ON tHe FLOOr


TIME WARP, MANNHEIM, GERMANY Time and time again... DJ Mag re-visits Time Warp, now in its 18th year, to see if it’s still got it...


BACK in the early days of Time Warp, the organisers faced some scepticism from the community of Mannheim about an annual all-night rave taking place in their town. Over the years, though, perceptions of dance culture changed, and the focus turned to how the party was drawing tens of thousands from across Germany and the rest of Europe to the city every year. Time Warp came to be viewed in the same way it is by techno enthusiasts — as a cultural event. Considering that Time Warp 2012 is the 18th time it’s been staged in Mannheim, the brand has endured nearly as long as dance culture itself. As the punters stream into the SAP Arena on the last Saturday night of March,


anticipation levels are high for some of the event’s traditional aspects — Richie Hawtin’s annual six-hour closing set, similar extended sets from stalwarts like Sven Väth, plus the inevitable explosion of energy you can expect from Carl Cox. However, there’s nothing that feels stodgy or conservative about Time Warp; instead, it’s informed by the same militant values the techno scene itself is renowned for. There are no concessions to other genres, and no musical compromises from the performers. The organisers do it properly, and they still draw more than 20,000 every year.


reAD More


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19