“Ring all the bells, sing and tell the people”
Documenting some 2023 do-it-together gatherings
Hi there,
My name is Nono, I play music as Gigsta and this is my first newsletter of 2024! May it be a peaceful and inspiring year for you.
Documenting my culture: as it happens, as it disappears, as it changes
Last weekend, I played in Wuppertal’s new club “Open Ground” on Friday and danced at Amsterdam’s “De School” farewell celebrations on Sunday. In the afternoon, my friend Oceanic graced us with a set I don’t think I’ll ever forget. Halfway through the 3 hours, as the sun was going down behind the windows of Muzieklokaal, a banner was raised saying “To rave is to resist. Mobilize for Palestine.”
During the last track - Minnie Riperton, Les Fleurs - someone jumped on the DJ booth, waved their hands in an impresario type movement as the chorus hit, and the whole crowd hummed and sang along, in tears and rapture:
“Ring all the bells, sing and tell the people
Everywhere that the flower has come
Light up the sky with your prayers of gladness”
Throughout the celebration, I was told repeatedly: “Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy it happened”. The collective experience of grief held and comforted me - melancholy was allowed to be beautiful, too. I kept on thinking of beginnings (new places, such as Open Ground), endings (closing places, such as De School) and the politics of archiving.
In Document Your Culture, Emma Warren asks, “what do you want your story to do?” Last year in January, I wrote about do-it-together gatherings, intimate scales and micro parties, with the aim of portraying them as “not just desirable but urgently necessary.” Once again, in 2023, I flourished in places operating in, between, or at the margins of things. A part of me wants to treasure these experiences in the secret rooms of my soul and another part feels called to share some of them. In 2023, I realized that some spaces and modalities of celebrations are not only more pleasurable, desirable and sustainable, but they may also be more resilient.
Some 2023 do-it-together gatherings
11.03 Fictions by Day
In March, we hosted a Fictions by Day party in Ziegrastr. in Berlin. (DAY PAR-TIES *clapping hands* DAY PAR-TIES *clapping hands*.) The event was a highlight. Yet the energy, time and money spent reminded me to never ever EVER take any party promoting for granted, especially not the voluntary efforts. Here’s to opening up this list with gratitude!
15.07 Casablanca
During my residency in Morocco, I visited a mind-blowing rave in the outskirts of Casablanca which I partly documented here.
This party has been on my mind often ever since. Discussions around mobility justice and art often bring up the concept of the decision-making tree: to decide whether to fly somewhere, an artist can try to answer a few different questions (“How long will I stay there?”, “Will I be playing more shows or contribute locally in other ways?”, etc.) White European techno artists sometimes consider that traveling to places like Morocco might “benefit the locals” in some way. This event was proof to me that non-European places don’t “need” us. It certainly gave me a lot to think about in terms of the potential neo-colonial dynamic at play in the set-up of the residency that I took part in myself.
05.08 Tornoad Riddim
A birthday party, sometimes it’s as simple as that. Except there was an actual stage with a sound system and a view of the sea behind it. I remember playing footwork into rock into dubstep to a small but deeply appreciative crowd. Maybe it was the fresh oceanic air? We might not have been more than 50 people swirling to Aval Douar when he soundtracked the sunrise but all eyes were teary, looking out onto shades of pink under grey waves at dawn.
12.08 TVS
This annual summer gathering wasn’t trendy in an insta-RA-kinda way but it was gemütlich. I’d never ever, in the whole world, trade the latter for the former. The Volunteer Sessions is a case of finding a spot on the outskirts of Berlin, dropping a sound system and hoping the police won’t come. Or not too early. The party’s masterminds’ sets are must listens.
09.09 Chantelouve
Probably my fave French festival! This year, I managed to stay long enough to go on a hike and spot the mountain range Les Ecrins.
I particularly enjoyed the work of Ondorphine, a team which travels to smaller capacity festivals where they build a stage, play music, host talk shows and broadcast on the FM. The shows -some of which are hilarious!!- aren’t archived online, an approach to digital minimalism which I particularly admire. In 2023, they showcased at Autremont (14-16/07), Coucool (27-30/07), Dixmontel (04-06/08), Iota (17-20/08), Atom (25-26/08) and Chantelouve (07-10/09). A testament to the solid and dense network of underground French festivals.
16.09 53 100
Headed to Italy, in the Chianti region, where my friend Bakläxa and I performed in dreamy surroundings at another micro festival. Scenes included wild boars at dusk and delicious food throughout! A raver told me she particularly enjoyed the “campus vibes”, away from the industry-centered festivals.
22.09 Klub Kegelbahn
Why had I never heard of Klub Kegelbahn in Luzern? It’s cute and cozy and booked me to play all night long. It was my first gig in a club after the festival season which is always a welcome shift: different times, different vibes, different acoustics. The transition from outdoors to indoors also made me think of how capitalism affects these two modalities of dancing in different ways. Outdoor events are ever more threatened because of climate conditions whilst inflation and rising rents are putting pressure on independent venues.
23.09 Ping Pong Club
This festival was held in a former train-repair station. I dream of futures where we’ll party in airports, as they’ll have become obsolete! And seeing what happens at Tempelhofer Feld (THF Radio), and Tegel (Turbulence TX) in Berlin or LAX in Los Angeles (Dublab), maybe this future isn’t too far off.
02.12 Cobalt Studios
I traveled to Newcastle with an overnight ferry from Ijmuiden. The journey was poetic and comfortable. The venue, Cobalt, is a family affair with a d&b sound system and an adorable staff. When I first visited in the afternoon, there was a live drawing session with a model holding a red rose and a band playing. I was a secret guest and booked to play all night long. I hugely appreciated any attempts to drift away from headlines as well as less pressure on me to promote events.
09.12 Maximum Effort
A little gig with a cute crew in Paris on the Saturday after our Fictions party at Le Chinois. I wish the economics of our culture allowed us to do more trips where we perform several times in one place. I know exclusivity has regularly been discussed as an obstacle to a sustainable scene … All I can say about this experience is that I was announced last minute for the second event and both parties were well attended!
15.12 Le Comité des Fêtes
This was the one!! Once a month, this atelier on the outskirts of Toulouse is turned into a venue. A huge sound system is being set up against a wall and, blown away, I watched my friend Jan Loup meticulously tweaking it for the kind of music that was going to be played that night. In pure dub tradition, both DJs and dancers were facing the speakers. The posters were exquisite and a large collection of zines was being displayed. My USB freaked out during my set but the bouncy, locked-in crowd made me forget about that frustration. In awe, I watched the volunteers clearing the space after the music had stopped and thought: these entities will survive in some forms, they’ll spring up again, they don’t need the tricky fundings or the corporate money.
2023 taught me that community isn’t just a noun, or merely a feeling. Just like love, community is better understood as a verb, one to conjugate in the plural. I’ll close this off by quoting Emma Warren, once again: “What space do you crave and why?”
Some things coming up
Here are a few things planned in the next weeks and months. I am trying to come to Spain and/or Portugal in March and/or May so if you have any leads to make this long grounded journey from Berlin a little more coherent, please reach out! And yes, you will have guessed … I’d be especially up for visiting underground and do-it-together spaces :)
19.01: DJ set, Club Paint, Arkaoda Berlin, DE 🇩🇪
01.02: Fictions Show, Cashmere Radio, Berlin, DE 🇩🇪
02.02: DJ set, Salon des Amateurs, Düsseldorf, DE 🇩🇪
17.02: DJ set b2b with k means, Dusty Cabinets, De Sering, Amsterdam, NL 🇳🇱
29.02: Fictions Show, Cashmere Radio, Berlin, DE 🇩🇪
05.03: Dj set, Girls Don’t Cry, Toulouse, FR 🇫🇷
24.04: Workshop, TBC, SE, 🇸🇪
09.05: Workshop + panel, TBA, FR 🇫🇷
15.06: DJ set, TBA, Bretagne, FR 🇫🇷
07.07: DJ set, TBA, UK 🇬🇧
30/31.08: DJ set, TBA, BEL 🇧🇪
I am trying to update these dates on my instagram, my website and my soundcloud.
Final words
I love Fictions. I am currently reading Laura Jean McKay’s The Animals in That Country, which I think I’m enjoying. Any tips? Reply! Say hi!
A last bow to everyone who’s reached out to me with kind words in the last two weeks and a special hug to Susanna for helping me out with this newsletter.
Much love, xx
Nono