This place is so much more my speed than London. I feel completely different here — so much more welcomed, so much embraced by the city and people. The cafe culture is divine…. people eating and drinking outdoors—what a concept!
Superbooth is fun - lots of enthusiastic people talking about music and new products they have in their pipeline. A few tents are just piles of classic gear. There’s a DIN Sync tent I walked into earlier has a dream studio inside - Roland 909, 808, 303, 606, plus an old Pro One, a SH-101 and a few other odds and ends. Everywhere you turn there’s electronic squeaks and squeals. It gets to be a bit much after a while.
Which is probably why when an actual DJ starts playing — as one did tonight at around 5pm — it blows the roof off. The refreshing sound of perfectly mixed and mastered tracks being played through an amazing sound system ripped through the park and people immediately converged on it. It was like coming out of the desert and diving into a swimming pool of champagne. I didn’t recognize the DJ, but he was obviously a friend of Richie Hawtin, as he was playing at a sake bar co-promoting the renowned DJ’s MODEL 1 mixer. It’s a sick mixer, really expensive, but I’m sure a ton of fun to play with.
Richie Hawtin himself stands nearby, casually chatting with Dave Smith from Sequential and other artists, instrument manufacturers and festival attendees. It’s a singular moment.
My takeaway — play with your tools and toys all you want. At the end of the day, if you want anyone to listen to it, it has to add up to something that’s more than just the sum of its parts. And if it’s techno you’re making, DJs rule the day.
Author’s note - Just two weeks after returning from Berlin, Dave Smith passed away. No cause of death has been revealed to the public, and it’s all the more strange that he looked the picture of health at the time. Here’s his talk, introducing his final synth - a revamped Oberheim OB-8. Andreas Schneider also gives a very touching account of his final moments with Dave. Rest in peace, you synth god!