During the final day of music curated by German Music Export and Initiative Musik, the moderator made a joke that the day’s event was about expanding the notions of German music beyond known institutions like Kraftwerk or Berghain. By the end of the afternoon, that seemed like an understatement. The day party at Shangri-La was not only the longest of the events (with artists Meagre Martin, Willow Parlo, LIE NING, Orbit, and ÄTNA) but also the most musically diverse — with indie rock, country-folk, R&B and pop, dreamy electronica, and pure operatic dance-pop chaos. 

The bright, overcast afternoon began with Meagre Martin’s earnest and funny indie pop. Their music felt like a cathartic breath which also validated the existential moral crisis that’s hovered over the festival for the past week. The group showed their support for Palestine and solidarity for those suffering at the hands of war profiteers — one member wore a ‘Free Palestine’ shirt while another donned one that read ‘End The U.S. War Machine.’ Songs like “Please Clap” — which they shared acme about from this incredibly awkward? inspiring? both? Jeb Bush moment — and the upbeat cosmic cry “TBD (The Big Death) were among the highlights. “No I can’t fake it,” Sarah Martin began in guttural whisper during the verse. “The earth is shaking/ So I keep bracing.”

Following their 2023 debut album Gut Punch, the trio are on their third tour in less than half a year. “We’re hustling to finish an EP, get some songs out, keep some momentum moving,” Max Hirtz-Wolf told Stereogum. “And we definitely have enough songs to also have a second album one day too. We’re just trying to push.” Asked whether they compartmentalize writing music and touring life, Martin responded: “Touring is serious survival mode, I think especially for me and Max. The writing times are the most regenerative when we can joke around and hang out in our rehearsal room with our drummer Freddy. We get to chill and write. Freddy also runs a studio called Butterama so it’s amazing we can just go in and record.” 

Willow Parlo followed. In the middle of their set they covered the Donna Lewis classic “I Love You Always Forever,” which felt like a perfect fit amongst her romantic, sprawling songs. But the set’s highlight was the voluminous “All I Want,” off their See U Whenever EP. It felt as though Parlo’s cavernous vocals were parting the clouds a bit, letting the sun crack through. 

The crowd continued to grow more vibrant, and the third act LIE NING was definitely flourishing in that energy. “Some other crowds were stiff, but maybe we can move a little bit,” NING said at their set’s beginning. The crowd swayed to their poignant words. “Watchin’ the news/ My brain goes numb, my skin is palе/ I need sun,” they sang on “Sweatshop.” But, the Berlin-based musician moved with the utmost tenderness and grace, arms bending in poetic symmetry to their chasmic vocals. After their show, LIE NING beamed about the audience’s energy. “It was incredible, honestly. I love playing during the day, because I feel like there’s a good base energy. For the music that I’m doing, it doesn’t need to be late. Performing during the day, I get to really have eye contact with everyone and tell my story. That’s what I’m here for, I want to share my stories.” 

LIE NING was definitely the most talkative performer of the day. It wasn’t only their balletic movements that connected, but their empathic tone when introducing each track. After their set, they gave some insight on their performance style: “There’s some issue or some topic that I would write about, and I take my time and explore all the different nuances. Once the song is ready, there’s so much of me and so much of my emotionality in it, that I can’t help but feel when I’m performing.” They added, “There’s an audience that has their own perspective on what I’m sharing, so I receive a new energy again and again, and it just makes me understand also what I’m talking about in a new and fresh way.”

The final two acts — Marcel Heym a.k.a. Orbit and duo Inéz Schaefer and Demian Kappenstein who make music as ÄTNA — took the crowd at Shangri-La to polar-opposite realms: one was both galactic and tranquil, while the other was metallic and hyper surreal. Heym took the stage facing his live performance partner Marlon. She helmed an acoustic guitar while, at times, he operated a keytar; between them was a complex setup of chords and pads that Heym described to Stereogum as a mix of controllers that let them spontaneously roam into different effects. He revealed that his first album is coming soon, but he’ll be releasing a demo tape in the next couple weeks that houses a range of raw recordings. 

Heym briefly lived in Berlin, but realized the city wasn’t conducive to his creative health and moved back to his hometown of Achim. “There’s no music scene actually in my small town. And I really enjoy that because I feel really independent of what’s going on in Berlin,” he shared. “There are a lot of artists [in Berlin], which is really nice, but also we always feel competition and having to strive for something. And, I don’t want to do that with my music. I just want to hang out with my friends and make music, the music I want, the music in the tempo I want.”

ÄTNA closed out the afternoon on the highest and wildest of notes. “Are you ready for an explosion and a volcano and lava bursting all over the place?” the moderator asked the crowd in the band’s introduction. Behind him, wearing outfits straight out of Mad Max, the duo grinned. Throughout their set, they were constantly engaging the audience. They asked for claps. They asked for countdowns. And they asked for us to dance … a lot. Ask and you shall receive. Bodies swayed, thrashed, and grooved to the duo’s warped alien vocals and seductive, high-octane rhythm. Today, the Germans definitely embraced their weird. After witnessing one of the most wide-ranging musical afternoons and supportive crowds, it brought to mind something LIE NING emphasized in our brief chat: “Let’s be gracious. Let’s be kind with each other. This is so important please.”  

Check out more photos from yesterday’s showcase below by Brynn Osborn.