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Ellen Allien show review

The German DJ spins a sonic-siren performance in Chicago

By Jen Hazen
Published: November 18th, 2003 | 6:02pm

Remember the Spielberg film Poltergeist? The little girl who is entranced by an abyss of light as a medium cries, "Look into the light, Carol Ann"? Well, Ellen Allien’s audience consisted of about 150 Carol Anns at Chicago’s Empty Bottle on November 15, 2003. Of course, apparitions weren’t floating through the air, yet Allien’s music resounded with such an eerie radiance, I wonder if she’s entirely of this world.

The evening’s bill consisted of four DJs, yet it was Allien’s set that wooed fans to line the stage of the packed venue like lemmings, hanging on her every beat. The Bottle, because of its narrow size, isn’t the perfect place for DJs and a dance party, yet it wasn’t a problem. Not everyone was there to dance with glow sticks. A quick glance of the crowd showed the majority in a dancing frenzy. There was also a shy minority who seemed content to simply bask in Allien’s airy, glowing melodies and cadent pulse of bass as she worked the turntables.

Allien’s musical formula is intricately woven: hypnotic and heavy bass, fused with layers of ethereal harmonies and an underlying edge that subtly hints at a sense of impending doom. This doom isn’t created by the usual frenetic, tweaking beats that make you feel so anxious that your heart will explode from your chest. She softens the blips and bleeps with sweeps of tempo changes and dramatic refrains. It’s like the anticipation of watching a storm take shape. Before you know it, you’re nibbling at your nails, wondering how she was able to slip such a feeling of unrest under your skin.

Allien’s current release, Berlinette, explains how this DJ can mastermind a scene that resembles both a tripped-out episode of "Dance Fever" and an opium den, with the spin of her dials and the slight of her hands. In the middle of Allien’s set, I yelled in my friend’s ear, "I feel like I’m high or something!" Maybe it’s the residual from my early 20s or that one gin and tonic that was 95% tonic. Doubtful. Simply put, Ellen Allien’s musical presence is like a beckoning siren’s song that will steer your ship right into the rocks while you wistfully smile with a dreamy look in your eyes.