#UpcomingGigs Vladimir Ivkovic and Lena Willikens in Belgrade ~ Lurid House Live

Vladimir Ivkovic and Lena Willikens in BelgradeBelgrade's Klub 20/44 is an important spot for Vladimir Ivkovic. It's one of many floating venues, bars and restaurants that line the Sava River close to where it meets the Danube. The venue looks out onto the centuries-old Belgrade Fortress, where as a teenager Ivkovic would sneak through security fences and climb to the fortress's highest point. As well as being a hometown club, 20/44 is a place that offers Ivkovic total musical freedom. In that regard it's similar to the other venue he's closely associated with, Düsseldorf's Salon Des Amateurs, but something about 20/44 gives his sets a spirit unlike any other gig he plays.

For 20/44's ninth birthday, Ivkovic was billed for an extended set alongside another Salon favourite, Lena Willikens. The pair have started DJing together regularly these past 12 months, ever since a memorable night at De School in Amsterdam last year. If 20/44's interior resembles a shady strip club, that's because it was, back in the '90s, before the current owners Milivoje and Dobrosav Božović took over. With its sequined red curtains and metal pole in the middle of the dance floor, it's an unlikely haven for open-minded dance music. A thin wooden walkway links the boat to the shore, where people lining up wait expectantly, chaining up their bikes once they get aboard.

Following a disco-leaning warm-up from respected Belgrade DJ Slobodan Brkic, who played with one hand due to a collarbone injury, Willikens and Ivkovic stepped up to the booth sporting gold rings emblazoned with the 20/44 logo—gifts from Milivoje and Dobrosav. A smoke machine filled the room as Willikens and Ivkovic began, and through the fog came an hour's worth of thick, driving acid and breakbeat. From there, the pair nudged the night in several directions—there was rowdy techno, some European new wave, plus gems from Aphex Twin, Scorn and Die Wilde Jagd.

Daylight came around 5 AM. People danced outside, by an open window on the side of the boat that looked directly onto the dance floor. As the sky lightened, the music darkened, heading in a UK-focused direction hovering somewhere above 130 BPM—a phase that peaked when Willikens played Kode9's "Swarm." Later, she aired some music from Suba's Wayang—a nice nod to her DJ partner. (The album came out earlier this year on Ivkovic's Offen Music label.) By 8:30 AM, just a dozen or so people remained—some swaying on the dance floor, some smoking outside, and others finishing their last drink while they swapped stories of the night. The final song, played by Ivkovic, was "Going Up" by Coil, a gentle end to a party that showed precisely why 20/44 is such a cherished spot. </span>

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