My first time in Tbilisi, and I was really impressed. The people I met were wonderful, strong and proud, the food was incredible and the club was incredible too. It was built with Berghain and Panoramabar in mind, but for me it was on par. The party was so intense and sweaty that I did not go to the toilet once in all those hours, even though I got handed drinks all the time.
Washing Machine is the longest running old school house party in Berlin. The original DJ team were pionnering DJs Clé, Terrible and Dixon. When Dixon left I was asked to do a guest spot and after that I was in. This set gives a good impression of the spirit of this party series.
There were different things that led to my Power House residency. First of all was working with DJ Pete for eight years at Hard Wax. There was a special kind of house music he called Power House. It was mostly pumping, bottom heavy. With good floor credentials. It had to have some originality, but it had to work. After a while the term stuck. Shed used it for his label and I, for the time being, as description. But around that time I was not happy with a lot of club nights in Berlin and beyond, and the kind of house music played there. It seemed theoretical to me, overladen with virtual knowledge, but lacking in experience how to make a night fun, and not even interested in it. Often I stood in a club and the headliner played like a warm up. In a highly unfair moment we called it shoegaze house music. And I actually like shoegaze music. But we thought it would be great to just do a night where the music pumps right in your face and having a good time is the goal, but it had to be reached with some flair. A kind of extrovert counter-reaction. And at that time I was missing a regualr night where I could just do whatever I wanted to do.
I always like to put ideas into action so I told Pete why not do a night with a sound that more represents our idea of a good night out. And not only one sound, several sounds. But not necessarily in one night. I asked my friend Philip Marshall if he would take care of an instantly recognizeable artwork, and gladly he agreed.
And so we stood at Paloma, playing some known and relatively unknown house, and we did not even run a big PR to make it work. It just worked. The floor was rammed for 8 hours and dancers were screaming in our face. It was just wonderful. At that time we saw the potential that it might work once more. And soon enough I had a monthly residency, did Power Disco too with the same attitude, and it is still going strong.
Over time the concept became quite elastic, we explored many styles in our archives. We were never so rigid to begin with. We just had way too many records and used them. And we invited other DJs who liked the idea as well. At the time I am writing this the residency is going for 8 years, and it is still successful. Sometimes I curse it too. It became a kind of impromptu mission statement I am strongly associated with, and it became a profitable night for Paloma. But I am sure I will let it go before it is not fun anymore. Because that it what is was always about.
A party during Documenta that year. I do not know what the idea behind it was, but nothing too artsy. The place was rather filled with people from an art context who seemed to need a breather from the art context. Thankfully I was prepared for exactly that.
Another mixtape that recorded for an official release, then did not happen. We even had an artwork! Ok, they probably just did not like hip house, and did not want to tell me. As if it would be a problem to tell that to anybody. I, of course, love it.
Artwork by Michael Kummermehr
K. Alexi Shelby And MCD-TA – Dig This King Sun – On The Club Tip Subsonic Two Vs. Nightmares On Wax – Addicted To Music Chubb Rock – Ya Bad Chubbs Precious – Definition Of A Track L.B. Bad – I Like To Move Doug Lazy – Let It Roll T.D.P. – Ladies Let’s Go Tuff Crew – What You Don’t Know Too Nice – I Git Minze Laurent X – It’s Magic
DJ Mink – Hey Hey Can U Relate Unique 3 – Weight For The Bass KC Flightt – Planet E White Knight – Keep It Movin’ Mix N Tel – Feel The Beat Shut Up And Dance – This Town Needs A Sheriff Fast Eddie – Hip House This I’D Jazz – Good To Go Separate Minds – We Need Somebody K.A. Posse – Shake S-B-M & MC Tunes – Back To Attack
Recent Comments