#UpcomingGigs The Bug and Grandmixxer in Berlin ~ Lurid House Live

Kevin Martin's night, Pressure, is one of few places in the city to hear best-in-class grime, jungle and dancehall.

The Bug and Grandmixxer in Berlin Pressure's seventh edition was a dirty, distorted affair. The all-UK lineup, curated by the party's founder, The Bug, brought a much-needed dose of dub, grime and drum & bass to Berlin, offering a six-hour onslaught of low-frequency warfare. South London's Grandmixxer, the legendary Source Direct and MC Manga Saint Hilare joined The Bug in a sparse Kreuzberg building. The result was an intergenerational exchange of mutually assured aggression.

Gretchen, opened in 2011, has garnered a reputation as a haven for various strains of bass music. Its small, nondescript entrance betrays a spacious and industrial interior, with gothic-style rib vaulting and svelte, concrete columns that span the length of the dance floor. Clubbers have to pass through three walls of thick curtains before reaching the main space. On Thursday, once there, you were met with The Bug's soundsystem. In the classic Jamaican style, a curated wall of speakers towered above the audience, framing the stage and each artist over the course of the evening. It was perfectly suited to the space.

The Bug's first set was dominated by reggae dubstep with dirty transitions and morphing soundscapes. He's known for playing aggressive dancehall and tunes that put you in a trance, which you could feel most strongly towards the end of the set. The tracks became increasingly layered and strangely celestial. By the end it felt like something had been established, a sonic scenery that had been building for a while.

Grandmixxer took the stage with a broad smile that never left his face. It was clear that, ten years on, he still lived and breathed his profession, enjoying himself in a way you rarely see. The first few tracks brought a playfulness and precision to the floor. Each transition was exacting and seemed to elevate without losing that depth of sound. It often appeared as if he had moved on as soon as a track dropped, banging his head to the next gem he had lined up. At one point, The Bug looked over and gave a wide grin. Grandmixxer returned the smile.

The Bug returned later with a tighter yet more brutal performance. The crowd lit up when he dropped "Skeng" and older classics like Dizzee Rascal's "I Luv U" and Lethal Bizzle's "Pow," though the bass onslaught got so dark and murky it felt like a full-frontal attack. Parts of my body began to vibrate in isolation. Sounds became more precise, more piercing and invasive. I couldn't help thinking that ear plugs should've been on offer in the venue.

A few other tweaks would have improved the evening. Computer-generated lighting limited the visuals to uninspiring red and yellow LEDs, which made the space a little staid and static. And, although the event attracted a dedicated crowd, it began later than scheduled, leaving many waiting outside.

Source Direct entered the fray around 3 AM with another assault of dark syncopated beats and unrelenting percussion. Unfortunately, the crowd had already peaked and many had either left or were heading for the door. The DJ seemed unfazed. Head down, cigarette in mouth, he played on. Only the faithful need remain. </span>

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from RA - Event Reviews Resident Advisor