- From the outside, there is little to suggest that Watergate would be considered by many to be one of the world's best nightclubs. But while others would argue that Watergate isn't even the best club in Berlin, through the eyes and ears of a first time visitor at least, the club made a lasting impression. Anyway, comparing the notorious Berghain—with its gargantuan dance floor and industrial feel—to the sleek clubbing environment on offer in Watergate seems beside the point. Both offer equally brilliant, yet very different experiences. Unlike its massive counterpart, so unassuming is the entrance to Watergate that little gave its presence away—bar the 50-metre long cosmopolitan queue tucked up against the barriers outside.
The night already seemed full of promise even before we were met with Watergate's infamous, if not exactly subtle, LED-powered ceiling and Loco Dice's headlining set. Flanked by a throng of beautiful people from seemingly every corner of the globe, the Desolat boss finally arrived on stage after stellar sets by one of the imprint's latest additions, tINI. She played a deep house set which occasionally strayed in to tougher territories, eventually bringing things down a notch to smoothly set the wheels in motion for Dice's blend of predominantly funky, tribal tech house.
When Dice did finally arrive on stage around the 3 AM mark, it was the cue for fervent applause from every section of the club. The superstar DJ treatment was something I was surprised to witness in a Berlin club, although one which I figured boiled down to the Thursday night scheduling and the fact that the party coincided with Berlin Fashion Week.
The few trainspotters up front gesticulated wildly when Dice dropped a snippet of his acid-infused track, "Tight Laces." Dice played to the crowd like a man keen to impress, with breakdowns aplenty and meticulously crafted mixes. Proving he's lost none of his appeal as a producer, the next big response came when he dropped "Definition" to a dance floor which had slightly dwindled in size. With the hordes of fashionistas now departed and the club at 3/4 capacity, the atmosphere was actually yanked up a further notch before Dice gradually brought his set to a deeper climax—a move which went down a treat for those of us who'd spent the past six hours or so jostling for position on a crowded dance floor.
While I've perhaps unfairly regarded Loco Dice as the least talented of the "superstar minimal DJ" generation, he managed to captivate the dance floor in a manner I hadn't witnessed in a long time. I later found out that there was another room downstairs in Watergate. It's testament to Dice that I never thought to look for one.
Edit: This review has been amended to reflect the fact that Guti did not, in fact, play. We regret the error.