So happy I could be part of the legendary Electric Ballroom this year! What a lovely crowd, surely a special club experience, thanks to DJ Dana and DJoker Daan, who were brave to play unexpected and rarely hear vinyl, tastefully arranged. Thanks to the audience I was in a flow state from minute one and was performing like in trance. And thanks to my friend Holg who pimped up my master output - totally dope!

Electric Ballroom - Live 2023 (with audience)

Once again I was lucky to be invited to the lovely Kallisto Festival, this time honorably playing my dawless liveact from 22-00:00 on the first day. Thanks to the crew and dancers and the weather gods <3

Setup: 2x Digitakt, Tr6s, S-1, 1010music Bluebox, Midifighter Twister, FMR RNLA and this and that..

Kallisto Festival 2023 (with audience)

Kallisto Festival 2023 (no audience)

Kallisto Festival 2024 (Cassini opening)

This is a live performance of my down-tempo electronic/synthwave set called Vulcan Victory. All content is created+played live from Ableton Push 3 Standalone and manipulated in realtime using a set of DJ Tech Tools MidiFighter Twister controllers and an Akai APC40 controller.

No animals were harmed during the performance of this set and all sounds are certified organic and GMO-free.

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL3NnSJ3mHM

Thanks for listening!

Vulcan Victory - Live Performance 2025.07.14

Recording of "Hammerhalle" closing November the 2nd 2025. Thanks for everyone who went on a trip with me. <3

Kenji Tanaka LIVE // Sisyphos // Hammerhalle // Berlin

UPCOMING +++++
Nothing on the horizon..

PAST +++++
Immer wieder gerne Festival, Südpol, Havelrave, Drugi Dom / Gdynia (PL), Bergzirkus Festival, SO36/Electric Ballroom 2023, Fahimi Bar, Swarzewo Secret Beach (PL), Kallisto Festival, Raum4 Kitkat Club, Zur Gruam, Bragne OA (DE) | Performed as schœneberg: Marie Antoinette, Kulturbotschaft, Rosie's, Insel der Jugend, Seawatch Soli Hafenklang, Das Werk (AU), Papierfabrik (AU), Mensch Meier, Secret Loft - Rebellion der Träumer, SchwuZ

Booking: noise@vlqr.de

With solid roots in Techno, and influences from punk, psych- and electro rock and doom noise, VLQR (aka Valquire) embodies a very unique history in his sound. Often described as a "genre free chimera", his live performances spark the club scene with bass heavy and intuitively improvised music designed for the dancefloor. Effortlessly floating in the space between Tech House, Techno and Minimal House, VLQR continues to explore whatever the rich world of electronic music has to offer.

IMPROVISED LIVE TECHNO
Psychedelic / Groove / Techno
Berlin | Germany


If you love techno, you can't vote right. On a real techno floor, you can be free no matter who you are, if you respect the freedom of all others. Right politics stand for the opposite. if you want this culture to sustain, please get informed and stand up against this oppression.  
So FCK AFD! and be loud against all the populist, right-wing parties around the globe.  They promise you a better future, but history can teach you better. <3

🌎 Booking & Contact:
Kenji.Tanaka@loft.contact

View, Watch, Listen:
www.instagram.com/kenji_tanaka_official
www.youtube.com/@KenjiTanaka_LIVE
www.kenjitanaka.bandcamp.com

My Family: "BonkerSquad"
👉www.soundcloud.com/maldaneben
👉www.soundcloud.com/vaianamusic
👉www.instagram.com/bonkersquadberlin

Meet me here 2025:
01.03.25 BonkerSquad Salöön Berlin
06.04.25 Sisyphos Berlin
16.05.25 Rosa Greifswald
17.05.25 Secret Rave
24.05.25 Choose Jonny Knüppel Berlin
31.05.25 Accension Festival
27.06.25 Fusion Festival Tanzwüste
26.07.25 Coucool Festival France
03.08.25 Garbicz Festival Poland
16.08.25 Compact Madnass Festival Germany
22.08.25 Entropie Festival Germany
27.09.25 Exit Hamburg
11.10.25 Monopol Basement
18.10.25 Südpol Hamburg
02.11.25 Sisyphos Berlin
21.11.25 Jonny Knüppel Berlin
06.12.25 tba Rostock 


My approach to my music: 
I love loopy and trippy techno. When dancing, I love to let go of everything around me and enter into a deeper dialogue with myself. At this stage, I am 100% in tune with myself. This works for me when the groove drives me and the elements I hear are interesting but not too intrusive. That's exactly what I love to create on the floor.

To achieve this and also to create the necessary element of surprise, I combine different loops randomly and blindly. Since I never know exactly what will happen, I am also surprised and inspired by it. 

If you want to see how it works check out my youtube channel. www.youtube.com/@KenjiTanaka_Official




My instruments:
-Drums (TR8S)
-Bass (Modular)
-Rumble Bass (TR8S)
-Atmos (Fieldrecorder, Drumrack, Ableton)
-Synth 1 (MicroMonsta 2)
-Synth 2 (Polysix VST, Ableton)
-Vocal Samples (Ableton)
-Misc Samples (TR8S)


More nerdy Information:
For each of these instruments, I have prepared about 30 different loops, most of them 1 bar long.
Using the Streamdeck and a self-built ‘Max for Live Tool’, I can select a completely random loop for each instrument with the push of a button. The tonality can be set. To make sure it’s not completely random, I can choose between different categories, such as chords/arpeggiator.
I can control the complexity of the loop using controls.

All instruments run through Ableton (RME Fireface UCXii). With the help of ‘Launchcontrol’ and 2x ‘Midifighter Twister’, I can control all the parameters that are important to me. Filters, reverb, random delay and pitch effects glue everything together.

When playing, I rely on my intuition. I can sense what should happen 2-4 bars in advance. If I feel like I want to hear a new chord pattern, I press a button and let myself be surprised. If I like it, I develop it further. If I don’t like it, I move on.

Since the whole structure is improvised, I am correspondingly excited before the gigs. Because almost nothing can be planned in advance. My biggest clue is whether I dance. If I get myself to move and get lost, I am happy with what happens.

New tracks tagged #midifighter