- Hivern Discs manager Dani Baughman, label affiliate JMII and fellow residents Moon & Mann have built a strong momentum with their Geradehaus parties during the last two years. This month the crew celebrated their second birthday at Kreuzberg's Prince Charles, an occasion for which the Berlin debut of John Talabot and Axel Boman's Talaboman project seemed especially fitting.
Booking friends is part of Geradehaus's approach. So far the party has had guests from allied imprints like Rush Hour, 100% Silk, Live At Robert Johnson and Delusions Of Grandeur. Those who attend the night are drawn back by the energy and enthusiasm of the residents and their family of guests, which in turn creates a friendly atmosphere.
Some loyal regulars who arrived a little "late" for this particular event were greeted by what seemed like half the city's population queuing to see the Hivern Discs / Studio Barnhus tag-team. Nevertheless, Prince Charles's door team managed to squeeze everyone inside just in time for the headliners' early start at 1 AM. Baughman had given the place a kind of African jungle feel with his warm house selections, but things began to really heat up when the headliners entered the booth. Prince Charles was laughably busy by this point: the crowd stretched from wall to wall, across the stage and threatened to spill into sunken bar area. Many revelers sought refuge by climbing tables and speakers around the club. Yet there was no anguish at this lack of space—instead, more a sea of knowing grins acknowledging the ridiculously cramped situation in which we found ourselves.
The upbeat mood was reflected in Talabot and Boman's track choices. Larry Levan And The Joubert Singers' "Stand On The Word" briefly and blissfully transported everyone to a bygone New York where nothing else in the world mattered. Despite playing only a handful of dates together since finally releasing Sideral, it's clear that Talaboman's strength as a duo is born through friendship and familiarity. It's as if the pair are presenting themselves as one person—less a case of two DJs playing off each other and more playing into one another. They threatened to topple the club under the sheer weight of Barnt's Hinge Finger piece "Chappell," while Midland's "Safi"—the UK producer's contribution to the excellent Autonomous Africa series—demonstrated the duo's power over the club.
As they pushed their way through a sixth and then a seventh hour in the DJ booth, it would have taken a strong character to ask Boman and Talabot when they were planning to finish up—and why would you? After the clock passed 6 AM, a slight hint of deja vu set in, with the music rarely indulging in any variation of pace or style. Thankfully this meant it didn't really matter at what hour you had arrived—the gist of the evening was plain to see. Prince Charles had served up one of their best nights of the year.