure, with Praveen Sharma, as well as one half of Jets, with Jimmy Edgar.
Lando Kal[US]
Lando Kal’s sound is a freaked out juggernaut of electronic music, primarily experimenting with various mutations of house and featuring dense instrumentation, analog synth, drum machine work, complex melodies, and creeping bass lines.
Jem the Misfit[NZ/AU]
Visualist/VJ Jem the Misfit (Jemma Woolmore) has performed at top festivals across Australia, and has brought her unique blend of colour and tech to a diverse range of music and artists including some of the worlds top Dj’s and producers. Recent highlights include winning the 2012 Mapping Festival’s international VJ competition in Geneva and placed 3rd in the VJ battle at LPM in Rome.
Derek Holzer[US/DE]
Derek Holzer is an American instrument builder and sound artist based in Berlin, whose current interests include DIY analogue electronics, field recording, media archaeology and the meeting points of electroacoustic, noise, improv and extreme music.
Tim Exile[UK]
Tim Exile (or Exile) is the recording alias of Tim Shaw, a producer and performer of electronic music spanning drum and bass, IDM, breakcore and gabber. A Classically-trained violinist, Tim has produced ground-breaking Reaktor instruments “The Mouth” and “The Finger”. He has collaborated with Imogen Heap and, in 2012, was part of the Mostly Robot superband with Jamie Lidell, DJ Shiftee, Mr. Jimmy, and Jeremy Ellis.
Chmmr[NO]
Chmmr is the dance music making moniker of Even Brenden. His summery debut 12" found its way into the world via Norwegian psych-disco label Luna Flicks in 2010, and was wholeheartedly endorsed by the likes of Tim Sweeney (Beats In Space) and Bill Brewster (DJHistory) before clearing out all copies.
Benjamin Weiss[DE]
Veteran Berlin-based producer and music/technology journalist (DE:BUG, Engadget.de) Benjamin Weiss has produced music under a variety of names, including Nerk, Nerk & Dirk Leyers, Cheap Ladies (aka Khan & Nerk), DJ Rush & Nerk, Toktok (together with Fabian Feyerabendt), and Toktok vs Soffy O (together with Fabian Feyerabendt & Soffy O).
Science Fiction Children[DE]
“Let’s get mechanical!” Science Fiction Children created the first drum robot that reproduces the drum sounds of the 80s – in the material world – with the intention of doing electronic music with mechanical equipment. A retro futuristic journey: Three sound gadgeteers and their giant drum robot MR-808. The consequential Robot Elektro Performance gives an inside look in the state of the art robot music scene. And wants to move you feet, of course.
Solar Year[CA]
The duo of David Ertel and Ben Borden, otherwise known as Solar Year, first gained widespread notice for their "Brotherhood" single which received favorable attention from Pitchfork, Gorilla Vs. bear, & Stereogum and soon saw release by Montreal imprint Arbtus (Grimes, TOPS, Blue Hawaii).
Easton West[US]
The beat-heavy music coming from Florida-born, Berlin-based Easton West is clearly influenced by his background as a drummer for various punk bands.
Laurel Halo[US/DE]
Laurel Halo's productions are shapeshifting masses, moody and ecstatic, with flashes of rhythmic brilliance mediated by modal simplicity.
Lea Fabrikant[IL/LV]
Kode9[UK]
Steve Goodman, or Kode9, is perhaps best known as the boss of Hyperdub. After being part of South London’s vital dubstep scene in the naughts, he released two collaborative LPs with late MC The Spaceape, and more recently released his first solo LP, Nothing.
Tarik Barri[NL/DE]
Tarik Barri is a celebrated audiovisual composer and software developer whose solo projects and striking live visuals for the likes of Thom Yorke, Monolake and Nicolas Jaar have been met with critical acclaim.
Sam Barker[UK/DE]
As a musician, DJ and co-founder of the Leisure System label, Sam Barker has helped push the boundaries of dance music in Berlin, looking beyond the realm of 4/4 techno to explore left-field sound design and rhythmic complexity. His musical approach – both solo and in the duo Barker & Baumecker with longtime Panorama Bar resident nd_baumecker – combines bass music tropes, breakbeat, dub and ambient elements while still maintaining a strong connection to the dance floor.
