TuneLab
Awakenings Festival 2018 Saturday - Live set Henrik Schwarz & KiNK
Area V
When Henrik Schwarz and KiNK link up for a live set at Awakenings Festival 2018's Area V, you abandon any hope of a predictable genre exercise. This is a masterclass in live electronic improvisation, a joyous, nerdy celebration of the studio-as-instrument. The vibe is one of shared discovery, where classic house and techno foundations are twisted, tweaked, and rebuilt in real-time. Technically, it's a wide-ranging tour, with a BPM average of 126.6 but a spectrum from 97 to 128, showcasing their dynamic control.
The key of 12A (8 tracks) provides a harmonic home base, but frequent excursions to 6A and 6B keep the musicality rich and unpredictable. Energy is balanced, with a strong low-end (0.55 avg) for groove, prominent mids (0.35 avg) for melodic interplay, and restrained highs (0.10 avg) that avoid harshness. Their live style is conversational, trading motifs and building tracks from the ground up with a palpable sense of fun. The tracklist reads like a crate digger's dream: 'Kink - KiNK: Live at Cocoon Ibiza' is the meta-opening statement, while 'Juheun - Acceleration (Wigbert Remix)' delivers driving, percussive techno.
'Fade - All I Got (Chris Fortier 20yr Dub)' is a deep house masterpiece given new life, and their take on 'Donna Summer - I Feel Love' is inevitably euphoric. 'Paul Keeley - A Sort of Homecoming (Michael Cassette Remix)' is a melodic progressive gem, and 'Sweet Drop - Human Nature (Epic Mix)' offers trance-adjacent warmth. The journey is a genuine arc: it kicks off with live modular explorations, finds its peak in the communal rush of 'I Feel Love', and winds down gracefully with the melancholic beauty of 'London Grammar - Hell to the Liars (Kölsch Remix)' as the closing track.