On Friday, December 3rd, a different kind of party took place at Brooklyn’s popular techno club, Output. Berlin-based duo, Tale of Us, left fans in awe with their ethereal minimal beats.
It is almost impossible to put into words the atmosphere that enveloped the crowd when this Italian techno duo worked their magic on the decks. Although their set lasted for about 6 hours, their set made us lose all conception of time and space. To categorize the type of music that they produce, you need not look beyond their name – Tale of Us: a story, an astral journey. It was not hard to see why they were featured as one of Mixmag’s DJs of the year back in 2015. Through the establishment of their successful label, Afterlife, Tale of Us has helped redefine the appeal of minimal techno by incorporating elements that penetrate not only the ears, but the soul.
They have rightfully earned their spot as one of electronic music’s most respected duos for a variety of reasons. First, while they’re definitely not anti-social media they don’t make it a priority to make their personal lives a spectacle. There’s still a sense of mystery that comes in tandem with their brand, which makes them and their mixes all the more alluring. Second, they rose to fame by remixing some of techno’s most prolific DJs (think: Plastikman, Moderat, Bob Moses) and incorporating their distinct sound not with the purpose of ameliorating the originals, but to embellish them. Finally, Tale of Us went through a cycle of evolution to arrive at the stage that they’re in now. They experimented with different genres until they found one that truly sparked their passion in production: a romanticized version of dark techno.
Their knack of juxtaposing angelic synths with hard-hitting hammering bass-lines, whilst certainly enjoyable when played on headphones, is something that needs to be experienced in person. No matter the setting, whether it be in a warehouse playing to thousands of fans until the break of dawn or in an intimate, closed-off location – like Output – their live sets have managed to make even the biggest of techno snobs forget about the sorrows in their lives. An indicator of the captivating nature of their performance was that the room was just as crowded, if not more, at 5am once they wrapped up their set than it was when I first arrived. The immense gratitude that radiated from the crowd was one that I’ve seldom seen during closing time at Output. We can only hope that they’ll return to grace us with their obscure presence at a warehouse function in the near future.
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