photos: Roger Sabaté.
The other week I had a little personal dream come true: My favorite Berlin musician performed for us at one of my favorite Berlin places. The occasion was the Checkout Session concert series by Danish loudspeaker brand SOUNDBOKS – and I can’t say how grateful I am to them for making this happen. In the end, it was such a sweet gathering with a stunning performance – I couldn’t be happier.
When SOUNDBOKS approached me a while ago and asked me to curate a concert event for their Checkout Sessions, it didn’t take me even a second to pick the musician. I wanted Lie Ning to perform at one of our events the moment he debuted last year, so this was the perfect opportunity. Before he came out with his wonderful debut single Tonight, I had already known him as a contemporary dancer and model – I like to say muse even – but little did I know back then how much more talent we would witness from him. The Berlin-born artist really has a lot of facets and he obviously likes to have his fingers in many pies – a desire I can absolutely relate to.
But even when Lie Ning is performing as a musician, he is much more than just a singer. There is a magic to him, that you can only witness when seeing him live. And I saw those eyes of wonder that I once had in the faces of a lot of the guests at the concert that saw him for the first time: With his silky-smooth voice, his cheeky charm, and his obvious passion he effortlessly wrapped everyone around his finger. I had multiple conversations after the show with people who couldn’t believe how amazing he was.
The setting of the Checkout Session by SOUNDBOKS was really an ideal one to create this special connection between musician and listener because it was intimate and cozy enough to be able to get up-close and personal with the artist. The courtyard of the beautiful Hallesches Haus in Kreuzberg turned out to be such a perfect venue for this show.
The next Checkout Sessions will happen at equally cool venues and with more amazing upcoming Berlin artists. For instance tonight you will be able to see J. Lamotta live at the very cool Bar Brutal in Neukölln. Register here for the guest list and just drop by and enjoy the show! More dates are coming in October, so stay tuned to our event guide.
