Klangkuenstler at Unreal Antwerp 2023 | Review
One of the currently fastest-growing Hard-Techno artists is Klangkuenstler. He is a resident of the unreal party series, which originated in Cologne, but started to host events all over Europe. But how does this away game compare to their origins?
Location:
The party took place at Waagnatie Expo. This is an approximate 15-minute walk on foot from the city center (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal). It is located directly at the water and within an industrial area.
This means there are no neighbors or noise complaints and a lot of parking spaces for those who arrived by car. Honestly, the location was perfect. Even though I stayed on the other side of town (zuid) it only took me about 10 minutes to get home with a lime scooter. So from Waagnatie you can basically get to every place within the city for under 20 Euros with a cab.
The view on the water, no noise restrictions, easy parking spots, and great reachability make this a 10/10.
Sound-system:
To be honest I was a bit slacking in this category, which means I won’t go into as many technical details as usual.
First thing you saw upon entering the dancefloor where two line array columns from d&b audio. On each side, there were 10 elements in it facing towards the front (of the DJ) and 4 elements facing the back. There was a tribune built behind the DJ where also lots of people danced. I would guess that d&b GSL or KSL line array elements have been used. With the subs I am clueless, I didn’t even try to count them. Looking at the pictures I would guess there have been 10 firing to the front and 4 to the back area. Most logically also d&b KSL-Subs or SL-Subs but take this with a grain of salt. There were also some speakers positioned as a front fill, but none for the delay as far as I am aware.
That’s it for the technicalities. Now to my subjective impression. I expected a lot because usually the production quality from unreal is very high and they work together with great technicians. This time however I was disappointed. The best-sounding spot in my opinion was directly in front of the line array 10–15 meters back. So clearly more towards the side of the dancefloor. However, it still wasn’t perfect. There was a noticeable echo, which is understandable in an untreated warehouse. Also, the highs sounded very sharp and even overplayed the lower frequencies. With hearing protection it was ok, but once I removed them it felt as if the sound was stinging my ears. I even noticed people holding their ears in moments with high-pitched breaks. Another spot that sounded good to me was at the very back of the dancefloor on the gallery (where the VJ was sitting). There it was even bearable without hearing protection and sounded surprisingly well-balanced. In the front and in the middle I wasn’t happy with the sound as it was subpar to the sides and on the platform behind the DJ I wasn’t satisfied with the low end.
In general, the low-end was satisfying after 2 o'clock when they increased the loudness — before it was disappointing. Unfortunately, by that, it felt as if energy was tried to be created via decibels. Similar to DJs and BPM. A sound system can be very well managed and used as an instrument to create quiet breaks and loud highlights. The best example was a few weeks ago in Cologne at Gewoelbe where DJ Koze played which was one of the best-sounding experiences I ever had. Only because it is loud, doesn’t mean that it is good. It needs to be balanced: decibel, low ends, attack, high frequencies. Everything needs to work together. And this wasn’t the case here.
Very loud, very rough, and by that quite unpleasant for the ears. Hearing protection was a must, not only for the loudness but also to protect you from the harsh highs. There have been ok sounding spots in the room and there was a good low end. For me, this however only results in a 6/10. Not that the sound system was so bad that it ruined the experience (which would be below a 5), but bad enough that I wished for a better set-up — especially from unreal.
Lights and atmosphere:
The primary focus of this edition lay on the five huge LED screens mounted on the ceiling. This includes the one at the DJ which is usually present at every unreal event and displays who’s playing, visuals like chains or act as strobes. I like that there is a constant theme and that it presents itself as very recognizable. The same goes for the DJ booth which was once again equipped with small lasers, making it look like a laser prison — very fitting.
Additionally, there have been moving heads and moving LED bars mounted next to them which emphasized this “middle line” even more. My personal highlight, however, have been the moving heads on the walls which brought some depth into the room, as otherwise, it would have been very center focused.
In my last unreal at Bootshaus review I gave a 10/10, because the setup was impressive, given that it was a club. Here however I am more strict and comparing it to the stages at e.g. Possession Festival I found it too bland. The LED screens didn’t fill out the room and even though it was cool and well made there was no WOW moment for me. The light operation also felt hectic and too often focussed on strobes with little good buildups (given the music also didn’t encourage it). What I noticed afterward was the lack of smoke. There probably have been hazers, but you never got a feeling of being submerged in smoke and losing your orientation — which is a feeling I personally really like.
The humidity and temperature inside however were fine at all times, even with very revealing clothes.
While it was good, it wasn’t overly impressive and I would have wished for more smoke and something away from the ordinary LED gear. Maybe some lasers, or at least a more non-standard arrangement. This leaves this category with an 8/10.
Organization:
When I arrived at 23:30 there was a huge line. Luckily it moved very quickly and within less than 20 minutes I was inside. Everything felt very well organized. Starting from the ticket scanning, the security (which wasn’t strict), getting a locker and finally buying tokens for drinks.
I am not a fan of the token system and there are definitely critiques for this event, but I will focus on them in the pricing section. Otherwise, it was well managed and they could be quickly purchased with cash or card, as there have been enough buying points. The lines for actually purchasing drinks have been very short as well, and I’ve never waited longer than 5 minutes.
I experienced the security as present, but not intriguing. I didn’t see them harassing people or being aggressive when e.g. trying to stop people to smoke inside. A medical team was on site the whole time, but I haven’t witnessed any emergencies.
Additionally, there was a merchandise and tobacco point available. I’ve experienced the toilets as clean and adequate in size for such an event. One critique was, that they were signs that tap water was not drinking water. I didn’t test it but given that those are event toilets I imagine the statement was true. I also didn’t see a separate drinking water point. For a rave, this is very bad practice, especially since water was only served in small bottles (0.33l).
A positive note is that there have been enough warm places inside where you could sit down and take a break, as well as talk to a friend — even a long conversation — as those chill spots haven’t been filled with loud music.
The organization in itself was very well done with the only negative point being the access to free drinking water (-2.5) which actually is a major point. I hope this won’t become the norm: 7.5/10
Music:
As always this category is subjective and won't go into the final rating. Only one floor and Klangkuenstler playing all night long — simple setup. Initially, I was excited. The trend to short peak time sets (only 1.5 — 2 hrs) is a bad one in my opinion and forces DJs to play attention-grabbing high-energy music in the short amount of time they get before someone else takes over. Longer sets can be used to create a buildup and tell a story [DJ techtools], creating a more complex and therefore rewarding experience for the partygoer.
The last all night long I visited was in August last year when Partiboi69 played at Robert Johnson. It was pure bliss as he traveled through mellow house and breakbeats to his famous ghetto house sound and high-energy techno over the 8+ hours he was on the decks.
Klangkuenster as one of unreal’s residents and long-term partners sounded exciting. The surprise closing set at 6 o’clock in the Blackbox at Bootshaus last year I experienced was striking. So my expectations have been high.
Unfortunately what I experienced was one of the blandest and most uninspired sets ever to me. Very little actual buildup, mostly through bpm. Constant 4/4 beat, but not one that captured and hypnotized me. And an overall lack of memorable moments. Sure, I still danced quite a lot and I remember that there have been sequences of me fully in the moment, music motivating me to dance, but overall it didn’t glue me to the floor and left me with a “meh” feeling.
As a disclaimer, when you are not satisfied with the Soundsystem often you pinpoint it to other possible options (e.g. the DJ). This could be the case here as well and especially since the sound was not doing the tracks played any favor. In general, an all night long for such an event is a difficult setting. Most of the audience is probably not very knowledgeable and undemanding, and in contrast to a club you can’t afford to play low-energy passages that could risk half the dance floor. Otherwise, people would overcrowd the other areas and maybe even lose their drive to stay. With clubs you walk around, talk to new people, and relax before you return to the dance floor at a more suitable moment. The dynamic at such a rave is very different from a club.
This is why I can't judge this section. There are simply too many aspects that shouldn’t be forgotten. Still, for me, it wasn’t a musically exciting night.
Pricing:
At first, the pricing might seem appealing: 32€ was it originally. I bought it on ticketswap one day prior because for some reason lots of people have been selling, making the price drop to 10€. Still, for fairness, we need to look at the original price since people have actually paid that, even to the point that the event was officially sold out. Unfortunately, I can’t out if there have been any early bird discounts.
The tickets for Bootshaus — a club, not a specifically set-up event — have been far more expensive (38€). Comparable organizers like Rotterdam Rave or Awakenings charge 2–3 times the amount, so those 32E seem like a good deal at first. But now we need to compare this to events in and around Antwerp. The Celebration of Life festival I visited in December was priced at 32€ (Early Bird) and included 3 stages with multiple (international) artists over 2 evenings. The famous Modulair Festival less than an hour away in Ghent was priced at 40€. This included 16 hours of music on multiple stages with a great and diverse lineup of top artists. Fuse, Kompass, and Ampere Club regularly host great artists for about 15 Euros entry. So there already you get my point. That the 32€ are something to cheer about.
What however spiked it, even more, was the unusually high price of 7€ for a small locker (sorry, don’t know the prices for the big ones). And that you've been required to buy a toilet bracelet with which you could enter the toilet. Price: 1 token ~ 3.75 Euros. What the fuck? Never have I experienced something like that. I am not even sure if that is legal. Shouldn’t you always provide free toilets at a place where you serve drinks?
The lowest possible number of tokens you could buy was 4 for 15€. You’re friend is dehydrated and you want to buy her 1 water for the way home, but you don’t have any tokens anymore? Do you want to get a bracelet to go to the toilet? Either you pay 15 Euros or you won’t get anything. Also, why is there no differentiation? 1 Token = Water = Beer = Hard Selters = Coca-Cola = Red Bull. A 0.33l bottle of water for nearly 4€ is bad. It is however ok for Hard Slerters or a Red Bull. Together with the “Don’t drink tap water” not a great look. 12€ for Longdrinks also seems overpriced, but I got told, that this is the general level in the city.
This leaves me deducting points for the ticket price (-0.5), the toilet fee (-2.5), and the “one token buys everything” system but spend at least 15€ (-2): 5/10
Conclusion:
In comparison to the last unreal in Cologne, I didn’t feel so ripped off, even though the price value wasn’t great either. Unfortunately, it also didn’t hold up to the quality standards in terms of sound and lights I am used to from Bootshaus. So my conclusion is basically the same: I wouldn’t go there again except if some things align (friends, good deal, boredom). Also, a similar end score: 6/10. Additionally, some practices have left a very bad aftertaste — paying for a toilet bracelet, no drinking water, minimum purchase of 15 Euros at a time. There is already an outrage about that on social media and rightfully so. By my metric, this is still a generous score, but I sincerely hope that such “cost optimizations” will get rethought quickly.
My state of mind:
Truth be told. I was in Antwerp for Easter anyway. Not because I was partying, but for a getaway with a friend. I went out the weekends prior and wanted to step away from the noisy lifestyle. However, when I saw tickets being sold for 10€ I couldn’t resist. Even only to write this review (a subscription would be much appreciated). I mean in the end with all the extra costs it turned out much more expensive, but I don’t regret it. I wanted to use it as an opportunity to go to a party 100% sober again, as I haven’t done that for a while. The only things that entered my body were 3 Red Bulls. And I was confident about it, since I had some beautiful prior days and was high on life without any aid.
But then again the crowd of people unreal attracts hit me full on. I already briefly mentioned this in the last review: you’ll mostly meet very one-dimensional, unopen people with a high drug intake. But big room events can be difficult and it is less of a place of exchange as an intimate club. I tried to keep those thoughts out of the objective part. Still, it baffles me when I see people going to the center of the dance floor, motionlessly recording a video and leaving, or filming themselves (lots of phones on the dancefloor!), or believing kinky = techno… Unreal organizers are marketing maniacs (I respect and admire their knowledge) and they know what they are doing and how to advertise events. The question is, do they know how to compose a good crowd and promote good values? There, I still see a big lack.
Edit: After publishing this review Klangkuenstler reached out to me to explain the toilet situation. This doesn’t change my scoring or review, but for transparency I want to mention it here.
