A Hitchhiker’s Guide To Dresden’s Musical Galaxy
Dresden’s club scene is different from those in other cities. Although there are plenty of normal clubs, off spaces, festival halls and open-air locations, most of the relevant spots don’t offer programs curated by regular bookers. Instead, 99 percent of electronic music parties are self-organized: crews have to rent the space, rent or carry their own PA, do the whole construction from the DJ booth to the decoration, hire bar staff (or do it by themselves) and so on. The DIY aspect to Dresden nightlife plays a very big and important role in the local subcultural scene. Crews are the gravitational centers, and artists, DJs and producers orbit them. With this guide I’m not trying to make a complete map of Dresden’s many musical solar systems, but I am trying to shed light on some of the stars, planets and moons that I think are fun to check out.
Zebra Centauri (Crew: Floppy)
The Floppy Crew belongs to the younger solar systems in the Dresden universe, and it came to light around 2012. Despite it’s juvenileness, this sun has already many habitable planets in its orbit. Floppy parties are infamous for their long after-hours with slow-paced techno sets. Zebra Centauri is one of their offsprings: a producer duo with music dedicated to the hours after the double sunrise of their planet.
Kornhead aka Jacob Korn & Cuthead (Crew: Uncanny Valley)
Deep in the Uncanny Valley solar system on a stormy planet with an unknown name lives the crazy scientist Jacob Korn and his limping servant Cuthead. Nobody really knows what exactly this crazy duo does in their laboratories, but the output ranges from hip-hop to house, acid and techno. Some years ago, they took the next step in their unholy experiments and created an artificial offspring by the name of Kornhead. Since then, this creature appears from time to time to bring joy and amusement to the citizens of the galaxy.
Anna Adams (A lone star)
There’s a lot happening in the Dresden musical galaxy. Imagine Anna Adams as a pilot flying the infamous Millennium Falcon space ship from solar system to solar system before landing on a deserted planet with a club frequented by the unsavory elements of society. She’s equipped with weapons: a bag full of dirty acid, dusty house and angry techno. Watch out—she definitely shoots first.
Bad Boy Baader (Crew: Disco Dilettante)
This self-proclaimed villain lives in the outer rim on the Disco Dilletante planet. Nowhere else in the galaxy will you find someone so mean and so evil. But if you ask for one of the best disco DJs in the universe to play at your party, you better hire him lest you find yourself in the Sarlacc belly where you are slowly digested over a…thousand years.
Tiney (Crew: Nation)
It’s believed that Tiney was born 700 years ago. He functioned as a master to many of the galaxy’s DJs and is widely considered a “DJ’s DJ.” Despite his great wisdom and infinite knowledge about disco (most believe Bad Boy Baader once was his student, but Baader would never admit that), he is still trying to master the science of time. He is collecting watches. He is always too late.
Jeronimo (Crew: Hardware)
The planet Hardware is a dangerous place. It’s almost always nighttime there, so only flashlights brighten the dark sky, and the air is full of white fog. You have to be strong to stand against the young whirlwinds that hunt you throughout the wide plains of the techno landscape.
Smiley/Elektrokühlung (Crew: Planet Underground)
I’m not sure if I’m allowed to write about this mysterious figure, but I will take the risk: Smiley is a humanoid who tries to stay under the radar. Smiley does not want to be detected by the Imperial Forces we all hate. The only chance you’ll get so see Smiley is by offering a white label test pressing. Smiley loves to collect test pressings. It seems that this is Smiley’s only weakness, so try to use it as a bait.
Kryptic Universe (Crew: Lockertmatik)
You can tell by his name that this man is his very own universe. You can imagine him as Doctor Manhattan who was tired of the simple humans and left the solar system to start his own galaxy. There you’ll find kryptic Exoplanets dedicated to jazz and underground electro. Always worth a trip.
Gnista / Tharsis Shelter Unit (A lone star)
A silent wanderer through time and space, Gnista has heard and seen almost anything that came from the the wild fields of bass music. The winds on Omicron Persei 8 whisper, “There is something coming from Gnista; everybody better pay attention.”
https://soundcloud.com/gnista/tsu-habitat
ProZecco Crew
There has been an awakening…have you felt it? Even the menfolk of the galaxy have never faced such a test. ProZecco are a gang of young and talented women who provide a musical range that no other system was able to provide yet, from R&B, grime and hip-hop to techno, acid and disco. Watch out…
Telekom Electronic Beats will host a Clubnight at Klub Neu in Dresden tomorrow, February 18, featuring Matthias Kaden and Daniel Stefanik. Click here for tickets and more information.
Published February 17, 2017.