For close to two decades, Ben Klock has helped shape modern techno. Known as one of Berghain’s defining residents, he has built a sound on patience, weight and long, hypnotic arcs. On 27 February, he brings that sound, and that night, to Poolen in the form of his PHOTON concept.
PHOTON is Ben Klock’s own audiovisual concept, where sound, light and architecture merge into one. The name comes from the photon, the smallest unit of light, and the approach follows suit. There are no laser shows and no LED walls. Instead, narrow, precise beams draw geometry that follows the room, often in a single colour at a time. Darkness is given space while the music builds, and the light only returns when the track opens up.
The idea is to shift the focus away from the stage and back to the dancefloor, to the people dancing. It’s the same logic that has made Berghain a place you don’t just visit, but disappear into. The darkness, the intensity and the night are allowed to take their time.
Since its debut at Printworks London in 2017, PHOTON has travelled to some of the world’s most distinctive spaces, from Berghain to Gashouder in Amsterdam and Knockdown Center in New York. Each show is built for the room it’s played in. Now it’s Poolen’s turn.