Review: Sub:Stance – Berlin’s Biggest Dubstep Party at Berghain

Review: Sub:Stance – Berlin’s Biggest Dubstep Party at Berghain

15 July, 2008 | 1.31PM

• Section: Music News Topics: Beatport Blog
• Written by: Caleb Rakes

If you would have told me six months ago that Digital Mystikz’s Mala was to be headlining the main room of Berghain, Berlin’s infamous techno mecca, I would never have believed you.

In fact, the thought would have seemed so preposterous I would have challenged anyone to believe you.

However last Friday saw Mala, Scuba, Distance, Shackleton, T++ and Appleblim not just headline Berghain but bring it too its knees.

Rewinds were being hailed in from the dance floor, bass pressure cracked the windows in the adjacent bars and a lot of happy dubsteppers were treated to a veritable mix of heavy dubstep and techno by some of the scene’s leading producers.

What was initially seen as a massive gamble—opening the doors of the biggest techno club in Berlin, perhaps Europe—for the first time ever to a bunch of dubstep producers proved successful by almost 1 AM when the main room was already full.

Kicking off proceedings was Hotflush Recordings, and now Berlin resident, Scuba.

Paying homage to the venue itself, Paul ‘Scuba’ Rose mixed in deep techno with his recognisable style of low-fi dubstep.

The crowd was aptly warmed up to the likes of Martyn and forthcoming 2562 remixes, but the real show stopper was Hotflush’s all time classic, ‘The Knowledge by Toastyboy.

Stepping up next was Mala.

One of the scene’s most recognisable characters, Mala bounced around the decks spinning plate after plate.

It was at this point that the bass pressure was having its affects on the surroundings. Glasses on tables started to vibrate and window panes started to fracture. This truely was one party Berghain had never seen before.

Following the mighty Mala, was Chestplate’s Distance with his charactic style of noise-driven dubstep.

This industrial noise could not have suited the surroundings more.

The chrunching beats and gain-driven basslines sounded nothing more like a monstorous beat machine. Coming on the re-wind were the mighty ‘Night Vision’ and smashing set closer, ‘The V’.

New Berlin resident Skull Disco owner and dubstep pioneer, Shackleton, took to the stage afterwards with his style of percussive bass.

Playing live, Shackleton took the night to a new level.

Moving away from the generic dubstep formula and sound, the music was taken off to a tangent of more big club bass, and tribal rhythms.

Towards the end of the set Shackleton paid respect to Ricardo Villalobos, who produced the infamous, yet epic remix of ‘Blood On My Hands’ by dropping in parts of the record towards the end of the set.

After such a night one can only wonder the extent to which this night will drive dubstep, and eagerly await the next installment in three months time.

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