Daniel James - Beyond Berghain / RTK - Nov 2022
hugopal no less weird than you calling yourself Hugo"pal" when you quite clearly have none. Just sayin…
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ScottBailey no less weird than you calling yourself Hugo"pal" when you quite clearly have none. Just sayin…
Psh, I’m clearly named after the VHS format used in the UK and rest of Europe.
Hugo, you do understand that I was asked to provide a guest mix for an internet radio show as part of a monthly slot run by other people, that they named, and is run by people who just love music no matter whether it is all strictly music that would be played at Berghain? They might have called it Viva Las Vegas for all it matters, as I haven’t been to Vegas either.
Feel free to drop in to Berghain this weekend with your clipboard and pen to carry out a rigorous analysis of the music played against what I included in the mix and then toss yourself off afterwards if you have proven your own hypothesis.
Of course, feel free to share your findings with us. I think you will find however that no one cares, least not me.
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whatever Hugo, you do understand that I was asked to provide a guest mix for an internet radio show as part of a monthly slot run by other people, that they named, and is run by people who just love music no matter whether it is all strictly music that would be played at Berghain? They might have called it Viva Las Vegas for all it matters, as I haven’t been to Vegas either.
It still makes about as much sense as asking someone to write a travel guide to Guadeloupe when they’ve never been, and then them agreeing to do it.
whatever Feel free to drop in to Berghain this weekend with your clipboard and pen to carry out a rigorous analysis of the music played against what I included in the mix and then toss yourself off afterwards if you have proven your own hypothesis.
I wouldn’t need to go there this weekend to recognise that most of the tracks aren’t the sort of thing which would get played.
Riiigggghht Hugo. Jeezzus. Obviously, I didn’t know I would be answerable to the authority on all things Berghain when I did it. I should have anticipated that please accept my apologies. I will be sure to clear any tracks that I play in future with you to ensure they are authorised. 
Fwiw, and I wasn’t going to say this because it encourages your pedantry, but I know that one of the guys that runs it is a regular there, and guess what, they didn’t say anything about it, but for some reason only you know, you did.
I think This highlights a need for you to have your mixes thoroughly peer reviewed Dan?
Maybe an agenda item for the next working group?
whatever Riiigggghht Hugo. Jeezzus. Obviously, I didn’t know I would be answerable to the authority on all things Berghain when I did it. I should have anticipated that please accept my apologies. I will be sure to clear any tracks that I play in future with you to ensure they are authorised.
None of that negates my point that it makes little sense to ask someone who’s never been to say, Mauritius, to write a travel piece on it.
whatever Fwiw, and I wasn’t going to say this because it encourages your pedantry, but I know that one of the guys that runs it is a regular there, and guess what, they didn’t say anything about it, but for some reason only you know, you did.
Again, this negates nothing of my point above. Though as an aside when I briefly tried to look up info on who ran the podcast it appeared those I found were all in the UK.
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I can’t quite believe how ludicrous your point is.
Hugo, I didn’t name the monthly slot. You keep saying that nothing I have said negates your point (quite what this is I’m not sure) as though there can only be one explanation.
I don’t know if you imagined that there was some sort of vetting process whereby I was asked to supply my Berghain credentials, perhaps number of visits to said club, photographic proof of me in the club, witnesses who could corroborate it, a list of tunes that I intended to to play as authenticated by a Berghain accredited professional (you must have been off that day) or perhaps recordings of music played in Berghain by certified Berghain DJs or could it be the case perhaps that:
Someone came up with the name as a bit of fun using a known name to evoke a broad genre of music or idea and they wanted people who might bring interpretations of it (because, you know, they’re not anally retentive about it) and that it needn’t fit the exact category. Maybe people play and listen to music for fun and really aren’t as bothered as you as to whether whether it is ‘authentic’ or not.
I have recorded mixes that have been themed around well known clubs that I went to over the years. Can I say hand on heart that all of the tunes were ones I heard strictly at those clubs? Did I mix them up with something else or maybe they were played in a different club? Maybe they were played in the club but at a time when I didn’t visit it? Possibly, that might have happened.
Right, I’m out of the Hugo weeds now and won’t be coming back for a long while. If anyone else wants to be bored to death by a pedantic, tedious cunt that will drain your life spirit, there’s now one available. Form an orderly queue at the door. I am officially de-weeded.
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Firstly, I’ve clearly struck a nerve!
whatever I don’t know if you imagined that there was some sort of vetting process whereby I was asked to supply my Berghain credentials, perhaps number of visits to said club
Not really - it seemed pretty clear there wasn’t one.
whatever Someone came up with the name as a bit of fun using a known name to evoke a broad genre of music or idea and they wanted people who might bring interpretations of it (because, you know, they’re not anally retentive about it) and that it needn’t fit the exact category.
It’s not really just “a bit of fun” though - it’s misleading and a cheap marketing ploy.
It’s like someone advertising a “Beyond Napoli - homage to Neapolitan pizza” night or restaurant, and then bringing in a caterer/chef who’s never even eaten a Neapolitan-style pizza, let alone been to Naples, and usually cooks at a late-night takeaway serving Chicago-style deep dish pizzas, and then asking them to serve their “interpretations” of Neapolitan pizza.
The more knowledgable guests might feel a bit miffed, while some of the less knowledgable guests might end up thinking - what the heck is this? I’ll never bother going to Naples to eat pizza if this is what it’s like".
It’s probably a similar grievance which Dave has when he sees some of the menus of Vietnamese run “Cantonese restaurants” in the UK that get posted on here.
whatever I have recorded mixes that have been themed around well known clubs that I went to over the years.
Well bully for you - but I don’t see what that has to do with recording a mix themed around a club that you’ve never been to?!
Wow. Ok, Hugo. You’re way off the mark. I feel like I am taking time away from your other pursuits like YouTube comment arguments, abusing celebrities you dislike on social media or jizzing over ‘classic’ episodes of Points of View. Whatever the case may be, I’ll let you get on with that.
hugopal None of that negates my point that it makes little sense to ask someone who’s never been to say, Mauritius, to write a travel piece on it.
Your “point” doesn’t stand up anyway. Plenty of people base stuff on a theme that they have no first hand experience of. The cultural impact of any given object is more than the sum of it’s physical parts.
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mono-stereo Plenty of people base stuff on a theme that they have no first hand experience of.
Well quite, but it doesn’t mean that it makes sense for them to do so - plenty of people are also charlatans and thickets.
hugopal Well quite, but it doesn’t mean that it makes sense for them to do so - plenty of people are also charlatans and thickets.
Some people are also needlessly pedantic.
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mono-stereo Your “point” doesn’t stand up anyway. Plenty of people base stuff on a theme that they have no first hand experience of.
Here is my reportage detailing the joyous experience of holidaying on the island of East Falkland:
Lounging on a delightful deckchair, overlooking a gentle pristine beach and the lapping turqoise waters of the Indian Ocean, you’d never guess that this tiny island of just 1million people could provide such luxury and relaxation. The tanned locals with their joie de vivre and open-hearted welcoming are pleasant hosts at the 5* ‘Perky Penguin’ Hotel Resort - one of many such resorts on the island’s calmer south coast.
Local delicacies such as ‘Squalo con Erba’ e ‘Scimmia alla puttanesca’ are served round the clock to wherever you’re at rest courtesy of the in-house kitchen. Giraffes grazing on coconuts and natives playing an afternoon game of the national sport badminton provide an entertaining additional backdrop as you lounge in pleasant autumn temperatures of around 28 degrees C. It is a place I imagine many would enjoy taking an extended holiday.
