DONT WALK 22 Afterparty - Anetha and LSDXOXO

by Freya Miller

Walking into a relatively empty, bright barn dominated by a runway, I found myself hoping that more people would show up. DONT WALK 2022 promised a ravey afterparty, complete with artists setting the pace of Techno in European clubs. Livi Westfall, the Head of Afterparty, has a personal love of techno, citing ‘the freedom and love that you can find on a club dance floor [and] a complete lack of judgement’ as the main draws to the genre. It is evident from the calibre of her choices for the night’s acts that she is on the pulse of techno talent in Europe. Between those who had attended the exclusive fashion show, and others arriving on buses for the afterparty, there was potential for an electric night.

As far as the acts are concerned, both Anetha and LSDXOXO put on incredible sets at the Bowhouse. Guiding the audience over the peaks of heavy techno with percussive and melodic elements, it was a night to remember. The only element missing from this boiler-room-esque afterparty was the grimy, unconventional crowd belonging to the underground clubs these DJs usually play in. 

Anetha’s set was hypnotically bass-heavy and lyric-light. Feeling as though it was born from a basement, the crowd was encouraged to move with a relentless bass, to which the sound was always stripped back. The drops in the set made for a moment to remember the four on the floor beat upon which a symphony of rhythms were built, accompanied by metallic harmonies recalling intense rawness. Resident in both Paris and Berlin, the influences of both were evident. The result was a poetic rendering of the repetitive rhythmic patterns of German Techno– it cast a hypnotic effect.

Similarly, LSDXOXO recreated his energetic, underground sets which combine familiar pop vocals with electro, techno and hardcore house beats. It made a tonal difference from Anetha’s intense set, introducing a sense of fun and camp into heavy-hitting basslines. 90’s inspired, both in the vocals and mixing, I felt nostalgic for an era of clubbing I could only wish to be a part of. There was a sense that his set was stripped of the queerness which defines his regular FLOORGASM nights, which seek to reclaim black, queer spaces, but there’s no denying that it was quintessential techno.

The main drawback of the night, from the perspective of someone who attended to enjoy the music, was that not many others in the crowd seemed to be enjoying the music. Ultimately, DONT WALK is a fashion show, and much of the crowd treated the afterparty as an extension of that.  The beauty of techno lies in the unity of a crowd, being immersed, together, in sound and rhythm, and I found it hard to feel that freedom at this afterparty. Despite this, both LSDXOXO and Anetha’s performances were thoroughly enjoyable and expert displays of the breadth of the genre.