Barry Can't Swim
Boiler Room x FLY Open Air 2023
Barry Can’t Swim’s Boiler Room at FLY Open Air 2023 is the sound of a festival field collectively remembering that house music can, in fact, be joyous. The sun is probably shining, people are definitely hugging, and the vibe is unapologetically euphoric. This is a masterfully curated journey through house and tech house, cruising at an average 130.1 BPM and deftly navigating between keys like 6A, 3B, and 12A for emotional lift. The energy profile is balanced (0.56 low, 0.37 mid), allowing for both groove-heavy foundations and soaring melodic peaks.
Barry’s mixing is crisp and energetic, using quick cuts and long blends to keep the momentum high while maintaining harmonic cohesion. The track selection is a crowd-pleasing treasure trove: the raw, jacking opener ‘AnDrew DeXx - Bomb’ immediately gets hands in the air. He then weaves in classics like ‘Faithless - Insomnia (Monster Mix)’ and ‘The Nightcrawlers - Push The Feeling On’ with expert timing, never feeling nostalgic for nostalgia’s sake. His own ‘SunSleeper’ provides a beautiful, sun-drenched moment, while ‘Mainline Magic Orchestra - Xumba Xumba (Eden Burns Remix)’ is a percussive, left-field highlight.
The journey builds from the acidic punch of ‘Bomb’, hits a peak with the timeless rush of ‘Push The Feeling On’, and lands with the live-band frenzy of the closing ‘Anti-Slam & W.E.A.P.O.N. - Bang (Live)’, ensuring nobody leaves the field quietly.