Standout Techno Sets 2025
A dozen events later i am asking myself, who Was actually memorable…
It's the beginning of 2026 and I was wondering, who really played a standout techno or house set, that I am still thinking about till this day. After the closing of Watergate, the club where I was basically raised, I was very disappointed with what the Berlin scene had to offer. It left a bigger hole in the scene than I initially expected. The energy visibly shifted (already before the closing) and often the music itself fell short.
It might have been my personal situation in life, how I selected the events, or whatever. Luckily I found a lot of (musical) pleasure outside of my hometown. And for a positive outlook into the new year I want to share those experiences with you :)
Richard Akingbehin @ Multisex ADE
When I was thinking of this list this immediatly poped into my head. I wrote a full review on the Multisex event in Amsterdam and that evening still lives rent free in my head. The dub techno set by Richard was incredible and I've been listening to what's online by him since then. It opened a whole new genre to me I previously overlooked, and clearly takes the first spot on this list. Artist
Rene Wise All night long @ Levenslang
When revisiting all the performances I've seen throughout the year it's very easy to be biased towards the end of the year, because it's easier to remember them. I saw Rene Wise in Febuary and still it takes my number 2 spot. It was the perfect execution of a hardgroove masterclass. His consistency throught the 9 hours he played was incredible. And the former prision in Amsterdam aka Levenslang, with it's extremly powerfull soundsystem was the perfect venue for it. Artist
Spanier Mit Auto @ DNA Club Munich
This one is a out of the ordinary pick compared to the rest of the list. It's not about "musical quality", or how it opened my eyes to a new genre. This one was about pure, unfiltered fun. (Hard) Bounce, trance, lot's of 90s and 2000s edits. Pure hype music, but it was executed to perfection. It exactly fitted the energy of the crowd. Everyone was jumping and laughing. The DJ brought and transferred the energy. It was a perfect local community night I've written a review on at the DNA club. It was unpretentious, easy going, and overall one of the most fun nights this year for me. Artist
Black Light Smoke @ Public Records NYC
During my stay in New York I originally didn't plan to go out. But I was very intrigued to hear the Sound System by Ojas. Tiga hosted his label night on a rainy thursday, so from a clubbing perspective it was empty and honestly underwhelming. However, the live set played by Black Light Smoke was premium. Most people don't know that besides electronic music I also like Dark Wave and Post Punk a lot. And hearing those elements in his set, combining into an unexpectedly good acid techno journey resulted in a place on this list. Artist
D.Dan @ Intercell
The backstory behind this evening is honestly incredible. It goes from ticketswap sniping, to bribing the Levenslang staff to get access to this sold out event, to getting caught and sneaking in. But all the effort was worth it, because when D.Dan was closing the club the walls were shaking. Absolute banger of a set and I am dying to see him again in 2026. Artist
Jennifer Cardini @ Club Raum ADE
Honestly, it's a surprise I even remember her set. Because at that point I was awake for a good 30+ hours. Typical ADE weekend I guess… But Jen Cardini just perfectly hit my spot in terms of music taste. Club Raum at that point felt like a space ship and her sound underlined it. Powerfull, energetic, yet warming and comforting. Artist
Call Super B2B Ryan Elliot @ Multisex
To be honest, I don't remember much of the set itself. I just know, that the B2B lasted 6 hours, and every time I stepped foot on the dancefloor it was excellent and I immediatly got back in the groove. Artist
Luuk van Dijk @ Bret
This was a day after the Rene Wise set. I've never heard of Luuk before, and didn't even know he was playing. As far as I remember only Seth Troxler was announced. But it was the perfect Sunday evening spanning into monday. Exactly what Bret in Amsterdam stays for, Luuk embarked. This after hour, we all gather after a long weekend, it's random, it's classic, we're gonna ride this one into the new week type of energy. Artist
