Ellen Allien Show APT – 419 W. 13th November 16, 2004 By John Miller Photographed by Evan Sung
Ellen Allien

When I heard that Ellen Allien was playing in New York I made it a point to get down there and cover this event. On tour in Europe, the United States and Canada, Ellen is out this fall promoting her new album entitled My Parade. My Parade is a bit of a different sound from her Berlinette album for which she is most widely known. My Parade takes on a continual mix with no song breaks. The album seems to have two halves, the first sounding more like a club from the 80’s complete with a voice over trying to motivate me to dance and to believe in Jesus Christ, with utmost seriousness. I have to admit I could not help from laughing at the voice over and am hoping for irony. The second half of the cd goes into a more clashy electronic sound rather than the house quality it started out with, at time even bringing forth images of Nitzer Ebb instumentals with the new technology of the 2000’s. Regardless she never loses that German institutional, disciplined, electronic/new wave/neo wave sound that reveals her upbringing and one can clearly hear that she is an extremely talented DJ. The cd is definitely worth checking out and would be great to play in a club. How she finds the time to tour is amazing knowing that she runs her own record label, Bpitch as well. You can check out the latest updates on her labels site at www.bpitchcontrol.com.

Ellen Allien

Playing in a venue called APT at 419 w. 13th in New York’s Meat Packing district; I knew it could not go wrong. APT is a hidden bar that has claimed a status that is world renowned. No sign, no direct advertising, it is only word of mouth that carries this place. When you walk in, the scenery is changed from the concrete of a former industrial warehouse district to a cozy suburban estate home. With plush couches, and charming big home wallpaper, the scene looked like the nightmares of a high school keg party of yesteryear in the local rich kids parent’s house (with the exception of a much more urban crowd re-living the experience). They even had Scottish cookie tins and chrome plated pots and pans in the upstairs bar area. I truly felt like I was waiting for the interview with Dad before taking his daughter to the prom. I caught the irony but I had to escape before my nightmare somehow came true. I quickly decided to get down to the business that I came here for, Ellen Allien.

I quickly left the parent’s house and descended into the tightly packed room with faux wood panel walls dimly backlit by fluorescent lights. Upon first scan of the room I could not see a stage and was a bit confused by a packed room of crazy looking people all staring and nodding their heads in a trance at what seemed to be a wall. As I got further into the room, I could see that it was the DJ box they were all crowded around and I finally managed a glimpse of the attraction. There was Ellen Allien in this illuminated fish-tank-like booth with a crowd of worshippers all staring in. Her black stringy hair covered much of her face and turquoise shirt while she was busy at work on the turntables, mixing an endless slew of beats and effects. From the back of the room, it looked like a beautiful wall-mounted television with tons of people standing in the way so one could not really see the picture.

Regardless, the improvised re-mixes riveted everyone’s attention towards the booth. The music ranged from mod 80’s New- Orderesque-sounding-music-that-only-someone-who-had-grown-up-in-the-heart-of-the- 80’s –European-new-wave-era could mix to an electro-clash-of-the-new-millennium that peaked and descended with total irregularity. Ellen kept everyone in the room in a state of forgetfulness about their sardine-packed situation and the sauna it was quickly becoming. She played various mixes from all her albums, but I could see the crowd react most when she played tracks from her last album, Berlinette. When it was time to leave I could hear many people babbling about technique and equipment. One thing is for certain; Ellen Allien is a leader in electronic music and transcends the common mistaken category of “female DJ”. If she is ever in town, be sure not to miss this show.