CHRIS BEKKER — Taking Berlin beyond the club walls
The connection between music and a city fascinates me. Certain records become attached to a skyline, a journey home or a moment when a place starts to feel familiar. Chris Bekker has made that relationship an explicit part of his work.
The Berlin DJ and producer’s career brings together KitKatClub and the international circuit around La Demence and GreenKomm. His sound crosses tech, progressive and trance, and his relationship with Paul van Dyk’s VANDIT Records began in 2013, according to La Demence’s official biography.
That relationship developed into Berlinition, his 2016 artist album. Its collaborators include Paul van Dyk, Chris Montana, Sequ3l and Pagano; We Can Be features Tricia McTeague. An accompanying film connected the music to Berlin, extending the album into a visual portrait of the city. His catalogue also includes Heimat B, London Sunrise and TXL.
There is a timely reason to revisit that work. Berlin’s official tourism portal listed Bekker for the October 2026 Festival of Lights concert programme at Berliner Dom, including a performance with Ukãi Ndame. Its event description explains that he reworked material into ambient versions for the concert format. The club-night programme also marked ten years of Berlinition.
That shift in setting interests me: what happens when music associated with movement is reconsidered for a seated audience, architecture and light?
In Brussels, the setting changes again. Bekker is scheduled to follow Pagano in the ING Arena Main Room from 06:30 to 09:00 on Sunday 1 November.
I would love to hear how he approaches those final hours. By then, people may be exhilarated, tired, emotional, or all three. A closing stretch carries a particular responsibility: giving a room somewhere to go after it has already travelled so far. Bekker’s work across club sets, albums and audiovisual projects gives me plenty of reasons to be curious.