This is, quite frankly, the best record of 2023 so far.
Thump-thump-thump-thump
Would you know my name,
If I saw you in Berghain?
Would it be the same,
If I saw you in Berghain?
I’ve been buying a lot of electronica 12” records of late. Most of them are enjoyable, though more often than not nothing really reaches out and grabs me. But I knew a minute into Bjarki’s recently-released Tears In Berghain EP that it was a banger, and it just gets better and better with each and every play. My only complaint is that at three songs and a touch under 15 minutes I want more. A lot more. But these tracks are all so damn good that anything else would only serve to water it down. It’s perfect as it is.
The title track sees Bjarki collaborating with one of my favorite electronic artists, his fellow Icelander Kuldaboli, and it came out of their pandemic deepfake sessions. It’s AI-like voice intoning the vocals of Eric Clapton’s “Tears In Heaven,” with the word “heaven” replaced by “Berghain” througout, gives the whole thing a dark dystopian feel, and, obviously, changes the entire vibe of the original, Clapton’s understated guitar replaced by pounding techno beats.1 The vocals melt like hot wax and an undercurrent of something garbled hides beneath like a dark force in the deepest recesses of your unconscious. The entire track feels as though it could unravel your mind at any moment.
“Rave Daddy” is framed around a freaky interplay between a female and a male voice. Rave Daddy, my Rave Daddy, are you online? Are you here? Can you see me, she asks. Yes, you are looking good. You look amazing. I’m your daddy, he replies. And it’s as creepy as it sounds, even more so by the affect in the voices, their digital flatness. Other voices interject as well, both coming over the top and simmering below… daddy… rave daddy… The whole thing leaves you feeling somewhat dirty in a way that’s hard to articulate, a sonic freak show you can’t turn away from and will cause you to cringe when you catch yourself mumbling along. Daddy… my rave daddy…
You are wearing boots. And a dress. In my head, the female voice on “Pano Party” opens. You are dancing, in a dress. You are cute. And on top, comes the flat male in response. What now? Once again we’re treated to the interplay of a female and a male voice, but whereas she brings a certain playfulness to her words, his are stilted and more disjointed, despite that fact that they’re both often presenting identical lyrics.
These tracks are at their best through headphones, or with the volume turned up, or both. Barki injects subtlety throughout, flourishes that are easy to miss at lower levels or if listening passively, when you’re mostly just hearing the techno beats and crazy lyrics. All three are impossibly catchy, perhaps all the more so due to the creepiness of the vocals and lyrics. And it’s addictive. Oh so addictive.
Tears In Berghain is the fourth vinyl release on Iceland’s NIX label, and can recommend all of them wholeheartedly. It’s definitely a label to watch.