The Controller performed in the capital at Astra on Tuesday December 3rd. We were there and that was it.
Slowly but steadily, the austere, square concert hall of the Astra Kulturhaus is filling up. It was probably clear to everyone present that the Channel Tres show wouldn’t start at 8 p.m. sharp. So it’s time to pass the time until it finally starts. Luckily, a DJ warms up the growing crowd with a small set in which he flexes through all sorts of house subgenres.
He’s the controller
The dance session is preparation for the somewhat atypical performance that is about to follow. Attending a Channel Tres concert actually means experiencing three different concerts. And that’s no surprise given the Compton-born rapper’s hybrid musical style, which moves somewhere between West Coast hip-hop and house act.
Shortly after 9 p.m. the warmed-up crowd is ready for their all-round entertainer. But that will take a moment to arrive. First, two dancers storm onto the stage to “Head Rush” who, as the rest of the concert will show, deserve just as much respect for their performance as the main actor of the evening. Shortly afterwards the time has come and Channel Tres, dressed in black leather jeans and a tank top, lets the audience shout “I am the Controller” in a somewhat paradoxical way.
Lots of room for self-development
The next half to three quarters of an hour are mainly tracks from the album HEAD RUSH, which was released in 2024: “Joyful”, “Chain Hang Down”, “Cactus Water”, “Need U 2 Know” and of course the feature “I’ve Been In Love”. “ with the British indie giants Jungle, who unfortunately don’t make a surprise appearance. Before “Berghain” Sheldon Jerome Young (real name) tells us how he once DJed in Berlin’s most famous techno bunker. When an acquaintance was said to have asked him, somewhat surprised, whether he really worked as a DJ, the 33-year-old’s answer was: “I do everything.” He also suggested to the crowd: “Never put yourself in a box.”
Realize yourself and don’t follow conventions. Channel Tres definitely nailed it with his style. He motivates like a firecracker, raps like an MC and sometimes lets his beats speak for themselves. As a visitor, you can react to this with a wide variety of movements: jumping, shuffling, the classic movement of your hands – everything is possible.
All are equal at Channel Tres
In the last 15 minutes there are hits from old EPs with G-Funk-Minimoog like “Sexy Black Timberlake”, “Raw Power” and of course the crowning finale “Topdown”. The sound is a bit too relaxed for the mosh pit that Channel Tres wants to open. But it doesn’t matter because everyone still has a good time.
The tirelessly delivering dancers, who seem to have twenty different choreographies and signature moves, also continue to have a good time. During the encore tracks, one of the two shows a small solo performance. By the way, Channel Tres took part in many of the performances himself… He really does everything.
Although some scream “We want more” and would like to hear the song “Tunnel” recorded with Polo & Pan, the concert is finally over after about 75 minutes. The Astra Kulturhaus slowly empties and people stream out into the night. Some time later, on the rainy, dark way home, the hook of “Berghain” resonates and (if you change the location) feels a little representative of the entire evening: “I was in Berlin / At Berghain / Everyone’s the same / In Berghain.”