TuneLab
Awakenings Festival 2018 Sunday - Liveset Ida Engberg
Area V
Ida Engberg's live set at Awakenings Festival 2018 is a lesson in how to build techno that's both muscular and melodic, a journey through shadows and strobe lights that never sacrifices groove for brute force. The vibe is that of Area V at dawn: misty, intense, and filled with the committed sway of dancers who have nowhere else to be. This is driving, peak-time techno with a melodic undertow, averaging 127 BPM and heavily leaning on the 12A key for a cohesive, hypnotic thrust.
The energy is firmly rooted in the low-end (65%), providing a powerful, rolling foundation that allows sharper mid-range elements like Adam Beyer & Bart Skils' 'Your Mind' to cut through with clinical efficiency. Engberg's programming is intelligent, weaving between toolish loops and more defined tracks to maintain momentum. For the diggers, the opener 'Itajai' by MATADOR sets a dark, percussive tone, while Activ's 'Doar Cu Tine' and the Carlo Lio remix of 'Raw Road' are peak-time weapons of precision.
The Markus Meinhardt remix brings a tribal flavor, and the inclusion of a track like Lexuspi's 'M.A.T.B Love' shows an ear for deeper, more nuanced sounds. The set opens with that ominous 'Itajai', builds through a landscape of rhythmic tension and melodic hints, and gently comes down with Boxia's atmospheric 'Nights Become Days'—a full tracklist that showcases Engberg's skill in sculpting a complete techno narrative.