By keith valfreya | january 7, 2025
As I arrive at Coda, the first opener, Nadia, is preparing for the night. Tall columns of dancing LEDs rise from behind her. Disco balls line the roof, and the DJ booth is adorned with vegetation, presumably, for the winter season. Pale, vein-like branches reach out from below the decks and down from the ceiling. Long, twisted, logs stretch from the center, framing the entire booth like the horns of some ancient creature.
Though I’ve been here before, I still feel like I’m seeing it for the first time. For a few brief moments, I have the dancefloor to myself. The stillness of what I know will be a fleeting solitude, beating rhythms building around me, and the otherworldly glow of the sylvan display combine into something almost spiritual. The doors open and I see the first eager pilgrims make their way into this mystic sanctuary, tonight’s temple of dance.
Headlining is Massane, a French DJ and producer known for melodic house with rich, organic layers. Notably, he is also known for incorporating electric guitar into his live sets, often with an ethereal, introspective quality that I begin to anticipate will be a perfect match for this setting.
Oliver Wickham has taken over the booth now and the room is nearly full. As the end of his set nears, Massane’s signature white LTD guitar is placed by the decks. Its presence induces a visible excitement around the booth.
Massane actually began with the guitar, becoming interested in electronic music after using Guitar Pro to write sheet music. Inspired by the complex textures of artists like The Glitch Mob, he began producing music, primarily glitch hop, under the name PhYnee. Later developing his current style while releasing music under Ben Böhmer’s label Ton Töpferei before reinventing himself as Massane. Under the new moniker he found widespread popularity on Lane 8’s This Never Happened, releasing music from his Visage series, for which he is currently touring.
Massane is in the booth now, and after a short build up, he grabs the guitar and slings the strap over his shoulder. As the strings ring out for the first time, it’s clear the excitement was justified. All at once the rich texture swells into focus with an exhilarating clarity, tenderly but powerfully piercing through the rest of the mix. The sound is meditative and cavernous, an easy place to find yourself lost, for a moment, or a night.
For the remainder of the set, he moves back and forth between the decks and the guitar, before handing things off to Edan who winds down the evening with an extra turntable and box of records.
The final visitors have now bravely left behind the warmth of tonight’s sacred refuge to begin their trek elsewhere. Reluctantly, I join them.
Keith Valfreya is a freelance photojournalist for Majestic Music Magazine. See more of his work here
