- A legendary DJ duo pay homage to Panorama Bar.
- As part of RA2122, our ongoing celebration of 21 years of club culture, we'll be featuring some of our favourite DJs from around the world, highlighting the parties or clubs most important to their lives in dance music. First up we have Tama Sumo and Lakuti, both residents at Berlin's Panorama Bar, the house-focused room upstairs at Berghain. Panorama Bar has played host to thousands—if not millions—of people's most formative dance floor experiences, with an unparalleled vibe, near-perfect sound and window blinds that have taken their own place in dance music mythology.
The duo's mix highlights the style that Tama Sumo and Lakuti have brought to the club and represents its anything-goes energy, mixing tracks from iconoclasts like Hieroglyphic Being (including one of his best-ever tracks) in with old-school favorites from Reel By Real, Larry Heard and even Ministry, moving from house to industrial to disco without batting an eyelid. Tama Sumo and Lakuti's loose but impeccable flow ties together house music history with a deep love and knowledge of all genres and, perhaps most importantly, the desire and know-how to just make people dance. We couldn't be more thrilled to feature Tama Sumo and Lakuti for the first mix in our birthday series, and we hope that you enjoy it as much as we do.
What was your first experience or memory of Panorama Bar?
Tama Sumo: My first experience was actually in the old Panorama Bar, in Berghain's predecessor, Ostgut. It was very similar to the one at Berghain but had a more improvised feel. The crowd there on average was older than usual in the clubs at that time, and it was amazing to see people there again that I hadn't seen in years. It felt very free, and had a great family vibe. Also the queer and hetero scene in Berlin at that time was pretty separate, whereas at Ostgut and Panorama Bar, the crowd was pretty mixed, which I found very refreshing. Panorama Bar gave you the space to be who you wanted to be, as long as you were respectful with each other. I think for a lot of people who went there it was something very special and people who came there knew that they had to contribute also to keep it that way other then to come and just consume.
When the old Ostgut closed it left a big hole in Berlin's nightlife and you probably can imagine how excited people were when the owners of Ostgut, nearly two years later, opened a new club—that was Berghain. Panorama Bar they opened a few weeks before Berghain downstairs opened, and the first night at the new Panorama Bar was just magical. I just simply couldn't believe that we were having this precious little thing back. To cut a long story short: during my first experiences at both Panorama Bars, I was just glowing.
Lakuti: My first time coming to the club was as a punter, ten years ago, when Tama was called in to cover for a DJ last minute who could not make the gig due to illness. It was a Sunday and a few days prior to this I'd arrived from Johannesburg having just made my move to Berlin. Two hours later I was in the car to Nachtdigital, and then Hamburg. Needless to say I went to the club and was blown away by the building itself the freedom it afforded people and how laid back everything felt despite the reputation the club had garnered already by then.
What role has the club played in your history as a DJ?
Tama Sumo: A very important one. I have a history with this club as a resident DJ for nearly 20 years now. The fact that resident DJs were extremely important for the club and the owners put a lot of trust in us allowed us to grow and develop with the audience and the club. Also after the closing of the old Ostgut I was very close to giving up on DJing, and Panorama Bar reopening with Berghain and asking me to be resident there, changed everything for me. Without the club i would probably not DJ anymore. So yes—its role in my personal DJ history is very important ;-)
Lakuti:
My path into DJing, I guess, is different to most DJs nowadays. I did not set out on a DJ career per se. I'd put on nights and ran a tiny club by the age of 19. Had run labels and put on parties in London for a long time. I DJ'd at those parties and occasionally ventured out to play other parties, but I did not set out to have a DJ career.
Moving to Berlin and having the opportunity to play at Panorama Bar changed all of that for me.
I learned so much from the club. Prior to that I was used to sets that lasted two hours, having to play longer really made me learn how to properly program a set, and how important timing is amongst many things that come with being a DJ.
What, to you, sets Panorama Bar apart from other clubs, or makes it unique?
Lakuti: For me, Panorama Bar is a perfect room in terms of size and the unique mixture of older people blending in with younger people really sets it apart from most clubs. It is this intergenerational exchange that gives strength to the club in my opinion. Another important achievement for the venue as a whole was bringing straight folk and LGBTQI+ folk together under one roof. Prior to that, at least with my experience of clubbing in Europe, you had straights and queers not mixing in terms of clubbing as much .
Tama Sumo: The high level of freedom that you feel which also musically allows to explore a lot of different places. The room with a view thanks to all the windows on one side as well as the different possibilities to withdraw a bit and have a nice chat or get together with friends is also not something that is a given thing in all clubs, and I appreciate it very much.
How and where was the mix recorded, and how does it pay tribute to Panorama Bar?
The mix was recorded in our home studio. We have played some of these tunes all summer, or at various points at Panorama Bar. Some will no doubt get played as well in the future .
What are you up to next?
It's been a non-stop year for us as far as touring goes, and we will continue to tour into the winter months and look forward to meeting all these incredible people whilst on the road. We have a remix coming out soon on the ace Love Injection label out of New York. We remixed one of the tunes from the recent, ace, debut album Prelude by the great Barbie Bertisch. Slowly working on a joint debut EP. We are also working on fully rebooting Bring Down The Walls for 2023, amongst other things.
As part of RA2122, we're also publishing a book of essays and letters (including Tama Sumo & Lakuti), as well as hosting events in New York and Manchester.
TracklistCharles Amoah - Jungle Rock
Likwid Biskit - Herbs And Spice (The Chem - Ill Ion Mix)
Latin Soul Brothas - Jingito
Gherkin Jerks - Red Planet
GB - Yamahard
Reel By Real - Sundog
No Smoke - Africa
James T. Cotton - The Second Night Cycle feat. Ellis Monk
Hieroglyphic Being - There Is No Acid In This House
Mark Grusane - Dance Intensity feat. Amiruz
Ministry - Over The Shoulder
Monchan - XXX Press (Edit)
Peter Croce - Spirit Dance (Peter Croce Edit)
Rahaan - Black Magic (Rahaan Edit)
East Coast Love Affair & United Spiritual Singers - A Minute Too Late
Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra - Step into My Life (feat. Arthur Verocai) (M&M Mix by John Morales)