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The crowd at Doyer Street Plaza in New York City’s Chinatown, where on April 19 German techno artist David Löhlein played a free pop-up show. (Photos: Wandy Felicita Ortz
While April can offer its temperamental weather to native New Yorkers and visitors alike, the sun shone in a way that beckoned a summer pop-up show on April 19. One such performance in the heart of Manhattan’s Chinatown is what fans, locals, and curious onlookers encountered that Saturday evening as they traversed the neighborhood’s Doyers Street Plaza.
Pop-up shows in New York City have a rich history rooted in the city’s vibrant underground art and music scenes, especially in the borough’s neighboring Lower East Side, where guerrilla-style performances in public spaces and abandoned buildings in the 1970s and ’80s became a countercultural staple of up-and-coming music.
Over time, they evolved into something all their own, blending spontaneity with creativity and often serving as launchpads for emerging artists and experimental concepts. But on that day, there were no 1970s throwbacks to be heard throughout the block. Instead, music heads tuned into a new techno sound from a fresh DJ name: David Löhlein.
The German artist offered a free pop-up show that evening, serving as a prelude to a DJ set at Bushwick, Brooklyn nightclub h0l0 later that night. The Knockturnal was in the crowd, elbow to elbow with fans and those who would follow up with music sets of their own in the plaza later that night, hoping to reflect perhaps a glimmer of what Löhlein would leave in his wake.
What he provided was an exhibition of sound that showcased a surprising connection to the Chinatown community, despite Löhlein’s assumed lack of connection to the neighborhood.
“This year is the Year of the Snake in Chinese mythology,” he told The Knockturnal. “So I thought, ‘Okay, I always like to do things that are out of the box.’ If you can do something differently, you can break boundaries also. So I would think Chinatown is a good place for playing with the idea of the snake. It’s out of the box.”
The Snake is also a symbol of strength, power, and transformation. Snakes shed their skin as they grow, symbolizing renewal and transformation. This represents the idea of letting go of the past and embracing change, which is often seen as a key trait for those born under the Snake sign. It signifies personal growth and the ability to adapt.
That anecdote in regards to Chinese history and tradition struck a chord with Löhlein long ago: he holds an affinity for the snake as an animal and identifies himself with the reptile as well.
It motivated him to release Snake Selection, the series which he presented in partnership with NYC-based music collective AGAPE on April 19. Outside of the New York City music circuit, Snake Selections are known as Löhlein’s signature conceptual performances: each one is filmed, curated around a unique theme, and staged in visually or culturally significant locations.
What results is an immersive, viral-ready blend of music, symbolism, and environment — and the NYC edition proved no exception. “Snake Selections are sacred to me,” said Löhlein. “They’re not just shows—they’re symbols of transformation, power, and connection. To bring this energy to New York, on Doyers Street, during the Year of the Snake — it’s magic.”
The magic itself was apparent in the music: although Chinatown is a bastion of Asian culture in New York, on that day it was a symbol of synergy across all people. There are people who live there, who work there, and own their businesses there — somehow in that moment, they all had Löhlein in common, even if they had no idea who he was before they heard his music floating through the streets.
“Especially with pop-ups, it’s a great way to connect people,” he explained. “By just walking by, they wonder what is going on.” Young and old, fans and fresh ears, people stopped to listen and even dance.
Phones and cameras in hand, those in the plaza were elbow to elbow as the sun set on David Löhlein.
“I really enjoyed seeing the children dancing,” he added.
“There were people from all over the world dancing because enjoying music is just something that, through those pop-ups, you can see that no matter where you come from, no matter what age, you do enjoy the same things as a human being. It’s a beautiful way of bringing people together instead of dividing them.”
When asked by The Knockturnal about their perception of the show, the crowd offered a mix of perspectives: some were there just for the Snake Selections, others so inspired by him that they identified as artists themselves. For Löhlein, the mere acknowledgement that his music may be impacting another person’s life path is humbling.
“I’m grateful to be in a position where I can influence people. I’m always super grateful, because again, inspiring people to follow their dreams, maybe inspiring five people to get a new passion for something, then it’s just beautiful,” he told The Knockturnal.
“Music and artistry and passion for any kind of thing is one of the most beautiful things you can have… To me, if I made a decision, a small decision, maybe a chance meeting, but little situations led me to this point right now, I think it can also lead them to be in a happy position.”
In terms of Löhlein’s next position, New York and a summer-like moment on a spring Saturday are just the beginning: he’s preparing to launch a number of projects as the year progresses. But for now, he’ll still be basking in that sun-drenched moment and letting it fill him with inspiration, much like a snake catching rays for warmth.
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At the final stop of their UNVEIL in the USA tour, The KingDom closed out in Los Angeles on September 20th at the iconic Palace Theatre with a performance bursting with pure “ENERGY.”
The K-pop sensation, ITZY, returned to the tri-state area on June 23rd, 2024, for their “Born to Be World Tour.” This tour marks the second worldwide tour for the South Korean girl group. It spans Asia, Oceania, the Americas and Europe. The tour is to promote the group’s second album “Born to Be.” Sadly, the tour will take place when the member Lia is on hiatus, but good news, Yeji, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, and Yuna will still preform.
The show kicked off with the girls taking the stage clad in red and black outfits for their song, “Born To be.” With an extended intro, the girls busted into their moves before venturing into their song, “Racer.” After the girls preformed “Kidding Me,” they took the time to chat with their fans MIDZY. Chaeryeong was the first to speak and she remarked how happy she was to make memories with their fans again. Yuno then highlighted the band that was performing with the girls. She expressed that the performances that night would have a richer sound since they were accompanied by a live band and then she took time to introduce each member of the band allowing the audience to give them their flowers. Then the girls performed “Mr. Vampire” before heading into “Swipe,” which utilized interactive graphics in which the girls swipe their hands across their faces. To those in attendance it certainly was a very cool effect it played right into the music. The girls finished out the act with their hit song “Wannabe,” to the delight of their fans. At the beginning of the song, the dancers stayed on stage for an extended dance break.
After a short video, which encompassed city escapes with the girls, pondering their existence, a spotlight fell on the stage. In the center was Chaeryeong to perform her solo song “Mine.” Decked out in an all-white outfit, her performance was not only sweet, but seductive and encompassed a cool mirror effect along with a dancer who doubled as her. Up next was Ryujin who performed her solo song, “Run Away.” She started the song sitting down holding a microphone with no stand. The stage was filled with colors of red and gold as she rocked out next to a table with a teddy bear sitting next to her, before descending the elevated stage. She was wearing thigh-high boots and a bodysuit with a sparkling rock’n jacket. Then the mood all changed to absolute out of this world sweetness courtesy of Yuno. As she performed her song, “Yet, but,” a large 3-D spaceship straight from her music video was projected behind her as she danced in a diamond cut out couch. She rocked a sparkling outfit with a collar and high boots just as if she was ready to blast off into space with fluffy cute graphics were also projected behind her, at one point, she even jumped into a shopping cart and was pushed around the stage as she performed. Her stage was truly out of this world with its cute 80’s computer graphics. Then the mood shifted again with Yeji’s solo stage which had an extended outro. She performed her song, “Crown On My Head.” She was wearing a red and black outfit and rocked out with cool edgy crown graphics projected behind her with matching choreography. She stunned the crowd with her stage presence, and wow them with her vocals, belting out numerous times amazing notes.
After the girls solo stages, the concert embarked on to act three, which began with a video that was out of this world. It had Armageddon undertones with the girls looking up to the sky and pondering their existence as if they were having an internal crisis.
Then came an intro in which the girls descended from a staircase to perform their hit song, “Untouchable.” The girls were in crop tops with sequins details and denim jeans. Their dancers were all in white. Then ITZY performed their hit “Gas Me Up,” which saw the arena drenched in red and black, before cascading into a beautiful waterfall of colors for their stage for “Dynamite.” Then the girls took a break to talk and connect with fans again. The girls mention that this concert was the only time that they had performed solo stages. One mention she had a blast singing and performing her song that she wrote herself. Yeji remarked that she was happy to share the energy to which a fan yelled out. “I love you” and she jokingly replied, “I love you too!” Then the audience was in an uproar of sharing love for the group to which then Yeji had to joke, “OK I’m talking,” as she flirted with the audience. She also mentioned that she loved performing her song in the solo stage because it was such a happy song with bright positive energy. It was clear that the audience was touched by her corky sentimental sensibility. Then Ryujin joked with the audience, explaining that she couldn’t hear the audience and encouraged NYC to “make some noise,” before the girls got into their song “Psychic Lover.” For this song, this stage was immersed in beautiful colors. Projected behind the girls were squares. Each girl was jumping around, giving as much energy as the audience gave to them. The girls then went on to perform their song, “Don’t Give a What,” Which saw a 3-D monogram projected behind them with their names as they rocked out before breaking into their monster hit “LOCO.” The act concluded with the girls doing a rock version of “LOCO,” with an extended outro that continued to play long after they had quickly dived behind the stage for an outfit change and to get ready for the next act.
For the next act, the band continue to rockout as the girls were working behind the stage to get ready. They started the song, “Not Shy,” with a long intro before the girls return to the stage decked out in white and black western themed outfits, which paid homage to the music video for the song. The girls then broke out their signature moves for their hit songs “Cake” and “Sneakers,” to the audience’s delight. For “Sneakers,” the girls were super cute and playful as colors surrounded the stage. They even did cartwheels to celebrate the joy. The girls then took a beat to chat with their fans again before getting to their song, “Kill Shot,” which was accompanied by extremely cool 3D graphics. ITZY then closed out their set with “Escalator,” which had an extended outro and saw the girls walking off as to say that was it!
However, for MIDZY sake the girls were only teasing. As they prepared for their encore stage a video played. The video encouraged MIDZY to get into the moment with games and challenges that included cheering, singing and even dancing. Then the girls returned to that stage to perform “LOVE is” wearing shorts or skirts with their concert tees cut in individual cute ways. They sat down to performed their touching song “Be in Love.” As the girl sat on the stage it was a very intimate moment as if it was a farewell love letter to fans to say we have to leave, but we will be back. Then the girls actually said their goodbye to MIDZY, but just as the girls were about to speak a video came on that teased each one of them. They watched as they joked with each other. Then Ryujin remarked that New York’s Time Square now feels like home to her now since they had been bless to come to New York so many times. Chaeryeong spoke in English to the audience and she promised that Lia would return soon. Before jumping into their two final songs the girls sat down on stage to take a photo with their fans. They smiled as the lights on the audience were raised. After the heartfelt moment, the girl sjumped right into their song “Boys Like You,” which saw them running around the stage in a playful manor. They jumped around as the lyrics of the song were projected behind them. Then they finished out the show with their hit song, “DALLA DALLA” which had an extended outro. As confetti was flying the girls waved goodbye to their fans and it was obvious how much they had grown as artists from their sweet humble stage in Brooklyn at the Kings Theater to now taking the worlds stage at Madison Square Garden. The moment seemed to capture their gratitude to their fans for making it possible as well as reflected how much they have grown as artists.
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