REVIEW: Doppler pres. Henning Baer

ONE OF BERLIN’S FINEST GRACES MELBOURNE’S MOST ICONIC VENUE…

A visit to Revolver Upstairs, whether late at night or at the most unholiest of morning hours, is a rite of passage that most Melbournians have experienced at one point or another. The famous doors, adorned with the biblically symbolic snake coiled around an apple, aptly represent the temptation many have been unable to resist as they step through the threshold and make the often-familiar walk up the alluring stairway.

Revolver Upstairs has served an important role in the Melbourne music scene. Industry mainstays such as Boogs, Mike Callander and Spacey Space are drawcards for the loyal crowd who routinely fill the dancefloor, and couches, surrounding the caged DJ booth.

However, it wasn’t the vintage anthems of ‘Revs’ that packed out their front room last Friday night.  The crew behind Doppler, who has already showcased techno royalty such as Ostgut Ton’s Answer Code Request and Somewhen, continued the trend with another Berliner in Henning Baer. Ably preceded by strong local support from PWD, Nat Salih and Paul Lynch, Baer took control of the decks from 3 AM in front of a crowd brimming with expectation. 

The orchestrator of the popular Grounded Theory parties at Tresor and label boss of the MANHIGH imprint, Baer’s powerful and gritty brand of techno represented somewhat of a divergence from what you’d normally expect to hear at Revs. The dynamic set unfolded over two hours with a consistent level of energy throughout: claps, kicks, vocals all ebbing and flowing under Henning’s masterful control. It was apparent that this was a not a normal night at Revolver, and as the whistles and claps rang out following Baer’s 5:08 AM reluctant set close, you could’ve been forgiven for momentarily forgetting the venue you had entered.

The conclusion of the German’s set threatened to signal an exodus to a Mike Callander-led main room, but Doppler member Josh Wain wasted no time in upping the tempo, delivering a series of impressive techno numbers to a crowd looking for direction. As the sun slowly but surely began to defeat the attempts from multiple blinds at creating permanent darkness, it was the closing 6-7 set from Equinox’s fütwerk that forcefully pulled people back into a room that had begun to thin out. A clear taste for the faster side of techno, the inclusion of club bangers like ABSL & Anetha’s ‘Elles’ reverberated around the room as it proceeded to fill back up again, the crowd eager to end on a high.

At the conclusion of their set, the applause justifiably rang out for the DJs who had played, but also for an events team that managed to find yet another use for one of Melbourne’s most eminent clubs.