Live DC: Digitalism @ DC9

March 26, 2008 by Patrick  Send to a Friend

all photos: Dakota Fine
see full set here: click click

Digitalism With Guns and Bombs and DJ People’s Champion

DC9, March 24th 2008

Five decades of intense legal and political negotiation by the European Union have awarded Digitalism, a German electronic group, the ability to sign a hassle-free record deal with the French record company Kitsune. If they wish to visit their Parisian bosses, they do not need to make special visa arrangements. Nor must they announce their arrival at the local police prefecture. And thanks to the 1992 Maastricht Treaty that established the economic and monetary union, they need not worry about losing a portion of their royalties due to a difference in the exchange rate.

Some of you may find this information to be superfluous and maybe even a bit irritating. Sure, Digitalism is yet another hip electronic duo from across the Atlantic. But I believe that they are a fine example of the successful cross-cultural communication and business development that has occurred as a result of European integration. And with that in mind, it was an honor to attend this event at DC9 not only as a dance party, but also as a celebration of Franco-German cooperation.

The first thing I noticed as I walked towards the club was Digitalism’s enormous tour bus. Now this is an impressive feat for a relatively young group. But if you open the financial pages of any reputable newspaper you can quickly figure out how these young Germans are able to travel across American in such opulence: As of yesterday, the euro is trading for $1.59, so their management back home was probably able to arrange for something a little bit more baller than a Ford Econoline and a U-haul.

For the first time in ages I managed to get up the stairs at DC9 without nearly falling on my face. Upon successfully making it to the top, my ears were rewarded with the sound of DJ People’s Champion, who had the difficult, but not impossible task of warming up a Monday night crowd. I must admit, I figured that the place would be half empty all night, but within an hour and a half of my arrival, the show was sold out. By the time Guns and Bombs took over the tables, layers of clothing were being removed, and the bartender upstairs was regularly refilling the water pitcher.

A quick examination of Digitalism setup left me in state of shock. There was easily $35, 000 + worth of equipment all neatly lined up on that stage. Rack mounted processors, sequencers, KAOS pads, and an electronic drum kit. While I am a guitarist by trade (and a rather conservative one at that), my mouth watered at the wide range of sounds that could be produced by their set up. Ultimately it takes more than technology to move a crowd.

And Digitalism was pretty on point. Unlike so many trifling electronic acts I’ve seen over the last two years, Jens Moelle and Isi Tüfekçi not only acknowledged the crowd, they looked like they were having fun. The crowd pulsed and throbbed along with them and more than a few people in the room were singing along. While I would’ve preferred a little less reliance on sequencers, the lads did a damn fine job of keeping up the energy in the increasingly stuff upstairs room. Upon completing their one-hour set, the lads were ushered off the stage by one of their assistants.

And while DC9 would remain open for at least another 90 minutes, the upstairs emptied out pretty quickly, as a good number of people were still trying to recover from the weekend.

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