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| | By Kathleen Pullum | |
Enjoying the beautiful weather in the courtyard of Art Garbage on Friday evening, I was standing in the corner waiting for a friend when two exuberant characters spilled out of the building and started motioning to the crowd to make there way towards the stage inside. When your correspondent failed to respond immediately by running inside to secure a front-row position, a sinister character toting a bucket of champagne grabbed her by the hand clearing up any confusion by showing her the door to the stage. Clearly the show was about to begin. And what a show it was!
Captain Comatose, the duo of DJ Snax from New York, and Khan from Berlin treated an enthusiastic crowd to a truly spectacular performance- or should I say spectacle. Captain Comatose are not your run-of-the-mill house DJs. The duo prides itself on its interactive performances - they like to bring the party to the people.
Jumping into the crowd at several points, walking across tables, and even joking with the stone-faced security guards - the performance was pure fun. As Khan says, "We're definitely a disco band, in the true sense." Snax cites his influences as DC go-go and 80s R & B, both of which are very performance-oriented.
In fact, the group at points was more reminiscent of the Village People than house music, with a construction hat replaced by Khan's paper Burger King crown and Snax looking disco fabulous sporting a 70s Afro hairstyle.
Khan and Snax opened with Mr. Monkey followed by Comatose Captain. The energy level began high and only increased throughout the show. $100, a hit single from their most recent album, Going Out was tailored to the Moscow crowd as 100 rubles/dollars.
A sleazy mix of electro, disco and house, Captain Comatose fuses sounds from the different worlds of music into an irresistible groove that is only enhanced by the entertainment qualities of these talented performers. At points soulful, at others highly sexual, Khan and Snax quickly transition from one genre to another, with a lively house beat throughout.
The duo appear to be constantly upping the tempo on themselves, bringing something exciting and different to the crowd every minute. They seem to generate their own energy and radiate it to the audience, wading through the crowd at several points - thereby dissolving that imaginary line between stage and dance floor, artist and audience.
The energy and dynamism of Captain Comatose was as integral to the show as the music itself. The audience felt like it had gained entry into the studio of two rambunctious kids excitedly playing with their noisemaking toys - which ranged from the more traditional keyboard to a cow bell.
Not wanting to end even their own show, Khan and Snax invited all present to accompany them to Mio for their live DJ set later in the evening. Unfortunately your correspondent missed the second act from this energetic duo, but has no doubt that it was every bit as captivating as the first to which she was treated at Art Garbage.
Khan and Snax met in Berlin in 1996 when Snax was DJ'ing at a 3000 Fashion Show, at which point they realized that they were practically neighbors in New York City. They began recording together in 2000 and have made 5 albums together. In 2002 they relocated to Berlin, capital of electronic music, where they began their live act.
29.06.04 |
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