05th June 2015: Green Ray *15 | LUX curated by Marcel Dettmann @ Lux Frágil, Lisbon (Portugal)

Event:
Green Ray *15 | LUX curated by Marcel Dettmann

Dates & Time:
05th June 2015 at 11.00pm

Line-up & timetable:
Marcel Dettmann
Fixmer/McCarthy live
Ryan Elliott
Answer Code Request live
Dario Zenker
Anthony Parasole

Location:
Lux Frágil, Lisbon (Portugal)

Admission fee:
tba

Press Info:
Marcel Dettmann
Inherent to the idea of what makes a DJ great, is the notion that he also has to be a dedicated and rigorous selector, knowledgeable of the music and in tune to what his audience needs. Marcel Dettmann has become a global force in techno because he fulfills that role like very few. And if he is one of the definitive names in the genre, it´s because his selection skills go beyond the dancefloor and extend to his work on Marcel Dettmann Records. Dettmann masterfully combines proven names with exciting unknowns, and treats each release as a fundamental statement in sharing an aesthetic. So, it´s about much more that being “handy” with a set of turntables. Dettmann also has an unwavering belief in the power of techno as a form of expression of ideas and emotions. The power of a line-up like the one he chose for this night lays to rest what few doubts could be had about that. In this genre, Marcel Dettmann has the equivalent to the touch of King Midas. And tonight, Lux is his kingdom and we are his willing subjects.

Fixmer/McCarthy
Some people say that social tensions and the fears originated by globalization have a lot to do with the recent surge of interest in industrial techno and Electronic Body Music (EBM). Something similar, after all, to the environment of the mid-80s, with the effects of the Cold War still being felt. when the very influential Nitzer Ebb ascended in England. Their vocalist, Douglas J McCarthy, became the quintessential frontman in the genre, with a stage persona halfway between an automathon with bad intentions and a perverted businessman. Through songs like “Control l´m Here”, “Join In The Chant” and “Let Your Body Learn”, Nitzer Ebb not only defined EBM, they also made a deep impression in dance music, an influence acknowledged by Marcel Dettmann himself and also as demonstrated by various remixes and bootlegs by people like Dubfire, Derrick May, X-Press 2 or his partner in crime in the Fixmer/McCarthy project, french producer Terrence Fixmer. On his own, Terrence is a connoisseur of the dense atmospheres of dark techno, with a solid career sustained by releases on International DJ Gigolo, Electric Deluxe and CLR. What we are about to witness at Lux is the result of the meeting of these two burning minds. A fusion of martial dance rhythms and ferocious vocals conceived to discipline our bodies in the dance.

Ryan Elliott
Pedigree is really important in the matters related to dance music. Ryan Elliott´s is undeniable : Detroit is his city of origin, after all. But since 2007 he´s made Berlin his home, inhabiting comfortably it´s two most famous rooms, Berghain and Panorama Bar. That´s where he got his reputation of being the quickest shot in Berlin, due to his vertiginous and technical mixing style, punctuated by loops and FX. As you can easily gather, he´s got versatility in spades too, and with these qualities, he became a reliable workhorse of the scene, with regular spots on the Ostgut Ton schedule and respected by the natives, like Marcel Dettmann. But at no point, Elliott rests on these laurels. His hunger for new music and his unwielding desire to keep sharing it, and entertain others while entertaining himself in the booth, are now as urgent as on his 1st day. His presence in this line-up is like the glue that keeps all the pieces of the puzzle imagined by Dettmann together.

Answer Code Request
It´s been proven for a long time that there´s life in techno beyond the 4/4, and Patrick Gräser proves to be a firm believer in this notion with his Answer Code Request alias. The irregular rhythms that usually form the basis of his compositions displayed on Ostgut Ton or MDR, are as thundering as the most fistpump-worthy straight techno, but induce different motions in the increasing number of people dancing to his beat, with it´s unexpected patterns. Filling the space between kicks, Patrick masterfully balances beauty and dirt, IDM and rave influences, which give his work a timeless character. It´s not easy to achieve this nowadays, but Answer Code Request managed to carve a niche for himself in current techno, turning productions like the ones he will show in this live-act, into landmark pieces. Alternatively euphoric and bristling with menace, it´s a veritable low-end tornado that will be unleashed on Lux´s dancefloor. But don´t run for shelter, let yourself be carried by the winds.

Dario Zenker
If there are any names that represent the current “state of the art” in techno, in 2015, those are the names of Dario and Marco Zenker, the Zenker Brothers, and their label Ilian Tape. At the label, artists like Stenny, Andrea and Skee Mask, are amongst the most inventive and exciting that we´ve heard in recent months. As for the Zenkers, their recent debut album, “Immersion” is lauded by critics, fans and… Marcel Dettmann. Marcel even went all the way and wrote a magazine article about the record, that´s how impressed he was by it, and you can almost visualize that as soon as he started thinking about this edition of Green Ray, he picked up the phone to call Dario Zenker, the more productive of the two brothers. Dario´s music, which can be found, aside from Ilian Tape, on Peter Van Hoesen´s Time To Express and on MDR, is detailed and propulsive, managing innovation in a genre where you think you´ve heard it all. Off-kilter and grainy, it´s music that Marcel says he loves to play out because the audience finds it weird at first, but when it clicks, the whole energy of the room goes through the roof. Just in case, we´re already preparing ourselves to cover the cracks that Dario Zenker will open in ours.

Anthony Parasole
MDR has long left behind any eurocentrism, and pointed sights to the other side of the Atlantic to find new techno gems. Marcel Dettmann has established with New York a sound bridge similar to the one that, more than two decades ago, connected Berlin and Detroit, and his connexion with Anthony Parasole is the most significant of this techno brotherhood. Dettmann gave Parasole´s label, The Corner, one of his best production in recent times, “Take One”, while Anthony has been releasing on Ostgut Ton and MDR, and is now a full-fledged Berghain resident. Parasole´s visit to Lux some months ago left no doubt on anyone on why this has happened. On that night, Parasole treated Lux as if it had called him bad names in rush-hour traffic and explained to us what a techno DJ really is, not even giving us any time to ask questions, with a crunching performance similar to Danny Tenaglia or Junior Vasquez on a bad mood day. It´s street techno full of tricks learnt on the toughest corners of New York, in your face, at Lux.

Words Nuno Mendonça

Event @ Facebook
Event @ Resident Advisor

DJ Sets:
Answer Code Request – “NovaFuture Blog Mix November 2013”