Veröffentlicht
Feb 24, 2014
- In Barcelona, a place where incomes aren't very high but quality of life is, Nitsa's role, to a certain section of the club-going public, is crucial. Every Friday and Saturday night, the Sala Apolo venue will have some of the most interesting bookings in the city. The best bit for wallet-conscious Barcelona residents is that attendees at the city's annual Primavera Sound festival are given a card that grants free access to every night at Nitsa for the following 12 months—enormous savings if you go there often enough.
Nitsa has strong links with a number of powerhouse DJs and labels (Ellen Allien and BPitch Control, Jackmaster and Numbers, Erol Alkan and Phantasy to name a few). Its partnership with Kompakt is one of its oldest. The Cologne label has an annual party there during Sónar, plus at least a couple of off-season label showcases every year. This time, Michael Mayer was joined by Kölsch, who played a live set that covered the bulk of the material he's released under that name. Surely the most puppyishly enthusiastic signing Kompakt has ever had, the Danish producer pogoed, head-nodded and at one point even selfied his way through a set of technicolour synth chords and heavy bass drops. It was entertaining enough, but at 90 minutes in length, it also had enough lulls to allow a few guilt-free cigarette breaks.
After hi-fiving a clearly delighted Kölsch, Michael Mayer kicked off his DJ slot with the clicks and whirrs of Atom™'s "Ich Bin Eine Maschine," a clear sign that the evening was about to take on a subtler hue. Two hours of measured, Kompakt-heavy house and techno followed. High points included Chymera's euphoric "Under The Slip" and the head-rushing perpetual ascension of Butric's "Up." As ever with Mayer, vocal tracks were very much on the agenda, with cuts from the likes of Röyksöpp, Art Department and a late outing of Terranova and Tomas Høffding's gorgeous "Question Mark." Closer Musik's 2002 classic "Giganten" was allowed to flourish over its full ten-minute duration, wrapping up what was exactly the sort of effortlessly high-quality night out Nitsa is known for.