Sound Metaphors Festival takes over all Berghain floors
· re:union Radio editorial · 1 min read
Co-founder Nemo Ripoll and staff member David Fogarty discuss the three-day Sound Metaphors Festival at Berghain, their seven labels, and the platform's evolution.
Berlin music venture Sound Metaphors is hosting a three-day festival at Berghain at the end of October. In an interview with Groove magazine, co-founder Nemo Ripoll and staff member David Fogarty shared details on the concept and the evolution of their platform, which began in 2015 as a record shop in Kreuzberg and is now based at Weichselstraße 22 in Neukölln.
Labels and musical spectrum
Alongside the main imprint, the team operates six additional sublabels with distinct directions:
- Sound Metaphors: Reissues of synthetic dancefloor productions from the nineties
- Miss You: Focused on organic sounds such as disco
- Sound Metaphors 23: Non-profit outlet for music by Spiral Tribe and related scenes
- THANK YOU: Synthetic music referencing the eighties and nineties
- H.A.N.D. (Have A Nice Day): White-label catalogue with unconventional edits
- Bless You: Genre-free releases by international producers
- Sound Migration: A collaborative imprint with Transmigration
Expanded format at Berghain
While standard club nights face genre limits, the festival utilizes the club's floors for live performances, ambient, and dub. Reflecting on past events, Nemo Ripoll recalled a set by Suzanne Ciani:
Nemo: „Als sie bei uns spielte, war das Berghain so voll wie an einem gewöhnlichen Sonntagabend – nur waren plötzlich alle still und hörten Ambient-Musik, statt zu tanzen.“
The international lineup includes Mark Ernestus with an amapiano set, Mohammad Reza Mortazavi, Aba Shanti-I, Grand River, Daphni, Jane Fitz, and Robert Leiner. Looking ahead, the team considers hosting festival editions in New York or Tokyo.
Source: Groove
