Forward Thinking Electronic Music

I stepped inside the main room and felt the power of sound. The bass so heavy that it was moving air even at the back of the room where I was standing. I have never felt that sensation with music and at that moment I realized that this is something beyond me.
This was Katharsis, one of the most revered events of futuristic electronic music in Netherlands. One of the main events organized by Reaktor (a group of people who organize these events) in Amsterdam. In recent years, Reaktor is synonymous for introducing the new energy and stimulation in the music scene of Amsterdam, or even Netherlands.
Now, about the glorious place where Katharsis was held: Warehouse Elementenstraat. As RA magazine says that in the hidden industrial west of Amsterdam, there lies a dark and legendary street, home to one of the most influential rave locations of the Netherlands. This place has its own history spanning around in 90’s where some of the celebrated raves took place here and house music was really strong at that time. The place was closed for a long time and now opened again to start a second chapter of cutting edge music.
Me and my friend have been to a lot of raves in Netherlands, but we always considered Reaktor events to be next level and something to look as an experience more than a one night party. After living one year in Netherlands, I felt that it was time to take that extra step. I convinced him for this party and the line-up was completely new to us.
Line-Up
Adam X b2b Ron Morelli
Alexey Volkov
Amato live (The Hacker)
Broken English Club (Oliver Ho)
Container (live)
DJ Stingray
I Hate Models
Identified Patient
Orphx & JK Flesh (live)
Paula Temple
Shadows live (AnD)
Volition Immanent (live) (Parrish Smith)
After first 5 minutes in the main room, I realized that I desperately needed ear plugs, the bass was just too heavy for me. My body was feeling the pressure from sound, with each thumping beat, there was little sensations deep down in my heart. I was supposed to be super tired after all day walking and roaming in Amsterdam Canal Parade, but somehow those raw techno sounds made it alright for me. Soon, my hears adapted and I didn't need ear plugs any more nor did I realize the passing time.
The visuals in Katharsis were mind-blowing, a wonderful example of sound and light engineering. I went there to check their set-up, and the machines and instruments they were using were certainly state-of-art. The video below shows how precisely they programmed visuals with the changing level of beats and sounds. Katharsis visuals were out of this world, its a place where even people who have never heard techno or this kind of music will still immerse in the timeless atmosphere there. Forgetting all their worries and just dancing while completely in the moment.
DJ Orphx & JK Flesh were unforgiving in playing the most edgy techno and testing the endurance of crowd. With each artist, the atmosphere in the main room was getting intense and intense. Second to last DJ for that night, DJ stingray just raised the bar to an extreme level and at that point, the visuals in the main room were at their full capacity and ensured a state of hypnotism there. One of the artists I was looking forward was “I hate Models”, but they played in the second room which was impossible to get in because of the crowd. I gave up on that idea and waited for the last DJ of the night, “Paula Temple” in the main room.
I was wondering that anyway the music was at its peak and insane level. What new can Paula temple bring for the ravers, and I was shocked what happened next. She played music with sounds I have never heard before, there were vibrations in the air I have never felt before. It was close to 7 AM and still, I was going on perfectly fine with all my energy. The night ended on a high note as evident in the video below, where Katharsis fulfilled its promise of teaching something new, experiencing something new.
When I left the rave, the outside world seemed too numb for me. There was no sound at all, such a peaceful Sunday morning. I had made a lot of videos using my mobile that night, and then later realized that mobiles just cannot record that kind of intense music. May be events like Katharsis will be too much for me to attend on regular basis, but certainly, they give you a new perspective and thoughts about music and art.
