Ali Berger is a favorite of Boston’s premier party planners. Since his first show at a Together Festival after party in 2010, Berger has been catching the ears of local production crews such as Mmmmaven, The Brain Trust, and Music Ecology. And at 22, while many acts his age are busy trying to decide whether they should stop spinning trap, he has rapidly developed a reputation as a smart and educated artist.
As a producer, his focus has shifted from composing glitch-hop to a short stint obsessing over acid house, with his most recent step taking him into the more party-centric realm of house and techno. While perpetually keeping Ableton Live open, Berger is both learned and skilled in the art of hardware production, utilizing a Korg Volca Beats, Korg Electribe, Mackie outboard mixer, Akai sampler and a vintage Roland TR-707 drum machine. You can check out his most recent release, 707 Trax 2013, at Beantown Boogiedown.
In the past few months, Berger has decided to break from his more cerebral PA shows, focusing instead on honing his DJ chops. Utilizing both vinyl and CDs, he’s hoping to uncover the catalytic equation of music for something remarkable to occur on the dancefloor. He splits his time combing through new releases on sites like Hardwax.com and back catalogs of classic dance labels, often connecting most with beats made in the previous century.
“Recently, I realized that dance music hasn’t fundamentally changed in at least 40 years, in terms of its goals and the ways it accomplishes those goals,” says Berger. “It’s about connecting people with themselves and each other through music, and all it really takes is a dope groove.”
With a conscious focus on working to uplift and inspire audiences, he sees house, techno, and funk as lending themselves to a more communal dance music experience. “The drop” is not what a fan should be expecting from an Ali Berger set. Instead, his philosophy revolves around the crowd’s attention and focus.
“I’ve been trying to focus on really consciously making sure my DJ sets and original tunes do what I want them to, in terms of the effect I want them to have on other people,” he says. “When I DJ, I want to create an atmosphere where it’s about the people at the party, and not about me. I want it to be a party where people feel comfortable dancing with each other, talking to people they don’t know, making new friends, and pushing their personal boundaries.”
During his headlining set this Thursday at Make it New, he promises a percussion driven set rife with 90s vocal house tunes and some crazy surprises to be thrown down near closing time. What I find most telling about Ali Berger is that he spends much of his time studying and experiencing live music. If I’m at one of those seminal electronic music events in the Boston/Cambridge area, where there is truly a must see act on stage, I can expect to see Ali, with a sharp mind and open eyes, grooving out a few feet away from the subs.
For tunes this week, I present to you Ali Berger’s “Magic Ritual Mix,” shiny and sleek as a two-toned and restored 1970 Dodge Challenger. The origins of electro funk can be heard throughout and the subject matter of most of these tunes seems to be about succumbing to sexual advances of a guy with a well groomed mustache and shiny lapels.
The mix begins with a complex GB (Gifted & Blessed) re-edit of the classic, spiritual sounds of Black Renaissance’s 1973 tune “Magic Ritual” moves into the realm of 80s disco with The Striker’s “Strike it Up.” R&B vocals and bass driven funk tunes like Instant Funk’s “You Want my Love,” Pushe’s “Don’t Take Your Love Away,” and Tyrone Brunson’s “I Need Love” are juxtaposed by instrumentals like Rodney Franklin’s 1979 jazz fusion tune “The Groove” and one by Rock Candy Funk Party, Joe Bonamassa’s jazz-funk outlet.
Berger then hops in the Delorean and delivers a couple of grooves from the past couple of years, one by Chateau Flight and one I’ve really been feeling, “Didn’t I,” a 2012 track sporting a vintage funk sound from DMX Krew. We’re then coyly handed a couple of unreleased original productions by Ali, which he has yet to decide on a moniker to release under. Finally, we are left to chew on the four minutes of the tough experimental meat that is Hieroglyphic Being’s “Long Live the Flesh.”
-Tracklist-
Black Renaissance – Magic Ritual (GB Remix) – Ubiquity
The Strikers – Strike It Up – Prelude
Instant Funk – You Want My Love – Salsoul
Rodney Franklin – The Groove – Old Gold
Tyrone Brunson – I Need Love – Funky Town Grooves
Rock Candy Funk Party – Animal/Work – Provogue
Pushe – Don’t Take Your Love Away – Partytime Records
DMX Krew – Didn’t I – Fresh Up!
Chateau Flight – Prism – Versatile Records
unknown artist – untitled walk track – unreleased
unknown artist – sleeves – unreleased
Hieroglyphic Being – Long Live The Flesh (The Edit) – +++
MAKE IT NEW WITH ALI BERGER
WITH ALAN MANZI + BALTIMORODER
THURSDAY 2.6
MIDDLESEX LOUNGE
315 MASS AVE., CAMBRIDGE
9pm/21+/FREE
