What: Paul Kalkbrenner, Guten Tag tour.
When: 22.02.13
Where: Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
Frankfurt Festhalle is not my idea of the ideal venue for a DJ centric gig, but that was where I found myself last Friday night.
The website says: "Paul Kalkbrenner is a superstar. He is undoubtedly talented, ambitious and successful. Kalkbrenner’s music is challenging and full of energy, but also has serene and profound moments. The music aims toward ecstatic situations and at the same time is entirely in the here and now. It deals with the pressure one is exposed to on a daily basis as well as the knowledge that work and a daily routine is not all there is – it combines trance, art, madness, friendship, hope, family and love in one.
Paul produced and released his fifth album “Icke Wieder” in June of 2011 on Paul Kalkbrenner Musik. On “Icke Wieder”, Paul transfers the depth and dreamlike quality of “Self” onto a danceable sound. The album reached gold status with over 100.000 sold CDs and during the following tour he was able to entertain 125.000 fans. These numbers could make your head spin, but Paul himself keeps his calm. More than anything, he is surprised by his success: “It is strange that my techno-style can be heard throughout the venues. At live shows, where everybody is screaming, everybody is going crazy – a sell out crowd that is exactly what I have been doing for fourteen years now.” "
And this is exactly what I experienced, the crowd's energy was captivating. A mix of ages were brought together, in an unusual choice of venue which was completely sold out (even the cloak rooms were full before the start of the headline act!) A superstar seems a little dramatic but it is true to state that his name, his reputation, convinced a humongous crowd to spend over 40€ on a ticket to see/hear him and they were captivated! Just one man and a whole lot of technology, minimally supported by very average visuals and with just one brief t-shirt changing pause. Impressive, i'd say hell yeah and I danced my socks off! ;-
More from the website: "Only one and a half years later Paul’s next album was released. For the first time he can encompass all aspects and facets of his music in a singular and comprehensive stroke on the seventeen tracks of “Guten Tag”. These seventeen tracks form not only a cross-section but are also the essence of everything that came before and to Paul it is his most perfect album to date. And although he stands far away from his fans, he is right there in their midst. Passionate and serene. Down-to-earth with his head in the clouds. Highly concentrated – and ever raving."
and ever raving... where can you follow such an enlivening evening? In Frankfurt the best option is always going to be Rockmarket, and as an unofficial after party (but where everyone in the know was heading) Rockmarket didn't disappoint!
don't miss the next one, but don't turn up till 1am!
text adapted from an interview made in Berlin, late 2012 taken from paulkalkbrenner.net
