Tama Sumo. Illustration: © by UNTLD. 2009
All applies to a DJ set of
Tama Sumo. Her real name is Kerstin Egert, she is the most cheerful and positive person you can meet in the club, both behind the turntables and on the dancefloor. She is celebrating every single track she is playing and the other way round when she finds herself dancing to the tunes of any other good DJ. It’s always nice to be around her, Kerstin’s happiness is simply infectious. Better known to the scene in the last years through her residency at the Panorama Bar (part of Berghain) in Berlin, the club that is still the most talked about these days. Internationally regarded as “the mother of all clubs” … Though she is little known for producing music. Together with
Prosumer she put out two records until today, one on
OstGut Ton and recently the split 12″ for the “Phantasma” series
Diamonds & Pearls Music (with a Marcel Dettmann track on the flipside). But finally she did this mix CD for OstGut Ton that has been released some weeks ago, “Panorama Bar #02″, the follow-up of Cassy’s mix in 2006. Kerstin aka Tama Sumo will be known by a lot more people soon and I bet she is already traveling the globe to get the possibility to share her love and passion for music, especially Housemusic, with the dancing community and the people beyond. She has a lot to give!
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Illustration @ by UNTLD. 2005 (from JB. Issue #03)
Hard Wax, located in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district, a pilgrimage for music enthusiasts and vinyl record nerds from all over the world, is aged 20 years now. Founded in 1989, the Hard Wax record store and distribution has been shaping the world of Techno music ever since, and especially building up Berlin as the “Techno-City”. From the outset, they left all doubt about vinyl as a threatened medium, yet a few CDs can be found, they still offer almost only vinyl records today. I know Hard Wax for more than a decade now and it is very impressive over and over again, how the store, the distribution, the inner circle of artists around Hard Wax, is always acting like a magnet for the electronic music community in Berlin. Plus all constant visitors from Europe and the rest of the world. All know where to find the store hidden in the second backyard, an industry loft on the fourth floor somewhere in Kreuzberg, it is hardly imaginable that someone is entering by accident. And not to forget to add the huge net of people that are connected through the internet store, they make a 50% of the bargain.
In a city of constant change, and a very ephemeral yet sometimes superficial electronic music scene, Hard Wax is something like your secure and reliable friend, or the parents to a child … This sounds pathetic to you? Well, it’s not! Some things just mean a lot. Hard Wax has always been up front, pushing things with relevance, putting out statements, believing in new creations and art. In times of clearly audible moanings by the music industry, their courage has always been paying off and they stay unique. I know most of the staff and the musicians around Hard Wax, which is always inspiring. To go there is yet almost a thrill as it was during the first visits. As Torsten recently said about not getting rid of the feeling he had, coming to the store in his early days before he started working there, “being a client, a fan, a Techno-freak” (by the way a nice article in Tagesspiegel, in German). Being friends with some of them, having had countless DJ nights together, the unforgettable time at the small Club Waldohreule and so on has established a special relationship for me.
So, thanks for the possibility of spending all my pocket money for a good reason and making me nervous almost every week when the news arrive! The anniversary party is going to be a very epic night … Below you find the line-up of the party and an interview I did with Torsten Pröfrock, the store manager and buying agent, in 2005 (after their 15th anniversary) that was published in JB. #03 (German language). You can download the PDF right here.
Sa. 05.12.2009 | 20:00 | 3 FLOORS | WMF Club, Berlin
HARD WAX XX
Live Floor:
Substance / MMM / Soundhack / DJ Pete & Sleeparchive / Deuce (Marcel Dettmann & Shed) / Electric Indigo (DJ) / Deuce (DJ)
Killasan Floor:
Sascha/ Torsten / Mark Ainley / Mark Ernestus w/ Tikiman and Friends / René Löwe / Anthony ‘Shake’ Shakir / Errorsmith / Modeselektor Gernot
Special Interest Floor:
Shed / Prosumer / Soundstream & Prosumer (voc)
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