Breakxit: UK Underground Takes On Berlin - Again!

DAVE the Drummer

Breakxit's organiser Liam always manages to put together a lineup that lures Berlin's lurking, seditious UK expats out of their various nooks and crannies around the city. His third Berlin event will pull together many strands of the UK's dance music underground, to produce the sonic equivalent of one of those contemporary art pieces that looks like it's exploding and coalescing, all at once.

DAVE The Drummer will be headlining, this time around. Even before the days when Hydraulix records were sticking up at the front of everyone's DJ bags, DAVE the Drummer's reputation was already affirmed by the very full dance floors that faced him wherever he went. With an almost mischievous, straight face, he'd transform digitally altered beats into legit percussion sections, live or in the mix. Henry, as he's known by partiers and non partiers alike, lives up to his DJ name well: he's also a serious drummer - a skill that more DJs probably ought to learn.

This 'secret hero' of the London free party scene justifiably shies away from being labeled its literal hero, legend, saviour, or any of that pretentious crap. I've seen him play over two decades in a whole variety of burned out, waterlogged shells around London (and those were just the clubs!) and his sets always seem to speak to the dancers at their level. That approachability is as much a part of his appeal as his subversive selection of energetic, hypnotic, trippy techno is. 

Come check him out this November 29th to hear the sound of all those feet dancing to different rhythms in his set. You'll definitely end up adding yours to the mix!

Loftgroover's style of hardcore draws heavily on the tradition of mind-bending vocal samples and martial beats... a tradition he actually helped to create. He started out in the early 1990's playing manic breaks and acid loops that'd have you marching toward the speakers at sweaty techno nights like Technodrome and Helter Skelter. His sound has sped up over the years, as if trying to capture the accelerated rate of change in the world. No guesses here as to which style he'll be playing at Breakxit but you'll want to catch his next metamorphosis happening before your very eyes... er, ears!

Mandidextrous

Mandidextrous is a high-energy, pop subverted, maestro of the underground, splicing styles almost flippantly. She mixes sets so tight you couldn't fit a razor between the beats, swapping from seriously hectic to playful at the drop of a hat. Watching her set will be as much of a rush as listening to it is.

Junkie Kut's annihilating speedcore comes straight outta "Nowhere, UK." He's unafraid to add lashings of passionate vocals and melody to those hammering beats. Though it's often conceived of as "just noise" by the uninitiated, speedcore becomes an outpouring of emotion, as nuanced as any live band, under Junkie's capable hands. Expect a passionate cacophony of rhapsodic chords, dark metal vocals, candles burning, the lot.

Splattergeist is Berlin's ex-Splatterkore queen* Zoe Mindgrrind, launching her newest act. I haven't heard it yet... in fact, I'm still getting my head around the last set that I saw her play, which made me feel like I was being swept up in a multidirectional Tsunami happening at the quantum level. Yes, that is a compliment! What'll she unleash next?

The lineup goes on, with every act being as well-chosen to represent UK free party stylings as those above. Come along if you want to hear the sound of the underground party spectrum, embracing all styles future, present or past.

Zoe Mindgrrind

* She is not alone in holding that title, as I've learned. Splatterkore has several queens in charge of it, including Zoya Destroyer, who will also be playing. Check her out!