TuneLab
Kettama
Awakenings Festival 2025
Of course Kettama would open Awakenings Festival 2025 with what sounds like a copyright claim waiting to happen. We're here for the unapologetic, peak-time pummelling, and he delivers from the jump. The Gashouder or a massive tent – either way, it's strobe-lit chaos, a sea of fists punching air to every distorted kick. Averaging a sweat-inducing 141.4 BPM, this is hard techno with a capital H, though the range dips to 107 BPM for brief, disorienting breaks. The harmonic centre is firmly in 12A, giving a dark, driving foundation, with shifts to 3B and 4B adding subtle colour.
Energy is front-loaded in the low-end (41% avg), with mid-range hooks from tech-house leaners and high-end reserved for piercing stabs. Kettama's mixing is functional and heavy, less about subtlety and more about maintaining relentless momentum through impactful cuts. The Jake Shore remix of DJ Slugo's 'Wouldn't You Like to Be a Hoe Too' is a genius bit of sleaze, turning a Chicago classic into a warehouse weapon. Pulstar's 'Blue Lemonade (Fizzed upClub Mix)' offers a ten-minute journey of acidic progression. Dropping Fred again.
and Skepta's 'Victory Lap' is a bold, cheeky move that works, while his own remix of Calvin Harris's 'Blessings' is the set's undeniable euphoric peak. Sidney Charles's 'Trip Advisor' provides a ravey mid-range cut, and Maxx's 'No More' delivers raw, driving power. From that mysterious opener, he builds through percussive workouts to the climax of 'Blessings', before sending everyone home with the ridiculous crowd-pleaser: Dimitri Vegas & Steve Aoki's '2 Times'.