This track, which I heard for the first time in Corsica Studios earlier this year, is celebrating it’s tenth birthday, and its sound is both timelessly fresh and unavoidably reflective of its 90s roots. Released on the Munich label, Kosmo Records in 1997, 'Meet Her At The Love Parade' perfectly exemplifies the German electronic music scene at the time in its mischievous, trancey strangeness. German producer and DJ Da Hool holds a special place in dance music’s heart as a pioneer of rave culture throughout the late 80s and 90s. In a time when underground electronic music was bubbling up as a subversive, anti-establishment sub-culture, Da Hool was instrumental in paving the way for this rebellious sound in his home country, a focal point of the movement, and spreading it throughout Europe.
The title of the track is a reference to the deep and reactionary relationship between dance music at the time and political resistance. German Love Parades were music festivals where people danced on floats that rolled through the city blasting techno and electronica. The first Love Parade developed out of a peace protests against the Berlin Wall in West Berlin in 1989, and the tradition continued annually until 2003, becoming a symbol of inclusivity and a celebration of freedom and art. Love Parades were a safe space for LGBQT people, and nudity, flamboyance and drag were encouraged. The centring of electronic music within this context helped to set an incredible standard of altruism and community for the genre and rave culture that still now prevails.
The mood of the track reflects the hedonism and revolutionary spirit of its namesake. It commences with a deep, tinny bass drum, which builds slowly and is joined by an electronic kick and a hi-hat. The base comes pulsating from underneath like a beating heart. The main tune of the track is staccato, dotted, and fades slowly in. There is a feeling of intense anticipation and then release in the slightly off-key, buzzing main melody. Apart from some distortion of the melody, there isn’t much variation, so you become hypnotised by the rolling sounds. It is undeniably euphoric, and sounds like a battle cry.
The whole record has a feeling of a march, and is bare boned, and raw. This track should be celebrated both for just its firm grounding in the belief of music as a powerful force for change, and because of its undeniable quality as a dance track.
Words by Dora T