philip sherburne

Kick it Real Good

I had my suspicions when I received a press release for Annie's forthcoming DJ Kicks installment — and then I noticed that she's including Motiivi:Tuntematon's brain-searing "1939." Other selections tend to the slightly more predictable, like ESG, MU's "Paris Hilton," and Zongamin. (Extra points for using Twitch's Optimo Edit of Liquid Liquid's "Flextone," out earlier this year on Rush Hour.) But for the Motiivi:Tuntematon alone, she earns my undying respect. Introducing the Pitchfork kids to apocalyptic melt-down death techno? Right on!

Cologne snapshots

Dark clouds over Cologne can't stop c/o Pop.

Rex the Dog's LED gadget says: "Dog is a DJ." He was unhesitating about having his photo taken. When I asked, "When I put up your photo on my web page, do you want a black bar over your eyes, or a full dog head?" He went white as a sheet. "You have a website? What are you, an aspiring writer?" I assured him I would do nothing to destroy the Myth of Rex and handed him my card. "Wait, that's you? You have a great blog!" he exclaimed. Silliest sentence in the world, but it felt good. We agreed on the black bar. After all, a blogger's gotta protect his sources. [Note: In retrospect (Rextrospect?), Rex requested a full-scale pixelization along the lines of a "world's dumbest criminals" treatment, so now, thanks to his deft Photoshopping, the bar is gone and he looks shadier than ever.]

A Sure moment while Michael Mayer canes it.

Sure does a good business in Cologne.

Michael Mayer leaves his body, but only briefly...

..and stays split while Baxendale makes us dance about architecture.

I probably have this record, but I never knew it would go gangbusters like this. Foundsound killing it.

DJ Koze makes time for fans.

Genetially speaking, Stretch Armstrong's got nothing on this guy.

Tobias Thomas takes time out to savor the sound.

Tip!

Total 6 waits to make its entrance.

Digging Koze.

One of those wormholes I was talking about.

Good times, indeed.

Justus shakes his klonky.

When Wolfgang talks, Superpitcher listens.

There's a reason they say Reinhard Voigt makes driving techno.

Reinhard and Magda compare RSI symptoms.

Square Productions' Amy Grill steps out from behind the camera.

Chicos de Barcelona en Colonia.

Richie Hawtin discovers good times.

... but those bangs really get in the way.

The Unabomber drops by Pollerweisel.

Every party should feel like this.

Cuyahoga, the riverside rave is pure fire.

A dancer offers Richie Jägermeister... but the Allen & Heath gets the drink.

... and that's all the batteries I had. My camera kicked out as the sun was cresting over Total 6, which is a damn crying shame, given the crazy light over Cologne's streets on the longish walk to the Six Pack (which some allege is really called the "Sex Park," but what do I know about German), where Mayer (and others?) caned it from around 8 a.m. until well into the afternoon, in a shoe-box of a room behind warped blue+red windows. Just think about "Lovelee Dae" and use your imagination.

Coming up from behind

I'm still digging out from a mess of suitcases and tangled cables, but now's as good a time as any to alert you to House Is a Feeling, a new dance-music supablog in which I'm nominally involved, featuring contributing heady headz like intermittent quitter Jess, ILM firebrand Vahid, physical wizard Tim, must-blog-oftener Ronan, micro/macro knowitall Andy, and dark horses (to me, unless I know them by other screen names) Plum Drank and Mackro.

It is nothing if not footworthy.